Frustrated neighbors have watched as the almost-finished building at 179 Ludlow fell into disrepair, with an illegal sidewalk shed jutting so far out into the street that trucks traveling down Ludlow get wedged between it and another shed across the street. In the abandoned building itself, rats have taken over, and a 2,000-square-foot retail space that could have brought in $25,000 a month is now ankle-deep in rat shit.

Published by Village Voice on July 2, 2008.

Taxi Beach in Long Island City makes you feel as though you're right below the action.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

The number of locations on the East Side for public viewing this year has been increased, and they can be found as far south as Houston St., providing even more opportunities to see the sky light up.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Between Remsen and Cranberry Sts. Early birds will get the prime spots at this favorite viewing spot along the East River. But parking is sparse, so the subway may be a better option.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Plymouth St. between Main and Washington Sts. What used to be a parking lot is now a perfect place to get a full view of the fireworks.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, 26 New Dock St. at Walter St. Grab a blanket and head to this 9-acre spread nestled between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Picnic tables available, but no pets allowed.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

230 Fifth, 230 Fifth Ave., 20th floor, (212) 725-4300. Get there early to beat the Murray Hill crowd at this popular rooftop bar; drinks and appetizers from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Rooftop Lounge, Hotel Bentley, 500 E. 62 St., 21st floor, (212) 644-6000. Enjoy traditional American cuisine from the all-you-can-eat buffet, as part of the Picnic in the Sky.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Rare View, in the Shelburne Murray Hill Hotel, 303 Lexington Ave., 16th floor, (212) 481-1999. Entrance on 38th St. For a $30 cover, sip cocktails in this popular rooftop bar and enjoy the regular bar menu.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Water Taxi Beach, Hunters Point, Long Island City, (212) 742-1969. Food, drinks, and a beach-front seat for $25 per person. A $200 VIP ticket guarantees more options and a seat under the tent in case of rain.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

The Creek and the Cave, 10-93 Jackson Ave., at the foot of the Pulaski Bridge, Long Island City. No fuss with tickets, just show up early (space is limited) and enjoy the view of the fireworks.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Riverview, 2-01 50th Ave., Long Island City. (718) 392-5000. Grab a plate at the buffet dinner from 6 to 10 p.m., for $200 per person. Also drink up at the full and open bar.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

La Vuelta, 10-43 44th Drive, Long Island City, (718) 361-1858. A special menu will be offered, but no reservations taken - get there early

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Bella Via, 47-46 Vernon Blvd. at 48th Ave., (718) 361-7510. This great view is blocks from Gantry Plaza State Park, but doesn't take reservations for the big night. Tip: Spend the day in the park to be first in line at the restaurant.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

River Cafe, 1 Water St., (718) 522-5200. Looking for more than just dinner? For $395 per person, get a four-course meal, entertainment and a table for the entire night - not just a couple of hours.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Alma, 187 Columbia St., at Degraw St., (718) 643-5400. The main dining room is completely booked, but the rooftop - which has a perfect view of downtown Manhattan - is open (first-come, first-seated).

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Robert Moses Playground, 42nd St. and First Ave. An annual top choice for viewing. Bring the dog and the kids to this 1.3-acre playground right next to the United Nations.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

We're at the Rusty Knot, an elaborately faked nautical "dive bar" conceived by the Spotted Pig's Ken Friedman and Freemans' Taavo Somer. The food, which runs from pickled eggs to pretzel dogs to shepherds' pies, is by Momofuku co-owner Joaquin Baca.

Published by Village Voice on July 2, 2008.

As Waters tried to scale a fence at the corner of Farragut Road and Flatbush Avenue, Ettienne caught up with him. When Ettienne pulled Waters off the fence, the ex-con threw a punch that Ettienne blocked with his right arm.

Published by Village Voice on July 2, 2008.

Last October 9, a Tuesday, someone tied a noose to the third-floor office door of Columbia Teachers College professor Madonna Constantine, a black woman whose work focused on racial issues in teaching.

Published by Village Voice on July 2, 2008.

...following vivid eyewitness account of the fire that destroyed St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church at Sackett and Hoyt Streets, in Carroll Gardens, on this day 100 years ago. The letter was signed “Jay Dee...

Published by Brooklyn Daily Eagle on July 2, 2008.

With offices at 48 Cortlandt Street, the West Side & Yonkers Patent Railway was ready for its great leap forward — uptown. The system grew with more routes, more cars, and more cable operating plants.

Published by Brooklyn Daily Eagle on July 2, 2008.

The Summer Space kick-off event will take place at noon Sunday, July 6, outside Caffe Buon Gusto, at 151 Montague St., and will feature music and pleasantries hosted by the BID, along with sponsors SL Green Realty Corp., owners of 16 Court St.; Commerce Bank and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Published by Brooklyn Daily Eagle on July 2, 2008.

Panelists to be announced. Sponsored by the City Bar’s Asian Affairs and International Human Rights Committees. Free and open to the public. Held at the City Bar, 42 West 44th St., Manhattan. For information contact the City Bar: www.abcny.org.

Published by Brooklyn Daily Eagle on July 2, 2008.

...the winner ate seven and a half burgers. Peggy O’Neill’s is located at 1945 Surf Ave. in Coney Island. The contest will begin at 2 p.m...

Published by Brooklyn Daily Eagle on July 2, 2008.

Many real estate experts attribute the price growth to the strength of the high-end sales market, especially the new trophy properties at 15 Central Park West and the Plaza Hotel.

Published by The Real Deal on July 2, 2008.

Tarik E. Sylvester, 27, of the wealthy Buffalo suburb of Williamsville, is charged with causing the April 7 crash that killed Anthony Priolo, a 21-year-old musician and student from Graniteville.

Published by SI Live on July 2, 2008.

Priolo was a computer science major at the College of Staten Island and had been named to the dean's list the past two years.

Published by SI Live on July 2, 2008.

He was also a member of the local metal group This Dying Soul, and had been practicing with the band to prepare for an upcoming gig at Coney Island the night he was killed.

Published by SI Live on July 2, 2008.

For example, Corcoran, which compiles its data with PropertyShark.com, reported that the average price of a Harlem apartment fell 2% during the second quarter from the year-ago period to $652,000 while the number of units sold plunged 49% to 158.

Published by Crain's New York Business on July 2, 2008.

Ms. Liebman notes that the price of a one-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side reached $998,000 during the second quarter.

Published by Crain's New York Business on July 2, 2008.

Halloumi is a cheese that can legally be called by that name only if it's made in Cyprus. "The most amazing thing about it is its resiliency to heat," Michael Psilakis, the chef and owner of Anthos (36 W. 52nd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-582-6900) and Kefi (222 W. 79th St. at Broadway, 212-873-0200), said.

Published by New York Sun on July 2, 2008.

Halloumi is a cheese that can legally be called by that name only if it's made in Cyprus. "The most amazing thing about it is its resiliency to heat," Michael Psilakis, the chef and owner of Anthos (36 W. 52nd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-582-6900) and Kefi (222 W. 79th St. at Broadway, 212-873-0200), said. "You can skewer it, smoke it, confit it, grill it, poach it, dehydrate it, and it always maintains its integrity."

Published by New York Sun on July 2, 2008.

In making paneer skewers, the chef of Prana (opening late August at 79 Madison Ave. at 28th Street), Chai Trivedi, suggests marinating 2-inch-square cubes of cheese in a typical South Asian mix of salt, pepper, lemon, yogurt, and aromatics such as ginger, garlic paste, cumin powder, or turmeric.

Published by New York Sun on July 2, 2008.

You can find cut-to-order halloumi at Titan (25-56 31st St. at Astoria Boulevard, Queens, 718-626-7771).

Published by New York Sun on July 2, 2008.

Kalustyan's (123 Lexington Ave. at 28th Street, 212-685-3451) sells fresh paneer and packaged halloumi. Fairway, Whole Foods, and and Murray's, among others, sell both kinds of cheese.

Published by New York Sun on July 2, 2008.

Last month, Colin Alevras's ambitious Tasting Room restaurant closed its doors.

Published by New York Sun on July 2, 2008.

Elizabeth, 265 Elizabeth St., between Houston and Prince streets, 212-334-2426.

Published by New York Sun on July 2, 2008.

...a winery, will open what it bills as Manhattan's first private label winery at 143 Varick Street this fall. Michael Dorf, who owns the Knitting Factory, is heading up the venture. David...

Published by The Real Deal on July 2, 2008.

101 Hudson Street

Published by The Real Deal on July 2, 2008.

...and the Starrett Lehigh Building and more than $500 million of subordinated debt interests in 660 Madison Ave., 650 Madison Ave., 1180 Avenue of the Americas, 450 Lexington Ave. and 14 Wall St...

Published by GlobeSt on July 2, 2008.

...Lehigh Building and more than $500 million of subordinated debt interests in 660 Madison Ave., 650 Madison Ave., 1180 Avenue of the Americas, 450 Lexington Ave. and 14 Wall St...

Published by GlobeSt on July 2, 2008.

Rebuilding the Half-Demolished 100 Clark Street, B...

Published by mcbrooklyn on July 2, 2008.

205 Sackett Street; Carroll Gardens

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

229 DeKalb Ave. (at Clermont Ave.), Fort Greene; (718) 222-1510

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

...a $500 bribe and a bottle of liquor from the owner of Green Pavilion restaurant [4307 18th...

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

According to the Times, the Chocolate Room has opened its doors at 269 Court Street in Cobble Hill... The Times also visits Clover Club and Pomme de Terre and points out the best Greenpoint eateries.

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

Co-op of the Day: 345 Montgomery Street

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

House of the Day: 64 Lefferts Place

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

...walk EXACTLY pass this place on my way to a friends 3 family home on Vanderbilt and St. Marks (10 minutes away and sold for 1.5mil 4 years ago). This neighborhood is beautiful...

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

Yves at 166 West 18th Street

Published by The Real Deal on July 2, 2008.

How about a write-up and pictures on the new La Taq at Berkeley and 7th Avenue. Totally renovated with a high end bar and 100 tequilas to choose from.

Published by Brownstoner on July 2, 2008.

But these figures include a number of closings over the winter at two immensely expensive new condominium projects — the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue and 15 Central Park West — that drove up average prices in the first quarter.

Published by New York Times on July 2, 2008.

...space. The Brigham Street Park Project is a community initiative to build a park on Emmons Ave. and Brigham Street in the currently ugly, vacant lot next to the Windjammer hotel and along the water...

Published by Sheepshead Bites on July 2, 2008.

Esmin Green, 49, had been waiting in the emergency room at the city-owned Kings County Hospital Center for nearly 24 hours when she toppled from her seat at 5:32 a.m. on June 19, falling face down on the floor.

Published by WNBC on July 2, 2008.

Three high-ranking members of the Latin Kings were convicted of torturing and killing a Bronx man in a Yankees Stadium parking lot.

Published by WNBC on July 2, 2008.

The projects that could be affected include the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site, where rebuilding has already been delayed and is over budget. Local 282 spokeswoman Carolyn Daly said the union could not reach an agreement with the Association of New York City Concrete Producers over wages and working conditions.

Published by WNBC on July 2, 2008.

Davis was arrested March 25 and charged with promoting prostitution and money laundering. Prosecutors said the 32-year-old ran a high-priced escort ring called "Wicked Models" out of two East Side apartments. She has pleaded not guilty.

Published by WNBC on July 2, 2008.

Authorities were tipped off to the suspicious school when two former students used the badges to try to get into 26 Federal Plaza to illegally obtain records, and add to that the allegation that "students have used the school-issued credentials to impersonate law enforcement officers in order to effectuate robberies."

Published by CBS News (Channel 2) on July 2, 2008.

The projects that could be affected include the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site, where rebuilding has already been delayed and is over budget.

Published by CBS News (Channel 2) on July 2, 2008.

Tatum O'Neal has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with her June cocaine possession arrest in lower Manhattan.

Published by CBS News (Channel 2) on July 2, 2008.

Davis was arrested March 25 and charged with promoting prostitution and money laundering. Prosecutors say the 32-year-old ran a high-priced escort ring called "Wicked Models" out of two East Side apartments. She has pleaded not guilty.

Published by CBS News (Channel 2) on July 2, 2008.

Eyewitness News is told the boy, approximately three or four years old, was bitten by the dog inside 905 Belmont Avenue at around 2:30 a.m.

Published by ABC News (Channel 7) on July 2, 2008.

Tatum O'Neal has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with her June cocaine possession arrest in lower Manhattan.

Published by ABC News (Channel 7) on July 2, 2008.

Dante Pettiway was allegedly part of a gang that made off with 120 laptops from St. John the Baptist school in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He was busted Monday.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

But even as the aging pop star and free-swinging slugger cried foul over reports of clandestine canoodling, a source told Us Weekly that A-Rod visited Madonna's Central Park West digs the night after his long-suffering wife, Cynthia, gave birth in April to their second daughter.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

A Queens jury awarded a couple $19.6 million in their lawsuit against St. Vincent's Hospital, following the "botched" delivery of their baby boy, who now has cerebral palsy, the family's lawyer said yesterday.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

The family was asleep when the blaze broke out at 2:19 a.m. at 1001 Ocean Ave. in Flatbush.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

A 15th-century sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art came loose from its moorings and fell to the floor, breaking into pieces, the museum said yesterday.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

Henry Piotrowski was walking in front of his house at 94 John St. in Port Richmond at 11 a.m. when the vicious canines set upon him from a neighbor's yard, police said.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

City health officials yesterday vowed to institute new reforms - including checks on waiting-room patients every 15 minutes - at troubled Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, where staff ignored a psychiatric patient as she lay on the floor dying.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

The chief target for blame is ex-Gov. George Pataki, who led the rebuilding effort until leaving office at the end of 2006 - with very little visible progress completed at the site, other than a ceremonial steel beam erected for the Freedom Tower and a cornerstone.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

The sizzling high-end luxury market is primarily responsible for Manhattan's upswing, with two condos, The Plaza and 15 Central Park West, leading the pack.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

The sizzling high-end luxury market is primarily responsible for Manhattan's upswing, with two condos, The Plaza and 15 Central Park West, leading the pack.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

The program came on the feds' radar on June 2, 2005 when two grads with badges and criminal records barged into 26 Federal Plaza, home to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The pair claimed to be on a "fugitive task force," a law-enforcement source said.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

Of 10,000 Ground Zero workers suing the city, medical records show 67 percent suffer respiratory ailments and 45 percent have a gastrointestinal disease, their lawyers claim.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

Tatum O'Neal has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with her June cocaine possession arrest in lower Manhattan.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

Davis was arrested March 25 and charged with promoting prostitution and money laundering. Prosecutors say the 32-year-old ran a high-priced escort ring called "Wicked Models" out of two East Side apartments. She has pleaded not guilty.

Published by New York Post on July 2, 2008.

Animal Care & Control workers found Popeye and Brutus at their owner's Newark Ave., Port Richmond, home, which shares a backyard with Piotrowski, who lives on John St.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

In our survey in Washington Square Park, New Yorkers were asked to sample two cannolis each - one with trans fat, one without.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

"It is terrible," said Annemarie Hernandez, who was shopping in midtown with her 3-year-old grandson Robert Joseph on Tuesday. "We have no choice because it's like needing gas in your car."

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Midtown resident Harold VanderMalle, 80, said a gallon of milk at the Gristedes at 26th St. and Ninth Ave. was $4.99.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

According to other documents IDA released to Brodsky, Mayor Bloomberg and former Gov. George Pataki greatly exaggerated the number of permanent jobs the new Yankee stadium will produce.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

"I been harassed so much, I'm selling my business," said Espinoza, owner of Delicias de Mi Tierra on 91st Place in Elmhurst.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

An angry Mayor Bloomberg said he was "disgusted" by a video that showed employees at Kings County Hospital ignoring a Brooklyn woman as she lay dying on a waiting room floor.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

"Honestly, this is what we train for," said Bohan, who is assigned to Engine 44 on the upper East Side. "You have to get him out of the car or he's going to die - that's what matters."

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Rap mogul Jay-Z could soon be shelling out the Benjamins for forcing workers at his trendy 40/40 club to pick up the tab for deadbeat customers.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Allsbrooks, who had just finished his sophomore year at Rice High School, was walking with friends when he was cut down at the corner of W. 127th St. and Seventh Ave., three blocks from home.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

The former child star and daughter of actor Ryan O'Neal was charged was misdemeanor drug possession last month when cops nabbed her buying drugs from a lower East Side street dealer.

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

In a show of unity, the couple arrived at Upper West Side restaurant 'Cesca hand-in-hand. They employed the same form of PDA an hour later while leaving the Italian eatery. But was this the real deal or a show for the ever-present cameras to downplay divorce rumors?

Published by New York Daily News on July 2, 2008.

Federal and city investigators are considering possible criminal charges after a patient at Kings County Hospital Center was allowed to die last month unattended on the floor of a psychiatric emergency ward, officials said Tuesday.

Published by amNY.com on July 2, 2008.

Hundreds of cement-truck drivers went on strike days before the Fourth of July holiday weekend, disrupting some of the largest construction projects in the city including the World Trade Center site.

Published by amNY.com on July 2, 2008.

Tatum O'Neal has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with her June cocaine possession arrest in lower Manhattan.

Published by amNY.com on July 2, 2008.

The projects that could be affected include the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site, where rebuilding has already been delayed and is over budget.

Published by Crain's New York Business on July 2, 2008.

Prolifics, a software consulting firm specializing in IBM technologies, will become a SemanticSpace subsidiary, maintaining its headquarters in lower Manhattan. The sale will give the 30-year-old firm the ability to expand globally and the financial resources to grow via acquisition.

Published by Crain's New York Business on July 2, 2008.

It’s not every day that someone asks if he can propose to his girlfriend in your store — and it’s certainly rare if you own the world’s only all-penguin merchandising outlet.

Published by Brooklyn Paper on July 2, 2008.

One of former Mayor Giuliani’s top deputies will join the fight against the Bloomberg Administration’s $440-million plan to reopen the Brooklyn House of Detention, promising to work pro bono to take community activists’ case to court.

Published by Brooklyn Paper on July 2, 2008.

Three gun-toting thugs mugged a man on Fourth Avenue on June 22, getting away with his laptop and fancy phone, cops said.

Published by Brooklyn Paper on July 2, 2008.

A woman browsing jewelry at a Fifth Avenue boutique pulled the old “try it on” trick and walked off with diamond earrings valued at close to $4,000 on June 24.

Published by Brooklyn Paper on July 2, 2008.

A thief — possibly an ex-employee — stole $1,700 from a popular Fifth Avenue restaurant after it closed on June 23.

Published by Brooklyn Paper on July 2, 2008.