City Living

Brandon Doughan (left) and Brian Polen (right). Photo © Molly Tavoletti for Brooklyn Kura

July 2, 2018

Where I Work: Go inside NYC’s first sake brewery at Brooklyn Kura

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and businesses of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring Industry City's Brooklyn Kura, New York's first sake brewery. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! "It was my first ‘oh, my God’ sake which was made in the U.S.A." said Japanese-born sake sommelier Chizuko Niikawa-Helton when he tasted the product of Brooklyn Kura, NYC's first sake brewery and one of only 15 in the nation. And this is exactly what co-founders Brian Polen and Brandon Doughan strive for. They're committed to respecting the thousands-year-old Japanese sake brewing traditions, but they also hope to inspire a new interest in this ancient beverage by using unique American ingredients and engaging New Yorkers in the process at their Sunset Park brewery and tap room. After meeting at a mutual friend's wedding in Japan and developing a passion for sake, Brian and Brandon teamed up and got to work on their 2,500-square-foot space in Industry City, which combines the functionality of traditional Japanese breweries with a contemporary Brooklyn design aesthetic. 6sqft recently paid them a visit and had a drink in the tap room (yes, we agree with Niikawa-Helton that the sakes are "so soft, so gentle"), got a look at the sake making process, and chatted with Brian and Brandon about their journey, life at Industry City, and how they're turning New Yorkers into sake lovers.
Read our interview with Brian and Brandon and see inside Brooklyn Kura

See the colorful makeovers of five NYC public pools

All photos courtesy of NYC Parks

June 28, 2018

See the colorful makeovers of five NYC public pools

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

To coincide with the opening of all 53 public pools yesterday, the city's ever cool and joyful parks commissioner Mitchell Silver launched the Cool Pools NYC pilot program. The initiative gave a colorful makeover to five outdoor pools, one for each borough, in underserved neighborhoods. Prior to Cool Pools NYC, none of these sites had a major renovation since they were built in the 1970s. In addition to the cheery paint jobs, these pools have been outfitted with polar-themed art, lounge chairs, and landscaping and will offer drop-in fitness classes for adults and obstacle courses and scavenger hunts for kids.
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June 26, 2018

NYC needs to invest nearly $6B over the next decade to fix aging park infrastructure, report says

By Devin Gannon

Photo via Geoff Stearns on Flickr A report released Tuesday by the Center for an Urban Future found that while city parks are seeing record use by the public, officials have underinvested in their basic maintenance and infrastructure for decades. The average city park underwent its last major renovation in 1997, despite being on average 73 years old. The think-tank estimates an investment of $5.8 billion over the next decade is needed to address the repair and replacement of existing infrastructure, a number which does not include the cost of constructing new structures. "The subway system isn’t the only vital piece of infrastructure in New York that is aging and in need of investment,” Jonathan Bowles, executive director of CUF, said in a statement. "Parks in every borough are experiencing infrastructure problems brought by age and magnified by record usage and decades of under-investment in parks maintenance."
Find out more

June 26, 2018

MAP: Where to watch the 2018 Macy’s July 4th fireworks

By Michelle Cohen

The patriotic party-planners behind the Macy's Fourth of July live fireworks extravaganza happening next Wednesday evening have made sure to provide their usual thorough and handy guide suggesting prime spots for experiencing the world-famous pyrotechnics show. Get the 411 on official viewing points and use the interactive neighborhood finder to make sure you're well-situated when things go boom.
Get all the info, this way

INTERVIEW: Architect Glen Coben dishes on his passion for design and restaurants

Headshot of Glen Coben via Tommy Campbell, Brothers & Company

June 22, 2018

INTERVIEW: Architect Glen Coben dishes on his passion for design and restaurants

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

New York City architect Glen Coben's An Architect’s Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through Design is part journal, part cookbook. The book shares Coben’s experience over the last 18+ years working with some of the world’s greatest chefs to create magical culinary experiences: Empellon/Alex Stupak, Del Posto/Mario Batali, Gabriel Kreuther, Carbone, The Marrow and Romera. Each chapter includes: the narrative between Glen and Chef – their story together throughout the process, sketches and renderings, followed by the final photos of the restaurant and recipes contributed by each chef. Coben loves what he does and it shows. To him, working with chefs to design their dreams means “there is another creative partner at the table.” 6sqft recently spoke with Coben and learned how it all started, about his restaurant inspirations and what the architectural equivalent of adding that special spice to meatballs is to make us all sigh in delight, ahhhhh.
Dive to learn more about Glen

June 20, 2018

Where I Work: Tour FXCollaborative’s Flatiron architecture office with partner Dan Kaplan

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the Flatiron office of architecture firm FXCollaborative. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! To mark their 40th anniversary, architecture firm FXCollaborative recently debuted their new name (formerly FXFOWLE), along with a slew of big-name projects such as the Statue of Liberty Museum, a nearly 1,000-unit affordable housing development in the Bronx, and Downtown Brooklyn's One Willoughby Square, which will be the borough's tallest office building as well as the firm's new home. Ahead of their big move when the tower is completed in a few years, 6sqft paid a visit to FXCollaborative's current Flatiron office space to see how these prolific architects make their magic happen, thanks to a behind-the-scenes tour and talk with senior partner Dan Kaplan. From sustainable architecture and office design to equality in architecture and the importance of collaboration, learn how FXCollaborative remains one of NYC's top firms after four decades.
Take the tour and hear Dan’s thoughts

INTERVIEW: Lighting designer Joel Fitzpatrick on his desire to permanently illuminate Manhattan

Aurora at 277 Fifth Avenue, courtesy of Victor Group and Lendlease

June 8, 2018

INTERVIEW: Lighting designer Joel Fitzpatrick on his desire to permanently illuminate Manhattan

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Joel Fitzpatrick is a master of many trades. He has a diverse background in theater, fashion, interior design, and dance but the one common element through everything he does is light. Fitzpatrick started as a sculptor but yearned for more collaboration and found that through lighting. In his most recent work, a dynamic, multicolored light show called "Aurora" for Rafael Viñoly's 277 Fifth Avenue, his career has come full circle. After feeling the cosmos pulsate with the northern lights, there was no turning back. Now Fitzpatrick dreams of building an outdoor light show to permanently shine on the Manhattan skyline. 6sqft recently talked to Fitzpatrick, who shines a light on how his past informed his present and what to expect from him in the future.
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Metro Region Explorer map gives you the facts on any spot in the Tri-State area

Map: NYC Planning Metro Region Explorer.

May 29, 2018

Metro Region Explorer map gives you the facts on any spot in the Tri-State area

By Michelle Cohen

As a beta project created by the NYC Department of City Planning, Metro Region Explorer enables you to explore population, housing, and employment trends within the Tri-State New York City Metropolitan Region. The map was developed as part of an ongoing commitment to providing better public access and as a way to better understand information about planning issues that affect the city as well as the region, as many planning challenges are interconnected with the realities of the larger area surrounding the city's core.
Explore the region

City Living

May 24, 2018

INTERVIEW: Author Julia Van Haaften on delving into the life of photographer Berenice Abbott

By Emily Nonko

Photographer Berenice Abbott has long captured the imagination of New Yorkers. Her storied career began after fleeing Ohio for Greenwich Village in 1918 and included a stint in Paris taking portraits of 1920s heavyweights. But she is best known for her searing images of New York buildings and street life--her photograph "Nightview, New York," taken from an upper-floor window of the Empire State Building in 1932, remains one of the most recognized images of the city. Well known is her exchange with a male supervisor, who informed Abbott that "nice girls" don’t go to the Bowery. Her reply: "Buddy, I’m not a nice girl. I’m a photographer… I go anywhere." Despite Abbott's prolific career and fascinating life, there's never been a biography to capture it all. Until now, with Julia Van Haaften's work, "Berenice Abbott: A Life in Photography." Van Haaften is the founding curator of the New York Public Library’s photography collection. She also befriended Abbott, as the photographer approached 90, while curating a retrospective exhibition of her work in the late 1980s. (Abbott passed away in 1991 at the age of 93.) With 6sqft, Van Haaften shares what it was like translating Abbott's wide-ranging work and life into a biography, and the help she received from Abbott herself. From her favorite stories to her favorite photographs, Van Haaften shows why Abbott's work has remained such a powerful lens capturing New York City to this day.
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Adriana Urbina brings Venezuelan flavors to Nolita’s De Maria while empowering female chefs

Restuarant photo credit: Nicole Franzen; Portrait credit: Kathryn Sheldon

May 22, 2018

Adriana Urbina brings Venezuelan flavors to Nolita’s De Maria while empowering female chefs

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this month, Nolita restaurant De Maria won the coveted James Beard Award for best restaurant design or renovation in North America. The designers at The MP Shift replicated an artist’s studio, with Soho in the ‘70s and the Bauhaus movement in mind. But it's not just the space that's beautiful; Venezuelan-born chef Adriana Urbina's dishes, composed heavily of veggies and seafood, look like they were made for Instagram. Outside of the visuals, however, what sets De Maria apart is Urbina's socially conscious approach. Not only does she mix her South American heritage with her fine dining background (she started her career as an apprentice at Michelin 3-star restaurant in Spain, Martín Berasategui and was a 2017 winner of Food Network's "Chopped"), but she's committed to empowering female chefs and business owners, as well as using food as a way to connect people and raise awareness about what's going on in the world. 6sqft recently enjoyed an insanely delicious meal at De Maria and chatted with Adriana about her journey, the restaurant scene in NYC, and why this Nolita restaurant is the perfect place to see out her dreams.
Meet Adriana and get hungry!

Smoking ban inside co-op and condo units picks up steam in NYC buildings

By Michelle Cohen

Though banning cigarette smoking in apartment building common areas is nothing new, New York City's co-op and condo buildings have been voting to keep residents from lighting up even inside their own units, the Wall Street Journal reports. Co-op and condo lawyers say the sentiment in favor of clean, green air is growing, and tolerance for neighbors who smoke is at an all-time low. At the Century condominium at 25 Central Park West, a smoking ban went into effect in March after a two-thirds vote was achieved following a long–sometimes bitter–campaign.
Find out more

May 14, 2018

INTERVIEW: New York legend Jay Maisel dishes on 190 Bowery and his new photo archive

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Jay Maisel is best known for the incredibly expressive stories he tells through his beautiful photography. But in recent years, he's become perhaps just as well known for his New York City real estate story where he made the deal of the century when he sold his home, the Germania Bank Building at 190 Bowery. What he's not at all known for, though, are the stories he tells through the hundreds of thousands of memories that fill his home and studio. Maisel, who may appear gruff on the exterior (at 87 years-old, he still likes to shock), is actually incredibly kind and sentimental. He misses his home and all his toys that once filled the 35,000-square-foot building. Although he was initially intimidated by the size and upkeep costs of 190 Bowery, Maisel grew to love the home and raise his family there for 50 years. In 2015, he sold the building for $55 million and purchased a stately townhouse on Pacific Street in Cobble Hill for $15.5 million. (At the time, it was the most expensive townhouse sale in Brooklyn.) 6sqft sat down with Maisel and discussed his real estate coup, his move to Brooklyn (which is not “the city” in his view) and his most recent New York City photography series, entitled “Jaywalking.”
Hear from Jay and get an inside look at his life and work

See Manhattan’s population pulse over 24 hours

All animations and screenshots courtesy of Justin Fung/Manhattan Population Explorer

May 10, 2018

See Manhattan’s population pulse over 24 hours

By Dana Schulz

There are two million people who reside in Manhattan, but during the workday, thanks to the overwhelming number of commuters, the number of people on the island doubles to four million. This is the highest ratio of daytime-to-nighttime population anywhere in the country. To show how this population pulses over the course of a day, data visualization designer and researcher Justin Fung created the interactive Manhattan Population Explorer. First picked up by Fast Co. Design, the map highlights just how many people fill each city block for 24 hours. The height of crowdedness comes between 12 and 3pm, during which time, unsurprisingly, Midtown and Lower Manhattan show populations nearing 13,000. During the day, these 'hoods see their populations jump by 10 and four times respectively.
See what's going on with the rest of the island

City Living

Image courtesy of nyc.gov/zerowaste

May 8, 2018

DonateNYC helps achieve zero waste dorm move-out

By Michelle Cohen

When spring arrives at New York City's 140 colleges and universities, departing students generate literally tons of waste each year on their way out of dorms and off-campus housing. Students leave behind unwanted items that can be reused or recycled. That's when the city's DonateNYC program steps in, offering resources and guidelines for a zero waste dorm move-out
Find out more

City Living

‘Sex’-y NYC cupcake shop Magnolia Bakery to open 200 franchise locations across the U.S.

Image: Shiny Things via Flickr

May 7, 2018

‘Sex’-y NYC cupcake shop Magnolia Bakery to open 200 franchise locations across the U.S.

By Michelle Cohen

We know “Sex and the City” did wonders for pink martinis, Manolos and Cynthia Nixon’s political career. And we’re pretty sure the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery have the NYC-centric series to thank for its ability to expand worldwide. The popular pastries are, we're told, gobbling up the market in Dubai, Kuwait, Tokyo, Mexico City and Seoul, and closer to home in (besides New York City) Los Angeles, Chicago and now Boston. But like Ms. Nixon, the company isn't content to rest on its laurels. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Bleecker Street original will be plying its sweet treats in as many as 200 new franchises in the U.S. in the next five years
How many cupcakes is too many?

Central Park Boathouse returns this week with a new look, a new menu and a $2.9M makeover

Image: Andrew Batram via Flickr

April 27, 2018

Central Park Boathouse returns this week with a new look, a new menu and a $2.9M makeover

By Michelle Cohen

The Central Park Boathouse restaurant has been spruced up with $2.9 million in renovations and upgrades and is perfect-date-ready just in time for outdoor weather. The New York Post reports that the familiar structure near the park's Fifth Avenue entrance at East 72nd Street has gotten much needed capital improvements like more seats (185 instead of 160) a new flood-proof tile floor and insulated glass that keeps the lakefront chill out along with a contemporary new look, new colors and lighting and better sightlines of the Central Park West skyline and rowboats gliding by. Even better, there's more room for customers at the new ADA-compliant bar.
Find out more

Governors Island will stay open late on Fridays this season

Photo by Timothy Schenck

April 24, 2018

Governors Island will stay open late on Fridays this season

By Devin Gannon

Get ready to party on Governors Island this summer. The Trust for Governors Island on Tuesday announced extended hours for the 2018 season from 6 pm to 10 pm, allowing visitors to explore the park, drink cocktails and enjoy beautiful sunsets every Friday beginning May 25. During "Late Friday" nights, guests will be able to traverse the entire Island, including the promenade and Nolan Park and Colonels Row homes in the park's historic district.
Get the scoop

Cuomo’s new bill would ban plastic bags in New York by next year

Image: Michael Kowalczyk via Flickr.

April 24, 2018

Cuomo’s new bill would ban plastic bags in New York by next year

By Michelle Cohen

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo introduced a bill on Monday to outlaw single-use plastic bags in the state of New York. The New York Times reports that Cuomo announced the three-page post-Earth-Day bill as part of the effort to fight the “blight of plastic bags" and their "devastating toll on our streets, our water and our natural resources.”
Find out more

April 18, 2018

Living Lots map helps New Yorkers transform vacant land into community spaces

By Michelle Cohen

It's time to think about gardening–a seasonal rite that's something of a challenge for most city-dwellers. Living Lots NYC is a clearinghouse of information that New Yorkers can use to turn vacant land into community spaces. Begun as a pilot project that ran from 2011 to 2015, which led to the to the official transformation of 32 vacant lots, Living Lots NYC was created by community organization 596 Acres as a database that New Yorkers can use to find, unlock, and protect the shared resource of the city's vacant lots. According to the map, at this particular moment, there are 877 sites throughout 626 acres of vacant public land, 18 sites on 8 acres of private land opportunities, and 559 sites on 211 acres to which people have access.
Check out the city's green opportunities

6sqft Guide: How to rent as a foreign national in New York City

Photo via CityRealty

April 17, 2018

6sqft Guide: How to rent as a foreign national in New York City

By Cait Etherington

Foreign nationals from around the world are recruited to work in New York City, but when they arrive, they often realize that not everyone is eager to welcome them with open arms nor open doors. Indeed, while many employers from banks and tech companies to museums and universities are eager to recruit top global talent, most of the city’s rental management companies would prefer to rent to a pack of college students than a fully employed foreign national with a six-figure income. So, what is an adult with a great credit history, full-time job, and in many cases, a family to do when they arrive in New York City? While foreign nationals likely can’t change the perception that renting to foreigners is a bad idea, there are a few ways to troubleshoot the housing market in New York City whether you were born in Toronto, Paris, or Tokyo.
Everything you need to know, here

If you get it sliced, the state gets a cut: exposing the ‘bagel tax’

Image: Jazz Guy via flickr

April 16, 2018

If you get it sliced, the state gets a cut: exposing the ‘bagel tax’

By Michelle Cohen

Next time you hit your local bagel shop, know that if you get your breakfast sliced–or heaven forbid, with schmear–you'll get smacked with an 8.875 percent sales tax. If you eat it in the store, (even if it's still whole), boom, more tax. The folks at Turbotax explain that "the state adds an eight-cent tax to any altered bagels," which includes, "bagel sandwiches (served buttered or with spreads, or otherwise as a sandwich)" or even just sliced for you.
In honor of Tax Day, we ask: What's with this bagel tax?

April 16, 2018

Why the NYC Ferry is the transit option New Yorkers agree on

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

When the Duch settled New York City as New Amsterdam in the 17th century, it was the area's waterways that drew them in. Four hundred years later, the city is once again reclaiming its waterfront locale, with countless new developments rising on the Hudson and East Rivers, increasing the need for more transit options. The booming NYC ferry, which, in 2017, served nearly three million riders across its four routes currently in operation, has exceeded the projected number by approximately 34 percent or 800,000 riders. As the subway system quickly and publicly goes down in flames, along with the congestion pricing plan for alleviating traffic, New York City's ferries are showing the transit world how it’s done, with politicians, commuters, and communities all on board. In honor of NYC Ferry's #ferryearthweek, an effort to promote the green and sustainable features of the ferry from April 16-22, 6sqft decided to take a deeper look at the success of NYC's ferry system, how it's changed the transit landscape of the city, and what's to come in the near future.
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DOB Elevator Report reveals the ups and downs of NYC’s 84,000+ elevator parts and where to find them

The DOB’s interactive maps show where all the elevators are, above in 3D

April 13, 2018

DOB Elevator Report reveals the ups and downs of NYC’s 84,000+ elevator parts and where to find them

By Michelle Cohen

Again taking a look at New York City one tiny, moving part at a time: New York City has the world’s oldest population of elevators, and more elevator devices–over 84,000–than any other city in North America. The NYC Department of Buildings Elevator Report 2017 brings us an overview of the city’s elevator stock, including interactive maps that show which neighborhoods have the most elevators, elevator history, and, trust us, much more. That big number includes dumbwaiters, escalators, freight elevators, passenger elevators, private elevators, permanent amusement rides, personnel hoists (used for construction), sidewalk elevators and wheelchair lifts.
This way for more maps and facts

City Living

April 12, 2018

Interactive map tracks New York City’s 270 miles of sidewalk sheds in real time

By Devin Gannon

As of this week, New York City is home to 7,342 sidewalk sheds, totaling nearly 270 miles of sprawling eye-sores. Although this may sound like a lot, the number of sidewalk sheds has actually decreased from last year, when the Department of Buildings found over 7,700 sidewalk sheds throughout the city. The DOB on Wednesday released a new map highlighting the exact location of permitted sidewalk sheds. The map, which will update automatically in real-time, has a new feature that allows users to search sidewalk sheds by age, borough, community board and permit applicant.
Explore the map

By 2020, the U.S. will have 300 food halls

UrbanSpace Vanderbilt. Photo by Shinya Suzuki/Flickr

April 11, 2018

By 2020, the U.S. will have 300 food halls

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Between 2015 and 2020, the number of food halls operating nationwide will go from 70 to 300, finds a new Cushman & Wakefield report. This trend is very clear in New York City with 25 active permanent food halls and at least 10 others planned, or rumored, for the near future. Some of the most notable examples in the works are the TimeOut DUMBO food hall and the Essex Crossing's Market Line (set to be one of the largest in the world), in addition to examples like the very successful Urban Space which opened another food hall only six blocks from one of its other locations.
What's driving the trend

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