All articles by Devin Gannon

March 10, 2021

Indoor dining capacity in NYC can increase to 50% on March 19

Restaurants in New York City will soon be able to serve more customers inside. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced capacity can increase from the current 35 percent to 50 percent starting March 19. The announcement comes about a month after indoor dining returned in the city following a two-month closure starting in December.
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Here’s how to celebrate Women’s History Month 2021 in NYC

Photo of Augusta Braxton Baker courtesy of NYPL Digital Collections

March 10, 2021

Here’s how to celebrate Women’s History Month 2021 in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Every March the nation celebrates the contributions and achievements of women in the United States. With the origins of Women's History Month, along with the suffrage movement itself, rooted in New York, the city is one of the best places to pay tribute to and learn more about the many trailblazing women who shaped the world as we know it. Although the pandemic has changed how we commemorate Women's History Month, many local organizations and groups are hosting virtual lectures, tours, and art exhibits, from a two-day online festival hosted by the Apollo Theater to a feminist tour of Harlem. Plus, the city's official tourism organization, NYC & Company, has put together an itinerary full of women-owned businesses and cultural sites related to women's history across the five boroughs to visit, found here.
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Events & Things To Do

NYC hospital that administered first COVID vaccine dose in U.S. donates vial to the Smithsonian

Photo by Scott Heins/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

March 10, 2021

NYC hospital that administered first COVID vaccine dose in U.S. donates vial to the Smithsonian

By Devin Gannon

The morning of December 14 was historic for New York and the nation. Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, received the first coronavirus vaccine in the United States, marking the beginning of the end of this painful period. That moment will be preserved as part of a collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., which has acquired the empty vial of the first dose and other materials related to that day, including the ID badge and scrubs of Lindsay, officials announced on Tuesday.
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Events & Things To Do

New Yorkers 60+, government and nonprofit employees eligible for COVID vaccine this month

A short-term mass vaccination site that utilizes the Johnson & Johnson vaccine opened at Marist College. Credit: Don Pollard/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Flickr

March 9, 2021

New Yorkers 60+, government and nonprofit employees eligible for COVID vaccine this month

By Devin Gannon

The group of New Yorkers eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine will significantly expand this month. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced New Yorkers aged 60 years and older can sign up to receive the vaccine starting this Wednesday and public-facing government, non-profit, and building workers on March 17. Originally, New Yorkers aged 75 years and older were included in the first phase of the vaccine rollout along with healthcare workers and nursing home residents and staff, but Cuomo agreed in January to lower the age prerequisite to 65 years and older.
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Policy

NYC’s live subway map now includes COVID-19 vaccination sites

Courtesy of the MTA

March 9, 2021

NYC’s live subway map now includes COVID-19 vaccination sites

By Devin Gannon

Coronavirus vaccination sites located across New York City have been added to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's digital subway map, helping straphangers find the easiest route to their appointments. The map, which launched last October and provides real-time service updates, now features a syringe icon that marks the location of vaccine hubs in every borough.
Details here

Transit

Affordable, no-fee luxury rentals in Midtown West

All photos courtesy of the Gotham Organization

March 9, 2021

Affordable, no-fee luxury rentals in Midtown West

By Devin Gannon

With its rooftop garden and courtyard, luxury residences, and prime Hell's Kitchen location, Gotham West ticks off all the boxes. What makes the four-building complex truly stand out against other amenity-rich developments, other than its proximity to both Hudson River Park and the culinary darlings of the neighborhood, is its affordable housing. When it opened in 2013, Gotham West was the largest affordable project by a private developer at the time, with about 55 percent of the units restricted by income. Today, applications are being accepted for its no-fee rentals, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, which are designated for middle-income New Yorkers earning up to 135 percent and 165 percent of the area median income (AMI).
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March 8, 2021

Domino Park unveils interactive art display that lights up when stepped on

By Devin Gannon

Months after Domino Park painted circles on the lawn to keep park-goers socially distanced, a different type of ring has appeared at the waterfront Williamsburg green space. The park last week unveiled Reflect, an interactive sculpture designed by artist Jen Lewin made up of three concentric rings that react to the steps of visitors. Each jump, skip, and dance on the circular platforms triggers a new flash of light, with many people able to engage with the display at once.
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Events & Things To Do

230-year-old Connecticut farmstead with original 18th-century details asks $1.2M

All photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

March 5, 2021

230-year-old Connecticut farmstead with original 18th-century details asks $1.2M

By Devin Gannon

A charming 18th-century farmstead in Connecticut's Fairfield County is on the market for $1,150,000. Located on two private acres at 289 Nod Hill Road in Wilton, the property includes a four-bedroom main house, a barn, four additional detached structures, and a chicken coop. Built in 1790, the cozy home boasts some original details, including the historic hearth in the "keeping" room.
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Lottery opens for affordable units at new Passive House project in Ocean Hill, from $457/month

Photo of the Harry T. Nance Apartments, Courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

March 5, 2021

Lottery opens for affordable units at new Passive House project in Ocean Hill, from $457/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for 55 affordable apartments at a new sustainable development in Brooklyn's Ocean Hill neighborhood. The Harry T. Nance Apartments, located at 1860 Eastern Parkway, stands 10 stories and includes a new home for the True Holy Church. New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms priced between $457/month and $1,485/month.
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Affordable Housing

NYC begins door-to-door COVID-19 vaccinations for homebound seniors

Photo of NYCHA vaccination site at Nostrand Houses in Brooklyn by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

March 5, 2021

NYC begins door-to-door COVID-19 vaccinations for homebound seniors

By Devin Gannon

New York City on Thursday launched an effort to vaccinate homebound seniors by going door to door at select residential buildings. With this week's arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires a single shot and remains stable in a regular refrigerator, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the vaccine will "revolutionize" the city's fight against the coronavirus. Teams deployed by the FDNY started vaccinating seniors in Co-op City in the Bronx on Thursday and will move to Brighton Beach on Friday.
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Policy

New York seeks proposals for new hotel or mixed-use development across from Javits Center

By Devin Gannon

New York on Thursday issued a request for proposals for a Midtown West site located directly across from the Javits Center. Referred to as Site K, the parcel at 418 11th Avenue is one of the last remaining vacant lots in the area. In the RFP, the Empire State Development requests proposals that could be a commercial or mixed-use development, with interest made in hotels that are "complementary" to the neighboring convention center.
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New Developments

Lincoln Center campus will be transformed into 10 outdoor performance venues this spring

Illustration © Ceylan A. Sahin Eker

March 4, 2021

Lincoln Center campus will be transformed into 10 outdoor performance venues this spring

By Devin Gannon

The arts are making a major comeback in New York City this spring, with live performance venues permitted to reopen in early April. And one of the city's most beloved cultural institutions is leading the way. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts last week announced a new initiative that will transform its 16-acre campus into 10 new outdoor performance venues. Launching on April 7, "Restart Stages" will feature free and low-cost events by cultural organizations and community partners hailing from all five boroughs, in addition to Lincoln Center's resident companies.
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Events & Things To Do

Limited live performances and events can resume in New York in April

Photo by Sudan Ouyang on Unsplash

March 3, 2021

Limited live performances and events can resume in New York in April

By Devin Gannon

After being closed for over a year, events, arts, and entertainment venues can reopen at a limited capacity next month. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced that as soon as April 2, live performance venues will be able to open indoor spaces at 33 percent capacity or up to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. If all attendees present proof of a negative coronavirus test prior to entry, capacity can increase to 150 people indoors and 500 people outdoors, according to the state.
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New York lawmaker proposes converting empty offices and hotels into affordable housing

Photo by Dimitry Anikin on Unsplash

March 3, 2021

New York lawmaker proposes converting empty offices and hotels into affordable housing

By Devin Gannon

A state lawmaker introduced legislation this week that would allow New York to buy financially distressed commercial buildings and convert them into housing for low-income and homeless New Yorkers. The Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act, sponsored by State Sen. Michael Gianaris, includes the purchase and conversion of office buildings and hotels that are up for sale, as the Wall Street Journal first reported. The proposed legislation comes as commercial districts and tourist hubs have yet to recover fully from the impact of the coronavirus and as the housing crisis, particularly in New York City, continues.
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NYC reburies remains of early New Yorkers in Washington Square Park

All photos: NYC Parks / Daniel Avila

March 3, 2021

NYC reburies remains of early New Yorkers in Washington Square Park

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Parks Department on Tuesday reinterred the human remains of early New Yorkers found during construction in and around Washington Square Park. The skeletal remains were placed in a wooden box and buried five feet below grade within a planting bed, with an engraved paver marking the site at the southern entrance of the park near Sullivan Street. The remains were uncovered between 2008 and 2017, including the unearthing of two 19th-century burial vaults in 2015 that held the remains of at least a dozen people.
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History

New York will administer Johnson & Johnson vaccine overnight at Javits Center, Yankee Stadium this week

The mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium opened in February for Bronx residents only; Photo: Don Pollard / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

March 2, 2021

New York will administer Johnson & Johnson vaccine overnight at Javits Center, Yankee Stadium this week

By Devin Gannon

New York this week will start administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine during overnight hours at three state-run mass vaccination sites, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday. Vaccine hubs at the Javits Center, Yankee Stadium, and the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse will distribute the single-dose vaccine, which was granted emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration over the weekend, to eligible New Yorkers starting this Friday, March 5. Appointments will open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday for vaccinations at Yankee Stadium and 8 a.m. on Thursday for the Javits Center and the Fairgrounds.
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Policy

New digital art show that takes you ‘inside’ Van Gogh’s paintings will open in NYC

Immersive Van Gogh Chicago. Photo by Michael Brosilow

March 2, 2021

New digital art show that takes you ‘inside’ Van Gogh’s paintings will open in NYC

By Devin Gannon

An interactive digital art exhibition that has taken the world by storm will open in New York City this summer. Immersive Van Gogh explores the post-Impressionist works of Vincent Van Gogh through massive, moving projections. Created by film producer Massimiliano Siccardi and producer Corey Ross, and with mood-setting music by composer Luca Longobardi, the experience will open at a yet-to-be-announced location in the city on June 10.
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Events & Things To Do

Mass vaccination site to open at Co-op City in the Bronx this week

Photo by David L Roush on Wikimedia

March 2, 2021

Mass vaccination site to open at Co-op City in the Bronx this week

By Devin Gannon

New York City this week will open a mass coronavirus vaccination site at Co-op City, the world's largest housing cooperative. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced the site will start vaccinations for eligible New Yorkers on March 4 at the Bronx development, which is home to over 15,300 apartments across 72 buildings. "Communities felt deep, deep losses from the coronavirus in the Bronx," de Blasio said during a press briefing. "The Bronx is too often overlooked. We can't let that happen."
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Policy

Campaign to save Union Square South sites connected to women’s history continues

Screenshot of Women’s History Tour map; Courtesy of Village Preservation

March 1, 2021

Campaign to save Union Square South sites connected to women’s history continues

By Devin Gannon

On the first day of Women's History Month, a preservation group is renewing calls to landmark nearly two dozen sites related to women's history in New York City. Village Preservation on Monday kicked off a campaign effort urging the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate several buildings located south of Union Square that have a connection to trailblazing women, organizations, or historic events. It's part of the group's broader effort to protect nearly 200 buildings in the area which is slated for new development.
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Here’s where to donate to support Asian communities in NYC

Photo by Mobilus in Mobili on Flickr

February 26, 2021

Here’s where to donate to support Asian communities in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Before the coronavirus even hit New York City last year, anti-Asian racism and xenophobia struck the city's Chinatown neighborhoods, affecting the residents and many small businesses. Throughout the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in harassment and violence against Chinese and other Asian New Yorkers, particularly stemming from racist misinformation about COVID-19. As The City reported, the Commission on Human Rights, recorded 205 cases in 2020 involving anti-Asian incidents, a nearly "sevenfold rise" compared to 2019. Hate crimes and attacks directed at Asian Americans have continued into 2021, in New York and across the country. Ahead, we've put together a list of local organizations to donate, for those looking to support Asian communities across the five boroughs. While incomplete, the list can serve as a starting point and will be updated.
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Events & Things To Do

Dine with the ‘stars’ at Brooklyn’s famed Peter Luger steakhouse

All photos courtesy of Peter Luger

February 26, 2021

Dine with the ‘stars’ at Brooklyn’s famed Peter Luger steakhouse

By Devin Gannon

As New York City restaurants expand their indoor dining capacity to 35 percent on Friday, beloved Brooklyn steakhouse Peter Luger hopes to make the experience a unique one. Celebrity wax figures will fill the empty seats of its Williamsburg dining room, as part of a partnership with Madame Tussauds New York.
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Food & Dining

Sag Harbor cottage where John Steinbeck wrote his final novel asks $18M

All photos by Gavin Zeigler for Sotheby’s International Realty

February 25, 2021

Sag Harbor cottage where John Steinbeck wrote his final novel asks $18M

By Devin Gannon

John Steinbeck's waterfront cottage in Sag Harbor where he penned his final novel, The Winter of Discontent, is on the market for $17.9 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author bought the Hamptons home, tucked away on a bluff between two coves, in 1955, as the New York Times first reported. The property sits on nearly two acres and contains a two-bedroom main residence, a gazebo-like structure that Steinbeck used as a writing space, a guest cottage, and a 60-foot private dock.
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February 25, 2021

Lottery opens for 330 middle-income units at 5Pointz towers in Long Island City, from $1,850/month

By Devin Gannon

View of 5 Pointz LIC in September 2020; Photo: © CityRealty A housing lottery launched this week for 337 rental units at the pair of residential towers in Queens that replaced the famed graffiti-covered warehouse 5Pointz. Located at 22-44 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, the development, dubbed 5 Pointz LIC, contains two buildings, one at 47 stories and the other at 41, and over 1,100 units of housing. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from $1,850/month studios to $3,200/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Preservationists fight to save the impressively-intact Art Deco lobby of the McGraw-Hill Building

Photo credit: Lynn Farrell on behalf of the Art Deco Society of New York

February 24, 2021

Preservationists fight to save the impressively-intact Art Deco lobby of the McGraw-Hill Building

By Devin Gannon

An effort to preserve one of New York City's best examples of Art Deco design is underway. The owner of the McGraw-Hill Building at 330 West 42nd Street has tapped MdeAS Architects to redesign and modernize the structure's exterior, including new doors and signage. But after renderings from the architects surfaced on Twitter this month that showed what looked to be the 1931 lobby of the Hell's Kitchen building devoid of its iconic alternation blue-green steel bands and other signature elements designed by Raymond Hood, preservationists and architectural groups sprung into action.
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Policy

Affordable units and height slashed at proposed Brooklyn Botanic Garden-bordering towers

Rendering: NYC Department of City Planning

February 24, 2021

Affordable units and height slashed at proposed Brooklyn Botanic Garden-bordering towers

By Devin Gannon

The developers behind a controversial proposal to build a pair of high-rise towers in Crown Heights next to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden have put forth a revised plan that would slash the building height and the number of affordable units offered. As first reported by The City, Continuum Company and Lincoln Equities launched a new project website that describes a 17-story residential building at 960 Franklin Avenue as an alternative to the 34-story project currently under review by the city.
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All articles by Devin Gannon

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