There are now two bike racks in Lt. Joseph Petrosino Square at Lafayette and Kenmare streets. And, as Sean Sweene of the SoHo Alliance said, “The people of New York will have to view this ugly Citibank advertising in a place formerly reserved, and preserved, for art.”

There have been complaints all around from people saying that the bike stations are on landmark blocks and others arguing that there will be lost parking spots. Recently, people in Greenwich Village were given tickets after a new bike stand was installed.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, blowing off the criticism, said on WOR Radio on Friday that the anti-bike criticism “makes good theater.”

9000 bikers will start riding on Monday who have signed up already and the bikes will then be available to the general public starting June 2. An  annual membership costs $95 and a day pass is $9.95.

As Gail Grimmett, Delta’s senior vice president in New York explains about the new terminal, “We have a Shake Shack and Blue Smoke plus two entries from Marcus Samuelsson. Our lounges are equipped with showers and full media offering. Travelers will want for nothing.”

The replica terminal opened on Wednesday at 11 am. It’s being dubbed “T4X” and it will have all of the amenities of the real JFK portal. As an extra perk, visitors can enjoy a $4 lunch box served on a conveyor belt that will stimulate baggage pick-up.

Grimmett explained why they created the replica, “We wanted to give New Yorkers something they can touch.”

Wednesday night there was a gala bash with football stars Victor Cruz and Justin Tuck. T4X then became open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am until 3 pm until May 22.

Gail Shields-Miller of Shields & Co. Interiors recently had the opportunity to check out three exhibitors in their own environments before the show. She relished in the romantic and lovely look of the Tiffany Studio pieces on sale at Lillian Nassau. Owned by Arlie Sulka, Lillian Nassau sells unique Louis Comfort Tiffany pieces. She described her visit as she wrote on her blog, “The list goes on with several pieces of studio furniture from such notables as George Nakashima, Phil Powell, Wendell Castle and Paul Evans. I fell in love with an out of this world leather love seat by Fritz Henningsen that I wanted to scoop right off the floor and into my apartment. AND then there was a Viennese wood and glass vitrine of uncertain artistic origin that definitely needed a home with one of my clients.”

Phoenix Ancient Art

As part of her tour, Shields-Miller visited Phoenix Ancient Art, owned by brothers Hicham Aboutaam and Ali Aboutam. They feature precious antiques from 5000 BC until about 14 AD. As she described her visit, “The gallery is a pristine environment of stunning dark bronze metal clad walls elegantly complimenting the stone floors, all very effective for displaying the select pieces on display and conjuring up the sense of ancient times long gone by.  You immediately can ascertain that this is a no nonsense place and that we are going to be delving into a discussion about precious irreplaceable artifacts from ancient civilizations.”

Rare lacquered cabinet on silver gilt stand, circa 1690 at Carlton Hobbs.

Finally, she visited the Carlton Hobbs, which felt like entering a small museum in France. As she explained, “Carlton Hobbs occupies a rarefied strata in the antiques business, and primarily seeks out furniture and art which belonged originally to royal families and aristocrats or famous architects of that period in history.”

Should you have the time, I would definitely run (not walk!) to enjoy Lillian Nassau, Phoenix Ancient Art, Carlton Hobbs and many others at the Spring Show NYC right now.

The retail space is bathed in white, representing the Japanese minimalistic look they are trying to achieve, while also mixing in some Gallic romance. At the recent opening, the brand’s designer Yukari Suda and president Tsukasa Kobayashi were joined by Alexa Chung. As Chung told Style.com, “I like French things and Japanese things, so a hybrid is pretty much my dream. It’s so simple, and I love the tomboyish way they’ve styled the outfits. Everything’s very loose and easy to wear.”

Pas de Calais is located at 482 Broome Street and is certainly worth a browse.

As Alfus told WWD, “I live and breathe leather.”

The pop-up will offer you the chance to own a pair of leather pants (for the low price of $495-$695), leather poufs, python chairs, white kangaroo fur, and even a $20,000 king size coyote bedspread. The store will only be there for six weeks…so go and enjoy now!

picture by WWD

It’s located at 158 Mercer Street and is 7452 square feet of pure bliss. It includes five bedrooms and 5.5 baths. As The Corcoran Group’s Deborah Grubman site said, “The journey begins when you step off the elevator into the lower-level foyer.”

There is a modern chef’s kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows and 360 degree views of SoHo and beyond. As part of the for-sale listing it says, “This one-of-a-kind apartment is for the discerning buyer who can appreciate fine craftsmanship and all the modern conveniences.”

Bon Jovi was said to have purchased the home for $24 million.

“This deluxe lifestyle will be reflected in the beautiful design of the space, which will have an old Soho charm to it, incorporating the wall of St. Alphonsus Liguori Church into the landscape, which stood long before the Soho Grand. Cherry trees, boxwoods and ornamental kale will provide foliage for a verdant and natural environment, while overhead string lights, bespoke benches and fire hydrants will be a witty reminder to visitors that they are in one of the chicest establishments of the world’s most cosmopolitan city.”

Watch for this addition in May and enjoy taking your dog to New York with you. Now, if only they would let them into the Broadway shows…

If you’re in the New York area on April 2, you’ll see many ways to get involved. You can actually purchase Autism Speaks blue light bulbs from your local Home Depot and blue LED lanterns from Coleman.com. Many shops around New York will have Light It Up Blue merchandise and people are encouraged to wear blue clothing to work that day.

Every person’s efforts allow Autism Speaks to get the word out about autism awareness. Certainly, the assistance of people like John Castle of Castle Harlan and of so many others allows this event to be the success that it is every year.

After their opening act, Helga Davis will close the evening. She recently starred in a revival of the Robert Wilson and Philip Glass opera “Einstein on the Beach.” The concert was organized by the composer Paola Prestini and is being presented as part of the Original Music Workshop’s “virtual season.”

Admission is $15 and the show will take place at 7pm at 44 Charlton Street.

Certainly, many historic figures have made a big deal out of reading. Harry Truman, for instance, wrote a number of articles about the importance of reading. In one letter that the Shapell Manuscript Foundation has in its collection, Truman wrote, “I’ll be glad to accept the set of the “Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln” by John G. Nicolay and John Hay. They will be exceedingly useful here for what we are trying to do, which is a history of the Presidency… I have all the other Lincoln biographies but this one.”

Today, the Read Across America program is a great excuse to get the kids out and reading. Here is a list to get started of the top 10 children’s books that teachers in America most recommend.

• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
• Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
• Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss
• The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Happy Reading Day!