I recently read an article that noted the surprising number of people fishing at Echo Park Lake in the morning. And then I called my therapist. Do you have any idea what kind of abhorrences lie hidden in that swamp which hosted an aggressive fatal fish herpes outbreak not too long ago? Somebody call a priest because we may soon find out now that it's in the process of being drained for a two-year cleanup. As Curbed pointed out, locals are already taking bets on how many dead bodies they find once it's emptied. More»

Go HERE for more photos by Mark Iantosca, and tag yourself and your friends.

Curbed toasted the openings of 805 Columbus  and 795 Columbus with a party on the two-acre deck at 808 Columbus. Guests were treated to food from Shake Shack, Wine and Roses, Henry's, Café du Soleil, Soutine, Tolani, Whole Foods, and Eighteen Restaurant, and drinks from Sixpoint Craft Ales. Take a look! More»

After all the confusion and debate as to the appropriate nomenclature for what is commonly referred to as the "eastside" of L.A., as in Silver Lake, Echo Park, Loz Feliz, and East Hollywood, Curbed has had enough and wants to settle on a new name that we can all use moving forward. More»

• Tiger Woods enjoys some VIP treatment in Sex Rehab. [NYP]

• Sneak Peak of this evening's Jersey Shore Reunion. [EOnline]

• Kanye barred from Clooney's Haiti Relief Telethon. [PopEater]

• Winning Design offers Beautification for Manhattan construction sites. [CurbedNY]

• Spice Girls Musical headed for the UK..."Girl Power!" [JustJared]

Go HERE for more photos and tag yourself and your friends!

Last night, the Cooper Square Hotel Penthouse was the site of the joint holiday party of its friendly neighbors: Curbed, Hard Candy Shell, Foursquare, (who all share an office at 36 Cooper Square) and Brew Media Relations. Let's take a look at the folks that made it out to toast the techies that took over the Village Voice building shall we?  More»

[Lockart Steele always gets the girls. Photos by Daniel Krieger]

Last night, while we were at dinner at Lure (a Lockhart Steele fav), the man himself was helping his site, Curbed.com host party celebrating real estate. The 565-unit Williamsburg waterfront development of the Kent Street sales offices of The Edge, their latest site advertiser, was lacking on the sushi, but had enough drinks to keep the developers happy. Because what better time can you think of to host a party CELEBRATING real estate in this city?  Even DBTH's Scott Solish shockingly left Bea for a night to join in on the fun, and wearing on his best dress shirt to boot! I can't believe I missed out on this one. Our favorite pick of their photos below... More»

This 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house costs a mere $43,900.  The only problem: it's in Akron, Ohio.  I've never been to Ohio but clearly we are all morons.

Lockhart: you think there's potential for a Curbed in Ohio?  Because this house has you and Jessica written all over it.  Seriously.  I can picture the backyard bbq's now.  For more 4 bedroom houses way under $50k, aka things that 6 months rent would buy, go HERE.

I've been waiting for what seems like ages for my mother to finish Jhumpa Lahiri's new book. Actually, I keep pilfering it to use as a lunch companion, and then forgetting to return it, thus incurring wrath and impeding its eventual arrival to my nightstand. Unaccustomed Earth is a compilation of eight mid-length stories revolving around the struggles of second generation Indian Americans and their immigrant parents to combine two worlds.

These stories are not always easy to read, but they are beautifully, and quietly written, and managed to put me, a caucasian american, into the uncomfortable, shifting shoes of Bengali immigrants and their children. If you like books that sweep you into a never-before-imagined-but-very-real world, you'll love this one. 

[Image via Random House]