For a city with so many people, New York has a severe shortage of comfortable places to sit and enjoy the outdoors for free. That’s why this man in Spanish Harlem took matters into his own hands, transforming a police barricade into a public bench. [More]
NEW YORK
NY Town Considering 'Do Not Knock' List
By 7.28.10
The people in Rye, NY, are so fed-up with unsolicited visitors banging on their doors to sell them something or ask for their support in an election that they’re considering creating a “Do Not Knock” registry that would forbid door-to-door types from interrupting their peace and quiet. [More]
Trident Xtra Care Won't Save Your Teeth, Alleges Lawsuit
By 7.22.10
Sugar-free Trident Xtra Care gum makes a lot of bold statements about what it can do for your chompers, but a man in New York is claiming that it’s all a lot of hot air and has filed a lawsuit against Trident’s parent company over what he alleges is a misleading marketing campaign. [More]
NYC Finds Artistic Street Vendors Shockingly Uncooperative
By 7.19.10
Who would have thought that people who gather at NYC’s public parks to sell their paintings and photography would mind being forced into a designated area? [More]
Judge Throws Out $4,000 Fine For Picking Up Free Air-Conditioner
By 7.15.10
Yesterday, we wrote about a New York City woman whose car was impounded and who was fined thousands of dollars after her nephew used her car to — horror of horrors — pick up an abandoned air-conditioner from a city curb. Good news: Both she and her nephew have had the ridiculous fines erased. [More]
Picking Up Furniture From The Curb Could Cost You Thousands
By 7.14.10
Walking the sidewalks of just about any city — especially one like New York where apartment turnover is at a high level — you’re likely to find at least one or two chairs, shelves, mirrors, dressers, etc., that are in passable, if not pristine, condition. But be warned before you go putting that side table in the back of a cab — it could end up costing you a lot of money. [More]
MTA Doesn't Understand Meaning Of The Word "Unlimited"
By 7.13.10
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already redefined the term “customer service” as “screwing over customers by cutting service.” But now the MTA is tackling another item in the dictionary, attempting to put a limit on that which is supposedly “unlimited.” [More]
Senator Says Caffeinated Malt Liquor Drinks Target Teens
By 7.12.10
For years, young folks have been getting their buzz on with the help of fruit-flavored malt liquor concoctions like Sparks, Joose and Four Loko. This is a fact that has apparently just come across the desk of Senator Chuck Schumer of NY, who is now asking for federal help in getting these beverages out of the mouths of babes. [More]
Walmart Spends $2 Million To Avoid Paying $7,000 Fine
By 7.7.10
Talk about sticking to your principles. Rather than simply pay a $7,000 fine stemming from the Black Friday trampling death of a store employee, Walmart has racked up at least $2 million in legal costs to prove their point. [More]
Should Parents Be Fined For Smoking With A Kid In The Car?
By 7.2.10
I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, but I sure inhaled my fair share of my mom’s, dad’s and stepfather’s tobacco when I was a child. Surely one of my earliest developed motor skills was learning how to roll down the window in our Chevy Nova. Now a bill under consideration by the New York State Assembly seeks to put an end to such behavior by fining adults who light up with a child in the vehicle. [More]
Chicago Provides City Vehicle Stickers That Lack One Important Feature
By 6.30.10
First New York’s vehicle inspection stickers lacked enough stickiness to actually stay stuck and now the disease has infected Chicago. Yes, it’s the same company making the stickers. I know. We’re shocked too. Who could have predicted this? [More]
If You're Unhappy With Bus Service Cuts, Do Not Punch Bus Driver In Face
By 6.29.10
There are many ways for citizens to protest mass-transit service cuts — with these posters or this tee shirt, for example — but we’re pretty sure that high up on the list of “least effective ways to effect change” is “repeatedly punch some poor bus driver in the face while he’s driving.” [More]
6-Time Coney Island Hot Dog Champ Kobayashi May Bail On July 4 Eat-Off
By 6.29.10
Since July 4, 2001, when Takeru Kobayashi first wowed the crowd at Coney Island by devouring a then-world record 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes, the pint-sized stomach-stuffer has been a dependable fixture at the annual eat-off, winning the competition six times in a row. But after three consecutive losses in subsequent years, a report claims Kobayashi may not choose to compete next weekend. [More]
New York Wants Grocery Stores To Sell Wine
By 6.27.10
Fresh off boosting cigarette taxes, New York is ready to give smokers a replacement for their beloved lung shredders: wine! The state’s latest budget gap killer would allow nearly 20,000 grocery stores to sell bottles of vino, hauling in up to $300 million. [More]
The $25,000 Hot Chocolate
By 6.25.10
What’s the best thing to eat in your $33,000 bed? A $25,000 “frrrozen haute chocolate” from Serendipity 3 in New York, obviously. [More]
NY State Approves $4.35/Pack Tax On Cigarettes
By 6.22.10
As we reported over the weekend, the NY State Legislature was considering a proposal to increase the state’s already high $2.75/pack tax on cigarettes by $1.60. And last night, the ayes had it over the coughing and hacking nos, making New York the most expensive place to smoke in the U.S. [More]
New "Ironic" Urban Outfitters Store Parodies The Mom & Pop Shops Killed By Its Ilk
By 6.21.10
In a move sure to raise the blood pressure of those angry people who remember New York City before it had a Kmart and a bunch of Best Buys, Urban Outfitters has designed an “ironic” storefront built to resemble the sort of bodegas, little hardware stores and other independent businesses that New York used to be composed of. [More]
Ride Along For The Day In A Mr. Softee Truck
By 6.21.10
Just about every neighborhood has ice cream trucks, but there’s something special about Mister Softee. Perhaps it’s the treats, but more than likely it’s the ever-repeating tune that streams endlessly out of the rooftop speakers… even when the truck is parked outside your apartment for four hours straight… But I digress. [More]
