Graphic artist Christoph Niemann posted these LEGO sculptures of New York artifacts and features, immediately recognizable to any City dweller. The pictures have attracted a lot of attention and give little credit to Madison Square Garden, which is represented by a tire.

In other arcane urban news, the strange sweet smell that has visited Manhattan on occasion since 2005 – and has always been particularly strong in Morningside Heights – was explained today.

As the New York Times reported, the culprit is a processing plant in New Jersey that uses an herb called fenugreek (pictured right). The business running the plant seems to be in line with all health and environmental standards, so it will not be shut down. Thus, the sweet fragrance will probably continue to invade New York in the future.