The Meatpacking District has a new set of car traffic patterns designed to protect pedestrians and initiate a better flow of car and pedestrian traffic. Along with the new traffic patterns are new parking regulations as well. The new signs posted on Gansevoort  and Little West 12th Streets have added the following restriction, “No Standing from 11pm-6am Thurs-Fri-Sat.” Beware or it will cost you $115 and cause you to say words that begin with F, S and or MF. The sign also indicates that parking meters are on the way. I’m taking an educated guess here that parking lot rates in The District are about to spike! Do you think the Gottlieb/Bender clan will open up some of those awesome buildings of theirs and turn them into parking facilities to help relieve the parking pressure that has just been created overnight? Hey Neil Bender, help out the neighborhood.

And the rock obstructions used to divert traffic are not the best looking things either. As a matter of fact, it’s the ugliest looking rock group I have ever seen (not including the Rolling Stones.)

Also, they have made Washington Street a Two-Way street from Little West 12th Street up to 14th Street. Why didn’t they extend that down to Gansevoort Street so you can drive down Gansevoort to Washington and make a right turn up to Little West 12th or14th? It would be a tight squeeze and it would probably take out a whole additional block of parking spaces, but what the heck, they don’t want cars here anyway. Oh the powers that be.

I’m heading up to The District today to take some pictures of all of the new car lanes that have been rearranged and new parking regulation signs that apparently many drivers didn’t see last night. The fine is typically $115. It’s really getting hard to bring your car here but I guess this is all to protect the pedestrians. The new temporary structures positioned so as to redirect traffic can be moved, removed or changed, but either way, they look as though they are here to stay. It’s a shame to cover up any portion of those cobblestone streets but in the name of pedestrian safety, it had to be done. Check back for my full report. – BW

The Hog Pit has confirmed it will be closing for good next January. Nine months is pretty long notice, but the owners want to give everyone fair warning so you all have time to plan your final events. In an email from owner Felisa Dell, she says, “I would like people to know that the time has finally come and we will be losing our lease on January 1, 2009. Our landlord, David Ellis and Assoc., more than tripled our rent and made it impossible for us to remain in our current location. I think they are planning a Ralph Lauren Store. Anyway, I want my regulars to have an opportunity to book their last parties before we close…the rising cost of restaurant space in NYC is becoming criminal. Can you imagine the Meatpacking District without The Hog Pit?…if anyone knows of any space that might make a good Hog Pit we would love to know. After 3 years of looking we have not been able to find affordable rents, and (this is very important) it seems the mayor and the State Liquor Authority are now only issuing Liquor Licenses until 2AM. It’s very sneaky, but in 5 years the 4AM liquor license will be a thing of the past, without any community input.”

When we called Florent tonight, March 31st, an employee who answered the phone told us that the last night that they will be open will “probably be the end of June.”

According to the Villager’s resident news-cat Scoopy, restauranteur Florent Morellet is not looking for another space, but is excited to pursue other projects, including writing his memoir and devoting more time to his art: drawing maps of imaginary cities.

Florent is planning a five-week going-away bash, from Memorial Day to Gay Pride on June 29. In a final display of irreverence, he’s theming each week around one of the five stages of grieving: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.

Sounds sort of like my first year in college.