Free Hugs Cause Minor Park Panic

It looks like our local BID wants to stretch its boundaries as improvements to Union Square and 14th St. continue to be planned.

Last year the local business improvement district did a survey about what people really think about Union Square. You can check out some results here.

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.

Patisserie Fouet on 13th St. is gone, and now we know what will be next in the space:

After more than a decade serving noodles at Smorgasburg and two years running Noodle Lane in Park Slope, Lane Li and Chris Wang are opening the 40-seat bistro Rulin. The specialty will be Chinese knife-shaved and hand-pulled noodles — like dan dan mian with pork, Sichuan vegetables, and scallions — and a signature “Rulin” noodle served with mustard greens and chicken broth.

Next week (May 13 to May 17), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building. We will be working on the new sidewalks around the building and installing new curbs. Additionally we will be working on the roofs of the building.

The following week (May 20 to May 24), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors as well as sidewalk work.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, May 11th for interior, roof, and sidewalk activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.