City Living

March 5, 2015

$19.05 Is the Perfect Amount to Load on a MetroCard so You Won’t Have Leftover Change

If you don't get an unlimited weekly or monthly MetroCard, you probably put random amounts on your card each time, or you might select one of the MTA's payment prompts–a $9.00 MetroCard with a $.45 bonus, a $19.00 card with a $.95 bonus, or a $39.00 card with a $1.95 bonus. If you fall into one of these two camps, you're likely always left with a useless amount of change on the card that will never add up to the $2.50 it costs for a single train ride. All of that leftover change going unused on thousands of MetroCards each day is being collected by the MTA, in what seems like a purposeful tactic. But now, thanks to statistician Ben Wellington, we have the solution to one of NYC life's biggest dilemmas–$19.05 is the is the perfect amount to load on your MetroCard so that you'll get eight subway rides without a penny left over.
Find out how Wellington arrived at this number

March 4, 2015

New Website Will Help New Yorkers Find Out if Their Apartment Is Rent Stabilized

By Dana Schulz

Let's face it, we all feel that we're paying too much for our tiny NYC apartments, and while for most of us that's just the name of the game, for others who are living in a rent-stabilized unit but being charged market-rate rent, it's actually true. Want to know if you fall into that boat? A new website called amirentstabilized.com will help you find out. The site allows renters to search their building to see if it's on the city's list of addresses with rent stabilized units. Unfortunately, it can't tell you if your specific apartment is one of them, but it's a great first step and provides resources for confirming your unit's status, as well as filing a complaint if you're being overcharged.
Find out more here

A Tale of Two Cities: Disco-Era Bushwick Burns While Manhattan Boogies (PHOTOS)

The Village People Stepping Out, The Grand Ballroom, NY, NY, June 1978 (l); Three Amigos, Bushwick (r). By Meryl Meisler.

March 3, 2015

A Tale of Two Cities: Disco-Era Bushwick Burns While Manhattan Boogies (PHOTOS)

By Michelle Cohen

It’s 2015 and Bushwick is on fire. But instead of being lost to the flames of neglect and destruction, buildings are being sold and rented like hotcakes. Photographer Meryl Meisler’s first monograph, “Disco Era Bushwick: A Tale of Two Cities,” published by Bizarre Bushwick gives us an insider’s view of the streets and scenes of New York City during the glam/gritty 1970s and ‘80s when Manhattan’s iconic dance clubs like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage were in their heyday–and there was no brunch to be had in Bushwick.
See more of a bad and bygone Bushwick this way

March 3, 2015

VIDEO: Inside the Adrenaline-Filled Lives of NYC Urban Explorers

By Dana Schulz

Whether it's climbing the 90 flights of stairs to the top of 432 Park or roaming abandoned subway tunnels, the boundary-pushing feats of urban explorers have given us some of the most amazing views of city life that we'll probably never experience first-hand on our own. After spending several weeks tagging along with some self-professed urban explorers, filmmaker Jeff Seal has released a short video that documents the literal highs and lows that these adrenaline junkies go to for an Instagram-worthy shot.
Watch the video here

City Living

New Yorker Spotlight: Paleontologist Mark Norell Spends His Days with Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History

Photo © AMNH

February 27, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Paleontologist Mark Norell Spends His Days with Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History

By Susan Cohen

While the closest to dinosaurs most of us come is plastic toys and the occasional viewing of Jurassic Park, Mark Norell gets up close and personal with these prehistoric creatures on a daily basis, and it's fair to say he has one of the most interesting jobs in New York. As the division chair and curator-in-charge of the American Museum of Natural History’s Division of Paleontology and professor at Richard Gilder Graduate School, Mark's work is very exciting. He studies not just dinosaurs, but a wide range of fossils from various time periods, and conducts research that benefits our understanding of both the prehistoric and modern world. And an extra perk of the job is surely his office–he occupies the entire top floor of the museum's historic turret on the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West (we don't recall Ross Geller getting an office like that!). We recently spoke with Mark to learn more about paleontology and what it's like to work at the museum.
Read the full interview here

February 26, 2015

Apartable Website Helps Renters Find Out if a Building Has a Negligent Landlord

By Diane Pham

Looking to buy in NYC is a task, but finding the right place to rent can be a veritable nightmare. While apartments may look spic 'n span on the surface, oftentimes tenants find out the hard way (e.g. after hastily throwing down thousands on a broker fee and signing a two-year lease for fear of losing out on the space) that their landlord is pretty terrible when it comes to maintenance and safety. Enter Apartable, a new website that helps potential tenants investigate whether or not a building they're interested in is a slum they need to avoid, or if it's up to snuff.
Find out more here

City Living

February 25, 2015

Do You Really Know Your Neighborhood? Interactive Map Helps You Find Out More on Who’s Around

By Diane Pham

No, this isn't a celebrity stalker map. This cool new map from PlaceILive lets you find out more about how your neighborhood rates when it comes to everything from demographics to health to transportation to daily life, safety, sports and leisure and entertainment, which even takes into account how many ramen houses and cheese shops are within reach.
Find out more here

City Living

February 23, 2015

Interactive Map Pinpoints Where in NYC Tourists Flock (and Locals Avoid)

By Diane Pham

If you're a New Yorker who grumbles at the sight of slowpoke tourists lollygagging down Manhattan's crowded streets, you'll want to see this map created by data artist Eric Fischer called "Locals & Tourists." Fischer collected tweets from across the five boroughs (and beyond) to determine what areas were most concentrated with out-of-towners (the red) and what areas were dominated by locals (the blue).
Find out more here

City Living

February 20, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Min Liao of Whole Foods on Ditching Take-Out and Cooking Fresh at Home

By Diane Pham

For many, Whole Foods still automatically means "Whole Paycheck," but Min Liao is set on changing our thinking that fresh, organic food and fine dining are reserved for just a few. Min is the Culinary Center director at the Whole Foods Market (WFM) on Bowery and the brains behind the school's incredible course offering where menus range from handmade pasta dishes to "Les Essentiels-Chocolate" and whipping up eggs the way the Israelis do. The center is a delight designed specifically for the average New Yorker, focusing on growing culinary confidence, even in a small kitchen that might not have all the right tools. And best of all? The classes are inexpensive and often cost no more than $50. (There are even free ones!) We recently caught up with Min to find out how she got into the business of food and to find out what makes the WFM Culinary Center different from other cooking schools in the city. Keep reading for our interview ahead, and if you want to give a class a try, enter our latest giveaway. Min and her team are hosting a "Dumplings of the World" private cooking class for eight 6sqft readers at the center (enter here).
Let's get cookin' with Min here

INTERVIEW: Marcelo Ertorteguy and Sara Valente of Stereotank on Fusing Architecture and Music

Marcelo and Sara at the unveiling of HeartBeat, image via Times Square NYC Flickr

February 18, 2015

INTERVIEW: Marcelo Ertorteguy and Sara Valente of Stereotank on Fusing Architecture and Music

By Dana Schulz

Marcelo Ertorteguy and Sara Valente want you to do more than just admire their architectural designs from afar–they want you to hear them. The Venezuelan-born designers are the brains behind the creative firm Stereotank, where they create public art installations that fuse the disciplines of architecture, music, environmental sciences and much more. From Taku-Tanku, a traveling, floating house made out of water tanks, to HeartBeat, an urban drum installation currently on view in Times Square, all of Stereotank's innovative work takes a fresh and playful approach to socially conscious designs that engage their audiences. We recently chatted with Marcelo and Sara about how they developed their unique design philosophy and what their creations mean to them and New Yorkers.
Read the interview here

GIVEAWAY: Win a Spot in 6sqft’s Private Cooking Class at the Whole Foods Market Culinary Center!

By Alyssa Alimurung

Whether you're the worst cook in the world or a seasoned top chef, it's always fun to cook with others and learn more about the craft. We've partnered up with our friends at Whole Foods Market to host a private cooking class for eight lucky 6sqft readers in their Bowery Culinary Center! In this two-hour class you'll learn how to whip four delicious dishes—made with fresh and yummy products right from Whole Foods—in their state-of-the-art kitchen alongside pro chef and Culinary Center educator Chef Wai Chu. Wai will be teaching his hit class "Dumplings of the World", a fun, very hands-on course that will afford you plenty of Instagram-worthy moments alongside your delicious creations. To enter, all you need to do is: 1. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Fill out the form below and click Subscribe. You'll get a confirmation e-mail a couple minutes later. Be sure to click Confirm in the e-mail to be added to our list! P.S. If you're already signed up for our newsletter, just leave a comment below telling us what you love to cook. Email Address First Name Last Name 2. Like our Facebook page Just click the Like button below. And that's it—you're entered to win a spot in our cooking class! The deadline to enter is Wednesday, February 25th. We'll be announcing the winners on the 26th in our newsletter so make sure you're signed up. Please note that the class is will be on Wednesday, March 4th.
Check out the menu for our private course here

City Living

In 2080 NYC Will Be Hotter, Rainier, and 39 Inches Underwater

Homes damaged from Hurricane Sandy flooding © 6sqft

February 18, 2015

In 2080 NYC Will Be Hotter, Rainier, and 39 Inches Underwater

By Dana Schulz

Or at least that's what a report released today by the New York City Panel on Climate Change says. Looking at the next century, the startling analysis finds that average temperatures could rise 4.1 to 5.7 degrees by the 2050s and as much as 8.8 degrees by the 2080s; yearly heat waves will triple in occurance; there will be many more days over 90 and 100 degrees; annual precipitation will increase by 5 to 13 percent by the '80s; the Northeast will see more intense hurricanes with extreme winds; and sea levels are expected to rise 18 to 39 inches by the '80s and 22 to 50 inches by 2100, meaning the amount of land within FEMA's proposed flood insurance rate maps will double, covering 99 square miles of the city. But don't start planning your exodus just yet. The Mayor's Office is well aware that their findings "underscore the urgency of not only mitigating our contributions to climate change, but adapting our city to its risks."
More on the report and see the full map

February 17, 2015

New Map Reveals the Loudest and Quietest Places in the USA, As Suspected NYC Is Noisy

By Diane Pham

Looking for peace and quiet? Well you aren’t going to find it in NYC–or for the most part, the eastern half of the United States. A fascinating new map created by the National Park Service (NPS) shows us where we can find solace in silence (head for the dark blue) and where to expect sleepless nights […]

City Living

February 13, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Curator Sarah Forbes on the Museum of Sex (It’s Not Exactly What You Think It Is)

By Susan Cohen

If you've walked along lower Fifth Avenue, then the Museum of Sex most certainly has caught your eye; maybe you've even visited it and seen a few of the exhibits curated by Sarah Forbes. Sarah is the museum's sole curator, which means it's her job to conceive and oversee exhibitions on a myriad of topics related to sex. Her goal is the same as the museum's goal: to expand visitors' horizons and to dispel myths and misconceptions that are out there. Beyond educating the public through its oftentimes provocative exhibits, the Museum of Sex is dedicated to sharing information and artwork through its permanent collection of over 15,000 artifacts as well as its research library and media archive. With Valentine's Day approaching, we couldn't think of a better time to chat with Sarah to find out more about New York's relationship with sex, how the museum helps the city understand it differently, and why it's the perfect spot to celebrate the holiday.
Read on for our interview with Sarah

February 13, 2015

Would You Live on the 13th Floor of a Building? A Look at Our Irrational Fear of Numbers

By Diane Pham

In honor of Friday the 13th, The Atlantic took a look at the number 13—and namely how obsessively superstitious some individuals can be when it comes to certain digits and our inclination to apply a deeper meaning to them. 18, for instance, is chai in Hebrew, which means life; while number 2 represents balance and cooperation in Chinese; and of course we're all familiar with the divine and oh-so-lucky number 7. But then there's 13, a number generally looked upon as especially sinister, particularly in Western culture. In fact, 13 is so suspect that there's even a scientific name for the fear of the number: triskaidekaphobia (a fear of Friday the 13th the date is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, by the way). But here's the funnest bit in the piece that really grabbed our attention: Taking a closer look at New York's residential buildings with the help of CityRealty, they found that of the 629 buildings with 13 or more floors, only 55 had labeled the 13th floor as the 13th floor—that's only 9 percent of the total. Common placeholders they found were 14, 12B, 14A, M (the 13th letter in the alphabet) or simply "Penthouse" if the top unit sat on the 13th floor.
More from the 13th Floor here

February 12, 2015

re-fashioNYC Makes It Easy to Clean Out Your Closet by Coming to You

By Michelle Cohen

NYC Fashion Week kicks off today–what better time to de-clutter, de-hoard, and make some room in your closet. Every year New Yorkers jettison approximately 200,000 tons of clothing, shoes, handbags and other textiles and clothing items. re-fashioNYC is a partnership between the NYC Department of Sanitation and Housing Works that is making it easier than ever to donate those items instead. The convenient in-building service will supply collection bins to your apartment building (with over 10 units), workplace, gym, school or other public building, then collect the contents whenever the bins are full. re-fashioNYC is completely nonprofit and charitable–all proceeds from donations support the charitable mission of Housing Works to end homelessness and AIDS. Nothing donated is sent to landfills.
Find out more

City Living

February 11, 2015

Experience the City’s Skyscrapers in Cartoons with The New Yorker’s Bob Mankoff

By Diane Pham

Condé Nast's move into One World Trade Center means more than just the offices of Vogue settling in downtown, but also some other 3,000-odd editors, writers and advertising folks that make up the publishing giant's empire. Amongst these magazines is, of course, The New Yorker. In this week's installment of the magazine's "Cartoon Lounge," cartoon editor and cartoonist Bob Mankoff takes a moment to commemorate the magazine's move into the supertall icon by musing over the skyscrapers that have appeared in The New Yorker since the city's 1920s building boom. From his office on the 38th floor of One World Trade, watch as he shares his favorite cartoons and his own experience of seeing the New York City skyline as a kid in Queens. This video is sure to make you smile!
Watch the video here

New Research Shows More Than 58 Percent of NYC Airbnb Listings Possibly Illegal

Photo courtesy of Airbnb via Facebook

February 11, 2015

New Research Shows More Than 58 Percent of NYC Airbnb Listings Possibly Illegal

By Dana Schulz

Airbnb has been under constant scrutiny in recent months, whether for its potential threat to the affordable housing market or the fallout for bed and breakfasts forced to shutter in the wake of the battle. Now, new research from Capital New York shows that more than 58 percent of New York City's Airbnb listings could be illegal, as they are for "entire apartments or houses, meaning no one else would be present during a stay." According to a state multiple dwelling law that was introduced in 2010, it's illegal to lease homes (excluding one- and two-family homes) for less than 30 days when the owner or tenant isn't present. But Capital found that of the 15,977 apartments listings on Airbnb, only one cites a requirement for a stay longer than a month. While the data isn't conclusive on how many listings could be exempt from the law, more than 10,000 listings are in Manhattan where single-family residences are less likely.
More on the findings ahead

February 10, 2015

What Would NYC Look Like If Sea Levels Rose 100 Feet?

By Dana Schulz

We know that rising sea levels are one of the scarier parts of global climate change. Just take a walk past the beachfront houses in the Rockaways or on Staten Island that have been raised on stilts. According to the Real Deal, "the US Geological Survey estimates that if all the world’s glaciers melted, sea level would rise by about 80 meters, or more than 260 feet." Though this could take thousands of years, it would make unrecognizable many of the world's coastal cities, including New York City. A stunning map series created by Jeffrey Linn, a Seattle resident with a background in geography and urban planning, visualizes major US cities in "this doomsday scenario" using actual geographic data. In New York City, after sea levels rose just 100 feet, the island of Manhattan is almost submerged; Brooklyn and Queens look like little archipelagos; and the Statue of Liberty is out to sea.
More details ahead

City Living

February 9, 2015

PlaceInvaders Invites You to Have Dinner in NYC’s Most Extraordinary Private Homes

By Diane Pham

There's definitely no shortage of amazing homes to ogle over from your desktop (especially when on 6sqft), but how often do you actually get to experience one of these places up close and personal? PlaceInvaders is a cool new local startup that gives us regular folks the keys to some of the city's most incredible apartments. Here individuals are invited to schmooze with fellow NYC inhabitants while also wining and dining on often experimental fare. PlaceInvaders recently brought foodies into Cindy Gallop's infamous “Black Apartment,” while another event found a group eating delicious moose pot pie (yes, you read that right) in an artist's loft overlooking the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Find out how to sign up here

February 9, 2015

Mapping Where in NYC Millennials Live

By Dana Schulz

The initial results may not surprise you–young adults living in New York City tend to set up shop in North Brooklyn, the Far West Side, the Upper East Side, the East Village and western Queens. This data is courtesy of a new mapping project from the University of Waterloo School of Planning in Ontario called Generationed City. Using census and crowd-sourced data, the project compares demographic patterns of millennials (typically defined as those born between 1980 and 2000) to that of older generations like baby boomers. It looks at North American cities with populations over 1 million where it's commonly accepted that millennials live in central parts of cities. While the largest chunk of NYC-based data is pretty on par with what we already knew, there are some other trends, both within the city and compared with other cities, that are a bit more curious.
More findings ahead

February 6, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: CurlNYC Has Brought Curling to New York and They Want You to Try It

By Susan Cohen

Maybe it's the throwing, or the sweeping, or just the way the athletes yell down the ice, but something about curling intrigues us every four years during the Winter Olympics. And now, thanks to the efforts of CurlNYC, New Yorkers can try their hand at the game. Since 2013, CurlNYC has been on a mission to get the city hooked on the sport. The visionaries behind this start-up are Dean Roth, Dean Gemmell, a former U.S. Curling National Champion who competed at the 2012 World Championships, and Chad McMullan. Their eventual goal is to build the first ice facility in the five boroughs dedicated to the sport, and they're well on their way. Upsilon Ventures hired the group to manage the curling program at LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Brooklyn's Prospect Park and the South Street Seaport. CurlNYC has a roster of curling instructors, like husband-and-wife duo Luke Hansen and Kendall Speten-Hansen, to introduce the sport through demonstrations at both locations and during league play at Lakeside. We recently spoke with U.S. National Champion Dean Gemmell and curling instructors Kendall and Luke to find out why New York and curling are a winning combination.
Read the full interview here

February 6, 2015

The NYC Subway Is Filled with Bacteria and DNA from Unidentifiable Organisms

By Diane Pham

If you're a hand sanitizer-wielding New Yorker who often finds yourself ridiculed by friends for your hypochondriac germaphobe ways, good news, because you've got the last laugh—sort of. A team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College spent the past 17 months mapping the DNA found in the New York City subway system, and what they uncovered will certainly make your skin crawl. Not only were some bacteria samples associated with bubonic plague and anthrax, but they also found that nearly half of the DNA found on subway infrastructure—we're talking turnstiles and ticket kiosks amongst other things—did not match any known organism.
Find out more here

February 5, 2015

Musical Data Project is the Soundtrack to Income Inequality Along the Subway

By Dana Schulz

While we love a good infographic or interactive map, this "musical data-viz project" really sparked our interest as a new way of looking at geographic trends. Artist and programmer Brian Foo translated a 1.5-hour subway ride on the 2 train into a 4.5 minute song that rises and falls based on the income of the neighborhood the train is passing through. What results is an audibly beautiful rendition of the often not-so-pretty diversity in the city's income levels.
Listen to the full song here

February 4, 2015

A $10 Million Tree Grows in Sean Lennon’s West 13th Street Front Yard

By Annie Doge

Well, at least that's what one disgruntled Greenwich Village neighbor is hoping. Gary and Addie Tomei, parents of actress Marisa Tomei, have filed a lawsuit against next-door neighbor Sean Lennon, son of John and Yoko, alleging that a tree on his property (153 West 13th Street) has spread its roots onto their property (155 West 13th Street), cracking the stoop, breaking the railings, and coming through the basement floor of their townhouse. Sure, they want Lennon to chop the tree down, but they also want $10 million, according to the Post.
More details on the neighborly beef

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