Hell’s Kitsch

A quick update from Zigolinis, the off-​again, on-​again restaurant on 9^th Ave. Looks like they’ve closed for renovations:

This morning on 9^th Ave. A relatively minor accident between a truck and two cars, which caused the already-​chaotic traffic down the avenue to reach new levels of horror.

The street fair we briefly covered yesterday returned today, with a twist: it moved over from Broadway to 8^th Ave. The much wider road definitely cut down on the over-​crowding, but aside from that it was still the same old street fair:

It’s that time again: the street fair down Broadway was back on today. If you brave the crowds of tourists pulled in from the adjacent Times Square, here’s what’s in store:

As usual, it starts at the top of Times Square, and winds its way well up towards 59^th St.

These fairs are usually two-​day events, so if you missed it today you can always catch it tomorrow.

On another note, you’d be forgiven for thinking these were photos from any other one. It’s virtually the same setup for these every time, with cheap trinkets stalls and three or so varieties of food repeated the whole way up. As they say, “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all…”

B&H Photo Video, probably the highest-​regarded camera store in the city by photographers, reopens after their holiday vacation tomorrow.

You’ll have to be quick though: after they close up (early) on Wednesday, they’re gone for another week and a half. There’s always Amazon, I guess.

The former home of Pam Real Thai Encore on W 47^th St (who relocated to W 49^th St a while back) has come back to life, with the new mystery tenants beginning the refit:

Here’s what the spot looked like back in July:

The space was listed for rent for $8,010/month last year (the $10 makes all the difference), and they’ve finally found a new taker. Whoever this new tenant is, they’re fitting out the inside with several of these large fridge-​like things (plus a person we can only assume is somehow involved):

We’ll keep an eye out for more info on the new store, and bring a conclusion to this thrilling mystery.

We’ve taken a break from the usual coverage to commemorate today, visiting the firehouses in the area and seeing the tributes and the crews marking the day.

At Rescue 1 on W 43^rd St:

At Engine 34 & Ladder 21 on W 38^th St:

There was a small bouquet under the scaffolding near 7^th Ave at Engine 26 on W 37^th St:

And finally along 8^th Ave at Engine 54 & Ladder 4:

The full four-​hour video from today’s memorial at the World Trade Center is now available, and the FDNY have also put together a memorial video of the 343 members who lost their lives on 9\/11.

Also, the Tribute in Light is back on for tonight only, which is visible from almost everywhere across the city:

Today was voting day (in case you somehow missed it). Did you brave the hordes of flyer distributers and cast your vote? We did a quick tour of some of the various schools and other buildings set up as polling places around the area, and the turnout at that stage was…lackluster.

The crowds probably picked up throughout the day. Now we just wait and see to find out who’s going on to battle to become The Next Bloomberg™.