Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Last week the New Museum announced some of the details for its Festival of Ideas, but it seems that not everyone is keen on the street festival scheduled to take place on the Bowery. The Lo-Down reports that Billy Leroy, “mayor” of the Bowery and proprieter of Billy’s antiques is opposed to what he has labeled another attempt “to gentrify the Bowery.”

City Limits reports on the conditions in First Houses, the city’s oldest public housing on Third Avenue between First Avenue and Avenue A, describing the deterioration of the landmark site.

Meanwhile, EV Grieve broods over the extraterrestrial which appeared in a vacant lot on 13th Street over the weekend. Can the mystery of its origins be solved by looking at a once innocuous photo?

Finally, in transportation news it appears that more MTA stops might be adopting the setup of the Astor Place subway station, where retail and riding the rail go hand in hand. Second Avenue Sagas reports that the commercial opportunities available underground just might be the golden ticket to generating more money. The Chicago Transit Authority is already engaged in a real estate overhaul. Is New York next?