WALKER HOTEL IS JUST ABOUT OPEN
I received reports (and photos above and on the homepage) from both J. and J. that the Walker Hotel Tribeca — just off Cortlandt Alley — is taking guests, but it is definitely a soft open. Their PR firm said they don’t have an official opening date to share just yet, since construction is still wrapping up. But in the meantime, I know there was some previous discussion here about rates, and it looks like they range from $165 to $325, depending on the night, for a full and a little more for a queen.

IS GALLO NERO DONE?
Sadly, I never even knew it had opened when I got a note from S. asking if they had closed. I guess they were open for a bit this summer? But they have never replied to emails, and now the phone is out of service. Would surely like to see that place activated, but there’s a chance the gas lines were never fully repaired. That’s what drove Max out of that space. S. also found this review on Yelp from August 11: “Just opened at this Tribeca location. The food and service were good. The interior is interesting with chandeliers. Small outdoor eating space works well on a nice night. Subdued so it fits in Tribeca on this street. It’s worth a try.”

87 WALKER IS OPEN FOR LUNCH
Jolene Howard reports that her — and her husband’s — restaurant at 87 Walker is now serving lunch. The chef is making his own sandwich bread, curing his own bacon for BLTs, smoking chicken for lettuce cups and making shrimp fritters. (There’s also salads and fries.) There will be a special cocktail on Fridays, and fancy Q sodas every day.

ALWAYS DREAMING AT DDF
Downtown Dance Factory has a cool new mural that is worth checking out — it’s the work of Abraham Lule, a Mexican graphic designer working in New York City.

FOR THE WORKING DOG…
Ok UNIFORM on Church at Franklin has this awesome dog vest to match your carpenter pants. How a workwear company founded in 1889 in Michigan for railroad workers crossed over into canine accessories (and Rihanna’s beanie) is well above my fashion analysis skills. (BTW they also play classical music and hand out lollipops in there!)