City Living

Here’s what New Yorkers can expect from Joe Biden’s COVID-19 plan

Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

November 9, 2020

Here’s what New Yorkers can expect from Joe Biden’s COVID-19 plan

Even before he was officially declared President-elect, Joe Biden began briefings about the pandemic, and since Saturday's celebrations, his comprehensive, federally led strategy to combat COVID-19 finally feels within reach. Today, President-elect Biden announced the 13 members of his COVID-19 advisory board, made up of public health experts, scientists, and doctors. This group will help Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and him carry out their plan to not only beat the virus, but to prepare for future global health threats. Ahead, we take a closer look at the intricacies of the strategy and how it will benefit the entire nation, as well as New Yorkers, from a nation-wide mask mandate to an increase in testing centers to the establishment of a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force.
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November 5, 2020

After 17 years, Caracas Arepa Bar is closing in the East Village

By Dana Schulz

Before the entire East Village was a hub of hip food, the stretch of East 7th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue was somewhat of a pioneer in the new guard of restaurants, and one of the first places to set up here was Caracas Arepa Bar. In 2003, the Venezuelan restaurant was opened by owners Maribel Araujo and Aristides Barrios, who met at another arepa bar in the city of Caracas and often get credit for popularizing arepas in the city. But, sadly, after 17 years, the restaurant is the latest to fall victim to the pandemic and announced on Instagram that the last day for their East Village location will be November 8.
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Here’s where to volunteer and donate in NYC this holiday season

Photo by Ethan Covey for Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen

November 3, 2020

Here’s where to volunteer and donate in NYC this holiday season

By Devin Gannon

This year has been tough on all New Yorkers, but especially those unemployed, hungry, and experiencing homelessness. While every holiday season is a chance to give back to your community, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made helping those in need this year more important than ever. Ahead, find out where to volunteer and donate across the city, whether it's contributing to Thanksgiving food drives, delivering holiday meals, making greeting cards for seniors, or donating to coat drives. Please note, each organization has put in place protocols related to COVID-19 that need to be followed, including mask and social distancing requirements.
Full list here

Election Day 2020: Deals and discounts for New York voters and poll workers

Early voting at the Brooklyn Museum; © 6sqft

November 2, 2020

Election Day 2020: Deals and discounts for New York voters and poll workers

By 6sqft

While over three million New Yorkers, including over one million residents in New York City, have already cast their ballots during the nine-day early voting period, millions more are expected to show up to vote on Tuesday. To help both voters and poll workers deal with possible long wait times and overall stress this Election Day, a number of companies are offering deals and freebies on November 3, from discounted rides to the polls to free food delivery.
Details here

Astor Place Hairstylists to close next month after 75 years

Mayor Bill de Blasio celebrated the Phase 2 reopening with a visit to Astor Place Hairstylists on June 23, 2020. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 26, 2020

Astor Place Hairstylists to close next month after 75 years

By Devin Gannon

Another New York City institution will close its doors this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Astor Place Hairstylists in the East Village, which opened in the 1940s and is known for its affordable prices, multilingual stylists, and celebrity clientele, will shutter at the end of November, as the New York Post reported. Hair salons and barbershops were allowed to open in June as part of the city's second phase of reopening, but a lack of business, and no additional federal funding, has forced the iconic barbershop to close.
Get the details

City Living

Photo by Brianne Sperber on Wikimedia

October 23, 2020

NYC’s iconic Strand Bookstore says it’s struggling to survive because of COVID-19

By Devin Gannon

One of New York City's largest and most beloved independent bookstores is asking for help. Citing a decline in foot traffic, a lack of tourists, and zero in-store events because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Strand Bookstore's revenue has dropped nearly 70 percent compared to last year, owner Nancy Bass Wyden said on Friday. According to Bass Wyden, the business, one of the last bookstores of Union Square's former "Book Row," is not currently sustainable.
More here

City Living

New Target stores in Columbus Circle and Hell’s Kitchen are now open

New Target store at 1863 Broadway on the UWS. Photo credit: AP Images for Target.

October 21, 2020

New Target stores in Columbus Circle and Hell’s Kitchen are now open

By Dana Schulz

After construction and COVID-related delays, Target has officially opened three new small-format stores on the Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, and Staten Island. The store at 61st and Broadway at Columbus Circle was first announced two years ago and was planned to open in 2019. Likewise, the store on 10th Avenue and 45th Street was first announced four years ago and was also planned to open in 2019. The store in the North Shore section of Staten Island is only delayed by six months.
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City Living

Here’s what you need to know about New York’s plastic bag ban

Image: Michael Kowalczyk via Flickr.

October 19, 2020

Here’s what you need to know about New York’s plastic bag ban

By Michelle Cohen

The ban on single-use plastic bags will go into effect on Monday, more than seven months after enforcement was set to begin. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's statewide ban on plastic bags was approved by state lawmakers last year with plans to begin enforcement on March 1, 2020. But a lawsuit from the Bodega and Small Business Association and a delay in a court decision on the lawsuit because of the coronavirus pandemic pushed enforcement of the new law back multiple times until a state judge ruled in August that the ban can begin on October 19. Starting Monday, grocery and retail stores that collect state taxes from customers will no longer be permitted to use plastic bags to contain purchases at checkout. Ahead, learn more about the Bag Waste Reduction Law, the exceptions to the law, and alternatives to single-use plastic.
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October 16, 2020

After 50 years, Dangerfield’s comedy club closes from COVID burdens

By Dana Schulz

"I don't get no respect," goes the famous line by Rodney Dangerfield that would often echo through the Upper East Side comedy club in his namesake. And after the larger NYC comedy world has claimed that the state is showing them no respect in the wake of the pandemic, Dangerfield's will be closing after a 50-year run. First reported by Vulture, the club announced this week that the coronavirus "placed a severe financial burden" on them, "making operations in New York City untenable."
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City Living

You can help beautify dozens of NYC parks this weekend

Photo by Tim Krause on Flickr

October 16, 2020

You can help beautify dozens of NYC parks this weekend

By Devin Gannon

More than 60 parks organizations and community groups are leading cleanups at green spaces across the city this weekend, in response to a growing trash problem at parks. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March, park use in New York soared, as it was one of the safest activities available to residents during the peak of the crisis. But the increase in visitors put additional strain on park management, which is struggling to keep up because of COVID-19 related budget cuts. On October 17, New Yorkers for Parks, City Parks Foundation, Partnership for Parks, and NYC Parks are encouraging New Yorkers to volunteer for a day of cleaning and beautifying the city's parks in every borough.
How to participate

85 NYC restaurants with heaters for outdoor dining

By Dana Schulz

Though indoor dining is permitted at 25-percent capacity in New York City, a lot of people still don't feel 100-percent comfortable with the idea. Luckily, the city made its outdoor dining program permanent and year-round and gave restaurants the go-ahead to install outdoor heat lamps. If you're looking for one of these spots to dine al fresco without shivering, we've begun a running list throughout the city. Know of another spot? Let us know in the comments!
Check out the full list here

NYC’s landmarked Roosevelt Hotel will close after 96 years due to pandemic

Photo by Billy Hathorn via Wikimedia Commons

October 13, 2020

NYC’s landmarked Roosevelt Hotel will close after 96 years due to pandemic

By Dana Schulz

When the Roosevelt Hotel opened on East 45th Street in 1924, it was connected to Grand Central via an underground tunnel, signaling its prominence among New York's Jazz Age society. But nearly 100 years later, the Midtown hotel will shut it doors for good on October 31. As CNN first reported, owner Pakistan International Airlines said in a statement that the decision stems from "the current, unprecedented environment and the continued uncertain impact from COVID-19."
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Broadway will remain closed through May 2021

Photo by Andrae Ricketts on Unsplash

October 9, 2020

Broadway will remain closed through May 2021

By Devin Gannon

Broadway theaters, which first closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will stay dark until next May 30. The Broadway League, which represents theater owners and show producers, announced on Friday it was suspending ticket sales to all shows for another seven months.
Details here

City Living

Read before you vote! NYPL releases 200 book titles to get us election-ready

Photo credit: Jonathan Blanc/NYPL

October 6, 2020

Read before you vote! NYPL releases 200 book titles to get us election-ready

By Dana Schulz

There's exactly one month until the presidential election, but that's still plenty of time to educate yourself about the issues at stake. To make things easier, the New York Public Library has released its 2020 Election Reading List, which features 200 titles for adults, teens, and children that "offer illuminating and engaging explorations of key voter issues, from climate change, foreign policy, and education to healthcare, political polarization, and movements toward greater justice and socioeconomic equality."
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City Living

Everything you need to know about houseboat living in NYC, from finding a boat to securing a slip

Photo of the 79th Street Boat Basin by Jim Henderson on Wikimedia

October 6, 2020

Everything you need to know about houseboat living in NYC, from finding a boat to securing a slip

By Cait Etherington

In Amsterdam, houseboats are considered an affordable way to live in the center of the city. They're also popular in other global cities, from London’s Little Venice to waterfront neighborhoods in Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Sydney. So why doesn’t New York City—with its 578 miles of coastline—have a thriving houseboat community, too? While it's impossible to know for certain, recent estimates for Manhattan suggest that year-round houseboat residents or “liveaboards” may now number fewer than 50.
More on houseboat living and how to do it yourself

City Living

October 2, 2020

Union Square’s cherished dinnerware store Fishs Eddy speaks out about COVID struggles

By Dana Schulz

"We’re like a fish gasping for air — literally," said Julie Gaines, the owner of Fishs Eddy, to the New York Post. The much-loved Union Square store has been in business since 1986, selling mix-and-match, reasonably priced dinnerware that includes NYC-themed items and quirky finds like Obama shot glasses and parking ticket plates. Since the pandemic hit, however, they've only been doing 30 percent of their usual business, much of which is based on tourists, which is making it harder and harder to afford their high rent.
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City Living

New York’s new COVID Alert app will tell you if you’ve come in contact with a positive person

Screenshots from the app on iPhone

October 1, 2020

New York’s new COVID Alert app will tell you if you’ve come in contact with a positive person

By Dana Schulz

Amid an uptick in cases in several clusters in Brooklyn and Rockland County, the New York Department of Health has launched a new, free app that will tell you if you've come in contact with a COVID-positive person. COVID Alert NY is available as of today for iPhone and Android. Using your phone's Bluetooth technology, it will alert you if you've been within six feet of an infected person for more than 10 minutes.
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Empire State Building is treating couples to a free photoshoot at its iconic observatory

Photo courtesy of the Empire Realty Trust

September 30, 2020

Empire State Building is treating couples to a free photoshoot at its iconic observatory

By Devin Gannon

One of the city's most romantic spots, both in the movies and in real life, is offering couples a free photoshoot. The Empire State Building will treat twosomes to a free photo session from a professional photographer at the iconic skyscraper's 86th-floor observatory. On October 10, visitors will receive a complimentary photoshoot with the price of admission to the main observatory.
Get the details

Everything you need to know about indoor dining in NYC

Photo by Fábio Alves on Unsplash

September 29, 2020

Everything you need to know about indoor dining in NYC

By Dana Schulz

After being shut down for more than six months, indoor dining in New York City returns tomorrow. The biggest difference is that restaurants can only operate at 25-percent capacity, but there is also a long list from the state of rules and regulations. Plus, Governor Cuomo has instituted a compliance component that will deploy 400 enforcement personnel and allow New Yorkers to fill out online complaint forms. If you're thinking about partaking in indoor dining, we've put together a guide that outlines everything you need to know.
All the info

These neighborhoods had the biggest rent drops since March

Fifth Avenue and East 75th Street; Photo by Eden, Janine, and Jim on Flickr

September 28, 2020

These neighborhoods had the biggest rent drops since March

By Devin Gannon

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March, rental prices in Manhattan have dropped by 24 percent. While the market is slowly recovering on the island, with asking rent slightly up over the last month, new data from CityRealty shows which neighborhoods are still reeling from the state-mandated lockdown and overall financial impact of the health crisis. According to the report, the Manhattan neighborhoods that experienced the largest drop in rental prices between March and September include the Upper East Side, specifically part of the southern portion of Fifth Avenue from 59th to 79th Street, and Noho.
Find out more

Metropolitan Opera announces it will stay closed for another year

Photo by Seth Hoffman on Unsplash

September 23, 2020

Metropolitan Opera announces it will stay closed for another year

By Dana Schulz

In an announcement that is sure to reverberate throughout the theater and performing arts worlds, the Metropolitan Opera said today that it will extend its COVID-inflicted closure and cancel its entire 2020-2021 season, not reopening until September of next year. As the New York Times, who first reported the news, said, the decision "sends a chilling signal that American cultural life is still far from resuming."
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City Living

New York pol calls on Cuomo to reopen comedy clubs

Photo by ajay_suresh on Flickr

September 22, 2020

New York pol calls on Cuomo to reopen comedy clubs

By Devin Gannon

New York gyms, malls, museums, and restaurants, have all been given the green light from officials to reopen. Why not comedy clubs? State Sen. Michael Gianaris is proposing new measures that would allow comedy venues to immediately reopen under the same coronavirus restriction placed on other indoor activities, which would include a 25 percent capacity limit. "I challenge anyone to explain why comedy clubs would be less safe to operate than restaurants or bowling alleys," Gianaris, who represents parts of Queens, told the New York Post.
Get the details

After 21 years, Tribeca’s Amish Market will close

Photo of Amish Market by Paul Sableman via Flickr cc

September 22, 2020

After 21 years, Tribeca’s Amish Market will close

By Dana Schulz

Photo of Amish Market by Paul Sableman via Flickr cc Amish Market opened in Tribeca in 1999 but after 21 years as a neighborhood staple, they, too, have fallen victim to COVID-19. Tribeca Citizen reported the news that the grocery story-meets-bodega (where Cardi-B was famously a cashier during high school) will likely close its doors by the 26th after a 90-percent drop in business.
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City Living

September 21, 2020

Help save the historic neon sign at the Bronx’s 64-year-old Palomba Academy of Music

By Dana Schulz

Palomba Academy of Music has been teaching music lessons from its storefront in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx for 64 years, but they've sadly had to close due to COVID-19. However, there's a piece of this business that photographers James and Karla Murray hope to preserve. They are working with iconic NYC neon shop Let There Be Neon to remove Palomba's historic, 25-foot neon sign and have it relocated to the American Sign Museum in Cincinatti, Ohio. But they need your help...
Here's how you can contribute

City Living

Fall back in love with NYC through this new book of ‘hidden’ art treasures

Images courtesy of Running Press

September 18, 2020

Fall back in love with NYC through this new book of ‘hidden’ art treasures

By 6sqft

While New York City is home to some of the best and biggest cultural institutions in the world, it's the more obscure masterpieces found on streets, subway stations, and tucked away in bars and buildings that inspired author Lori Zimmer's latest book. In Art Hiding in New York: An Illustrated Guide to the City's Secret Masterpieces, Zimmer highlights 100 hidden-in-plain-sight and surprising spots across the city and explores the unique history of the art and the artists behind them. From a massive Roy Lichtenstein mural in the Times Square subway station to fragments of the Berlin Wall painted by artist Thierry Noir, incredible pieces of art can be found everywhere in New York, even beyond galleries and museums. Ahead, we chat with Zimmer about her guide to New York City's underground art world, the beautiful illustrations paired with each work, and the city's perpetual reinvention.
Learn more and meet the author

City Living

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