••• A group called American Atheists is suing to have the so-called World Trade Center cross removed from the 9/11 memorial—”because the cross is a religious symbol of Christianity and the museum is partly government financed and is on government property, the cross’s inclusion in the museum violates the United States Constitution and state civil rights law.” They’re right, of course. (The New York Times)

••• The New York Post says 56 Leonard–the foxy Jenga-like stack designed for Church and Leonard by Herzog & de Meuron—is becoming unstalled, with only “minor design alterations.”

••• “The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has struck a deal with mall operator Westfield Group to lure shops and restaurants to the World Trade Center site, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal, if finalized, would be a significant boost for the site just as the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks approaches. It would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars from a private developer that would help pay for retail space and fill it with tenants. Developers believe they can attract shops on par with some of Manhattan’s more high-end neighborhoods.” (Wall Street Journal)

••• “He never got to live there. An Italian businessman built the New York City apartment of a lifetime in Tribeca and passed away before he could move in. Officially on the market today for $17.995 million after four months of marketing strategy and preparation, Penthouse C/D at 200 Chambers St., with east, west and north exposures, has views, stunning moments and the highest-quality construction that money can buy.” (New York Daily News)

••• “The Downtown Little League Girls Softball program has come a long way. Just three seasons ago the division was purely recreational, with 30-plus girls, and underhand softball pitching was the norm. Now, DLL Girls Softball is all windmill fast pitches, the league has more than doubled in size (with more than 100 girls on the roster), and, on Thursday evening, one of its teams came within a hair’s breadth of going to the New York State Championship Tournament.” (Broadsheet Daily)

••• Village Voice interviews Blue Smoke’s executive chef Kenny Callahan: “[BPC is] an area that’s underserved. The new Freedom Towers are going up right across the street, there are a whole lot of new residential buildings in the area, and there’s not really a ton of restaurants down there. We found a good spot in the Goldman Sachs building. It’s similar in size to the current Blue Smoke, maybe a little smaller. There isn’t going to be a Jazz Standard in the new restaurant, so it’s only going to be one level, maybe 22 bar seats and 140 seats in the dining room and outdoor patio. It’s going to be a decently sized space. We still haven’t determined the menu; we’re definitely going to have our main barbecue highlights, but we’re also going to try to mix it up a little bit.”

••• “Tribeca Twelve, the new sober living space designed for college students which opens next month on West Broadway, feels more like a luxury loft than a clinical facility,” says DNAinfo, which got a tour. “The six-story former warehouse features plush furniture, flat-screen TVs, stainless steel kitchens, marble-framed fireplaces and bedrooms flooded with natural light.”

••• Blaue Gans chef Kurt Gutenbrunner likes Great NY Noodletown. (Eater)

••• “Hundreds of New York City police officers last week began receiving special training to work in a new World Trade Center command center set to open before the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. The 220 officers are the first wave of what the NYPD expects will eventually grow to a 673-officer command, the city’s largest.” (Wall Street Journal)