Any word on when Baked TriBeCa will be opening? Haven't heard about it in a while. — Jen on Seen & Heard: Sweet Green’s Opening Date

Just to clarify with respect to "There’s no docking your own kayak—that’s happening up at Pier 84." There will be no private storage in the Pier 26 boathouse, but the dock will operate as a public launch, as well as for our programs. Private boat owners of paddle craft can launch or take out from Pier 26. Private storage is available at Pier 40 from New York Kayak Company (http://www.nykayak.com) and at Pier 84 from Manhattan Kayak Company (http://manhattankayak.com/). — Martin Sweeney on Sneak Peek: The New Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26

Erik: I live in BPC and have not yet been to El Vez. Thanks for the write up and (as usual) GREAT photos. It makes me feel like i have already been there. — Liz on First Impressions: El Vez

So Sad! Def agree about it being a great place for art supplies. Where can we go now? — nicole on Another Day, Another Independent Store Closes

Major bummer! That was a great place to buy arts & crafts supplies. — Kathryn on Another Day, Another Independent Store Closes

So sad! I loved getting stuff for my kids there! — Yael on Another Day, Another Independent Store Closes

I was there for lunch yesterday too. Since Mexican is not my favorite cuisine I may not be the best judge of what is good or not and I was with work crowd so drinks were not part of the deal but what totally knocked me out was the price. I think it is way overpriced. I would give it another try for drinks and appetizers but I think I will stick with Southwest for lunch. — Tribeca Mom on First Impressions: El Vez

The Mezcal Pineapple drink is the ticket. — Chyara on First Impressions: El Vez

I largely agree with the assessment here. There was something off about my classic margarita that could have been the agave, but I remember saying to my dining partner that I thought it was lacking "something" that I still can't put my finger on. I am left with a feeling of ambivalence about my experience the other night. Overall, the food was quite good (not great) and fairly expensive in the end. I suppose that's how El Vez will pay for the expensive (and rather kitchy) decor. The service and attention we received, including and very impassioned explanation of the moles, made us feel very welcomed. Will I go back? Probably yes to try the new brunch, but I'm not sure about dinner. I far prefer Blue Smoke and North End Grill for the money. — Jim on First Impressions: El Vez

Just because the school is a public school doesn't mean its facilities should be open to everyone all the time. — lowphat on In the News: More Condos

It's definitely the agave. Every time my wife uses it instead of sugar, I feel like she's passive aggressively telling me to lose weight. — lowphat on First Impressions: El Vez

I feel pretty much the same about El Vez as you do, except for the bar. The cocktails I have had there have been thoughtfully put together and well mixed. They have a truly impressive list of agave spirits, rivaling even serious agave mixology bars like Mayahuel. They have lots of wonderful tequilas, single village mezcals, and some pretty unusual stuff like sotol and harvest mezcals. The cocktails are not anywhere near Mayahuel level, but I have had some success. I did not have a basic margarita, because it's not a favorite of mine, so I can't speak to that. I went immediately for a mezcal and pineapple version of margarita which was quite tasty - smoky and reasonably well balanced. My favorite thing about the cocktail list is the classic cocktails reformulated with an agave spirit as the base spirit. The Pelo de Pero is a nice twist on the Corpse Reviver, and was by far the tastiest and most interesting cocktail I've had in the confines of BPC. I look forward to trying their takes on the Vieux Carre and the Hemingway Daiquiri. Sorry for the big info dump on this, but I am a cocktail nerd, and BPC has been sorely lacking in this area (the Black Hound tries fairly hard, but doesn't quite make it). I'm sure there are pitfalls, and there are sops to the masses who only know Chevy's and the like, but there are some very tasty cocktails on their list, and the agave list is something that demands adventurous exploration. Within the friendly confines of BPC, that's a big win in my book. — Doug on First Impressions: El Vez

why do people in tribeca have to pay for a public pool.. all over the city there were free public swimming pools.. Stuyvesant is a public school.. it should be free swim for kids... — toni on In the News: More Condos

There were lot of artists who preferred buying paint at that store. It's sad to see Pearl close. The best alternative would be JerrysArtarama.com as they provide great prices and best deals in the online space. It's a great option as I have had a great experience with the online store and the pricings. — jacob jackson on Pearl Paint Has Indeed Closed

The sailboat in the photo is Bettina - a 30' O'day owned by Sailors NYC :-) — Capt. Nitzan Levy on Seen & Heard: Construction Starting in Northwest Tribeca

Here's a little inside information on the WTC. Visit the official WTC website. http://www.wtc.com/about/transportation-hub The official website indicates that the Federal Transit Administration is developing "future transportation services" at Ground Zero. Now, look up New York State Senate bill S4912(2013). The bill authorizes the operation of autonomous, self-driving cars on Empire State roadways. Ground Zero, the former World Trade Center (WTC), is becoming the World Transportation Center (WTC), epicenter of America's new, ever-expanding, universal infrastructure for driverless automobiles. — James Poirier on Seen & Heard: The Transportation Hub Sprouted a Second Quill

Thank you for writing the blog! It get me through my days at work and get me excited about all the amazing news in our lovely little neighborhood :) — HH on Seen & Heard: The Transportation Hub Sprouted a Second Quill

It's bronze. — Erik Torkells on Seen & Heard: The Trash-Bag Teddy Bear Has Arrived

Are they actual bags of trash? I assumed the sculpture was made of some sort of metal, which is why I thought they were similar to the balloon dogs. — lowphat on Seen & Heard: The Trash-Bag Teddy Bear Has Arrived

EriK!! — Jim Smithers on Seen & Heard: The Trash-Bag Teddy Bear Has Arrived

Thank you, Eric, for your great columns and thank you fellow readers for your consistently interesting responses. I appreciate every one of your suggestions. — betty on Seen & Heard: The Trash-Bag Teddy Bear Has Arrived

I'm no expert in air rights, but the idea is that a building can buy air rights from its neighbors—so if they don't want a taller building next door, they control it. (The exception being Hudson River Park, which now has ability to sell its air rights to buildings across West Street.) The area's zoning, of course, is also a factor—in this case, I'd have to imagine that Church Street is zoned to allow sizable buildings, judging from 56 Leonard, 30 Park Place, et al. — Erik Torkells on Demolition on Church Street?

Not a clue. In the five (!) years I've been doing this site, I've never been able to get any traction regarding the WTC. I've tried reaching out to Silverstein and the Port Authority, and other than one email from the latter (that was followed by radio silence), I've never heard a peep back. Big companies and organizations tend to look at blogs like this as nothing more pests (and I can see their point, even if I think it's misguided). In any event, that means TC tends to be in front of traditional media outlets (because I don't wait for the official word) or behind them (because I don't receive the official word). — Erik Torkells on Seen & Heard: The Transportation Hub Sprouted a Second Quill

I hope they are unsuccessful with the air rights. Who determines if you can get air rights anyways? — nicole on Demolition on Church Street?

Here's a question: when/how is the gray frame of the oculus going to become white? The gray looks awful; I'm crossing my fingers that this isn't "value engineering" and it will end up white. Any ideas TriBeCa citizen? — David S on Seen & Heard: The Transportation Hub Sprouted a Second Quill