The sidewalk at Mulberry and Grand Streets near Little Italy was closed down for several hours today so that beekeepers could remove a swarm of bees that descended on a mailbox on the corner. Apparently this is a natural phenomenon that happens this time of year when hives get overcrowded. Well, just because it's natural doesn't mean it isn't creepy.

In February, we noted the sad decline of the once-posh, boutique-strewn neighborhood of NoLIta, where Gawker HQ is located. We sent the interns back to the streets and have a new report: more sales, more closing, and only some redemption.

How has the economic downturn affected a cozy-chic downtown Manhattan neighborhood? We surveyed the retail territory around Gawker HQ in NoLIta. What'd we find out there? Lots of closed stores and a lot of sales.

Though small and seemingly transparent, NoLIta is difficult to decode. Bordered by Lafayette on the west, Bowery on the East, Houston on the north and Kenmare on the south, the neighborhood is densely packed with models, boutiques and "artists." We sent Joshua David Stein and video guy Richard Blakeley to report.

Rarely in the world are the signs that times are changing literally signs. But this one in front of Cafe Habana, at Prince and Elizabeth in Nolita, is an exception. Maybe it is the sign o' the times! Let's peel back the layers and annotate away.

Copyranter notes this new advertisement for New York's hip Nolita nabe. Apart from the genuine bizarreness of the whole thing, we'd just like to say how totally excited we are for the Chelsea version, which will simply put the tail on the other end. Click to enlarge.