*Everyday Chatter

It's not just New York. The whole country is infected by the cupcake craze--and cuteness in general. Why? Because, says author Roland Kelts, "you are desperate to be known... And if you are desperate to be known, you need a strategy for being known, and a very good strategy is the old evolutionary one of being so cute that you need to be cared for." [VF]

More photo-tacular "Then & Now" from Alex in NYC. [FP]

Check out "Only in New York," photos of the city at MCNY. [Stupefaction]

Brian Berger interviews Jonathan Lethem on Chronic City. [WWIB]

Old and new side by side on W. 23rd, as the glassy "Modern23" abuts a classic:


City landlords have begun banning cigarette smoking in your own apartment--new tenants "must sign an agreement promising not to smoke inside their homes." [Gothamist]

Is Trump Soho going into foreclosure? [Curbed]

Blood on the streets of Alphabet City. [NMNL]

View the life cycle of Eldridge Street. [BB]

The EV Pizza Shop has closed due to high rent. [EVG]

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