By Julie Shapiro (courtesy DNAinfo)

••• “After complaints from small business owners that their customers get lost on the way to [Lispenard Street], the city agreed Wednesday to install more street signs by the end of next week. [...] There is currently just one Lispenard Street sign, at Broadway, the tail end of the one-way street. Lispenard’s other two intersections have no signs.” —DNAinfo

••• “We hear that one unnamed West Coast-based Facebook insider has flown to Manhattan twice to look at Tribeca’s 144 Duane St., a sprawling multifamily townhouse priced at $49.5 million—up from last month’s $45 million price.” —New York Post

••• Photos of Lower Manhattan restaurants in the 1960s. They’re all exterior shots, FYI. —Eater

••• Those VIP baths at Aire Ancient Baths will be filled with Champagne, among other fluids. —DNAinfo

Courtesy New York Observer

••• “We think we found the drunkest bartender in Manhattan,” Frank Mortagua at Nancy Whiskey Pub. —New York Observer

••• The New York Times looks at the (now gone) 1875 Tribune Building on Park Row: “The Tribune moved out in the 1920s, and in the 1950s the last of the newspapers left Park Row. Demolished in 1966 to expand the Pace College campus, Hunt’s building disappeared almost without comment, although Thomas S. Buechner, then director of the Brooklyn Museum, wrote to The Times that its loss was ‘heartbreaking,’ describing it as ‘a sumptuous Victorian conglomerate in glorious Ruskinian color.’”

••• The New York Post on various Tribeca real estate developments: “former New Jersey Net Richard Jefferson, now with the Golden State Warriors, has found a buyer for his full-floor, 3,584-square-foot condo” at 169 Hudson. 2) “Aliza Waksal, daughter of ImClone’s Sam Waksal, is also selling her unit” in 169 Hudson. “Aliza wasn’t charged for selling $2.5 million of stock after being tipped off by her father. Her defense? She was selling stock to purchase the 169 Hudson pad [...]. The 3,752-square-foot unit, now listed for $4.995 million, is in contract.” 3) “A Tribeca apartment [in 25 Leonard] that once belonged to “Sopranos” star Jamie-Lynn Sigler is changing hands once again.” An apartment that once belonged to Jamie-Lynn Sigler is newsworthy?

••• A big oopsie at Bouley. —Eater

Courtesy Curbed

••• Curbed‘s recap of the TV show “Million Dollar Listing” includes a guy who lives in Tribeca and owns a wallaby.

••• “A medical advisory panel voted Wednesday to include some forms of cancer under the Zadroga Act, opening the door for thousands of sick 9/11 first responders to get long-awaited compensation.” —DNAinfo

••• The Broadsheet looks at how downtown appeared in the 1959 movie The Best of Everything.

••• “Stuyvesant High School seniors are begging Knicks star Jeremy Lin to speak at their graduation.” —DNAinfo

••• Where Shaun Hergatt, chef of SHO Shaun Hergatt, likes to eat in FiDi and BPC. —Serious Eats, via Eater

••• Jungsik will start serving lunch and dishes à la carte. —Bloomberg Businessweek and The Price Hike, via Eater

••• “Primitive loft at 474 Greenwich Street sells at $908/ft.” —Manhattan Loft Guy

••• “A press release that just landed in the Curbed inbox offers a few more details on what’s to become of 5 Beekman Street, the decayed urban treasure that was briefly in contract to Andre Balazs before selling to a joint venture that includes the owner of the Ace Hotel. The new owner is planning a ’297-room luxury boutique hotel with 90 residences.’ It might be sacrilege to say so, but 5 Beekman with condos might be even better than 5 Beekman redone by Andre Balazs.” But then HotelChatter says it’ll be a Thompson Hotel (like the Smyth, 60 Thompson, etc.).

••• “[Jacob] Morris, head of the Harlem Historical Society, has long been fascinated by the many historical sites related to the abolition movement that are sprinkled throughout Lower Manhattan [....] To draw attention to these little-known sites, Morris is launching a campaign to link them in a ‘Freedom Trail,’ similar to the one in Boston that focuses on the Revolutionary War. ‘Tribeca was basically New York City’s Harlem before the Civil War,’ Morris said. ‘Downtown Manhattan was honeycombed with Underground Railroad locations, and there were residences and businesses of abolitionists.’” —DNAinfo

••• “The creative team at Studio MDA, apparently fans of Rubik’s Cube, recently posted a vid on YouTube showing their design process for the facade concept, giving a modern twist to the historical face planned for 137 Franklin.” Also: “There’s no word yet on pricing of the units at 137 Franklin, but potential buyers might be interested to know that the new building sits on a plot controlled by a 150-year ground lease.” —Curbed

••• The New York Times revisits the Butterfly, this time focusing on bartender Eben Freeman. “With The Butterfly, Mr. White intends to evoke the supper clubs of his native Wisconsin. (The name comes from The Butterfly Club, a restaurant Mr. White worked at in Beloit, Wis.) The regular cocktail list is still in development. But, even at this early stage, it is certain to bear a couple of Badger State touches. Mr. Freeman has been collaborating with the owners of Lakefront Brewery, a Milwaukee-based craft brewer. Their first creation, Birra Morini—a light lager made with herbs, including oregano, instead of hops—is already being poured at Mr. White’s Osteria Morini. The debut of a second brew, called Fernet Stout, will most likely coincide with the opening of The Butterfly. [...] And, of course, the menu will boast a brandy old-fashioned, the brandy spin on the classic cocktail that is peculiar to Wisconsin and all but the state’s official drink.” Gee, there’s no Wisconsin about the place at all….

••• “Closely watched talks for men’s shirtmaker law firm Chadbourne & Parke to move to 1 World Trade Center cratered yesterday, leaving followers of both downtown and the legal landscape scratching their heads.” —New York Post

••• “The ongoing battle about who is responsible for some of the construction costs at the Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum has cost subcontractors roughly $50 million, according to the head of a trade group.” —Crain’s

••• WWD has a photo of the interior of Atera.

••• “Shoe retailer Aldo is taking over 6,000 square feet at 181 Broadway to open a flagship location in lower Manhattan. The store, one of the largest shoe-sellers in the world, will occupy the building’s basement, ground and second levels.” —New York Observer

••• The new building designed by Morris Adjmi at Front and Dover is about ready. It was born to be a condo, but now it’s a rental. —Wall Street Journal

••• Two Tribeca-related posts from Manhattan Loft Guy: “53 Warren Street loft resale shows depth of bath developer took in 2009″ and “73 Worth Street loft takes a long time to sell above ask.” As I was typing, a third one came in! “22 Warren loft seller paints a portrait of motivation.”

••• “The long stalled site at 2 Renwick Street, down at the corner of Canal where a hoped for re-birth in 2009 never came to pass, will soon be home to two new hotels, brought to us by developer Sam Chang and his long-time creative cohort, architect Gene Kaufman [who designed the Sheraton Tribeca]. The development parcel covers a batch of lots facing Renwick, Canal and Hudson Streets and heavy equipment is now prepping the property in the pre-construction phase. Long-time site owner Ponte Equities is now a ‘party of interest’ with fructiferous hotelier Chang.” —Curbed

••• The New York Post recaps recent real-estate developments in Tribeca. There’s no news, but if you haven’t been paying attention, it’ll be helpful.

••• “Manhattan lawyer Peter Gleason has stepped down from the soccer-mom madam case—so he can use his Tribeca loft to bail her out, a judge said Thursday.” —New York Daily News

••• “An owner of a food-vending business says a rogue worker took off with his $100,000 truck and has been flipping burgers and appears to be pocketing his profits. The bright orange Wall Street Burgers truck [...] went missing Sunday, but owner Moe Chowdhury said it’s been spotted this week doing brisk business in Manhattan. [...] He said fans of his burgers have been tweeting him sightings of the truck, from Hells Kitchen to Tribeca, but he’s yet to track it down.” PR stunt? —New York Daily News

••• “Workers digging beneath Fulton Street have unearthed another historic treasure this week—a stone wall that dates back to the Revolutionary War.” —DNAinfo

••• “We’ve been chronicling the goings-on at Worth Kitchen, the supper club Felipe Donnelly runs with his wife, Tamy, for over year, and now Donnelly tells us they’re opening a restaurant, Cómodo. The couple just signed a lease for the former Salt space at 58 MacDougal, and they plan to debut ‘hopefully before summer.’” —Grub Street

••• “Trinity Church is having a crisis of faith. Nearly half of the church’s board of directors has resigned in the past six months in a dispute with its rector [...]. They accuse Rev. James Cooper [...] of lavishly overspending church funds on Bach concerts and other events, and planning an opulent overhaul of the church’s office space at 68-74 Trinity Place rather than focusing on his ministry and helping the poor.” —DNAinfo

••• Ewan McGregor was said to have been looking at an apartment at 58 Reade. —New York Post

••• “Downtown school parents are taking their children’s meals seriously. This year, parents at P.S. 89 and P.S./I.S. 276 (both in Battery Park City ), and the Spruce Street School (in the Financial District), have been working closely with school cafeteria staff to improve student nutrition.” —Broadsheet

••• “First Lady Michelle Obama will be in New York City on March 19 for a fund-raiser hosted by Robert De Niro and his wife, Grace Hightower De Niro. [...] Tickets are $5,000 and include a photo and the reception. [...] The event will be at De Niro’s Greenwich Hotel.” —Capital New York

••• UrbanDaddy is implying that Atera is open—that’s the restaurant taking Compose’s place on Worth—but UrbanDaddy is prone to premature evaluation.

••• Eater picks through North End Grill‘s wine list.

••• “Photographer Stanely Greenberg has taken some interesting photos of architecture designs and infrastructures that are often hidden to the everyday passersby. One of the photos is a cave-like tunnel that happens to be an abandoned wine cellar beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Although no longer in use, the thick, granite-walled cellar has been kept in excellent condition.” —PSFK via Curbed

••• Manhattan Loft Guy on a sale at 150 Nassau.

••• Commemorating the 19th anniversary of the 1993 World Trade Center attack. —DNAinfo

••• About that crane accident at 4WTC: “City, state and federal investigators flooded the site in the wake of the Feb. 16 accident, but so far none have come to any conclusions about why the cable failed.” –DNAinfo

••• “A top architect and a prominent retailer are at war over a $9.25 million Tribeca building that they co-own and separately live and work in, according to a lawsuit. Internationally known architect Winka Dubbeldam allegedly duped Stephen Werther, owner ofthe Winkboutique chain, out of nearly 1,000 square feet of the building at 11 Hubert St.—worth about $1 million, Werther says in the Manhattan Civil Court filing. Werther claims that Dubbeldam, an award-winning architect, ‘abused her position of relative power to deceive her client and partner’ when she drew up the plans to divide the building, court papers show. Dubbeldam told The Post that Werther’s claim is nonsense—because he signed and approved everything. Werther works and lives in one part of the building with his wife and two kids, while Dubbeldam lives and works out of another.” —New York Post

Any idea what happened to the SS Lilac that was tied up at Pier 25? Thought it was there yesterday—now it’s gone? —M.

“We’re up at Pier 40 for the day for a movie shoot,” explains the Lilac Preservation Project‘s president and museum director, Mary Habstritt. “It’s an untitled movie by director James Gray, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard. The Lilac is standing in for an Ellis Island Ferry and everyone is dressed in 1920s attire.” According to IMDB, it also stars Jeremy Renner. The synopsis: “An innocent immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.” Gray directed Little Odessa, We Own the Night, and Two Lovers.

Beautiful day for it, that’s for sure. Go outside!

Related: Below is an image from Tony Larsen’s photo essay on the Lilac. For more, click here.

Got a question? Email it to tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

Previous “Nosy Neighbor” posts:
• When will those trailers on West Street go away?
• Do you know anything about 20-24 Varick?
• What’s happening to my parking lot?
• Is Pier 26 being worked on again?
• What’s up with Jin Market?
• What are those black pellets on Pier 25?
• What do the characters on 47 Vestry mean?
• When is T.J. Maxx opening?
• Where is the Special Forces monument going?
• Who’s moving into 151 Hudson?
• What’s going on at 172 Duane?
• Where is Compose’s pastry chef cooking now?
• What’s up with those Verizon carts?
• Where was the original Blues Bar?
• Who are the guys in the geeky pants?
• Why are the windows above Ponte’s boarded up?
• Can we walk on the West Street medians?
• What’s going on in 157 Hudson?
• What’s the new painting at 153 Hudson?
• What’s up with 55 Warren/55 Murray?
• What is this P.C. Richard & Son Theater I keep hearing about?
• What’s the story behind the lights at 289 Church?
• What’s the Dream House at 275 Church?
• How come every every film and TV shoot seems to have a trailer with doors marked “Lucy” and “Desi”?

••• Midtown Lunch got the full list of food trucks coming to the World Financial Center, at North End and Vesey: Up to five “trucks will be there seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through 2013. [...] There are some new and old faces represented here on the food side: Big D’s Grub Truck, Bongo Brothers, Eddie’s Pizza, Frites N Meats, Gorilla Cheese, Kimchi Taco, Mexico Blvd., Mexicue, Mike N Willie’s, Milk Truck, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Rickshaw Dumplings, Schnitzel & Things, Taim Mobile and Valducci’s Pizza. And they didn’t forget the desserts with Andy’s Italian Ice, Coolhaus, Cupcake Crew, La Bella Torte, the Treats Truck and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream represented.”

••• “On one of the most secluded streets in the heart of Tribeca, six luxury condominium units will quietly hit the market today and nine more in the same building will follow shortly. They make up all the units in a five-story condominium project at 60 Collister Street, between Hubert and Laight streets, at the former American Express Carriage House building. VE Equities, the developers behind Tribeca’s 471 Washington Street, which sold out last month, and One North Moore [and the upcoming 11 N. Moore], acquired the site in a short sale last year and received attorney general approval to market the units this Tuesday.” —The Real Deal

••• The Daytonian in Manhattan blog takes a long, fascinating look at the history of 121 Hudson, a.k.a. the Castree Building. If you like New York City history, it’s a must.

••• A New York Times article about people who live above restaurants includes the thoughts of Jimmy “The Harrison” Bradley and Cathrine Redmond, who lived (lives?) on Chambers, above where Taylor’s bakery used to be (and before that, a fried-chicken restaurant).

••• Also in the New York Times Real Estate section: A chat with Nancy Sheppard, who lives in Gateway Plaza.

••• A penthouse apartment in the Smyth went up in price after the Kardashians stayed in the hotel. —Wall Street Journal

••• “The owner of the popular downtown diner George’s—where Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have dined—wound up in hot water after he tried to skewer a city health inspector by recording his visit on an iPhone.
When the inspector spotted owner Bill Koulmentas’ cellphone scheme, he quickly hit George’s with a slew of violations — totaling 65 points.” George’s is at Greenwich and Rector. —New York Post