Tim Schreier

Good morning, East Village.

And happy new year! Here’s hoping you found a good way during this busy weekend to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, mark World Nutella Day and spend a few hours with friends in front of a television cheering for a team you don’t hate. (The Local is referring to the Knicks victory, of course.)

If you didn’t make it outside to enjoy yesterday’s sunny temperature break, try to catch some elusive rays during your morning commute – the clouds will be back by afternoon, and the cold’s not far behind. If you walk to work slowly enough, maybe you can formulate your official position on the merits of the Black-Eyed Peas halftime show. Your co-workers will want to know.

Just don’t let your inner music critic distract you from looking both ways. Figures show traffic deaths in the city are up from last year, though over all numbers for the last two years put New York ahead of its American peers, and are the best the city has seen since your other car was a horse. Drivers with more modern transportation options may need to pry their ride from the snow and turn it around or face a fine, as alternate side parking rules are back to normal today.

Over at Bowery Boogie, Villagers get another look at progress and projections for the Allen Street Hotel. Meanwhile, Neighborhoodr reports the closing of Avenue A’sApizzA. Is fellow pie joint Tonda going the same route? Finally, congratulations and a warm neighborhood welcome to Jamshed Barucha, new president of Cooper Union.