All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

‘2022’ numerals arrive in Times Square after cross-country trip

Image courtesy of Times Square Alliance

December 22, 2021

‘2022’ numerals arrive in Times Square after cross-country trip

The New Year has arrived in New York. The iconic seven-foot-tall numerals that sit beneath the New Year's Eve crystal ball arrived in Times Square on Monday. The numbers are available for viewing at Times Square Plaza between 46th and 47th Street until noon on December 23 until they take their place on top of One Times Square.
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Events & Things To Do

Apply for 59 middle-income apartments in South Williamsburg, from $1,382/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

December 22, 2021

Apply for 59 middle-income apartments in South Williamsburg, from $1,382/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery opened this week for 59 luxury apartments at a new development situated near the border of South Williamsburg and Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn. Developed by Riverside Developers, the eight-floor residential building, dubbed the Rose Castle Project, is located at 33 Little Nassau Street, between Kent and Franklin Avenues. New Yorkers earning 70, 90, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $1,382/month one-bedrooms to $2,520/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

NYC is offering $100 to New Yorkers who receive Covid booster by end of year

Image courtesy of Don Pollard/Office of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo

December 21, 2021

NYC is offering $100 to New Yorkers who receive Covid booster by end of year

By Aaron Ginsburg

To combat the rapid upsurge of Covid cases in New York City due to the Omicron variant, the city is offering New Yorkers an incentive to get their booster shot. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday city-run vaccination sites, as well as city-partnered SOMOS clinics, will be giving $100 to every New Yorker getting their booster starting today through December 31.
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Policy

These are the library books New Yorkers checked out the most in 2021

Images courtesy of NYPL

December 21, 2021

These are the library books New Yorkers checked out the most in 2021

By Aaron Ginsburg

In another year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, New Yorkers looked to the public library system for solace. New York City’s public libraries on Tuesday released their annual list of the most checked-out books of 2021. At the New York Public Library, which includes branches in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the most borrowed book for the second year in a row was Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. In Brooklyn, Bennett’s novel also took the top spot. In Queens, the most borrowed book was The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.
Full list ahead

City Living

Ride NYC’s oldest operating subway cars one last time before the MTA retires them

Photo of an R32 subway car by Mtattrain on Wikimedia

December 20, 2021

Ride NYC’s oldest operating subway cars one last time before the MTA retires them

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to retire the R-32, one of the oldest operating subway cars in the world, in early 2022. The R-32 has carried New Yorkers to their destinations for 58 years but has fallen out of use due to the modernization of the subway system. To honor their incredible legacy, an R-32 train will run on each consecutive Sunday in December before being officially retired in early January.
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New $18.3M sustainable playground opens at the Battery

Image courtesy of Diane Bondareff/AP Images for The Battery Conservancy

December 20, 2021

New $18.3M sustainable playground opens at the Battery

By Aaron Ginsburg

One of New York City's largest sustainable parks officially opened last week. Following a 25-year initiative, the Battery Conservancy on Thursday opened the Battery Playscape, a 1.5-acre playground that triples the size of the former park and aims to reinforce sustainable practices in its users through its eco-friendly design and features.
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Prospect Park’s Vale to undergo $40M restoration

Rendering of the Sensory Garden and Rustic Arbor. Image courtesy of Prospect Park Alliance

December 17, 2021

Prospect Park’s Vale to undergo $40M restoration

By Aaron Ginsburg

On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the allocation of $40 million to restore Prospect Park’s Vale. This funding is the largest in the history of Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that manages the park. The Vale, also known as the “Vale of Cashmere,” is a 26-acre portion of the park's northeast corner known for its breathtaking foliage.
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Architecture And Design

NYC’s first net-zero community moves forward in Far Rockaway

Image courtesy of Local Office Landscape/Bernheimer Architecture

December 17, 2021

NYC’s first net-zero community moves forward in Far Rockaway

By Aaron Ginsburg

After more than 40 years of planning, the construction of New York City's first net-zero community is moving forward. L+M Development Partners, the Bluestone Organization, and Triangle Equities have agreed on $30.3 million in financing, signaling the beginning of phase one of Arverne East, a sustainability-focused, mixed-use development project in Far Rockaway. The project will bring 1,650 new units of housing, with 80 percent of them affordable, to a 116-acre oceanfront site that has been vacant for more than four decades.
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Ring in the New Year hanging 1,271 feet above NYC

Image courtesy of Edge

December 16, 2021

Ring in the New Year hanging 1,271 feet above NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thrill-seekers will have the opportunity to ring in the New Year while hanging over the edge of the highest open-air building climb in the world. On Tuesday, City Climb introduced the exclusive event with spots open for eight people. City Climb, located on top of 30 Hudson Yards, offers participants breathtaking views of New York City as they scale a set of open-edged stairways and platforms on the outside of the building. Those who are daring enough and want to welcome the new year on a ‘high’ note can join the digital queue here, which begins at noon on December 22.
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City Living

119 affordable apartments available in the South Bronx, from $362/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

December 15, 2021

119 affordable apartments available in the South Bronx, from $362/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 119 newly constructed apartments in the South Bronx. Located at 980 Westchester Avenue in Foxhurst, the seven-story mixed-use building is being developed by Atlantic Building Ventures and designed by GF55 Partners. New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 60, and 70 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from $362/month studios to $1,760/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Monument honoring investigative journalist Nellie Bly opens on Roosevelt Island

By Aaron Ginsburg

A monument honoring trailblazing investigative journalist Nellie Bly opened to the public on Friday. The structure was designed by Amanda Matthews of Prometheus Art to bring attention to women who have overcome adversity. Located at the tip of Lighthouse Park on Roosevelt Island, the monument is named after Bly’s first published work, "The Girl Puzzle."
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Events & Things To Do

All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

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