Spitzer Not Actually Forcing Gay Things Down Your ThroatsIt turns out John Faso — remember, that guy who was trounced by Spitzer? — was wrong after all when he infamously accused his rival of planning to “force gay marriage down the throats of New Yorkers.” The first days of the Spitzer administration suggest the governor has a slower, gentler method in mind. Same-sex marriage, which the GOP wanted you to believe was all but a lynchpin of Spitzer’s platform, was conspicuously absent from the barrage of proposals in his State of the State address. Gay-rights advocates are somewhat alarmed, the Sun reports. But not to worry: As Spitzer’s communications director says, “Gay marriage isn’t a Day One issue.” The governor will get around to it, eventually: “We have to prioritize and that’s how we prioritized.” Spoken like a true leader.
Spitzer: Gay Rites Ahead [NYS]
Earlier: Spitzer’s Support for Gays Will Not Be Tested [E&O]
vu.
Time Warner Center Jacks Up Apartment CostsYears after Time Warner Center put an expensive sheen on Columbus Circle, properties nearby are still basking in its reflected glory. Many apartments on the open-house list below reference the project as a not-so-subtle reminder to buyers that the area deserves as much asking-price respect as its neighbors, the increasingly posh Upper West Side and the trendy but unpolished Hell’s Kitchen. Still, deals exist in pockets, especially in no-frills walk-ups, though glitzy condos marble baths, concierge service, you name it can be had here, too. In fact, a few of them are going up within the shadow of the billion-dollar Time Warner Center itself. S. Jhoanna Robledo
neighborhood watch
Ugly Buildings Are Attacking the City!Brooklyn Heights: The mysterious sign maker who guided visitors to the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway has outed herself. Thanks, Roslyn Beck. [Brooklyn Papers]
East Village: When Jane Jacobs and New Urbanism collide, you get New Yorbanism and buildings like “Sculpture for Living” at Astor Place. [Horizoner via Polis]
Gowanus: Once the Whole Foods opens, expect 1,000 people a day to show up at Third Avenue and 3rd Street. [Gowanus Lounge]
Greenwood Heights: If you’re a developer missing some permits, the Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights are gonna getcha. [Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights via Brownstoner]
Harlem: Food from the meat truck on 132nd and Lenox may be a little too authentic for city dwellers, unless you want your apartment to smell like a barn. [Harlem Fur]
Park Slope: The campaign begins to get writers–crime victims Doug and Barbara Rushkoff to stay in Brooklyn. [Steven Berlin Johnson via Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn]