City Living

When Alex Gomberg says "I have seltzer in my blood,” he's not referring to the quantity of seltzer he drinks, but rather describing how deep the seltzer tradition runs in his family. It began in 1953 with his great-grandfather, Moe Gomberg, who opened up Gomberg Seltzer Works, a seltzer bottling plant in Brooklyn. The term seltzer man may be new to some, but it refers to someone who delivers seltzer in glass bottles right to your door; no supermarket needed. Over the years, seltzer delivery went out of favor and the family business, currently run by Alex’s father Kenny Gomberg and uncle Irv Resnick, continued to bottle for others, but was no longer doing delivery routes themselves. Four years ago, Alex joined Gomberg Seltzer Works and felt strongly that company should return to its delivery roots. He helped developed a delivery branch, aptly named Brooklyn Seltzer Boys, and today, Alex is well on his way to becoming many New Yorkers’ 21st century seltzer man. His idea of returning to delivery service was right on the mark as the company is benefitting from a myriad of factors including nostalgia, a focus on curated, well made items, and the popularity of home delivery. 6sqft recently spoke with Alex to find out about Gomberg’s seltzer, what it’s like to be a seltzer man, and how he's bringing seltzer delivery back to New York.
Read the full interview here

July 7, 2016

Find Out if a Building Has Rats Using the City’s Interactive Map

From the fine folks at the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene comes this most informative interactive map of the five boroughs that tells you whether you'll need to keep an eye on your pizza. The Rat Information Portal (RIP) gives you the facts about rats in NYC—where they are and what you can do about them. You can search the city, building by building—handy if you're thinking of renting or buying an apartment—to get the 411 on potential pest problems of the furry kind.
Let's find some rats

City Living

July 5, 2016

‘Periodic Table of NYC Trash’ Identifies the City’s Garbage and Odors

Easily put a name to New York’s discarded paraphernalia and putrid odors with the help of the Periodic Table of NYC Trash. This nifty design, created by writer Molly Young and graphic designer Teddy Blanks, places 118 recurring New York City elements into a handy tabular array that, like the real periodic table that inspired it, provides a useful framework for analyzing behavior (in this case, that of New Yorkers). All of the trash depicted in the poster was pulled straight off our city's filthy streets and photographed by Young and Blanks. What's featured includes everything from an innocuous Metro Card and stray baby sock to gag-inducing finds like a dead rat and a bottle of pee. Everything has also been handily divvied up into nine different categories that include apparel, beverage, food, hygiene, household, lifestyle, municipal, packing, and vices.
See the full size version here

July 1, 2016

Spotlight: Pyro Spectaculars’ Gary Souza on the Art of Creating Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks

When America celebrates her 240th birthday on Monday, Gary Souza will be marking the occasion in a very big way. As a fireworks designer for Pyro Spectaculars, he is responsible for creating and overseeing the wondrous fireworks that make the nation ooh and aah during Macy's 4th of July Fireworks. This year’s show will be Macy’s 40th annual production, a huge milestone for the department store, and will take place over the East River in Midtown and Lower Manhattan. Pyro Spectaculars is a multigenerational family business begun by Manuel de Sousa after he immigrated from Portugal to the San Francisco area in the early 1900s. Over the years, the business has grown tremendously from creating small fireworks displays to a company that now spans five generations and is responsible for providing fireworks for some of the biggest names in the sports and entertainment industries, including the Winter and Summer Olympics, Super Bowls, Disney, and at concerts for icons such as the Rolling Stones. When it comes to Macy’s, Pyro Spectaculars has a 35-year collaboration with the store that has propelled the fireworks company to develop technology that allows for safer, more elaborate firework creations to come to life. 6sqft recently spoke with Gary to learn about the magnificence of fireworks, what it takes to produce the Macy's show, and some of the exciting new elements at this year’s display.
Read the interview here

June 30, 2016

INTERVIEW: Deborah Berke on Becoming Dean of Yale Architecture School, and Her New Book

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

July is a big month for Deborah Berke, the founder of the New York-based architecture and design firm Deborah Berke Partners. Not only will Ms. Berke become Dean of the Yale Architecture School on July 1st (the first woman to do so in the school’s 100-year history), taking over for Robert A.M. Stern, but her new […]

June 28, 2016

Cost of Living Calculator Shows Just How Much Cheaper It Is to Live in Other U.S. Cities

By Dana Schulz

The results of a recent annual survey ranked New York as the city with the 11th highest cost of living in the world, the only U.S. city to crack the top 25 and jumping five spots from the past two years, according to NBC News. It's this increasingly burdensome financial state that causes many New Yorkers to relocate -- whether they want to start saving or just plain can't afford the skyrocketing rents and lifestyle anymore. But figuring out where to go next can be the hard part if you really want to make the most of your move. That's where the idea for the Cost of Living Calculator came from. The handy tool from Pay Scale uses your salary, job title, current location, and the city where you're considering a move to show the cost of living difference, as well as how much you'll need to earn in the new location to maintain your current standard of living.
READ MORE

City Living

June 27, 2016

Interview: COOKFOX Partner Brandon Specketer on Biophilia’s Role in Building Design

You’ve certainly heard of LEED and Passive House in architecture, but what about biophilia? For COOKFOX, adding nature to a building and all the elements that surround it is a no-brainer. They strongly believe that humans have a deep, innate connection and love of nature, and in an urbanscape, they only way we can live fulfilled lives […]

June 24, 2016

Spotlight: Kristin Heckler Delivers Bouquets on Wheels at Uprooted Flower Truck

In a city where ever-rising rents often hamper potential small business owners from opening a storefront, mobile retail has become a popular alternative. Food trucks certainly led the way over the last few years, but the business model has spread beyond the culinary world and now includes a flower shop on wheels. A year ago, Ashley Custer and Kristin Heckler introduced New York to Uprooted Flower Truck. The business parks in neighborhoods around Manhattan to sell their New York-inspired, hand-tied bouquets available in three sizes: studio, loft, and penthouse. The driving force behind Uprooted is to not only bring flowers directly to New Yorkers, but to help people engage with and hopefully gain a deeper appreciation for them. 6sqft recently spoke with Kristin to learn more about this budding business and how it’s developing a unique identity in the city.
Read our interview with Kristin

June 21, 2016

The King of FiDi: Developer Nathan Berman Talks Transforming Downtown and 443 Greenwich

By Annie Doge

He’s been called the King of FiDi with over 2200 apartments under his management. The founder and principal of Metro Loft Management, Nathan Berman specializes in transforming landmark office buildings into luxury rentals. He recently acquired the leasehold for 20 Broad Street, the former New York Stock Exchange building, and plans to convert it to white-glove rental […]

Spotlight: New York Croquet Club’s Peter Timmins Brings the Game to Central Park

If you head west on the road that winds by the Sheep Meadow in Central Park, there's a good chance you'll see New Yorkers dressed in white, playing croquet on a stretch of green lawn. Yes, the sport associated with tea parties and country clubs has a home in New York thanks to the New York Croquet Club. But the club’s dedicated members are not playing the typical backyard version. Instead, they're playing American Six-Wicket Croquet, an iteration of the sport played in the United States that exists on the croquet spectrum alongside the internationally played Association Rules as well as the widely popular Golf Croquet. American Six-Wicket is an intense game that's full of strategy, as players try to maneuver balls with their mallets in ways that are hard for those unfamiliar with the sport to imagine. At the New York Croquet Club’s helm is Peter Timmins, an ambassador for the sport in New York City. Peter tells everyone he meets to give croquet a try at one of the club’s free Monday evening clinics, which is exactly how he was first introduced to it. 6sqft recently spoke with Peter to learn about the complexities and excitement of croquet and why there is nothing better than playing the sport in Central Park.
Read the full interview here

June 15, 2016

Lighting Science’s Fred Maxik Discusses How to Use Interior Light to Improve Sleep and Health

Studies have shown that getting a good night's sleep is critical to keeping one's self happy, healthy and fully functioning. But with advances in technology, modern humans have increasingly found themselves typing and swiping into the wee hours of the night without any regard for what time it is. Unfortunately, exposure to light before bed can have serious negative effects on our body, messing with our circadian rhythms and suppressing our ability to produce melatonin—the hormone that controls our sleep and wake cycles. But beyond feeling tired and irritable the next day, not getting enough sleep also has tremendous long-term effects that include, but are certainly not limited to, depression, immune stress, weight gain, premature aging and disease. Luckily, there are researchers out there harnessing the power of the light spectrum to engineer light bulbs that work with our bodies and environment, rather than against them. To help urban dwellers sleep better, we tapped Lighting Science Group founder and Chief Technology Officer Fred Maxik to learn more about the challenges we face when it comes to city and indoor light, as well as for some tips on how to improve health, productivity, sleep, and even happiness by simply switching bulbs. Lighting Science is one of the world’s leading LED manufacturers and they've worked with everyone from NASA to national sports teams to the creators of the Lowline Underground Park.
Learn more about what lighting is best for your home and health here

June 10, 2016

Spotlight: ‘New Yorker’ Cartoonist Roz Chast Reflects on the City and Her Work

By Cait Etherington

Photograph of Roz Chast in her Studio, 2015, by Jeremy Clowe. Norman Rockwell Collections In April, the Museum of the City of New York opened a new exhibit featuring the work of Roz Chast. While not every New Yorker may know Roz by name, most New Yorkers are familiar with her illustrations. In 1978, just a year after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Art and Design, Roz dropped off her portfolio at The New Yorker. The magazine not only selected one of her drawings for publication but also told Roz to keep the work coming. Since then, she has published over 1,200 works in The New Yorker, including 18 covers. And perhaps more than any other contemporary illustrator, Chast—a born and raised New Yorker—has consistently managed to capture the humor, beauty and at times, the sheer difficulty of living in the city. Ahead we catch up with Roz, who reflects on her New York upbringing, her love for interiors, and what makes NYC so different from other cities.
read our interview with roz chast here

June 9, 2016

MAP: Visualizing Urban Development from 3700 B.C. to 2000 A.D.

Previously, 6sqft featured an interactive map from Esri that showed how the world's population boomed over the course of 2,000 years. Now comes a new paper and visualization (h/t CityLab) from Scientific Data that takes population and archeological records from as far back as 2250 B.C. and transforms them into a fascinating map that reveals the world's first recorded urban centers, and how they've distributed themselves over 6,000 years.
the complete map here

City Living

June 7, 2016

Shhhh… A Look at New York’s Ongoing Battle With Noise

By Cait Etherington

New Yorkers may be surprised to learn that they do not live in the world’s loudest city. That dubious honor goes to Mumbai where noise levels have been known to reach close to 124dB. To put this figure into perspective, 124dB is somewhere between the sound levels typically reached by chain saws (120dB) and the […]

June 6, 2016

Interview: Engineer Joseph Gulden Discusses Wooden Skyscrapers Surpassing 1,000 Feet

Could wood one day again be the material of choice for buildings? In response to rising construction costs and climate change, there's been a resurgence of interest in wood construction, with some even saying that we're in the beginnings of a "timber age." Many architects, engineers and builders have started to embrace the material, having erected, or making plans to construct, high-rises that reach several hundred feet in the air. In fact, in April, one architecture firm proposed bringing a 1,000-foot timber tower to London's Barbican. But is wood really a reliable alternative to concrete and steel? What about fire safety? And how tall can we really go at this point in time without compromising a building's structural integrity? To answer these questions and many more, 6sqft decided to pick the brain of DeSimone Project Manager Joseph Gulden. DeSimone is one of the world's leading engineering firms with a roster of top NYC projects that include Zaha Hadid's High Line project, 220 Central Park South and 45 East 22nd Street; Joseph himself is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) as well as a licensed Structural Engineer (SE) with extensive experience constructing in regions with high seismic risk. He's also worked on numerous high-rises and tall wood structures both in the U.S. and abroad. Ahead Joseph discusses some of the challenges and advantages of building with wood, engineered timber, deforestation concerns, and if a wooden supertall will ever be in reach.
read the interview here

June 3, 2016

Spotlight: Adam Caslow Carries on ‘A Lox’ of History at Acme Smoked Fish

For many smear-loving New Yorkers, there's no better way to usher in the weekend than with a bagel and lox. And one of the companies keeping this culinary tradition alive is Brooklyn-based Acme Smoked Fish, a family business that traces its roots back to 1906 when Harry Brownstein started selling fish out of a wagon. For over 100 years, members of the Brownstein and Caslow families have been providing New York with smoked salmon, herring, fish salads, and other specialties. Adam Caslow and his cousin David Caslow are part of Acme’s fourth generation, continuing to grow the company and adapt to the city's current "Renaissance in appetizing." 6sqft recently spoke with Adam to learn more about Acme's rich history, smoked fish, and how he feels about carrying on a family tradition.
Read the full interview

June 2, 2016

Fusing Art and Luxury Real Estate, Two Pros Discuss Their Approach

With so many high-end and ultra-luxury towers coming to the market, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for developers to stand out in the crowd. While wild amenities have typically dominated as a way to distinguish one’s building, some developers are trying to extend their reach even further by appealing to the artistic sensibilities of the wealthy. As CityRealty writes, for […]

May 27, 2016

Spotlight: Adam Blumenthal Keeps Magic Alive at 91-Year-Old Tannen’s

At a time when the inner workings of so many things have been demystified, magic still has the ability to stump us. But for magicians to make tricks look seamless, a tremendous amount of time is invested in perfecting the craft and engaging with colleagues who can help them grow and develop their skills. And in New York, magic is cultivated on a daily basis above the hustle and bustle of 34th Street at Tannen’s Magic. The business has been serving the magic community since Louis Tannen opened a street stand in 1925. He later took the business indoors, where it became a gathering place for magicians of all ages and skill levels to purchase and practice their tricks. The current keeper of Tannen’s tradition is Adam Blumenthal, who fell in love with magic at a young age, in part thanks to the store, and is now responsible for ensuring its legacy and introducing it to a new generation of magicians. 6sqft recently spoke with Adam to learn more about magic, Tannen’s, and New York’s magicians.
Read the interview here

$40 Million Overhaul Will Make 8 Parks More Neighborhood-Friendly

Image: Fort Greene Park Conservancy

May 25, 2016

$40 Million Overhaul Will Make 8 Parks More Neighborhood-Friendly

The city has announced plans to make eight of the city's parks more welcoming and integrated into their surrounding neighborhoods, the New York Times reports. According to officials, the green-space face-lifts are part of a plan to improve city parks and part of the larger goal of having 85 percent of New Yorkers living within walking distance of a park. The parks, chosen by a nomination process that used feedback from residents, include Seward Park on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Faber Pool and Park on the North Shore of Staten Island, Jackie Robinson Park in northern Manhattan, Van Cortlandt Park and Hugh Grant Circle and Virginia Park in the Bronx, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, and Fort Greene and Prospect Parks in Brooklyn. According to parks commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, the many improvement suggestions the city received were "proof positive of how excited New Yorkers are to increase accessibility and openness in their favorite parks.”
Find out more about the park plans

May 25, 2016

POLL: Can New York’s Middle Class Stage a Comeback?

By Dana Schulz

The lack of affordability in New York is typically, and justly, blamed on skyrocketing rents, but when it comes to the middle class it might be more closely tied to a lack of jobs. The Wall Street Journal shares a new report from the Center for an Urban Future, which finds that "while the city added a record number of jobs since 2011, middle-wage industries paying between $40,000 and $80,000 a year added the fewest positions, and a lot of those were temp jobs." Additionally, middle-wage jobs lost the most employees. Low-wage industries (paying under $40,000) such as restaurants and home health care services disproportionately added the most jobs. However, the report also points to a few factors that may indicate a comeback for the middle class. For one, middle-wage industries accounted for three of the eight sectors with a net gain of at least 10,000 jobs since 2011. These are employment services, building equipment contractors, and colleges/universities, respectively. In total, 23 middle-wage sectors added at least 1,000 jobs during this time, not far off from the low-wage sector's 24 and high-wage's 28. But are these figures enough to give the middle class staying power?
Cast your vote here!

City Living

May 24, 2016

Your Daily Commute Never Looked So Good As It Does in This Colorful Data Visualization

The daily commute to work and back might be the last thing you want to see more of, but sometimes it helps to see things in a new light: Here's your daily traffic torment, subway sardine-fest or bus-stop hustle, represented in candy-colored motion. Michigan-based data wrangler Mark Evans shows us the workday migrations of American commuters using census data so that they resemble a jubilant gathering of rainbow dots, expanding and contracting from each county with the day's open and close (h/t Citylab).
Check out your colorful commute

City Living

May 20, 2016

Spotlight: Frank Cullen Wants to Teach You the Joys of Surfing at Rockaway Beach

While temperatures outside are still a bit chilly, New York’s devoted wetsuit-clad surfers at Rockaway Beach are not deterred. Right now they have plenty of room in the water, but in the next few weeks there will be a bit more traffic when the busy summer crowds arrive at this popular surf spot. Amongst the experienced longboarders and shortboarders, there will be a fair number of newbies who'll be starting their surfing journey under the guidance of Frank Cullen and the New York Surf School. Frank has deep roots at Rockaway Beach. He first began surfing with the local guys during summers and later founded the New York Surf School there. When not out teaching kids and adults how to catch a wave, Frank is also a real estate broker working in Rockaway and parts of Brooklyn. Given his connection to the beach as a surfer and local resident, while also dabbling in local real estate, it goes without saying that he possesses a unique perspective on the changes taking place at Rockaway Beach. 6sqft recently spoke with Frank to find out more about surfing at Rockaway Beach, the New York Surf School, and to find out how he thinks the neighborhood will continue to change in the coming years.
read the interview here

May 18, 2016

Study: Is NYC ‘Youthful’ Enough to Keep Millennials From Leaving?