Cookie Monster

7:00 AM Morning Running Club with Paragon Sports (Fitness)
7:00 AM Boot Camp with Circuit of Change (Fitness)
8:00 AM Yoga with Jivamukti (Fitness)
9:00 AM CrossFit with Paragon Sports (Fitness)
10:00 AM Yoga StoryTime with Karma Kids (Kids)
11:00 AM Rolie Polie Guacamole (Kids)
12:00 PM New School Jazz (Music)
6:00 PM Salsa with Baila Society (Dance)

The first headquarters of the NAACP, was at 69 5th Ave., where the New School building is now. From 1920 to 1938, they flew this flag whenever they received a report of a lynching anywhere in America. This view, which hasn’t changed much, is looking south on 5th Ave.

It’s at this time of the year that street life returns to our sidewalks, and with it comes litter, especially on 13th St., where fans of Joe Coffee linger on our stoop, smoke up a storm, and drop their butts. Such is life in the big city. The big problem with this is that we sometimes get sanitation tickets that aren’t our fault. The Board of Directors has a very cordial relationship with Joe’s owner, Jonathan Rubenstein, who is a good guy and a great example of a successful local entrepreneur fighting off the big chains. He’s busy expanding his empire, but he does care and responds to our complaints. In the meantime, feel free to remind visitors to our stoop not to drop their trash, and if you have the time, call 311 to complain because city inspectors will get Joe’s attention.

Hersha Hospitality Trust, owner of upscale and select service hotels in major metropolitan markets, announced that the Company has entered into a purchase and sale agreement to acquire the 175-room Hyatt Union Square hotel in New York City at 4th Ave and 13th Street for total consideration of $104.1 million, or approximately $595,000 per key. The transaction is expected to close shortly after the seller completes the hotel’s construction. The consideration to the seller consists of $36 million paid to the seller in cash, the cancellation by the Company of a $10 million development loan made to the seller, accrued interest on the loan and the assumption by the Company of two mortgage loans secured by the hotel in the original aggregate principal amount of $55 million. While this purchase and sale agreement secures the Company’s right to acquire the completed hotel, the Company is not assuming any construction risk, including the risk of schedule and cost overruns. The hotel is expected to open in 2012.

Delicious Korean gastropub Barn Joo has relocated from a few blocks up Broadway to Union Square West and the old Heartland Brewery site. Try it out. Very tasty.

Warby Parker’s 200th real-world store is located nearby at 73 5th Avenue.