Manhattan Gets Cupcake ATM

A 24-hour cupcake dispensing machine has opened on the Upper East Side for those late night emergencies when you can't reach your dealer.

The machine can dispense up to 20 varieties by way of a touch screen that works just like a bank ATM: You make your selection, swipe your credit card, and out comes your treat in a brown and pink box. Each cupcake costs $4.25. Flavors include red velvet, cuban coffee, banana dark chocolate and cinnamon sugar. There is even an offering for dogs: two mini-cupcakes for $5. They come in one flavor, are sugar-free and have a yogurt frosting. The machine will be able to hold 760 cupcakes at a time and will be restocked two to three times a day to keep things fresh.

Queer Nation Protests Against Putin Outside New York City's Russian Consulate

This afternoon Queer Nation staged a protest against Vladimir Putin outside the Russian consulate on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

NEW YORK CITY: Queer Nation To Protest At Russian Consulate On February 6th

Via press release:

Members of the gay activist group Queer Nation and others who oppose the Russian government’s continued attacks on human rights, including the rights of LGBT Russians, will mark the start of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games with a protest outside the Russian consulate in New York City at noon on February 6. “Gay bashing is not an Olympic sport,” said Scott Wooledge, a member of Queer Nation. “The International Olympic Committee, the Olympic sponsors, including Coke, P&G, and McDonald’s, and the athletes who are competing in Russia have refused to support human rights -- so we will. The Russian government is on notice that the start of the Olympics is not the end of this fight." "Vladimir Putin," Russia’s president, will appear at the protest outside the Russian consulate at 9 E. 91st in Manhattan, where he is expected to desecrate an Olympic flag.

Get updates from the Queer Nation Facebook page.

Afternoon View - UES Muck House

After four years of blasting for the coming Second Avenue subway line, the monstrous muck house on my block is finally coming down and tenants on the first six floors of the above building again have sunlight reaching their windows. This is too late, of course, for the scores of street level businesses on the Upper East Side that long ago closed down. The first trains begin running in 2016. Allegedly.

Second Avenue Subway Progresses

The MTA has posted a slideshow about the progress being made at the future 72nd Street Station of the Second Avenue subway.  Cool photos within.  The blasting has ended and the muck houses on Second Avenue started to come down this week after three years of destroying businesses and blocking apartment windows.  And only three more years (allegedly) until I'll be able to catch a train on my corner. (Tipped by JMG reader Josh)

Morning View - Upper East Side

Last night's snowstorm took out more trees on the Upper East Side than the hurricane did. There's a chorus of chainsaws echoing up and down my block. We only got a few inches of snow and most of it's gone already.

FDR Drive: Before & After

The top photo was taken around 8pm last night. I took the bottom photo at 11:15am today.

America's Most Expensive Zip Codes

According to Forbes Magazine, the Upper East Side's 10065 zip code is the most expensive place to live in the United States, with a median home price of over $6.5M.  All of the top ten are in New York or California, with the exception of Alpine, northern New Jersey's hip-hop studded home to Sean Combs, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Russell Simmons, and Chris Rock.

Morning View - First Avenue

NYC Subway Blast Was Sign From Jesus

Jesus really wanted to warn the people on my block: "This is a tiny blast compared to what is determined upon Northeast US and New York because of our sins. It behoves us to seek Christ and be on the alert." On an equally hilarious note, watch this Fox News report on the explosion just for the woman who screeches: "We didn't move to this nay-bah-hood to be killed by dynamite!" Love her accent.

(Tipped by JMG reader Stephen)

"Errant" Subway Excavation Explosion Rocks Manhattan's Upper East Side

I'm pretty used to the blasting after two years of this, but today's "errant" explosion about knocked me out of my chair. The New York Times is on it:

“We were doing a controlled blast,” said Adam Lisberg, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, “when clearly something went awry and an explosion was felt at street level.” The blast occurred around 12:45 p.m. Michael Horodniceanu, president of the M.T.A.’s capital construction division, said that workers had been blasting to clear an escalator wellway from the street to the subway, but that “we do not know why” the blast caused damage up on street level. Windows were cracked on several floors of the building at the southwest corner of Second and 72nd that houses the Kolb art gallery, including in the gallery itself. Inside it, people could be seen inside cleaning up what looked like debris.

Tomorrow I may be blogging with the Morlocks. Poor Shelley is still under the bed. (Tweets via Gothamist)

UPDATE: I went downstairs to take a few photos, but they've already cleared the rubble. Nothing left now but cops, reporters, news helicopters, and a bunch of chagrined sandhogs counting the blown out windows.

Afternoon View - Halston House

This Upper East Side townhouse was built in 1966 by noted modernist Paul Rudolph. When Halston lived there, it was known as the Studio 54 after-party house.

The Alexander Hirsch and Lewis Turner Residence, aka Halston House, 101 East 63rd Street, New York NY. Includes a private garage and rooftop deck. 7349 square feet. Sold in 1974 to designer Roy Halston Frowick, aka Halston, who made the house "party central" during the 1970's. In 1990, a few months before Halston died, he sold to Gunter Sachs and Gianni Agnelli. Eventually, Sachs bought out Agnelli's interest. Sachs committed suiciide in May 2011. For sale in 2011.

Cool photos of the interior are at the link. New York wrote about the place in 2005:

After Halston bought the house in 1974, it became a sort of hyperelegant confirmed-bachelor pad, and for fifteen years, the boldfaced walked brazenly in. They even gave the place a nickname, “101,” its street number. Normally they came for dinner, which, prepared by Halston’s live-in assistant, Mohammed Soumaya, usually consisted of caviar, a baked potato, and cocaine. “Often the potato course was passed over,” notes Halston biographer Steven Gaines. During a supposedly secret “drag party,” Steve Rubell wore one of Liza Minnelli’s dresses.

Macarons: Manhattan's Cupcake 2.0

This morning I wandered over to Ladurée, the latest Manhattan rage where New Yorkers are at this moment lined up down the block on a corner of Madison Avenue also anchored by Tom Ford, Juicy Couture, and Prada. Lined up for cookies. Even though the shop is quite close to where I live, I'd never heard of the Paris-based chain until Father Tony's husband sheepishly disclosed the cost of the large box of their trademark macarons, which he'd brought for dessert on New Year's Eve, much to the gasping pleasure of our more cultured host.

Over on Yelp, Ladurée's reviews include dozens of five-star raves from fans who insist that it's totally worth an hour wait for a tiny $3 cookie. That's about $30 for a dozen, extra if you want the fancy box. I had two at the party, both lemon. And yes, they were airy and delicious, but after a momentary burst of fluffy flavor, you weren't quite sure that you'd eaten something. They rather reminded me of cotton candy in that regard, but that's the trailer park in me, I suppose. Anyway, pity Magnolia and their copycats. Exit the cupcake, enter the macaron.

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that I got a smiley but stern talking to for taking the above photo. Don't do that, they rilly rilly don't like it.

Afternoon View - De-Luxe Apartments

Recognize these de-luxe apartments in the sky-y-y?

Afternoon View - Guggenheim Museum

OCCUPIED: Upper East Side

Yesterday hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters marched on the Upper East Side townhouses of several billionaires, including News Corp owner Rupert Murdoch, who paid $44M for his home. Other stops included the homes of Tea Party puppeteer David Koch and hedge fund titan John Paulson, where a check for $5 billion was waved in front of his door. Gothamist has many more photos.

Daily Ungrumble

After dodging construction workers and piles of equipment, this morning I decided not to come back to my Food Emporium until their damn remodel was finished. Then at checkout they gave a $5.00 "sorry about the mess" coupon. It's amazing how something little and unexpected can change your mind.

OWS To March On Upper East Side

Occupy Wall Street protesters will turn their ire on uptown's billionaires today as they march on the Upper East Side townhouses of Tea Party kingpin David Koch, among others. Gothamist breaks it down:

Organized by the Working Families Party and New York Communities for Change, they will be going by the apartment buildings of Tea Party-lovin' richest man in NYC David Koch, News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch, real estate developer (and Andrew Cuomo donor) Howard Milstein, hedge fund manager John Paulson, and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. According to Capital New York, the organizers say, "[T]he tour will visit homes of some of the most well-known millionaires in New York City specially chosen for their willingness to hoard wealth at the expense of the 99%." Interestingly enough, the march will not include a stop at Mayor Bloomberg's house—maybe they are happy he's not kicking them out of Zuccotti Park just yet.

The march kicks off at 12:30pm at the southeast corner of Central Park. Facebook event page.

Morning View - Special Surgery

I don't know what they do at the ominously named Hospital For Special Surgery, but I hope I never have to go there.

Morning View - 72nd & Second

A giant and odd-looking crane thingy has appeared above the future site of the Second Avenue subway's 72nd Street station. You gotta feel sorry for all the folks on the lower floors of the apartment buildings, who will likely be facing out on this mess for the next several years.