"Are you feeling better about this place?" said Bud Collins to open up Rafa's press conference this afternoon.

Rafa noted that he had been to two semifinals here.

"Oh yes, that's not bad," said Mr. Collins.

"Well, I think I am playing better, a little bit better, every day. So today was a solid match, I think. The serve is still good, so that's a very important thing. From the baseline, I think my movements and my shots start improve, to be better every day."

He added: "The important thing for me is I played better today than two days ago, and two days ago I played better than five or six days ago. So that's always important, and very good news to be improving during the tournament."

We'll take that as a yes! Rafa has definitely looked his most comfortable at an opening week at the Open since he's been coming to New York.

Rafa, like Roger yesterday, was peppered with questions at a presser today about his no. 1 rival as the media--lacking another relevant narrative unless one of the Americans make a run for the Open--continues to drum up hype for a Roger-Rafa Final. Questions were: Do you feel like Roger has made you a better player? What's better about Roger's game? etc.

Also, Rafa denied a New York Post report from this morning that he wouldn't get into a van that carried Roger's visage on the side.

"Yeah, well, if you know me, you know that I not gonna do," he said. "This is very stupid thing. I was in a van of the picture of Roger--both sides of the van--like 15 times these two weeks. So that's very stupid thing. That's never happen...I want this car because is bigger, and I am more comfortable with this car than with the others. You can see the car of Roger's photo is there--is outside--is a van. So is much bigger than the other ones."

And Mardy Fish is beginning to go on a run like he did in 2008. He won in front of a full-house at Armstrong to advance to the fourth round where he takes on the winner of tonight's Blake and Djokovic match.

Wozniacki and Sharapova absolutely dominated in their matches and that sets up a deliciously exciting Round of 16 match. Wozniacki is the world's no. 1--even though she has never done better in a Grand Slam than being a finalist at last year's U.S. Open--and will take on Sharapova, a former Open champion. We'll be sure to take a close look at the match that may be a de facto Final for Monday afternoon.

The real estate market may be cool, but reality renovation and house-flipping shows are hot. [AP via NY Times]

The newest trend in global tourism is slumming it (literally) as travelers flock to shanty towns in Africa, Brazil, and Mexico in ever increasing numbers for a glimpse of other peoples' grim reality. The jury is still out on whether the fad is voyeurism or a socially conscious brand of tourism. [NY Times]

A new online survey attempts to probe the enigmatic psyches of New York bicycle commuters. [Hubs and Spokes]

The asking price of Brooklyn's most expensive co-op gets chopped from $6.5 to $5.75 million after languishing on the market for more than five months. [Brownstoner]

To solidify his everyman credentials, John McCain will host a fund-raising gala at the Plaza. [HotelChatter via Curbed]

1980's pop-crooner John Bongiovi, aka Bon Jovi, sold his condo in the Park Millennium Tower for $5.5 million, a hefty reduction from the $6.95 asking price. [TRD]

The Park Slope mommy brigade debates the neighborhood's equivalent in Baghdad. [Gowanus Lounge]

Brooklyn's own version of Restaurant Week, Brooklyn Eats, begins April 30. [Grub Street]

The best milkshakes in New York. [Gridskipper]

The Park Slope Food Co-op may ban bottled water. [Brooklyn Paper]

Lamenting the loss of Brooklyn's old crayon factories. [Pardon Me for Asking]

Sheldon Solow's lawsuit could tie up GM building sale for months. [TRD]

Dumbo's biggest landlord David Walentas charges some artists below-market rates to rent space in his less luxe properties. In this New York Times article, Mr. Walentas applauds both his generosity and good business sense, since artists, like "good architecture," add value to a neighborhood. [NY Times]

After months of controversy over whether Forest City Ratner has secured public funding for its Atlantic Yards project, the city finally confirmed that it has distributed $55 million to the company. [Crain's]

Sheldon Solow is courting the UN to be the anchor tenant of a controversial office tower in his seven-building East River complex. The office building is rumored to be the main obstacle to Mr. Solow getting approval from the City Council to go foward with the project. [City Room]

Brooklyn College in Midwood is adding its first dormitory to woo out-of-staters to the outer boroughs. [Gothamist]

Manhattan might not have many strip clubs left, but there are still plenty of naked bodies on public display. Here is a list of the best nude sculptures in the city, fig leaves not included. [Time Out NY via Gridskipper]

Rumors are circulating that the Midtown bistro Le Madeleine is finally being kicked to the curb after loosing a knock-down-drag-out lawsuit with the building landlord. [Eater]

A Brooklyn bike enthusiast tries to move all her possessions to her new apartment by bike. [Biking Toronto via City Room]

Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal will be the first guest to stay in the Plaza Hotel's $20,000-per-night suite. [TRD]

Here's a look at the owners of the 202 condos at 15 Central Park West. Imagine what it will be like to Trick-or-Treat there. [TRD]

The New Yorker reveals 12 under-the-radar music venues in the city, meaning they will be packed from here on in. [The New Yorker via Gridskipper]

For all you Jay Gatsbys out there, the Strand bookstore is now offering a customized book collection service to decorate peoples' homes. They will even crack the spine so it looks like you've actually read them. [Buzz Feed]

The first Brooklyn branch of Urban Outfitters opens on Atlantic Avenue in two weeks. A trendy chain store for self-conscious hipsters ought to be great fodder for the Brooklyn blogosphere. [Racked]

First, the Upper West Side gets a Magnolia Bakery; now a Shake Shack. Danny Meyer will open an indoor branch of his much-loved burger joint on 77th and Columbus. [NY Post]

A building collapsed on 124th and Park Avenue this afternoon. No injuries were reported, but Metro-North temporarily suspended service on all three of its commuter rail lines. [City Room]

Meet the canine bed-bug hunting team sweeping the city for the maligned insects. [NYDN]

Today, the architects behind the Domino Sugar Plant project in Williamsburg compared the proposed building to London's Tate Modern. The Landmarks Preservation Commission disagreed and sent them back to the drawing board to come up with something more visionary. [Curbed]

In honor of the season finale of Project Runway tonight, here's a guide to some of the New York City spots frequented by the contestants. [Gridskipper]

J.C. Penny buys Manhattan's only bona-fide food court (also home to its only Arby's) in Herald Square. [Midtown Lunch via Curbed]

After endorsing Mayor Bloomberg's potential presidential bid, Manhattan's most politicized food franchise Gray's Papaya is throwing its weight behind Barack Obama once again. The branch on West 72nd Street hung a banner supporting the Democratic frontrunner today, but patrons seemed more concerned with hot dogs than politics. [The Politicker]

A Brooklynite offers advice on how to pretend to be a real New Yorker on the How To Web site. [Gridskipper]

New York's annual Best Of issue weighs in on where to get everything from the best summer frock to the best building lobby. [NY Magazine]

Peter Cooper Square in Stuyvesant Town gets a new, $5.4 million gym. [TRD]

Columbus Circle is poised for a major demolition. See what's slated for the chopping block. [Jeramiah's Vanishing New York]

Horrifyingly, Manhattan's eerie maple syrup smell is back and better than ever. [NY1]

If the Gowanus Canal is landmarked, it will help one of the ugliest stretches of New York City get landmarked. (And then, of course, Gowanus will have shiny new "waterfront" condos.) [Brownstoner]

One of the hippest new music venues in New York, Market Hotel, was shut down last night--even though it's barely three weeks old. [Brooklyn Vegan]

In a real estate version of the school bus game "F/M/K" (in which you have to chose, among three things, which to sleep with or marry or kill), neighborhood obsessives are arguing over the value of Murray Hill, the Upper East Side, and Red Hook. [Curbed]

Same goes for eateries: Babbo, Balthazar, Nobu! (The Observer-approved answer is: sleep with Babbo, marry Nobu, and kill Balthazar.) [Eater]

The School of Visual Arts is buying the Chelsea West Cinema building on West 23rd Street. [Media Bistro]

A Staten Island bar scraps plans for a "dwarf bowling" competition this Saturday night after the city threatens a $10,000 fine. It is unclear whether the dwarfs were to be used as pins or balls. [NYDN]

Most people will never step inside the hallowed walls of 15 Central Park West, but New York magazine is offering the next best thing to dinner with the Goldman Sachs crew there (or Sting if you prefer) with this video tour of the glitzy building. [New York Magazine]

Living in the Plaza turns out to be not just lonely, but potentially life-threatening as well. Real estate broker Joanne Cutler was trapped in an elevator for 14 hours last night, and none of her globe-trotting neighbors were around to help. [Curbed]

Harry Macklowe may be sacrificing the title to the GM building, but he's trying to negotiate a deal that would leave him with a substantial revenue stream from the property. [TRD]

If Mayor Bloomberg's revised congestion pricing bill is not approved, taxi fares could begin at $6.50 under an alternative proposal from Albany. No one from the city would ever suggest such a thing. [City Room]