Mother Jones: OWS Occupies Movie-Set Replica of Itself, for Real →

Best part: it was a Law & Order set.

Shorpy's: Morningside Park 1904 →

"24. When you fly back into the city after a vacation or business trip, no matter how long you’ve lived here, you get that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling."

Village Voice: 50 Reasons to Be Pretty Damn Euphoric You Live in New York City. True.

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Shorpy’s: Transitorium - 1910. I honestly don’t think I’ve seen this much glass in Penn Station, ever. Which concourse are we looking at? It would be really exciting to figure it out…

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Shorpy: Penn Station: 1910. Notice the open entrance from the waiting area to the tracks. That is certainly not the case anymore. Sigh.

NYT: New Skyscraper to Rival Empire State Building →

My initial thoughts on this were, “We should let people build what they want where they want,” in line with my general view on such things (see the recent Islamic center debate). But, sadly, the last line of the article completely undid all my laissez-faire attitudes towards building permits:

The proposed tower, which both sides acknowledged may never win a beauty contest, would be built on a large parcel currently occupied by the Hotel Pennsylvania.

It is unfortunate that the builders are not even trying to build an interesting or attractive tower. Maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to build after all.

"We do not honor their lives by denying the very Constitutional rights they died protecting. We honor their lives by defending those rights — and the freedoms that the terrorists attacked."

Mayor Bloomberg, on why we should not prevent the Islamic Center proposed for lower Manhattan because of our prejudices.

The Tourist Lane. Improving pedestrian traffic flow across New York City. Hehe. [via ImprovEverywhere]

NYT: 18th-Century Ship Found at Trade Center Site →

18th century ship discovered in excavation for new World Trade Center construction. Exciting.

SF Signal: Subway Star Wars. Nice job, Improv Everywhere.

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In the first three weekends of August, there are plans to open dumpster pools on Park Avenue as part of the Bloomberg administration’s Summer Streets initiative. Sounds pretty fun.

NYT: 9 Stores Fined for Propping Doors Open →

Lax enforcement and ridiculously low penalties = lip service paid by city government with regard to energy conservation.

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Shorpy: Over the River: 1903

NYT: In Suburban vs. City Living, the City Costs Less →

The article suggests that a lot of people move out of New York City when they start having children, which is not a surprising statement. The more interesting fact is that, according to the article:

The reverse holds true, too. Many empty-nesters are giving up the high-maintenance house in the suburbs in exchange for the attractions of city life.

That is really interesting and good news for cities.

NYT: New Web Site Tracks Taxpayer Money in New York →

It seems that the City Comptroller for New York City is taking the phrase “open government” to heard. This is a good thing. If it has been implemented properly, it will allow many more people to monitor spending by the city. Well done.