GOTHAMIST
Sure, NYC bodegas are convenient, typically have good variety, and obviously really ridiculously adorable cats. But hidden within such benefits are some very serious cons, namely the "Entrapment" style price gouging. No, I'm not talking about the $5 11.2 oz. coconut water or the $6 bowl of borderline rotten fruit --at least they have price tags attached (most of the time). I'm talking about the menu and prepared food items, and unpriced mystery products.
Recently, I stumbled upon a bodega called City Market Cafe on 5th Avenue near 23rd Street. Truthfully, I thought I had found my new go-to breakfast spot. I ordered a one egg and cheese sandwich on a roll. At only $1.75 plus .50 cents for cheese, it was a steal! Add on $1.95 for a small iced coffee, and I was styling at under $5 bucks for breakfast. However, when I went up to the register, the cashier rang my sandwich up for $2.45. --.20 cents more than it was listed on the menu. Oh well, it was .20 cents, whatever, I was getting a great deal anyway so I went on with my day. I returned again the following morning for another breakfast sandwich. I did notice the menu had two prices for egg sandwiches listed as one egg for $1.75 and two eggs for $1.95. I thought to myself, "Oh the lady must have assumed I had a two egg sandwich." Followed by, "Wait, why did she automatically charge me for 2 eggs instead of asking if I had one?" Again, it seemed wrong but I overlooked it.
Plant your eyes on this one all you young whippersnappers. As much as we all want to believe that seniors sit around knitting and playing bingo, the harsh reality is that they're totally still doing it AND getting STD's! According to Safesex4seniors.org, STD occurrence among senior citizens has risen a staggering 71% in the past 5 years. But hold the collective "LOL's" and "Ewww's" because we're not done yet. The site also includes an FAQ section with guides like "Flirting with Fantasy: Toying with Toys," "10 Tips for Hot Solo Sex," and perhaps our favorite, "Dialing Up Desire: From “Not Tonight” to “Hot Tonight." What!? Say it isn't so, grandma! So much for our delusions of cute, helpless, innocent seniors!
A tipster sent Gothamist a video of a man who managed to parallel park his car into a tight spot by continuously love-tapping the car behind him. The tipster told Gothamist, "I was leaving for work the other day and noticed a parked car that was boxed in tight. It was gone that night when I came home, but the cars in front and back were still there. Curious, I checked my security camera." And when he did he found video evidence of what some would call the worst, or possibly the best, parker ever. He was bold in his resourcefulness, terrible in his delivery but got the job done and managed to get away scott-free. We're not sure whether to scold or congratulate him. Check out the video:
Ah, Thanksgiving. The time of year where families reunite, turkeys are consumed in copius amounts, gluttony ensues... and fellow Americans pepper spray each other to get a moderate discount on an Xbox 360. Well, at least this year. One can always rely on national holidays to ring in interesting headlines. So, in case you were in a tryptophan-induced coma for the past 4 days, here's a roundup of what happened in the interim:
In an effort to clearly induce more obesity, Congress has declared pizza is a vegetable. That's right, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste now counts as a vegetable. But, wait a minute, aren't tomatoes scientifically a FRUIT? We are so confused now...
Earlier this year the Obama administration proposed a bill to make lunches healthier for students. The proposal would require that schools cut back on "unhealthy" sodium-packed foods such as pizza and french fries and integrate more whole grains. Republicans thought otherwise and loved the tomato-paste-as-a-vegetable idea, stating the changes would "prevent overly burdensome and costly regulations and provide greater flexibility for local school districts to improve the nutritional quality of meals."
After 2 months of 'occupying' Wall Street, protesters were forced out of Zuccotti Park this morning. The removal began around 1am and was still in the process as of early this morning. The entire area was blocked off, reporters were kept at a distance and helicopters hovered above as NYPD swarmed in numbers with a bullhorn and told protesters to gather their belongings and leave. The ones who didn't leave by choice were physically forced out or arrested. One group apparently gathered around the makeshift kitchen and chained themselves together in defiance. Witnesses inside the park claim that the group was forcibly removed with tear gas and pepper spray. Approximately 70 arrests were made and one man was hospitalized with breathing problems.
Thank goodness for Youtube. And rats. And subways. And NYC. And Gothamist for linking this video today of a sleeping man on the subway literally getting a rat face alarm clock. The video was posted back in January, and has made its rounds. But like any other pivotal moment in history, we're happy to resurrect it and relive the glory days. This oughta chase away your Monday blues.
Culture Club threw its grand reopening party last night, and they certainly did it right! With a Michael Jackson impersonator, non-stop '80s music, and themed drinks like "Vanilla Ice," "Bon Jovi," and "Smurfirita," attendees were cutting a rug like they were the stars of Footloose. The multi-level club featured Saturday Night Fever inspired floors, paintings of yester-year, and plenty of neon colors. With the help of partner Debbie Gibson, VnC Cocktails, and South Beach Smoke, the bash was one of the most colorful (literally and figuratively) so far this year. We even got a surprise live performance from Debbie Gibson of Shake Your Love and Only in my Dreams. Notables in attendance included Kourtney Kardashian, VnC ambassador Scott Disick, Nanette Lepore (who also designed the club's uniforms!), Project Runway’s Joshua McKinley, DJ Kiss, DJ M.O.S, and Mick Boogie.
The Occupy Wall Street drama continues as Gawker releases a report/rumor that Radiohead will be playing at 4pm today on Wall Street. Though the band's management denies it, a OWS spokesperson insists it's absolutely happening. Hmmm..who are we to believe? Protesters are definitely publicity-hungry, so this could very well be a ploy for more headlines --and it's pretty genius if you ask us. Considering people have offered everything short of harvesting their souls to the devil (some probably have, actually) to get the much coveted and sold out Radiohead tickets, we wouldn't be surprised if OWS was using this as another stunt. Here are the latest updates from Gothamist:
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