​And now for an item about rats' imminent takeover of New York.

Undeterred by the wild coyotes roaming parts of Harlem and Central Park, rats have moved beyond their old hangouts -- the city's subways, playgrounds and car parties -- and have become very comfortable in Upper Manhattan, which now boasts the highest infestation rate in the borough.

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​Forget lack of cheap or available parking, the Daily News today has another reason not to keep a car in the city: rats. Yes, according to an opinion piece by ABC News writer and producer Joel Siegel, the city's furry/gross friends . Siegel tells the tale of the multiple rat "parties" -- his mechanic's words -- that took place in the hood of his Volvo. We're just imagining all the city's rats getting together and saying, "look we've gotten recognition for our domination of the subways and parks, how can can we promote our work in other fields?"

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Yesterday, Runnin' Scared wrote about an audit that details not so child-safe conditions at some City playgrounds -- including rats.

This vid, sent to Runnin' Scared by a staffer at the Comptroller's Office (which conducted the audit), demonstrates what appears to be an infestation at Tompkins Square Park -- note the active ratholes located just steps away from where children play.

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​Here's some bad news for 'Rat Czar' Joseph Lhota -- besides being known as the 'Rat Czar,' that is.

Lhota, the newish MTA chairman -- has a BIG rat problem.

Straphanger advocates and the MTA workers union have recently come down hard on Lhota for not doing more to eradicate rodents from subway platforms, 20 percent of which are said to be infested by man's worst enemy. Gross.

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via Rat Free Subways

​Let's face it -- as New Yorkers, we have certainly seen our fair share of ugly rats. They're in the parks, in the subway, and if you're particularly unlucky, in your apartment building.

But this rat -- this rat is the ugliest, at least according to the Transit Workers Union, which ran a photo contest to find the ugliest rat in the city. This particular rat, found at the Seventh Avenue station, won the race with a score of 4.8 out of 5 (somewhere between "ugly" and "beastly").

TWU started the contest as a way to bring more attention to the rat problem in city subway stations. As stated on the Rat Free Subways website (be warned -- probably not for the rodent-averse):

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​We know from experience that two things make for strange and uncomfortable subway videos: food and rats. Now, in order to get rid of the latter, a New York State Senate bill aims at getting rid of the former. The New York Post reports that the proposed bill would institute a $250 fine for anyone caught snacking, and that money would go to a fund to help curb litter.

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​Here's some good news for the giant rats galavanting through our fair city (and bad news for the rest of us who want to avoid disease): Stats show that a decent amount New Yorkers are complete dirtbags who really like to dump their trash in public.

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​Did you enjoy looking at that picture of the giant rat in the Bronx Foot Locker? Yes? First, ew, and second, we've got the perfect quest for you. As part of their "New Yorkers Deserve A Rat-Free Subway" campaign, the city's Transport Workers Union has started a "Rate My Rat" contest.

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​Have you witnessed the latest giant dead rat of New York City, as photographed in what appears to be a Foot Locker stock room in the Bronx? It is a beaut! Actually, it is horrifying. The picture was tweeted by @TheGoodfella, who writes, "SON THEY FOUND MASTER SPLINTER AT A FOOTLOCKER IN THE BX...THIS SHIT WILD."

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The view from Rat Island.

​Rat Island is a 2.5-acre rock sticking out of the water off of City Island in the Bronx. Attractions: the crumbling ruins of a hospital used for yellow-fever patients in the 1800s, a Great Blue Heron who will be your only neighbor, a rich history of housing prisoners on the lam (apparently). And it can all be yours next month when the little island is up for auction on October 2nd.

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