••• Last night, Community Board 1’s Landmarks Committee discussed the storefront renovations of 121 Chambers (where Manhattan Beauty Supply was) and 103 Reade (where Tribeca Upholstery is for a few more days). I left as soon as I got a shot of the plans—I had a babysitter at home who had to leave—but if I’m reading this correctly, they’re going to keep the wonderful curved bay window on Reade, or at least a version of it. A two-story rooftop addition is also planned, but it’s not visible from the street. (Nah, I don’t have kids. But the other night at CB1 Tribeca I saw how well this excuse works.)

••• A while back, I promised that my friend Lisa would ask her friends at the China Institute for menu recommendations at Tipsy Shanghai, the second-floor restaurant across Washington Street. Here’s what they suggested—and, no, it’s not even close to everything on the menu: smoked carp Shanghai style; cold cabbage with red chili; Shanghai baked bran; steamed soup pork buns; Shanghai spring rolls; sliced braised beef noodle soup; Peking style minced pork noodle; fried rice noodle Jingnan style; sauteed rice cake with vegetable; Jiangnan style minced pork ball in soup stock; mustard greens steamed chicken; homemade steamed hen soup (reservation required); fo tiao qiang (reservation required); sauteed shelled shrimps; dongpo pork [pictured below, and delicious]; sweet and sour ribs; pan fried prawns, stewed fish belly; shredded pork in garlic sauce; eggplant in garlic sauce, Chongqin style; mushrooms stir fried vegetables; steamed preserved vegetable with leaf shaped bean curd; and dry-fried green beans with minced pork. Also,has anyone else gone and tried

••• Two exhibits open January 18 at Taymour Grahne Gallery: “Robot Open Sesame, a series of new paintings by Brooklyn-based Japanese artist Yui Kugimiya exploring the delicate tension between positive and negative space. Soft blobs of pastel color float in a hazy sea of white. These shapes have presence and weight, yet they disorientate the eye, for they appear only half there, intransient beings with one foot in another world.” (Below: the exquisite “Prosing Drama.”) Also: “Observable Universe, a solo exhibition of new works by Brooklyn-based artist Matthew F Fisher. Exploring notions of timelessness and nature, Fisher’s paintings are a meditation on the relationship between permanence and intransience.” So much intransience!

••• Confirmation about the closing of Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

••• Here’s another vintage photo, courtesy OldNYCphotos.com. It’s of Broadway and Walker in 1912. OldNYCphotos.com also sells prints and posters, as well as commercial usage.