••• “The white, pinwheel-shaped kiosk that appeared in front of the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in 2009 is finally opening this spring. The New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion, a gift from the Dutch government in honor of the 400-year anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival to New York Harbor, will start serving food within the next few months, the Battery Conservancy said last week. Merchants Hospitality, the popular downtown restaurant group that also runs Merchants NY, Steamers Landing and Pound & Pence, will offer a healthy, eco-friendly menu for the millions of people who pass through Battery Park each year, the conservancy said.” (DNAinfo; rendering courtesy UNStudio)

••• “Bloomberg Administration Insists That Half-Marathon Finish Here, Regardless of CB1 Concerns.” (Broadsheet Daily)

••• This doesn’t really qualify for an “In the News” roundup but whatever: I got a chuckle out of a futuristic chapter of Jennifer Egan’s (excellent) A Visit from the Good Squad, when Lower Manhattan is described as having the highest density of children in the nation.

••• I don’t know if this is new or old—the blog seems to be by someone in Hungary who likes lofts—but Loftenburg has lots of photos of a Tribeca loft owned by John Curran and Kristen Frederickson. Love the bookshelves. (Actually, I think this is old—but who cares? Loft pictures are always fun to look at.)