Pie in the Face

Here’s a 1910 view of the south side of 14 St. looking east from 6th Ave. from what was then the platform of the elevated train. As you can see, Macy’s was headquartered there (where Urban Outfitters is now) and expanded along the block over time as it grew. Eventually, the cobbled-together space got too complicated and the store decamped for its massive new digs in Herald Square. If you look closely at this building today, you can still see vestiges of Macy’s red star icon in a few places.

Here’s this fall’s guide to theater in the neighborhood. 

If you’re having trouble coming up with a composting strategy, read this article from the New York Times Wirecutter, which provides insight into the available options for composting bins and buckets.

Chick-fil-A is negotiating a lease for a Union Square location formerly occupied by popular restaurant Bluewater Grill. The fast-food chain, known for its chicken sandwiches and controversial support of antigay groups and issues, is likely to open an outpost at 31 Union Square West. Tthe landlord had been asking for nearly $2 million in annual rent, which is what drove Bluewater Grill to close. It isn’t clear whether Chick-fil-A will take the entirety of the roughly 11,000-square-foot vacancy and what the Atlanta-based chain is agreeing to pay in rent.

Comparing 3rd quarter 2007 to 3rd quarter 2008, real estate prices around here have actually done pretty well, according to the Times.

Neighborhoods that experienced price drops include the Lower East Side and the East Village, where median prices fell 5.5 percent; and Carnegie Hill, where co-op prices decreased 7.2 percent. Median prices in Hamilton Heights and Morningside Heights dropped 30 percent, with sales decreasing to only 19 from 67 in 2007. In Washington Heights, median prices went down 6.3 percent, but the number of sales increased to 24 from 18 in 2007.

The neighborhoods that fared the best through the third quarter included Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue from 59th to 96th Streets, where median prices went up 35 percent. In Lincoln Square, an area between 57th and 72nd Streets from Central Park West to the Hudson River that is home to high-priced apartments in 15 Central Park West and the Time Warner Center, median co-op prices went up 18.6 percent and median condo prices went up 25 percent. Prices also rose in Lenox Hill, where median co-op prices went up 19 percent; and Chelsea, where median co-op and condo prices went up about 6 percent.

Other neighborhoods that experienced increases include Greenwich Village, where median prices for co-ops went up 3.9 percent; Union Square and the Gramercy area, where co-op prices went up 3.3 percent and condo prices went up 2.6 percent; and the Upper East Side, where median co-op prices went up 2.3 percent and condo prices went up 9.1 percent.

From Gothamist: Reverend Billy climbed to the roof of the Pavilion building in Union Square last night around 6:30 p.m. to hang a banner reading: Not For Sale. While he was up there, he gave the passersby a lessn on why the historic free speech structure cannot be turned into a private, upscale restaurant; reminding people that the first Labor Day in 1882 took place there, and that one “shouldn’t have to buy a $15 appetizer to have access to this building.” Catch the nutty video.