University Place Switches Direction at 13th/14th St. (perhaps temporarily)

Pinkberry and Red Mango are going at it just one block west. The Villager has all the details.

Ikea opens in Red Hook on June 18 and promoted that fact with pop-up apartment in Union Square. How do you feel about promotions such as this that sometimes take over the south end of the park. Do these advertisers pay for the privilege? And if so, who gets the money?

15 Union Square West is how home to a very fancy yoga boutique. Your downward dog has never looked so good.

D’agostino’s is long gone, and Agata and Valentina had to vacate so that the undistinguished building can be demolished and replaced by retail and apartments. Should be an interesting build. How high? Unknown at this time.

In honor of Climate Week, a coalition of scientists and activists reset the digital clock with red numbers seen on the side of a building in Union Square and changed it into a “ClimateClock.” The numbers now count down the years, days, hours, minutes and seconds the Earth has left to take action to stop global warming from going over 1.5°C more than the pre-industrial levels.

According to the organization, who aims to put the countdown clock in cities across the world, the clock’s calculation is based on the world’s current rates of emissions and the amount of CO2 that can still be released into the atmosphere. The clock simply counts down to when the “carbon budget” runs out. If the world manages to lower its emissions, more time will be left on the clock.

The clock is based on the carbon clock made by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) which uses data from the recent IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, ClimateClock says.

The artists responsible for putting up the clock in Manhattan told the New York Times in an interview that the display will be up until the end of Climate Week, Sept. 27. Artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd also told the paper that they created a mobile Climate Clock for Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg last year before her appearance at the UN Climate Action Summit.

With the backdrop of recent wildfires and hurricanes, which scientists say show how climate change is magnifying the extremes in weather, protests for climate action are expected all over the world on Friday.

Next week (October 10 to October 14), contractors will continue to excavate earth and load out material. Concrete foundation walls at the South East corner of the site and slab on grade work will continue. Underground electrical and plumbing work will continue. DOT approved street connections to underground utilities on Fifth Avenue will progress. Formwork and rebar for superstructure will continue at cellar levels.

The following week (October 17 to October 21 ), we will continue superstructure concrete and slabs, street utility connections and underground electrical and plumbing.