The city's sizzling growth industry these days is hot-dog carts - in and around Central Park.

The space for the hot-dog cart on the south side of the Met will go for $288,200 this year, double last year's rate, and $316,200 in 1997.

Especially atop what is essentially a hot-dog cart.

He could probably rig up a system to make pulao out of a hot-dog cart, were someone to ask.

He asked Mr. Rossi to build him a hot-dog cart.

"I saw one today who lives by a hot-dog cart," he said.

THE hot-dog cart started in 2001 as part of an art installation in the park and accompanied another art show last summer.

You can't call your hot-dog cart a job.

One day, in the mood for a knish, I approached a hot-dog cart and placed my order.

I let it slide, until one day when I was in Midtown, surrounded by an armada of hot-dog carts.