All fixed now. (Instagram)

A new boom has successfully been hoisted onto the crane at One57, nearly seven months after the previous crane snapped during Hurricane Sandy and dangled ominously over West 57th Street for several days.

The maneuver's completion—which involved swinging the boom over three buildings before hauling it up the side of the uber-luxury tower—was announced by Extell at just after 3 p.m. this afternoon. Residents of the two co-ops under the boom will now be allowed to return home after being forced to evacuate from their homes last night. It also means that construction will be able to move forward on the condo tower.

The decision to use the swinging maneuver, requiring a second set of evacuations for the residents of Alwyn Court and the Briarcliff (the first was, of course, occasioned by the dangling crane) and possibly endangering the landmarked buildings, was a controversial one. Generally, cranes rise alongside the under-construction buildings and do not involve any swinging of equipment over other buildings.

The co-op board of Alwyn Court, which only learned of the emergency evacuation a short time before it went into effect, even sued for an injunction to stop it. However, on the day before the boom hoisting, Extell and Alwyn reached an agreement, the details of which have not been disclosed. Michael Gross, the author of 740 Park a resident of Alwyn Court, told The Observer last night that it was his understanding the agreement would involve more insurance coverage and greater compensation for displaced residents, which they would not have to submit receipts to receive.

In a statement, Extell thanked a number of agencies, slipping in, at the bottom, a shout out to One57's neighbors.

"The replacement of the boom at One57 has successfully concluded to allow for the safe completion of the building. We would like to wholeheartedly thank the all the city agencies involved in this complex operation, including Department of Buildings, Office of Emergency Management, and the Police and Fire Departments as well as Con Edison and our construction firm, Lend Lease. This team helped ensure that this implementation went as safely and swiftly as possible. We would also like to thank our neighbors for their understanding during this time. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience."

When trendy, chic restaurants can no longer afford to stay in Soho, who can?

The say that New York is not the city it once was is a statement so obvious and oft-repeated that it is all but meaningless. And yet, even for the blasé, who view negative neighborhood change as a losing battle, there are occasionally startling changes, changes that suggest the city has reached an altogether different stage in its gentrification and development.

Like the impending closure of a hip Soho hot spot that has consistently studded its small, intimate tables with celebrities over its 20-year run. And, less than a mile away in the West Village, the opening of a juice bar.

Boom, at 152 Spring Street, is going out of business after Hurricane Sandy flooded the basement kitchen, causing some $100,000 worth of damage. But the real reason is that Soho has turned a corner when it comes to gentrification. The trendy eatery, once a symbol of how much Soho had changed from the gritty, industrial district it once was, cannot afford to rebuild and pay the $150,000-a-month rent.

“The rents are just ridiculous. It has become really hard for smaller restaurants and shops to survive when big luxury brands want flagships in Soho, the Chanels and Louis Vuittons of the world, even though there are never people in those stores,” former Boom partner Rocco Ancarola told the Post. “It’s just too costly to fix things up from the hurricane and fight the high rents.”

It's enough to make a person nostalgic for the earlier waves of gentrification that washed over the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, in the West Village, Elixir Juice Bar is opening its only storefront at 434 Avenue of the Americas between West Ninth and West 10th Streets, Crain's reports. Specializing in juice cleanses, Elixir has outposts in 10 Equinox gyms around the city, but this was apparently not enough to sate New Yorkers' cravings for juice and/or the dubious health benefits of juice cleanses. It will replace a lo-cal dessert shop. We're not sure if that's an improvement or not, but not all hope is lost: an Elixir at 532 Hudson Street closed down earlier, despite offering occasional specials like $5 smoothies. Maybe not all hope is lost?

kvelsey@observer.com

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There is an amazing website dedicated to this venture, WUPHF.com, featuring a beta trial and some terrific investor presentations, like the snappy graph to the right.

As Barry Ritholtz at The Big Picture is fond of saying, two classic indicators of a bubble are:

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Skip to 10:35 for the WUPHF.com presentation!