Skating With Mariska, Carson, Johnny, and the Kids
At last, an upside to this inconveniently truthy weather: an outdoor ice-skating party in April that felt as frigid as an ice-skating party ought to. “Skating With the Stars Under the Stars,” held at Central Park’s Wollman Rink last night, wasn’t a competition; it was a free-skate night benefiting Figure Skating in Harlem, a skating and educational program for girls, many of whom were on hand in snazzy ensembles to skate and get celeb autographs. The celeb contingent included lots of skaters — plus, of course, Mariska Hargitay. But the quotes of the night belonged to Carson Kressley and Johnny Weir; they’re after the jump.
the morning line
That’s Why the Steamroller Is a Tyrant
• That was fast: Spitzer has earned the epithet “tyrannical” for the first — and probably not the last — time in his gubernatorial tenure. Apparently, the Spitz now tours fellow Democrats’ districts to individually rip the legislators for reneging on the comptroller deal. [NYDN]
• Late policeman Cesar Borja became the human face of the post-9/11 illnesses befalling first responders. The Times bursts that heroic bubble today by reporting that Borja wasn’t even a second responder; he never rushed to the site on 9/11 and simply picked up a few shifts there, in December 2001, for overtime pay. [NYT]
• The president, meantime, can’t keep his mitts off another hero — Wesley Autrey, our bunny-hat-sporting subway savior; weeks after his cameo at the State of the Union, he is back at the White House for some sort of George Bush Cares About Black People shindig. (Among other invitees: Charlie Rangel.) [NYP]
• Chuck Schumer, Christine Quinn, and Hillary Clinton pile on Clipper Equity, threatening to block its Starrett City purchase unless they see an ironclad pledge to keep the complex’s 6,000 units affordable. Turns out Clipper “doesn’t have a written plan” for its $1.3 billion impulse buy. [amNY]
• And get ready for actual snow, if you remember what the stuff is; a few inches of it are expected this afternoon. But don’t get too excited: This bit of real winter will quickly be replaced by that post-millennial stand-in — freezing rain — by tomorrow morning. [4 Weather Plus]
photo op
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
We’re as confused as this dog is: Snow? In Union Square? Today? (Hell, at all this winter?) It can’t be! Actually, it can. Apparently, the world’s top snowboarders are converging on Union Square at three o’clock this afternoon for a Jeep-sponsored competition. They’ll “participate in a rail jam format on a customized urban rail,” whatever that means, and the winner gets $30,000. But first, the snow. We’ve got none this year, or at least none to speak of, so it’s all been trucked in. Ten tons of the white stuff, says NY1. Which, once Fido has his way with it, will be yellow stuff.
Union Square Street Sessions [Snowboard-mag.com]
Snowboarders Launch Winter Jam 2007 [NY1]
it just happened
It’s Snowing! (Briefly)
After the record-setting dearth of snow this winter, Daily Intel is pleased to report we saw the first flakes fall at 9:49 this morning, in the West Village. Our Carroll Gardens correspondent reported snowfall in that Brooklyn neighborhood shortly thereafter, although our Park Slope correspondent says his location remains unflurried.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
UPDATE: As we were typing, the snow stopped and the sun came out. So much for that.
ANOTHER UPDATE: An email correspondent reports flurries in Park Slope at 9:30.
Wacky Weather Hits New York City as Temperatures Hit Record High [Newsday]
