Rookie Brings Kiddie Clothes to Union Square West

The retail retreat continues, with the departure of Bolton’s from the corner of Union Square and University. This is a high-traffic area. It’ll be interesting to see what comes next.

The four new condos at 61 5th Ave, corner of 13th, have finally been priced, and the prices are mindbending. See prices and photos here.

The upscaling of 14th St. continues just three doors down, where Le Petit Belge has opened. Stop in for a Belgian waffle. $3.50 is a bit pricey for what’s essentially a zeppole, but they are pretty good, and who would have ever thought we’d have a takeout place on our block that features not one but six crystal chandeliers? New York magazine says: “When the waffles-to-go kiosk that Belgian expats Maor Livni and Greg Galel had planned for Logan Airport was nixed by a security-crazed fire marshal, the partners transplanted the business to Manhattan, where they’ve converted the former Tavalon tea shop into Le Petit Belge. A shrine of sorts to all things Belgian—or at least to Liège waffles, various imported chocolates, and paper cones full of mini-pancakes they call “poffys”—the shop takes a cannily ecumenical approach to New York snack food. That’s why it also serves frozen yogurt, provided by Berrywild, and rugalach made with Callebaut chocolate. And tea drinkers will still find the Tavalon line, in hot, frozen, and bubble varieties.”

Now open at 12 W 17th Street, Yakiniku Great offers a unique take on Japanese barbecue, sourcing premium Wagyu from across Japan and air-shipping it directly to New York. Guests can enjoy the rich flavor and natural umami of fresh Wagyu while exploring a variety of rare cuts in an authentic Japanese dining experience.

Here’s what’s on display in the park:

Miranda July is a fiction writer (No One Belongs Here More Than You), a filmmaker (Me and You and Everyone We Know), a performance artist (Things We Don’t Understand and Are Definitely Not Going to Talk About), and an occasional sculptress. It’s that latter designation that’s the focus of a new public art installation, the comparatively terse “Eleven Heavy Things,” organized by Deitch Projects, which opened late last week in New York’s Union Square Park. (The installation will remain in the park through October 3rd.) The sculptures, many of which revolve around a line of text written in July’s own hand, prod the viewer into audience interaction. “What I look like when I’m lying,” reads one, a white tablet through which the viewer can stick his head. A trio of pedestals — labeled ‘The Guilty One,’ ‘The Guiltier One,’ and ‘The Guiltiest One’ — asks participants to gauge (and flaunt) their general culpability. Three of the sculptures are wordless “headdresses,” decorative sculptures that July compares to the dialogue-free stretches of a movie: “The shapes are those parts of this piece.”

Check out Qi on the north side of 14th between 5th and 6th. It’s a Thai restaurant that comes with lots of philosophy about spiritual centeredness and such. You can eat, and you can enrich your spirit, or qi (pronounced “chee”). May be a little bit upscale for this block. We’ll see.