FoxNews - NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. —  A housekeeping supervisor is credited with saving the life of a newborn whose mother had just given birth in a toilet at a western New York hotel. Cathy Masic says a hotel housekeeper gave birth Saturday morning in the bathroom in a guest room at the Quality Hotel and Suites in Niagara Falls. A statement from the hotel says the mother and child are doing well.

Very touching, and admirable, at least on the part of the housekeeper. Only one question. What the heck was the numskull mother doing delivering a baby sitting on a loo in a Niagara Falls hotel? I mean, c’mon, its a bit hard to imagine plunking a baby out of a womb straight into a toilet bowl….Only in New York!

I can almost imagine the headlines for the hotel (www.qualityniagarafalls.com). Here at the Quality Hotel & Suites we offer 213 rooms & suites [toilets]. We have a special way of saying welcome. Whether it is business or pleasure [birth], our well-appointed guest rooms [toilets] and friendly staff [midwifes] will make you feel right at home the moment you [the baby] come through our doors [toilets].

Located just one block from the Seneca Niagara Casino, The Majestic Falls, Rainbow Bridge to Canada, and many more exciting attractions. Excellent dining, entertainment and shops are just minutes away. We offer a variety of well-appointed room types to meet your comfort level and budget. Choose from a variety of suites to suit your needs!

So now you know where to go if you’re planning on having a baby in a hotel room.

Info: 240 First Street Niagara Falls, NY 14303; (877) 282-1212; guestservices@qualityniagarafalls.com [birthservices@…]

A blast damaged the Times Square, New York military recruiting station early Thursday morning. New York City police officers and firefighters cordoned off much of Times Square for more than two hours after a small explosion — set off, the authorities said, by an “improvised explosive device” — damaged the front of the Armed Forces Career Center on the traffic island bounded by 43rd and 44th Streets, Seventh Avenue and Broadway at 3:43 a.m., officials said. No one was injured, and after a temporary interruption, subway service was restored.  

The New York Times reports that the police said the explosive device involved in the Times Square blast this morning was “roughly similar” to the devices used in two earlier bombings at foreign consulates in Manhattan, in 2005 and 2007.   

And in a political twist to the bombing, members of Congress in Washington D.C., were sent letters and photos of the recruiting station ‘before’ the bombing. Politico reports that  the letters did not contain any specific threats against the lawmakers or the site, but the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI are now investigating the matter.

Sounds to me like it’s some disgruntled NYC bum who ’s just pissed off at the Armed Forces and Congress and gas prices, rather than a wackadoo from some place where they where turbans and stuff. But hey, what do I know? Let’s just hope the wierdo lays off and goes back to whatever hole he crawled out from.

Moving to a more delicious subject, pizza makers from around the world are duking it out at the Javits Convention Center to win the coveted America’s Plate, a contest to be held at PMQ’s New York Pizza Show and International Restaurant & Food service Show. They’ll toss, they’ll sauce and they’ll top, all in an effort to win over the judges and earn their creation the title of Best Pizza in the World.

Pizza makers representing the United States, Australia, Italy, France, Finland and China are scheduled to compete Monday, March 10 from 10 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The winner being announced at 1:30 p.m. This year’s judges include the 2007 America’s Plate Champion from Spain, Fabian Martin; Chef-instructor Jeffrey Yoskowitz from The Institute of Culinary Education in New York; and seasoned pizzaiolos Salvo D’Aguanno and Pasqulale Loguidice. The New York Pizza Show is sponsored by PMQ’s Pizza Magazine (www.pmq.com) and is held in conjunction with the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York March 9-11. Full press release here. Oh, and there’s a $100,000 contest which you can enter even if you aren’t participating in the show. Details here.

Since we’re on the subject, where would you find the best slice of heavenly pizza in New York? That would be Anna Maria’s, North 7th Street and Bedford, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s a thick, crusty and delicious. Pizza which tastes like pizza should, but rarely does. I’ll post a review soon.

New York - Associated Press - The first big storm of the season burdened the metropolitan area with up to 9 inches of snow Friday, forcing airlines to cancel more than 1,100 flights and making travel miserable on highways and sidewalks. Earlier in the day, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that his army of 2,000 snowfighters was expecting as much as 10 inches by Saturday morning _ and that it would cost $1 million an inch to clear away.

More than 1,100 flights were canceled at the region’s three airports, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Steve Coleman said. Flights were delayed up to three hours at LaGuardia Airport and up to 2{ hours at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, he said. Times Square was a mess of gray slush by afternoon.

Freezing rain, sleet, snow, power outages, accidents, cancelled flights…This is the kind of weather when a simple walk down the street turns into winter adventure sports. It’s that time of the year when you have a sore throat and your bones are creaking. It’s hell outside and all you wanna do is burrow in under a blanket on the couch, with a cup of hot chocolate.

Fox News - A tractor trailer carrying live chickens overturned on a Brooklyn expressway, spilling crates and releasing the squawking birds onto the road. The tractor trailer overturned at Flushing Avenue on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway about 2:30 a.m. Thursday, spilling its feathered cargo, police said. The roadway was closed for several hours as crews cleaned up the accident.

And eat the chickens…

In other news, The Times, UK, reports that New York’s artists, in addition to be being grossly overrated, are also considered to be trend setters for property purchase.

One unchanging trend in the New York property market is the search among aspiring novelists and songwriters for a neighbourhood where they can afford to live. This quest is closely tracked by affluent investors who know that the latest artists’ quarter sooner or later becomes a sought-after address. SoHo and NoHo lofts in which Wall Streeters now live on seven-figure salaries were once the squalid homes of penniless painters. Williamsburg in Brooklyn is another now-gentrified former creative hangout. As a result, the writers have packed up their laptops and gone farther afield, up the Hudson River to the towns of Peekskill, Haverstraw and Beacon, an hour by train from midtown Manhattan. Will the rich speculators follow?

I dunno if the rich speculators will follow, but rich lenders to whom some of the aforementioned artists owe a lot of money will certainly follow…

In more bad news for down on the luck NYC commuters, new fares for trains to or from New York City stations go into effect March 1, Metro-North Railroad has announced. Single or round trip tickets are slated to go up by about 7.7%, while monthly and weekly tickets will see an increase in between 3.76% and 4.25%.

Question time - If you can think of one point, or time period, in your life which is best suited for traveling, which would it be? Immediately after retirement.

According to this Fox Business report, retirees account for a large portion of the travel population, with an estimated 23 million retired people intending to travel over a 12-month span, according to 2006 statistics from research firm Focalyst. Those retirees were expected to spend a combined $34 billion on their next trip — larger than the amount families said they planned to spend.

And the same retirees prefer to opt for cruise vacations by a huge margin. The reasons why retirees prefer cruise liners are not so hard to find. No extensive or exaustive drives, flights, multiple hotel stays, going from one place to another on foot and by car, etc. In short, nothing but pure relaxation on a cruise. Everything is already planned, and you don’t have to scratch your head worrying about connecting flights or the hotel that lost your reservation.

And it’s not just about ravaging the world with conspicuous consumerism and luxury. The report also goes on to add that about 57% of Travelocity members 65 and older say they plan to volunteer overseas in 2008, compared to just 48% of average respondents. These vacations can be centered on everything from building houses in New Orleans to working at a soup kitchen in

I always knew my Dad was more hip than he let on….

So there’s this dodgy New York cafe which helped Noah Baumbach, the 38-year-old Brooklyn-born writer-director, land Nicole Kidman as the star of his new drama, Margot at the Wedding. The coffee shop, as unfashionable and dour as it was, proved to be the ideal venue. Scant of customers, they took a table at the rear and were not bothered by autograph hunters. A posse of paparazzi was not waiting outside for them to leave. “There were so few customers,” Baumbach said. “It actually turned out to be ideal that way because it was quiet and no one was gawking.” They chatted for an hour over coffee, Baumbach gave Kidman a copy of the script, and they parted ways. Baumbach was shocked when he received a call the next day.

Well, isn’t that great. And would have been fantastic, if the Chicken**** writer had managed to squeeze in the name of aforementioned dodgy cafe. Talk about a let-down….

Liz Humphreys, USA Today, has a primer for New York tourists, with ten important tips. Don’t be intimidated by the big crowds and bigger buildings. New York can be a friendly and manageable city for visitors if you heed some of this time-tested advice.

The highly practical and useful tips include feeling free to wander (as in it’s a safe city), use the subway with a 7 day unlimited metrocard instead of a taxi, eat dinner early or late instead of waiting for a table, try out the different ethnic cuisines, try shopping in places other than Fifth Avenue, use online ticket brokers to find cheap Broadway show tickets, go to concerts and music shows, pack running shoes and experience Central Park like a New Yorker, don’t come to New York when everyone is shopping, like before Christmas (duh), and lastly, she has some tips for what passes for etiquette in New York.

And since we’re on the subject of navigating New York, the Metropolitan Transport Authority, State of New York, NYC Transit announced today that Trip Planner, http://tripplanner.mta.info, NYC Transit’s online travel itinerary service has received an upgrade in the areas of sophistication and user-friendliness. Now, when a customer requests a map of walking directions developed for their travel itinerary, they will view the city via a new and improved street map. The new map is powered by NAVTEQ map data, a recognized leader in digital map technology, while the 3D and aerial imagery is supplied by Microsoft Virtual Earth. “By utilizing NAVTEQ map data and imagery from Microsoft, we are in a position to provide Trip Planner users with a more realistic street grid view and help them better visualize the walking instructions that accompany their travel itinerary,” said Paul Fleuranges, NYC Transit Vice President of Corporate Communications. Read the full press release here.