Today was Lloyd Grove’s last column with the New York Daily News, despite his surprising declaration (see Gawker link) to Big Head Rob just last month that he had “no plans” other than to continue writing his column at the newspaper. (Tongues had been wagging for months that his pricey contract — reportedly 300K per year — had not been renewed.)

Grove said that it was a tough learning curve to go from being the Reliable Source at the Washington Post to one of several piranha-like gossips in NYC just over three years ago. “New York is not Washington, obviously,” he told the Times today. “There are about 20 different major industries that are headquartered here, and I am still on a New York learning curve. It takes time, learning about them, writing about them, so I am still on a learning curve, but it is not as steep as it once was.”

The Times also notes that many New Yorkers speculated that Grove wouldn’t last as long as he did. “Before he started, one Page Six reporter said, ‘We will not rest until we send you back to Washington on a stretcher,’” according to the paper. “That was from Jared Paul Stern, who was carried off the field first after being accused of trying to blackmail Ronald W. Burkle. Mr. Grove at least outlasted him.”

In his column today, Grove insisted he’s not ready to reveal his next step, but few are speculating that it will be in DC’s direction.