1) Soho: We heard rumblings of this back in the spring, but now it looks to be a done deal. Lofter1 posts on WiredNY: "It looks like the much-rumored new hotel project on Crosby is moving forward." It will be built on a parking lot that exists just outside the Soho Historic District at 79-85 Crosby (between Prince and Spring). [WiredNY]
2) Lower East Side: We present this photograph of a car on fire on Ludlow Street at about 1pm this afternoon as a public service reminder that, evening hours from Wednesday through Saturday aside, the Lower East Side can still be a delightful place to visit. [CurbedWire Recon Team]
3) Hudson Heights: Remember the retaining wall collapse in Hudson Heights in April 2005 that blocked the Henry Hudson Parkway and led to this post in which we learned that residents of the Castle Village were getting hit with $20,000 cleanup bills? A resident jumped onto the post today and added this comment: "After all the sound and fury about the Castle Village Board, the shareholders overwhelmingly re-elected the Board this month and filled all vacancies with new directors committed to the current Board's approach. Bottom line: the vast majority of residents were convinced that despite the pain of the assessments, the Board's course was the best one under the circumstances." [Curbed]