SINCE THE FIRST Manhattan outpost of suburban staple Costco opened in East Harlem, there have been arguments both for and against the spot. On one hand, it supposedly demolishes the bohemian spirit that so many people love about New York, but on the other hand, where else can you get wild king crab legs for $10. Read more Read it in print

THE BLACK SUZUKI SIDEKICK pulls up to the corner of East 125th Street and Lexington Avenue at 7:30 in the morning. I walk around to the passenger-side window and knock. But Frank Middleton, my exterminator, refuses to lean across and open the door. Instead, he gets out of the car and, without a word of greeting, walks into morning traffic. Read more Read it in print

The food cart: It's about as inherent a part of New York as Goth teenagers in Union Square Park or some girl sobbing as her boyfriend breaks up with her on the side of the road. But you've probably noticed a whole new crop of carts popping up lately, and these meals on wheels take street eats beyond the wiener that we're all used to. Read more Read it in print

Lexi Love talked with us about the porn industry, the upcoming holiday and the subtle difference between being endearing and creepy. Read more Read it in print

Last June, a girl named Johna Chase began following me on Twitter. I didn’t recognize her name so I clicked on her profile pic. My screen filled with the black-and-white image of a girl’s face. She stood sideways, but her face was turned to the camera. She had a shy, mischievous smile, as if we were sharing a secret. Her blond hair appeared almost white in the photo, fairly glowing against the black background. The tip of one pointy, elfin ear was visible, nestled in her hair, which was gathered loosely into a ponytail at the base of her skull. It felt like she was looking right into my eyes. Her face seemed open, trusting and vulnerable, the kind of face upon which a lonely man could project a whole imagined future. I have loved a few strange women in my life, but Johna Chase would prove to be the strangest of them all. Read more Read it in print

Mark Machado thinks some men should step up and be honest for once. “Guys just get tattoos to get laid,” he says. “There’s not always a story behind it.They’re just trying to get some.” Portraits, names of moms and dads, song lyrics that tell a life story, insane back pieces or his own street art-inspired work, Machado (better known as Mister Cartoon in the tattoo world) doesn’t care if there’s a story or not. Just man up to it! He’s seen it all and done it all. Now Cartoon, based in downtown Los Angeles, is temporarily moving his studio to New York as the first tattoo artist in residence at Gramercy’s Marcel Hotel on East 24th Street. Read more Read it in print

The Music Hall of Williamsburg was packed last fall with maturing music fans who had just cheered their way through the performance of They Might Be Giants, a group many in attendance remembered as an up-and-coming indie band in late-’80s Williamsburg. Nada Surf, another band that grew out of Brooklyn more than 10 years ago, was up next and took its place on the stage. As so many in Brooklyn seem to be these days, the show was a benefit concert. Dubbed “Raise the Roof,” it aimed to support efforts to create Northside Town Hall Community and Cultural Center. A joint project between Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG) and The People’s Firehouse, the community space in Williamsburg will be the new home for both organizations, which advocate for their neighbors in areas of community planning, tenant rights and other grassroots education efforts. Read more

Ashley and Tyler Rodriguez, 20-something siblings who live in Spanish Harlem, enrolled at Bikram Yoga Harlem last Monday evening. Waltzing in on the second week of the New Year, they looked a bit like fair-weather yogis. Ashley was determined to turn her life around. “I’m 23… I’m too young to be out of shape,” she said. “I’ve gotta do this.” Read more Read it in print

Amid the DJ spinning reggae and soul tunes and the occasional game on their big screen TV, the staff at Red Bamboo in Brooklyn busy themselves dishing out steaming plates of buffalo wings, soul chicken and beef kebabs. But at the four-year-old restaurant in Fort Greene, none of these plates had real meat on them—until now. Jason Wong, owner of this restaurant and the Red Bamboo located in the West Village (which will remain as it is), didn’t want to switch up the menu to include meat, but after he had to give up revenue from numerous meat-hungry holiday parties, he knew something had to change. Read more Read it in print

Mr. Fox was weary with the weight of the world, and no wide wale corduroy suit nor sweet-sounding Beach Boys riff could lift his woes from his vulpine shoulders. Winter had arrived and with it snow, cold, famine and frost. Mrs. Fox petted down her husband’s impetuous cowlick, noticing—but not out loud—how thin his hair had become of late. Mr. Fox sighed and pushed open the knot of his sycamore tree. A gust of arctic wind, a foreboding unbidden guest, blew in behind him as he left. Read more Read it in print