*Everyday Chatter

Can Chumley's really "put the inside back in" the way it was after the devastation? [Observer]

The real New York just isn't New York enough for the big screen. As the city's authenticity vanishes, we'll see more and more of this. [Gothamist]

The Times profiles the machers who are frantically smoothing the Bowery's "rough edges." The Cooper Square Hotel expects to open next summer. The Bouwerie Lane Theater will be condos and retail. The broker for the "other" part of CBGB's hopes for a jewelry shop or "a nice little place that will stay open late." But, no matter what, these down-to-earth folks all want to preserve the funky, rough-edged character of the Bowery. [NYT]

Unleashed, Columbia University takes aim at Harlem's Cotton Club. Said the club's owner to the Voice, "I want it to go down in history, go down through my family. That's the American way, right?" [Queens Crap]

Tell New York magazine why you love the city -- I know, it's getting harder, the reasons are fewer and fewer, but something's still keeping us here. I'm also curious.

A panel of developers is asked if the city is becoming only for the rich -- and they kinda, sorta don't really answer the question. [City Room]

The NYPD is entrapping lucky finders and do-gooders as thieves. I've returned every lost wallet I've ever found. If there's ID, I track down the owner. No ID, then it's mine. Fair and square. Whatever happened to finder's keepers, loser's weepers? [NYT]