Something appears to be happening at Gin Lane, the West Village bar and "restaurant" that shuttered several months ago, without so much as a window sign or explanation on their now-defunct website. Back then, no one but the bloggers seemed to notice, and even they didn't really care. Now, since our fancy offices are in Chelsea, I pass by Gin Lane on a daily basis, and in recent weeks, I noticed that the front door (not to be confused with the interior door that leads into the bar) has been wide open. I didn't bother to report this, but then this morning I caught a glimpse of a new construction permit hanging in the window, and snapped the above photo. At the time, I was in a moving vehicle and thus unable to inspect the sign--further intel is on the way, pending a walk-by later this evening. But perhaps we can expect to see Gin Lane: Version 2.0 in the not-too-distant future, or (much) better yet, something altogether new. Stay tuned ...