May 25, 1997

George Vecsey's Sports of The Times column offers some reasons New York Rangers appear to be facing elimination in Eastern Conference Stanley Cup finals series against Philadelphia Flyers; photo (L)

Edward Lewine article on changing nature of 'downtown' New York; real-estate boom that has priced many bohemians out of neighborhoods they once popularized, prospect of rent deregulation, and City Hall crackdown on illegal activities in nightclubs have left many New Yorkers wondering if downtown will ever be same; Conde Nast Magazines editorial dir James Truman says 'downtown is dead as a subject'; for all the worry about changing nature of downtown, just where downtown is and what it stands for remain slippery concepts; some prominent New Yorkers comment; photos (M)

Locust Valley Cemetery on Long Island, which was designed by Olmsted brothers, who also planned Central Park, looks more like arboretum than burial site; this is what makes it so appealing to Japanese-Americans, who responded in great numbers when cemetery board launched marketing campaign to bring their multireligion, nondenominational resting place to public's attention; cemetery now has one-acre Japanese section sufficient for 1,000 burials; photos (M)

NEW YORKERS & CO. 4 Selling to girls, an emerging audience, a team of CD-ROM designers make whimsy, not war.

New York City police officials say that two 15-year-olds accused of killing man whose body was found slashed and disemboweled in lake in Central Park had tried to cut off his hands and burn contets of his wallet in apparent attempt to conceal his identity; victim is identified as Michael McMorrow; suspects are identified as Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez; photo (M)