1) Lower East Side: Above, glimpse the second floor of the Bowery Whole Foods, t-minus one week from its gala opening. Which means we're one week away from declaring the winner of our Whole Foods pool. In the meantime, after the jump, check out the annotated floorplans. [Storefronting Staff]
2) Lower East Side: Meantime, outside the Bowery Whole Foods, Gawker checks in on the store's delightful streetart: "But perhaps most pressingly, what's the deal with the illustrations of racial stereotypes on the windows?" [Gawker]
3) Union Square: Up at the Union Square Whole Foods, an alarming report from foodblogger Eat: "Whole Foods at Union Square has abandoned its practice of stationing troops at the front of the register lines. We’re all familiar with those famously rude barkers who told you which register to approach with your purchases. In their place, the store has installed two large flatscreen monitors (one in express, one in regular) with four vertical color bands on each, one band for each line. When it’s your turn to go to a register, a number appears in your color band (you can tell by the colored panel hanging above you), and a scary voice booms out 'REGISTER THIRTY-TWO!'" [Eat]
Bowery Whole Foods floorplans, annotations by Curbed...
First Floor. East Houston is at the top, Chrystie at right. Click to enlarge.
Second Floor. Click to enlarge.