Turns out it's not just us. amNew York reports today on a study showing that New York has risen to be the 11th worst city in the country for allergy suffers, up from 88th last year. Worse, because of what some allergy guru is describing as a mild winter (are we the only ones who remember a blizzard or two?), allergy season has started earlier than ever this year. The good news — in so many ways — is that you don't live in Hartford, apparently the worst allergy city in the country. And also this, a helpful tip from Gawker: Claritin continues to work wonders, and Duane Reade- or Rite Aid- or CVS-brand Loratadine works every bit as well for a fraction of the money. Which reminds us we really need to go take one, so our hands stop itching.

As the air gets warm, celebrities come out of their six-figure cocoons and into the sunlight, where they are at risk to being seen by people on the street. It's horrifying, yes, and yet we persist. Sightings are sent in by readers and fact-checked by no one; send yours to tips@gawker.com.

• Pissed-off poets take over Galapagos to bitch and whine for the New York Progressive Reading Series. Nothing says political action like a springtime sonnet. [flavorpill]
• The hills are alive, and so are the Von Trapp Family Singers. The fourth generation of The Sound of Music offspring perform a variety of songs, including Do-Re-Mi, tonight. Don't pretend like you're not excited. [Paper]
• The earnest kids over at Gothamist make another bid for your love with their seventh Movable Hype show, featuring Stars of Track & Field, Land of Talk, and Cloud Cult. Gothamist thinks these bands are good and that music is good, too. [Gothamist]

We've long held a theory that New Yorkers, while superficially gruff, are actually some of the nicest people in the world. (Californians are forever asking how you're doing — no, really, how are you? — without ever actually caring; New Yorkers don't bother with that bullshit but do pay attention to what you say and will, at the drop of a confused look, eagerly give you directions anywhere.) So we were actually somewhat pleased to see a story on the frontpage of yesterday's Times with the hed, "New York Leads Politeness Trend? Get Outta Here!" We thought it was going to provide empirical proof of our we're-actually-nice theory, but it turned out we were mistaken. The point of the article wasn't so much that New Yorkers actually are nice; the point is that the city is attempting to regulate New Yorkers into niceness, with everything from a ban at spitter on ballplayers (why bother going out to the stadium, then?) to a $50 fine for putting your feet on a subway seat. And to these measures we can only say: Fuck that shit, you fucking assholes.

• The publication and paychecks have moved on to a better place, Cargo's moderately crappy swag lives on. [601am]
• Nick Sylvester offers the world's most incoherent explanation of what happened with that little mess he made at the Voice. It makes more sense if you get stoned before you read it. [Riff Central]
• Highly entertaining Jane editor-at-large Jeff Johnson steps down, presumably because of creative wanderlust. [Fitted Sweats]
• Alas, poor Krucoff travels all the way to the Javitz Center only to learn that the auto show lacks the sufficient skin-baring car sluts one would hope for. [Young Manhattanite]
• A new affliction: "Afflufemza," the condition of uncontrollable vomiting in regards to phrases like "motherhood is hot right now." [Powell's]
• It took just 10 minutes for every gay man in Manhattan to go broke buying Madonna tickets. [NYDN]

Sightings are sent in by readers and then posted to our Gawker Stalker Map, where they're available for every sad starfucker who'd die just to be a little closer to the stars. Send your brushes with fame to tips@gawker.com.

Just in case you care — and God knows we certainly don't — that cat is still stuck in that wall, and what seems like every New York City press organization has a representative camped out on Hudson Street waiting for its triumphant reappearance. (Waiting for it to be risen?) As of a few minutes ago, it hadn't.

Friday:
• Good Friday is for suckas. Collective:Unconscious presents Pinchbottom's Sub:Conscious, a new monthly burlesque show (as there weren't enough monthly burlesque shows crowding Manhattan). This week's theme, just in time for the holidays: blasphemy. [Pinchbottom]
• New monthly thing, continued: Injection is a series of benefit concerts, kicking off tonight at the Brooklyn Lyceum, with proceeds going to a relief organization in New Orleans. Put your money to good use. Just this once. [Injection]
Saturday:
• Find the irony: Measles Mumps Rubella are "chic-punk" band with a "groove-happy disposition." Golly, we bet they're contagious. [flavorpill]
• It's the biggest thing to happen to Post-Its since Sex and the City: Monkey Town hosts a Post-It Note Reading, featuring This American Life's David Rakoff and Starlee Kine. Cross your fingers for some neon colors. [flavorpill]
Sunday:
• Keep Kosher at Meshuganeh Comedy, an evening of Jewish comics. We're not sure how it's different from any other comedy show in Manhattan, but you work with what you have. [Upcoming]

We're told this "liberated" billboard was spotted near the Jersey entrance to the Holland Tunnel. We're also told Anderson Cooper will be signing copies of his new book, Dispatches From the Edge, at the Union Square Barnes & Noble on June 6. We cannot imagine this is a coincidence.

Hey, it's been almost 24 hours since we last threatened the safety of celebrities — time to put our noses back to the stalky grindstone. Sightings are sent in by readers and posted to our Gawker Stalker Maps. Send yours to tips@gawker.com.

• The choreography of Still Smoking "reflects both the theatrical grandeur and the raw everyday rituals of city life." Because there's a lot of grandeur in huddling on a freezing street corner with a bunch of grimy strangers. [flavorpill]
• Taste the terror: Biodynamic Wine Tasting features organic wines that come from self-sustaining vineyards. Try and get past all the intimidating words — we're talking free booze here, people. [Upcoming]
• Gang Gang Dance plays at NYU. Yes, that does sound a lot like Gang Bang Dance, and so it's encouraged. [Paper]

There are many reasons for homelessness. Many are sad, some tragic, and a few eminently understandable. A there-but-for-the-grace-of- God woman appeared in night court last night; unable to afford her apartment after she lost her job, she'd been arrested and charged with trespassing for sleeping on a Gramercy Park roof.

The Sun notes something today that's been troubling us lately, too:

Sightings are sent in by readers and posted throughout the day to our Gawker Stalker Map. Send your in your celebrity-hunting adventures to tips@gawker.com.

Bonnie Fuller — she's just like us! She has a kid!

• Cristina Henriquez of New Yorker fame reads from her short-story collection Come Together, Fall Apart tonight at the Chelsea Barnes & Noble. If you go, try not to think of the title as a directive. [Cristina Henriquez]
• A variety show, a dating contest, and a hot dog eating contest, all wrapped into one: Love Ahoy! takes over Galapagos Art Space. Nautical stuff is so in right now. [Love Ahoy]
• Wilderness and the Big Sleep play at Northsix tonight. Or you could rent the movie and spare yourself the inevitable Pabst hangover. [flavorpill]

Can you feel the electricity in the air? Oh, hell yes: This morning marked the start of the New York International Auto Show, where people with driver's licenses descend upon the Javits Center to marvel in the excitement of the automotive industry. Seriously, we didn't sleep a wink last night, thrilled with the prospect of ogling all the brand new monstrosities — so many options for idling on the L.I.E. this summer!

This arrived in our inbox a bit ago:

A flummoxed reader emails:

• AMI editorial director Bonnie Fuller appears — in the flesh — to read from her new book. If you're lucky, maybe she'll autograph your favorite Photoshopped Star cover. [Paper]
• Psapp delights at the Mercury Lounge tonight, which may mean nothing until we tell you that they "sing" the theme song for Grey's Anatomy. Now you're excited. We can tell. [flavorpill]
• On the other end of the reading spectrum, celebrity-gossip-writer-turned-good Shari Goldhagen gives a reading of her new book Family and Other Accidents tonight at the Corner Bookstore. Disclaimer: She's engaged to Deadspin editor Will Leitch, so be sure to hit her with lots of obscure sports trivia. We bet she'll love that.