••• 96-98 Chambers sure is looking fine! If only they could’ve ditched the fire escape.

••• Ticket vendors have found a new way to scam tourists. Thanks to J. for noticing it.

••• A Tea Room by Ato is opening at 15 Wooster, just above Canal. The sign promises tea, coffee, ceramics, and objects. I assume it’s related to Ato, the restaurant on Grand, but the logos don’t match, so perhaps not. (Also, while looking up Ato’s website, I see that the restaurant has gone no-tipping.)

••• S.I. has an interesting comment on yesterday’s mention of the Staten Island Ferry traveling up the Hudson: “The SI ferries are making test runs for possible future service to the west side piers, similar test runs on the East River for the east side piers. A few years ago the city sent one of the small SI ferries, the Alice Austen, into Great Kills Harbor on SI for a test run. It got into the harbor o.k. but had to wait for high tide to get out of the harbor.”

••• A new low this morning for the cobblestone situation on Greenwich Street. Thanks to N. for the photo.

••• March 23 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center: “Direct from Detroit, The Motortown All-Stars are an all-star lineup of world-class vocalists and musicians from the legendary ranks of The Miracles, The Capitols and The Temptations who have joined forces. The show is jam-packed with impeccable harmonies, dazzling choreography, and those timeless Motown grooves that everyone knows and loves—the greatest hits from the likes of The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. Every performance contains that unmistakable Motown stamp.” I couldn’t find a decent video of the group, so here’s a Motown song I love that we don’t hear often enough. If you don’t respond to this, check your pulse.