The Afternoon Wrap: Thursday

At a town hall meeting in Harlem last night, residents were cautiously optimistic about Governor Paterson, who they expect to be more "pro-tenant" than Eliot Spitzer. [Gotham Gazette]

The kitchen is not quite there yet, but after a year-long absence the Frying Pan, a barnacle-infested former fishing boat turned bar on a barge, will reopen in May at Pier 66a in Chelsea. [City Room]

The wife of a Bear Stearns executive assured her interior designer that she and her husband are not poor and will never be poor, but they wouldn’t be able to finish a home redesign since “discretionary income for things like window valences just went out the window." [NY Post]

Andre Balazs' New York City Standard Hotel will "soft-open" in September, and the 18th-floor restaurant is slated to follow in January 2009. [Hotel Chatter]

Forest City Ratner might be backing away from another commitment it made to the community in exchange for development rights, but this time we're not talking about Atlantic Yards. Developer Bruce Ratner said he is having trouble securing financing for a planned 75-story tower at Spruce Street near City Hall, meaning the elementary school under construction there probably won't be completed in time for the 2009 school year. [Downtown Express via Brownstoner]

Last year The New York Times reported that the single largest volume of 311 complaints related to the Staten Island Ferry had to do with onboard ministers. Based on this video it seems the effort to convert sinners during the morning commute has not died down, but ferry passengers are taking things into their own hands now. [Gothamist]

The global contemporary art world will descend upon New York this weekend for a series of art fairs, both mainstream (the Armory) and off-the-beaten track (Secret Project Robots and Live with Animals in Williamsburg). Here's a must see list, whether you want to look at art or snicker at pretentious gallerinas. [Gridskipper]