As always on Tuesdays, readers ask—and hope other readers can answer, either in the comments or to tips@curbed.com. Got a query of your own? Same email gets your question here next week, karma willing.
1) Upper East Side: "There is a vacant lot on East 61st Street between 2nd and 1st, almost directly across from The Sports Club LA and adjacent to the Queensboro Bridge offramp. It's been around for a few years and I was wondering if anything is ever going to happen to it. It may have been an old church but I'm not positive. An 80 year old woman feeds the pigeons at 7:30 AM every day on the walkway that parallels the offramp and the extra food has attracted a small city of mice. The mice have expanded into nearby buildings and I've been doused with pigeon dump on more than one occasion. She's sort of a bitch, especially for an old lady, and I'd ask her to stop but it's probably the only thing she looks forward to when she wakes up. I hope somebody develops it that cares more than I do and tells her to stop. Anyway, anyone know what's happening with this lot?"
2) Tribeca TWOFER: a) "People have started tearing down 408 Greenwich Street, something new coming on that corner after at least a year of nothing going on but an abandoned garage." b) "Demolition began this week on 55 warren st in Tribeca, but there are no building permits for this address on the DOB website—how do I find out what's going up?"
3) East Village: "any idea what's going on at bowery and east 4th street? construction began today on bowery/the perimeter of the parking lot (this is separate from the water works construction next to merchant's house museum) and when i asked the guys what they were working on, they said '80-story trump building, all adjacent lots.' that seems far-fetched, but something is in the works. there's already big construction at bowery and 5th."
4) West 30s: "Do you guys know what the deal is with the tree growing out of the building midway down the block on 39th between 8th ave and 9th ave? It may be a living cliche, but it's beautiful nonetheless."