••• Kim Kardashian and Ciara (a singer) were photographed walking out of the Cosmopolitan Café [Locanda Verde was fully committed] the other day. I believe the restaurant had papered over the windows, presumably so a film crew wouldn’t have to work around gawkers on the sidewalk, of whom there were plenty—I know, because in trying to get around them, I was almost sideswiped by a bus, and let me be perfectly clear about this: I do not want to die, even indirectly, as a result of Kim Kardashian. That may be the last I’ll write about them, even though they’re staying at the Smyth. If you’re interested in their every move, Twitter is perfect for you. (Starpulse)

••• The New York Times printed Tamarind Tribeca’s recipe for Murg Malai Kebab.

••• Cass Lilien’s Window 24 was featured in a New York Daily News article about tiny shops: “Lilien, who’s pretty small herself—barely 5 feet tall—says she doesn’t feel claustrophobic in the space. The big plus is the small rent: Lilien pays just $500 a month. There is one drawback: no toilet. ‘They let me use the bathroom next door, and every so often I give them a bracelet,’ she laughs.”

••• “Sometimes, the simplest designs are the most complex. [Journalism-school students, take note: That’s what I call a beard-stroking lede. —Ed.] Take Ben Van Berkel’s New Amsterdam Pavilion at the tip of Manhattan. The pinwheel structure was presented to the city by the Dutch as a reminder of our 400-year-old bond. Part tulip, part windmill, the pavilion was supposed to have opened last spring, but getting those smoothly curving panes of glass just so, as well as working out a deal with the contractors to install them, has delayed the project a handful of times now, putting the grand opening celebration off until next year.” (New York Observer, via Eater, although Curbed read the same article and deduced that the pavilion is “almost set to open for real.”)

••• “The return to North Cove Marina of the barge Hon. William Wall, the Manhattan Sailing Club’s floating clubhouse that spends summers moored in the middle of New York Harbor, signals the imminent start of two popular off-season programs […]. “We’re going to be bringing back the train set that we housed aboard the William Wall in years past,” says Michael Fortenbaugh, the Club’s Commodore, referring to the elaborate, 100-square-foot diorama with enough linear track to stretch between Gateway Plaza and the World Financial Center. […] For 2010, Mr. Fortenbaugh plans to enclose the William Wall’s upper deck, which serves as an outdoor bar in summer, and house the train set […] there.” Plus there might be crepes. (Broadsheet Daily)

••• A Q&A with Elizabeth Berger of Downtown Alliance, “Lower Manhattan’s biggest fan.” (New York Observer)

••• “Leonardo DiCaprio and a group of male pals checked out the performers at Albert Trummer’s new Tribeca bar, Teatro, [the website now calls it both Theater Bar and Teatro] on Saturday. The star, Russell Simmons and hotel entrepreneur Jason Pomeranc were guests at a private party at the theatrically themed bar with performers including bikini- and feather-clad bar dancers ahead of next month’s official opening.” (New York Post)