Midtown

February 26, 2025

A first look inside the full-floor boutique offices at 520 Fifth Avenue

New renderings offer a sneak peek at the 25 full floors of boutique office space at 520 Fifth Avenue, the tallest mixed-use tower on the iconic street. Situated on floors nine through 34 below the condo units, the offices, designed by AD100 designer Vicky Charles of Charles & Co., feature terraces and loggias, soaring ceiling heights, and 10-by-10-foot operable windows. Above the offices are 100 luxury condos, which launched sales last April.
Get a glimpse inside
February 13, 2025

NYC’s only revolving restaurant reopens in Times Square

New York City's only revolving restaurant is spinning again. The View, on the 47th and 48th floors of the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, reopened this week following a revamp by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) and David Rockwell's Rockwell Group. Formerly host to an all-you-can-eat buffet, the two-story restaurant has been reimagined as an upscale dining destination inspired by "American supper clubs and chop houses of earlier eras."
see it here
February 13, 2025

Frank Lloyd Wright’s palatial former Plaza suite asks $18.9M

Once known as the Frank Lloyd Wright Suite–the architect lived in the corner apartment at the Plaza Hotel while he was working on the Guggenheim Museum from 1954 to 1959–this impressive condominium residence at 1 Central Park South occupies the rare level of Manhattan homes that just may justify its towering price tag. Asking $18,900,000, the 4,000-square-foot home adds up to a living space as dazzling as the park and city views it offers. Featured in Architectural Digest in 2014 as a media power pair's pied-a-terre, this extraordinary apartment offers the five-star hotel amenities of the iconic Plaza along with those views.
the tour starts here
February 11, 2025

Macy’s Herald Square debuts pop-up spring market

Macy's Herald Square has unveiled a new seasonal pop-up celebrating love and the arrival of spring. Open just in time for Valentine's Day, the Shops at the Square offer customers a curated assortment of unique gifts, tasty treats, and other items. Find the shops on the mezzanine level of Macy's Herald Square through April 6.
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February 6, 2025

Fifth Ave’s highest condo fetches $11.5M

The highest condo on Fifth Avenue has found a buyer. As first spotted by CityRealty, Penthouse 80 at 520 Fifth Avenue sits 880 feet in the air, surrounded by iconic views in every direction. The trophy residence first hit the market two months ago for $11,500,000; the deal will likely close by the end of the year when the building wraps up construction.
get the details
February 3, 2025

Planet Hollywood returns to NYC with 360-degree video screens instead of movie memorabilia

Planet Hollywood, the iconic movie-themed restaurant chain that launched in the 1990s and closed during the pandemic, reopened in Times Square following a $20 million transformation. The new iteration of the restaurant won't be a total 90s throwback, with the walls and ceilings covered in high-definition screens that will transport diners to "thematic worlds" to make "every meal an epic journey." The reopening marks a fresh chapter for Planet Hollywood and the restaurant will replace its signature movie memorabilia-filled interior with over 692 video tiles showing interactive videos.
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January 28, 2025

Bryant Park Grill closing this spring, will be replaced by a Jean-Georges restaurant

After 30 years in business, the Bryant Park Grill is set to close and be replaced by a new Jean-Georges Vongerichten venture. As first reported by Crain's New York, the iconic 1,000-seat restaurant, which sits behind the New York Public Library and generates nearly $30 million in sales annually, will not have its lease renewed by the Bryant Park Corporation when it expires in May. Bryant Park officials said the restaurant had become "tired" and that it was time for a fresh start with a new operator.
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January 22, 2025

Midtown South rezoning plan to build 10,000 new homes begins public review

The plan to transform Midtown South into dynamic mixed-use neighborhoods with thousands of new homes is moving forward. Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of City Planning (DCP) on Tuesday announced the start of the public review process for the Midtown South Mixed-Use (MSMX) plan, a proposal to rezone 42 blocks of the neighborhood to allow for roughly 9,700 new homes in areas where housing was largely prohibited under old zoning rules. The rezoning is part of the mayor's "Manhattan Plan" introduced in his State of the City address last week to add 100,000 new homes to the borough over the next decade.
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January 2, 2025

Plans filed to transform Times Square office building into 942 apartments

A coalition of prominent New York City real estate figures has filed plans to transform a 39-story office building in Times Square into more than 900 new homes. As reported by The Real Deal, Apollo Global Management, in partnership with RXR and SL Green, aims to convert 5 Times Square into a mixed-use building with 942 apartments. This office-to-residential conversion would be one of the largest in the city to date, and the first in the heart of Times Square.
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December 31, 2024

What to know about the 2025 Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop

The world's most iconic New Year’s Eve celebration returns to New York City on Tuesday. Those eager to ring in 2025 will compete for a spot at the crossroads of the world to watch the 11,875-pound crystal ball descend from One Times Square. Ahead, here's everything you need to know about the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, from the star-studded cast of hosts and live performers to the best spots to see the confetti rain down.
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November 26, 2024

Macy’s Herald Square reveals 2024 holiday windows

Macy's Herald Square unveiled its iconic holiday window displays last week, continuing a cherished tradition that has enchanted New Yorkers for generations. Macy's was the first department store to feature Christmas window displays in 1874, and this year's delightful creations will capture onlookers and invite them indoors to explore the store's cheerful celebrations.
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November 22, 2024

Fifth Ave celebrates 200th anniversary with car-free birthday bash

One of the world's most famous streets turns 200 this year. In 1824, the first section of Fifth Avenue opened, marking the start of its transformation from a country road to an iconic thoroughfare known for its upscale retail and residences and cultural clout. In celebration of this milestone, the Fifth Avenue Association and the City of New York announced plans to throw the Avenue a 200th birthday party on December 8, kicking off a year-long series of anniversary programming.
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November 12, 2024

Saks Fifth Avenue cancels holiday light show

For the first time in nearly two decades, Saks Fifth Avenue's holiday light show—a beloved New York City tradition—will go dark this year. As first reported by the New York Post, the festive experience, which attracts hordes of holiday shoppers and tourists to Midtown, has been canceled this year to save money during what has been a "challenging year" for luxury stores, according to the company.
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November 8, 2024

Everything you need to know about the 2024 Veterans Day Parade in NYC

This year's Veterans Day returns to New York City on Monday, November 11. As the country's largest Veterans Day commemoration, the event features 20,000 marchers and over 150 vehicles traveling down Fifth Avenue in tribute to our armed forces. The 105th annual parade starts at 12:30 p.m. at 26th Street and Fifth Avenue and heads north until ending at 47th Street. The United States Marine Corps is this year's featured service.
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November 1, 2024

Updated Midtown South rezoning plan could create nearly 10,000 new homes

New zoning tools will allow the city to build bigger apartment buildings in Midtown Manhattan, doubling the new housing units permitted under a proposed rezoning. The Department of City Planning on Thursday released an updated draft of the Midtown South rezoning plan to incorporate floor area ratio (FAR) caps of 15 to 18, enabled by the state's recent repeal of the 12 FAR cap. This change allows larger developments and roughly 9,700 new homes, up from a previous estimate of 4,000, in a 42-block area of Midtown where housing development has been largely prohibited.
get the details
October 28, 2024

This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree comes from Massachusetts

This year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been unveiled. The 74-foot-tall Norway Spruce hails from West Stockbridge in Massachusetts—the first tree sourced from the state since 1959—and will be cut down on Thursday, November 7, and make its journey to Manhattan. The spruce arrives at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, November 9. Following the tree's decoration with thousands of twinkling lights and its iconic Swarovski star, the annual tree lighting ceremony takes place on Wednesday, December 4.
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October 28, 2024

Fifth Avenue’s tallest condo tower, 520 Fifth Avenue, tops out at 1,002 feet

The tallest residential tower on Fifth Avenue has officially topped out. Developed by Rabina and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 88-story mixed-use tower at 520 Fifth Avenue has topped out at 1,002 feet, making it the second tallest structure on the iconic corridor after the Empire State Building. Slated for completion in 2025, the elegant skyscraper will feature boutique office floors on the lower levels, with luxury condos beginning on the 42nd floor.
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October 17, 2024

See the plan to transform Fifth Avenue into premier, pedestrian-friendly corridor

Here's a peek at what a pedestrian-friendly Fifth Avenue could look like. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday revealed a proposed redesign of the iconic thoroughfare between Bryant Park and Central Park into a pedestrian-focused corridor by cutting the number of traffic lanes from five to three, nearly doubling the width of sidewalks, shortening crosswalks, and planting more than 200 trees. The $350 million project, the first major alteration to Fifth Avenue in its 200-year history, aims to turn the boulevard into a grand shopping street, akin to the Champs-Élysées in Paris and Ginza in Tokyo.
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October 15, 2024

Macy’s to host new holiday market at Herald Square flagship

Macy's will debut its first-ever holiday market at its iconic Herald Square flagship this season. In partnership with Urbanspace, which runs the popular open-air holiday markets in Bryant Park, Union Square, and Columbus Circle, Macy's Holiday Square will open on November 1 inside the store on 34th Street and feature local and holiday vendors. Following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a new market dubbed the Herald Holiday Market will open on the plazas outside the store starting December 6.
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October 11, 2024

Chrysler Building ownership is in limbo

The owners of the Chrysler Building are fighting to hold onto the iconic Art-Deco skyscraper after falling behind on more than $21 million in rent. RFR, led by Aby Rosen, on Monday, made a legal filing accusing landlord Cooper Union, which owns the land under the Chrysler, of driving away tenants with its response to a campus protest last October, which influenced several tenants to cancel or terminate their leases, as reported by Crain's New York. But data from CoStar shows that the tower's occupancy rose to 85.7 percent as of September 30, up from 82.8 percent in 2023.
get the scoop
October 11, 2024

New York City’s only revolving restaurant to reopen under Danny Meyer

Restaurateur Danny Meyer is reviving New York City's only revolving restaurant. Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) and the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel announced plans to renovate and reopen The View, an aptly named bar and restaurant on floors 47 and 48 that opened in Times Square in 1985. The new menu will feature American classics with a "theatrical twist."
details this way
October 10, 2024

Bryant Park’s Winter Village opens this month

It's time to get into the holiday spirit in New York. The annual Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is returning for its 23rd season later this month. Starting on October 25, the festive event features New York City's only free-admission ice skating, the park's iconic open-air holiday market featuring more than 180 small businesses, a rinkside food hall and bar, heated private igloos, and more. The Winter Village is open through March 2, 2025.
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October 2, 2024

Skylift opens at Rockefeller Center: Top of the Rock ride offers new panoramic perspective

Rockefeller Center opened its new rooftop ride this week, adding another attraction to the Top of the Rock observation deck. From the 70th floor of 30 Rock, Skylift brings visitors up an additional three stories on a revolving open-air platform for a front-row view of the New York City skyline. Floating above the rooftop, the glass platform offers a unique 360-degree perspective of the city at 900 feet above street level.
take it for a spin
September 25, 2024

30 Rock’s new ‘Skylift’ platform takes visitors 900 feet above NYC

The view from one of New York City's most iconic observation decks is about to get even better. Opening on October 1, Skylift at the Top of the Rock takes visitors above the 70th floor at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on an open-air platform that offers unobstructed, 360-degree city views. The new experience starts at $35 as an optional add-on to general admission to the Top of the Rock.
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September 20, 2024

Rainforest Cafe to host pop-up at the Empire State Building

It's for real this time: Rainforest Cafe is coming to the Empire State Building. The beloved jungle-themed restaurant is hosting a pop-up at the skyscraper's 86th-floor observatory from October 3 through 6, offering exclusive Rainforest Cafe and Empire State Building merchandise, along with special food items for fans of the iconic eatery.
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September 13, 2024

Pedestrian plaza, two-way bike lane now on Broadway near Union Square

Broadway is gradually becoming a safer, more welcoming space for pedestrians and cyclists. Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Thursday announced the completion of the latest phase of "Broadway Vision," bringing a new pedestrian plaza, two-way bike connections, and other safety upgrades between East 17th and East 21st Streets. The Union Square Partnership and the Flatiron NoMad Partnership will maintain the new spaces.
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September 11, 2024

Food hall opening at Amazon’s Fifth Avenue office

New York City is getting another food hall. Earlier this year, Texas-based operator Food Hall Co. announced plans to open Shaver Hall, a 35,000-square-foot culinary experience on the ground floor of the historic Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Avenue. After serving as the department store's flagship for over a century, the landmark was bought by Amazon and converted into office space, which opened last year.
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