Stay Classy, Wodka!

“Struck some as anti-Semitic” is a bit of an understatement:

A Manhattan-based liquor manufacturer kicked off the holidays on a sour note with a billboard along the West Side Highway that struck some as anti-Semitic and got the attention of Anti-Defamation League.

The Wódka brand vodka ad featured two dogs, a Chihuahua dressed in a Santa Claus hat and an Afghan hound in a yarmulke, with a message that read: “Christmas Quality. Hanukkah Pricing. Great Vodka. Priced Right.”

The company, based in the Flatiron District, yanked its billboard overlooking the busy road by 4 p.m., less than 24 hours after erecting it.

The Vermont Of The Five Boroughs

While Anderson Cooper and everyone else were waiting down in Lower Manhattan for the financial capital of the world to be wiped away, the real story may have been in Staten Island, where the City’s hurricane disaster plan seems to have fallen short:

Firefighters in inflatable rafts saved 61 adults and three babies from the floodwaters, leading Mayor Bloomberg to praise the rescue effort.

But locals were fuming over what they found when they returned: flooded living rooms, destroyed cars and water animals in the streets.

They said they would have moved their valuables to higher ground and driven their cars out of the area if they thought they could be in danger.

“Somebody dropped the ball,” said [a 26-year-old resident] of Bulls Head, S.I., whose car and basement was damaged by flash flooding.

“[The water] was 5 feet right there. And this was the safe zone.”

Quinn Pro Quo

The only satisfying thing about this quid pro quo is the idea that he might be more toxic than 2000-era Clinton or 2008-era Bush:

It is the worst-kept secret in City Hall. Michael R. Bloomberg has told almost everyone who asks — but only privately, so far — that he hopes the City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, will succeed him as mayor in 2013.

. . .

Jamie McShane, a spokesman for Ms. Quinn, said, “She has never asked for nor has he offered his support.”

. . .

[. . .] Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, said Mr. Bloomberg’s imprimatur might not be that desirable for Democrats. “Personally, I have great respect for the mayor,” Mr. Stringer said. “But ‘Bloomberg 3’ has run its course.”

You Drive Around With A Giant Hustler Club Ad On The Top Of Your Crown Victoria And See How It Feels

I don’t blame them at all for feeling this way:

Racy strip-club ads plastered on top of yellow cabs are leaving modest drivers pink with embarrassment, saying they’re ashamed to face their kids and friends during their off time.

. . .

“My children ask me, ‘What is this? I want to go to a gentlemen’s club?’ ” [one driver] moaned at the monthly TLC meeting yesterday. “What should I answer?”

You Take The Good, You Take The Bad, You Take Them Both And There You Have An Association With Your Name That You May Not Have Wanted

The thing about attaching your name to, say, a bridge, is that you know have to read about yourself in all sorts of unintended contexts:

A car coming off the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge jumped a curb and killed a 68-year-old man in Queens early Monday, cops said.

Location Scout: Queensboro Bridge.