New York

Built in scenic Bushwick, Wintercheck's a just-launched line of brightly colored, modular, multi-use furniture, including the Paul Desk w/ removable side boxes, the Arthur Coat Rack with cubbyholes for keys/shoes, and the Ed Chair with a hinged hatch for below-seat storage. Ironically, the proprietor, a former real-estate gal, peddles everything online and from the back of a roving U-Haul -- presenting a weird, mirror-facing-mirror situation when you show up in your U-Haul to collect.

By the Old Grey Lady's young inter-nerds, this handsome murder map geolocates all 3,406 NYC homicides since 2003, with grisly particulars broken down via year, borough, or hood. Roll over a dot to see deets (victim & perp, primary motive, weapon, date), or view murders cross-referenced into categories, including month and time of day (10% in June, 66% at night), age/sex/race, and weapon used, e.g., 69% firearms, 23% knife, and 8% "other" -- which could refer to those scared to death while browsing 3,406 NYC homicides since 2003.

Sporting undoctored photos taken by staff that actually travel to each site, this just-launched hotel reviewer offers brief but comprehensive lowdowns on room & board in and around the Caribbean, including Aruba, the DR, Jamaica, and Miami. Each review covers basic features (Internet service, pool, spa, etc), pros/cons (large rooms, no party scene on-site...), a brief bottom line, and a rating from zero to five pearls -- disturbingly, the same rating you give sites whose photos are heavily doctored.

Amassed by a Columbia media prof over ten days in '07, this just-published interactive map displays one photo from all 468 subway stations. Clicking on any stop gets you neighborhood ethnic composition and overall condition, and dryly written details on the stop itself, from the sun-lit Canarsie L ("hasn't been renovated recently"), to the 40th Street 7, where the ambiance ("more dirt and graffiti") is balanced out by adjacent tantalizing amenities ("there is also a Korean restaurant").

For its three-week end of season sale, Oak's offering up to half off a huge array of spring and summer gear, including button downs and henleys from Yigal Azrouel, black boots from Double Identity, pigiulino shorts from Diesel Black Gold, and tank tops from Surface to Air, letting your pit-stank follow the same path.