All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

Here’s how to help asylum seekers in NYC

Photo of the humanitarian emergency response and relief center for asylum seekers on Randall’s Island courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 19, 2022

Here’s how to help asylum seekers in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is currently experiencing a migrant crisis, with thousands of asylum seekers arriving in the city to take refuge from danger and lack of opportunity in their home countries. On Wednesday, the city opened its first outdoor shelter for asylum seekers on Randall's Island, seen as a temporary rest stop before they reach their next destination. In addition to shelter, newly arrived migrants are in need of basic necessities and clothing, especially winter coats and warmer apparel. Ahead, find organizations and community centers across the city accepting donations for asylum seekers.
Here's where you can donate

Policy

NYC to fight ‘plague of rats’ by pushing back trash pick-up to 8 p.m.

Photo by Ryan Vaarsi on Flickr

October 18, 2022

NYC to fight ‘plague of rats’ by pushing back trash pick-up to 8 p.m.

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City wants to adjust the time of day trash can be put out as a way to curb rat infestations and improve overall cleanliness. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced a proposal to push back the window New Yorkers can put out their trash for collection from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The city says this policy change will make the streets cleaner, ease traffic and pedestrian flow, and reduce the number of rats drawn to trash. The proposed rules are open to a public comment period through November 10, with final rules set to take effect on April 1, 2023.
Find out more

Russ & Daughters will open new location at Hudson Yards skyscraper

Rendering courtesy of Hudson Yards

October 17, 2022

Russ & Daughters will open new location at Hudson Yards skyscraper

By Aaron Ginsburg

Iconic New York City culinary institution Russ & Daughters is opening a new outpost in Hudson Yards next year. The 109-year-old mainstay of the Lower East Side will serve its famed Jewish delicacies on the ground floor of 50 Hudson Yards, a Foster + Partners-designed skyscraper that topped out last year. As the New York Post first reported, the new location, opening in the spring of 2023, will take up 4,500 square feet and offer hand-sliced fish, a glass-enclosed bagel bakery, and a caviar and champagne bar.
Find out more

Food & Dining

Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith to create floor-to-ceiling mosaics at new Grand Central Madison terminal

Yayoi Kusama, 2020 Photo by Yusuke Miyazaki © YAYOI KUSAA Courtesy Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, David Zwirner

October 17, 2022

Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith to create floor-to-ceiling mosaics at new Grand Central Madison terminal

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has tapped two contemporary artists to create permanent artwork for the long-awaited 700,000-square-foot Long Island Rail Road terminal opening at Grand Central this year. MTA Arts & Design, the agency responsible for commissioning public art in subway stations, announced artists Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith will design site-specific floor-to-ceiling mosaics for the new terminal, dubbed Grand Central Madison.
Get the details

New York to open $1.6B life science campus in Kips Bay

A conceptual rendering of the SPARC Kips Bay campus. Courtesy: New York City Economic Development
Corporation

October 14, 2022

New York to open $1.6B life science campus in Kips Bay

By Aaron Ginsburg

A $1.6 billion state-of-the-art life sciences hub will open in Kips Bay, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday. Located on East 25th Street and First Avenue, the Science Park and Research Campus will provide modern facilities for 4,500 City University of New York students, as well as an ambulatory care center, a Health + Hospitals training center, a health care and sciences high school, and a training center for forensic pathologists. SPARC Kips Bay will be funded jointly by the city and state with additional private investment, according to officials.
Find out more

New Developments

Two-way bike lane opens on Downtown Brooklyn’s chaotic Schermerhorn Street

Photo © NYC DOT

October 13, 2022

Two-way bike lane opens on Downtown Brooklyn’s chaotic Schermerhorn Street

By Aaron Ginsburg

One of Brooklyn's busiest and most dangerous streets became safer this week. The city's Department of Transportation on Wednesday unveiled the Schermerhorn Street redesign, which includes a two-way protected bike lane, one-way vehicle traffic, and new pedestrian space. The street is an essential east-west route that connects cyclists to and from the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.
Find out more

Times Square hotel will serve as temporary shelter for migrant families

Image via WikiCommons

October 13, 2022

Times Square hotel will serve as temporary shelter for migrant families

By Aaron Ginsburg

A four-star Times Square hotel will become an emergency shelter for hundreds of migrant families, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday. Located at 700 8th Avenue in Midtown West, the Row NYC Hotel will house at least 200 families, with the ability to host more in the coming weeks. The hotel, the second intake center/shelter to open for asylum seekers in the city, will offer food, medical care, casework services, and a "range of settlement options," according to a press release.
See more here

Policy

NYC wants developers to remove affordable units from lottery system to house homeless

Photo via Wikimedia

October 12, 2022

NYC wants developers to remove affordable units from lottery system to house homeless

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City wants affordable housing developers to increase the number of homeless households accepted at their buildings as the shelter system capacity hits a record high amid an influx of asylum seekers in the city. As Crain's reported, Mayor Eric Adams' administration asked a group of developers to voluntarily remove units from the city’s housing lottery and "offer them up for homeless placements," as a way to free up space at shelters for migrants. The city says roughly 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived since the spring, with the shelter population reaching more than 61,000 people as of last week.
See more here

Famed comedy club Second City to open first NYC location in Williamsburg

The Second City in Chicago; Photo via Wikimedia

October 11, 2022

Famed comedy club Second City to open first NYC location in Williamsburg

By Aaron Ginsburg

A famed Chicago comedy institution is set to open an outpost in New York City for the first time. The Second City, a 63-year comedy and improv enterprise that has kickstarted the careers of many celebrities, announced it will open in Williamsburg, Brooklyn next summer.
Get the details

Uncategorized

The Garment District’s iconic button & needle kiosk will be redesigned

Rendering courtesy of the Garment District Alliance

October 11, 2022

The Garment District’s iconic button & needle kiosk will be redesigned

By Aaron Ginsburg

The iconic button and needle sculpture and information kiosk that has sat on a Garment District corner since the 1970s is getting a makeover. Located on Seventh Avenue and 39th Street, the new permanent art installation will be 28 feet tall and include a 15-foot diameter aluminum button and a 32-foot brushed stainless steel needle, according to the Garment District Alliance. The sculpture, which will replace the now-vacant kiosk, is set to be completed in December.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

Statue of Liberty’s crown reopens for the first time in over two years

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Statue of Liberty's crown on Tuesday reopened to the public for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The crown closed in March 2020 when Covid-19 first hit New York City due to concerns about spreading the virus in the statue's enclosed spaces. Visitors should be prepared to climb the 162 steps to the top as there is no elevator service.
Find out more

New exhibition at Grand Central traces 100 years of urban planning and design in NYC

Photos courtesy of Regional Plan Association

October 7, 2022

New exhibition at Grand Central traces 100 years of urban planning and design in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

In celebration of its centennial, the civic group Regional Plan Association has opened a free public exhibition in Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall. Designed by James Sanders Studio and curated by RPA, The Constant Future: A Century of the Regional Plan explores 100 years of New York City's development from 1922 to the present day. The two-story display will be on view through October 24.
Find out more

Whimsical ‘Wonderland’-inspired art exhibit and bar opens in Midtown

Photo by Elizabeth Acevedo

October 6, 2022

Whimsical ‘Wonderland’-inspired art exhibit and bar opens in Midtown

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new interactive art experience is bringing the whimsical world of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Midtown. Created by artist Alexa Meade, the Wonderland Dreams art installation includes more than 20 playfully hand-painted rooms in Meade's signature 3D style. Meade has painted every inch of the 26,000-square-foot space, from floor to ceiling, creating a multi-dimensional work of art inspired by the Lewis Carroll novel. Taking over the old Best Buy at 529 Fifth Avenue, the limited exhibition opens on Friday, October 7 and runs through April 2023. The accompanying wine bar is expected to open later this month.
Get the details

This Lower East Side bar was ranked best in the U.S.

Double Chicken Please, image courtesy of World’s 50 Best Bars

October 6, 2022

This Lower East Side bar was ranked best in the U.S.

By Aaron Ginsburg

On this year's list of the World's 50 Best Bars, announced during a ceremony in Barcelona this week, New York City leads with six bars, more than any other city in the world, including two making the top 10. The Lower East Side's Double Chicken Please ranked sixth in the world, and the best in North America, and was given the highest new entry award. Katana Kitten, which serves Japanese-inspired drinks and fare in the West Village, came ninth.
See more here

Court dismisses lawsuit challenging NYC’s outdoor dining program

Photo courtesy of Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

October 5, 2022

Court dismisses lawsuit challenging NYC’s outdoor dining program

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's outdoor dining program is here to stay after a New York State Supreme Court unanimous decision. The state court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit that had been stalling the establishment of a permanent outdoor dining program. Roughly eight months after the City Council approved a zoning amendment in a move toward permanent outdoor dining, the city says it will now be able to finalize rules and regulations to ensure the Open Restaurants effectively serves local businesses.
Details here

Pumpkin picking and fall festivities return to Governors Island

Photo via Governors Island

October 5, 2022

Pumpkin picking and fall festivities return to Governors Island

By Aaron Ginsburg

Governors Island is welcoming back visitors for its annual Pumpkin Point fall festival. Hosted in Nolan Park, guests are invited to come and pick their pumpkins for free with a suggested donation. The event also includes a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, pumpkin painting, and more. Pumpkin Point will take place on the weekends of October 22- 23 and October 29- 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Brooklyn art installation turns old emergency call boxes into memorials for victims of police brutality

All photos courtesy of Bradley McCallum

October 4, 2022

Brooklyn art installation turns old emergency call boxes into memorials for victims of police brutality

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new public art installation in Downtown Brooklyn aims to bring attention to the fight against racism, violence, and the abuse of power within the criminal justice system. Created by artist Bradley McCallum, Witnessing transforms emergency call boxes once found on city sidewalks into memorials for victims and survivors of police brutality. McCallum's work will be on display in The Plaza at 300 Ashland through January 2023.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

October 4, 2022

NYPL and Marvel team up to release special Spider-Man library card

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York Public Library and Marvel Entertainment are releasing a limited-edition Spider-Man library card this month. Debuting just in time for New York Comic Con this week, the card will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis at NYPL branches throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island starting October 11. The collaboration marks the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man's first comic book appearance in the 15th edition of Amazing Fantasy.
Get more details

Events & Things To Do

NYC to transform vacant public spaces into rest hubs for food delivery workers

Photo by Peter Burka on Flickr

October 3, 2022

NYC to transform vacant public spaces into rest hubs for food delivery workers

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City will soon provide a place for food delivery workers to rest, charge devices, and take shelter from the elements. Mayor Eric Adams and Sen. Chuck Schumer on Monday announced a new pilot program that transforms existing and underused structures across the city, like vacant newsstands, into "Street Deliveristas Hubs." The first of its kind in the nation, the program aims to reach the city's 65,000 app-based delivery workers.
Learn more

Renderings via Dattner Architects

October 3, 2022

At former LES synagogue site, lottery opens for 86 affordable senior units, from $654/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

On the Lower East Side, a new senior housing development opened a lottery this week for 86 affordable apartments. Located at 60 Norfolk Street, the building is part of the Gotham Organization's Broome Street Development, a project that will bring mixed-income and senior housing, new cultural and religious space, and retail to the neighborhood. New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 60, and 70 percent of the area median income, or between $25,372 for a single person and $84,070 for a household of three, can apply for the apartments, which range from $654/month studios to $1,416/month one bedrooms. To qualify, applicants must be or have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

MTA partners with Katz’s Deli and Alidoro on new subway-themed sandwich

Photo courtesy of Jessie Mislavsky/MTA on Flickr

September 30, 2022

MTA partners with Katz’s Deli and Alidoro on new subway-themed sandwich

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has partnered with legendary New York City sandwich shops Katz's Deli and Alidoro to create a limited-edition sandwich in celebration of the subway's 118th anniversary. The sandwich is being sold at four Alidoro locations in Manhattan from September 29 through October 31.
Find out more

Lego-like Radio Hotel and Tower opens in Washington Heights

All photos courtesy of Ossip van Duivenbode

September 30, 2022

Lego-like Radio Hotel and Tower opens in Washington Heights

By Aaron Ginsburg

Washington Heights' first-ever full-service boutique hotel is now open. Located at 2420 Amsterdam Avenue at the foot of the Washington Bridge, the colorful Radio Hotel and Tower was designed by Dutch firm MVRDV, with Stonehill Taylor as the architect of record, to "stand out at the entrance of Manhattan." The 23-story mixed-use building contains a 221-room hotel, ground-floor retail, office space, a Santo Domingo-inspired restaurant, and a rooftop lounge with 360-degree views.
Take a look

A free festival celebrating Chinatown and its community takes place this weekend

Image courtesy of Wes Hicks on Unsplash

September 29, 2022

A free festival celebrating Chinatown and its community takes place this weekend

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new festival celebrating Chinatown is coming to Lower Manhattan. Hosted by the neighborhood advocacy group Welcome to Chinatown, the 88 East Fair aims to bring business and appreciation to Chinatown's businesses and cultural institutions that have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Held at the East Broadway Mall at 88 East Broadway, the fair will run on September 30 and October 1 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Details this way

Events & Things To Do

Take a virtual tour of Bed-Stuy’s turn-of-the-century brownstones

Photo courtesy of The Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant

September 29, 2022

Take a virtual tour of Bed-Stuy’s turn-of-the-century brownstones

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant is once again inviting architecture lovers and design buffs on a virtual tour of the neighborhood's most remarkable brownstones. Returning for its 44th year with the theme "Preserving Our Legacy, While Embracing Our Future," the house tour will be available starting on October 15, with ticket holders able to view the video until November 27. While it once was an in-person experience, the event has been held virtually since 2020 because of the pandemic.
See more here

Take a yoga class surrounded by immersive art in NYC’s Hall des Lumières

All photos by Matt Ritchie

September 29, 2022

Take a yoga class surrounded by immersive art in NYC’s Hall des Lumières

By Aaron Ginsburg

Here's a chance to participate in a unique "art-infused" yoga experience in the Hall des Lumières, a new permanent immersive art museum in Tribeca. Equinox has launched a six-week yoga series in the new cultural institution, which opened earlier this month inside the landmarked Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank. During the 45-minute vinyasa yoga flow class, participants are surrounded by the museum's inaugural exhibition featuring glowing projections of Gustav Klimt's famous artworks. Classes, some of which are open to non-Equinox members, take place on Thursday mornings through October 27 and cost $50.
Learn more here

Events & Things To Do

All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

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