Ed Skyler, Our Hero

cityfile · 03/04/09 03:09PM

Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler isn't just one of Michael Bloomberg's most loyal aides. Or the youngest member of the mayor's inner circle. Or even one the city's most eligible bachelors, an award the Post bestowed on him a few years ago. He's also battling the city's growing crime wave single-handedly! City Room has all the details on what went down in Midtown on Tuesday night:

Job Found in Dying Media

Hamilton Nolan · 03/04/09 02:49PM

In your optimistic Wednesday media column: Alt-weeklies stabbed by the internet, a Rolling Stone buys a website, college reporters fight The Man and win, and a job available!

Prime Space Available, All Inquiries Welcome

cityfile · 03/04/09 02:44PM

Can we interest you in 55,000 square feet of prime retail space in the middle of Union Square? The Virgin Megastore is closing its doors in late May/early June and The Related Cos. hasn't lined up a new tenant yet. (Nordstrom was supposed to move in, but it later backed out.) But the space can now be yours for $15 million a year, down from the $25 million Related was seeking just a few months ago. Don't mind the bankrupt electronics store next door. It will be gone in no time! [NYP]

In Which Tonya Harding Is Still Around, And Mad at Barack Obama

Pareene · 03/04/09 02:33PM

Ms. Harding is one of the saddest scandal celebrities of the miserable Clinton era, which is saying something, and despite the fact that her name has been a punchline for fifteen years, she still is all "I didn't come here to make friends you don't know me" about a passing jokey reference to the time she had a rival skater kneecapped.

Laurel Touby: The College Years

Richard Lawson · 03/04/09 02:25PM

As we learned that her assistant was laid off today, our attentions were drawn to be-boa-ed Mediabistro founder Laurel Touby. Coincidentally, a tipster directed us to some nostalgic photos from her young, frivolous college years.

Advertise Your Real Estate Predicament on Your Chest

cityfile · 03/04/09 02:22PM

Here's an indication of just how bleak the real estate market is these days: In order to "facilitate real estate transactions," an East Village graphic designer is now selling t-shirts stamped with "I have an apartment for rent" and "I need an apartment to rent" on them. No word on how many people have purchased the shirts—they're $25-27—or whether they've actually worked for anyone yet. But it's nice to see the designer didn't go to the trouble of creating a "I need a really expensive apartment to buy" t-shirt. That would have been a complete waste of good cotton! [The Real Deal]

Wall Street Snaps Losing Streak

cityfile · 03/04/09 01:47PM

A bit of good news, at last. The markets snapped a five-day losing streak today with the Dow jumping 150 points, or 2.2 percent, and the S&P 500 gaining 2.4 percent. Don't get too excited, though. Investors are already bracing for the monthly employment report, which the Department of Labor will release on Friday and should be predictably gruesome. But in the meantime, enjoy! [NYT, CNN]

Oxycontin · 03/04/09 01:38PM

The boat pic is very Tom Sawyer cum Deliverance. The poor guy can't even afford a spray-on tan or swimming trunks.

The Wednesday Party Report

cityfile · 03/04/09 01:30PM

The snowstorm didn't stop art and society scenesters from stopping off at the New York Academy of Art on Monday night. Guests at the Tribeca Ball included Liev Schreiber, Justin Timberlake, and event co-chair Eileen Guggenheim (left), along with Bill Clinton, Andre Balazs, Andy and Kate Spade, Adam Weinberg, Jason Wu, Nicole Miller and Kim Taipale, Monet Mazur, Alek Wek, Bettina Zilkha, Poppy de Villeneuve, Jennifer Creel, Jean-Pierre Roy, Ludwig Kuttner and Beatrix Ost, stylist Ric Pipino, Heather Mnuchin, Liam McMullan, Antoine and Maureen Chiquet, and artist Will Cotton. [PMc, Wireimage, VF, FWD, Style.com]