Manhattan

May 27, 2021

An Italian spa with outdoor thermal pools will open on Governors Island this summer

A luxury European day spa will open on Governors Island this summer. From the same group behind Italy's QC Terme Spa & Resorts, QC NY features outdoor thermal pools facing the Manhattan skyline, relaxation rooms, steam rooms and saunas, and a wellness-focused cafe. An official opening date has not been released but is expected to be announced soon.
Get the details
May 27, 2021

The two-level terrace is a private getaway at this $2.1M Greenwich Village co-op

The secluded, bi-level roof terrace at this two-bedroom Greenwich Village co-op is truly magical. Located at 49 East 12th Street, between University and Broadway, the seventh-floor outdoor space overlooks the low-scale neighborhood while still providing views of the larger skyline. The split-level interior is just as cozy, with a wood-burning fireplace, exposed brick walls, and a solarium bedroom. It's asking $2,095,000.
See inside, too
May 26, 2021

Hudson Yards’ Vessel will reopen with a buddy system in place

In January, Hudson Yards' 150-foot climbable sculpture Vessel closed after three people jumped to their deaths from the structure. According to a report in Gothamist, the attraction will reopen this Friday, but with new protocols in place. First, single people will no longer be able to enter Vessel; they will have to visit in groups of two or more. And instead of being free, most time slots will now cost $10 per person.
READ MORE
May 26, 2021

Asking $2.1M, author E.L. Doctorow’s former Sutton Place home is perfect for any aspiring writer

With a library, built-in bookshelves, and views that could cure writer's block, this Sutton Place home is perfect for any aspiring novelist. It worked for the apartment's former owner, the late author E.L. Doctorow, who penned The March, Homer & Langley, and Andrew's Brain here. Located at 333 East 57th Street, the 3,000-square-foot co-op is now on the market for $2,100,000.
Find out more
May 21, 2021

In Hudson Heights, this rare Castle Village cottage is asking $1.65M

Castle Village is not exactly a castle anymore. It's so named because developer Charles V. Paterno built the five-building co-op complex in 1939 on the site of his former castle-like residence, on the highest bluff above the Hudson River. But there is one remnant of the original estate that remains--four townhouse-like cottages that were once the castle's outbuildings. It's very rare that one of these homes hits the market, but here we have number four asking $1,650,000. The charming home has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a finished basement, and a sunroom and patio that overlook the Hudson River and gardens below.
Go inside here
May 20, 2021

NYC’s newest park Little Island finally opens on the Hudson River

The offshore public park in the Hudson River that almost didn't get built officially opens on Friday. Designed by Heatherwick Studio and MNLA, Little Island at Pier 55 is designed to resemble a leaf floating on water, with an undulating base of tulip-shaped concrete pots ranging in elevation from 15 feet to 62 feet. The two-acre park features a 687-seat amphitheater, a plaza with concessions, a small stage, and incredible views, all surrounded by an abundance of greenery.
Get the details
May 20, 2021

Google is opening its first-ever retail store in Chelsea this summer

This summer, New Yorkers will be able to head over to a storefront in Chelsea to buy Fitbits, Pixel phones, and Nest products. Google announced that it will be opening its first-ever physical retail store at the former Port Authority building at 15th Street and 9th Avenue. The company bought the building in 2010 for $1.9 billion, later expanding its Chelsea "campus" with the $2.4 billion purchase of Chelsea Market and a deal to lease space at the new Pier 57. "Google has been in New York for the last 20 years, and we view the store as a natural extension of our longtime commitment to the city," the company said in a blog post.
READ MORE
May 20, 2021

42nd-floor members-only rooftop pool reopens at the American Copper Buildings

A 42nd-story rooftop pool overlooking the East River is coming back to New York City for the summer. Located atop the American Copper Buildings in Murray Hill, The Sentry is currently accepting membership applications for its 2021 season, which kicks off ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. Sky-high swimming does not come cheap, however. Memberships start at $2,600 for a single member, $4,300 for couples, and $3,000 for non-residents.
Get the details
May 19, 2021

Daniel Boulud’s Le Pavillon opens at One Vanderbilt with lush greenery and city views

Chef Daniel Boulud this week officially opened Le Pavillon, a new restaurant in the Midtown office tower One Vanderbilt. Located directly across from Grand Central with views of the Chrysler Building, Le Pavillon boasts soaring, 57-foot ceilings and a nature-inspired design by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld that includes lots of greenery and natural elements.
See more here
May 19, 2021

Hamilton Heights brownstone from ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ can be booked on Airbnb for $20/night

Last week, the Hamilton Heights house made famous in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums hit the rental market for $20,000 per month. This week, Airbnb announced the iconic mansion will be available to book this Memorial Day Weekend for just $20 per night. Bookings will open on May 26 at noon for one, two-night stay at the 1899 brownstone beginning May 29.
Get the details
May 18, 2021

Former NAACP headquarters in Greenwich Village is now a New York City landmark

A building in Greenwich Village that once served as the headquarters for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and housed W.E.B. DuBois' trailblazing magazine The Crisis, is now a New York City landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate 70 Fifth Avenue, a Neoclassical Beaux-Arts building designed by Charles A. Rich and built between 1912 and 1914. The commission on Tuesday also landmarked the Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz in Washington Heights.
Find out more
May 18, 2021

NYC’s plan to rezone Soho and Noho moves forward

A proposal to bring more affordable housing in two of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods is moving forward. The City Planning Commission on Monday certified the application to rezone Soho and Noho, kicking off the public review process. The plan replaces existing 1970s-era zoning rules with medium- to high-density mixed-use districts that could create as many as 3,500 new homes, with 900 units of permanently affordable housing.
Get the details
May 18, 2021

New renderings revealed for the 1,646-foot tower that may rise next to Grand Central

In February, we got our first look at the 1,646-foot tower proposed for the Grand Hyatt site next to Grand Central. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the sustainable mixed-use building would rise 83 stories and become the second-tallest tower in NYC behind One World Trade Center. Though 175 Park Avenue takes advantage of the Midtown East Rezoning, developers RXR Realty and TF Cornerstone are still seeking several special zoning permits, including those for hotel use and added height in exchange for transit and infrastructure improvements. To obtain these variances, the project has now entered the city's Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP), and with it, has revealed several new renderings.
All the details here
May 18, 2021

60 Wall Street revamp swaps out postmodern atrium for a skylight and massive 100-foot green wall

The eccentric 1980s atrium at the Financial District office tower 60 Wall Street is getting a 21st-century makeover. As part of a major renovation, owner Paramount Group is ditching the indoor palm trees and man-made rock displays and creating a public space they feel is more attractive in a post-pandemic era. With designs from Kohn Pedersen Fox, the updated atrium of the 47-story tower will boast a new skylight and a 100-foot-tall, block-long interior green wall.
Find out more
May 18, 2021

Rufus Wainwright is selling his Gramercy Park pied-a-terre for $450K

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright used this artsy Gramercy studio to write several of his albums, as well as the opera Prima Donna, according to the Compass listing. He's now looking to offload the pied-a-terre at 38 Gramercy Park North, listing it for $450,000. In addition to these celeb-worthy bragging rights, the new owner can get a coveted key to Gramercy Park.
Look around
May 14, 2021

Jing Fong will stay in Chinatown with new downsized location

New York City's largest Chinese restaurant is downsizing. This Sunday, Jing Fong, will close its Elizabeth Street location, the 20,000-square-foot restaurant known for its 800-person dining room and as a hot spot for dim sum. Thankfully, the iconic spot will be staying in Chinatown, as Eater NY reported, with a new 125-seat restaurant opening in July.
Get the details
May 13, 2021

Tavern on the Green to host concert series featuring Broadway stars

Broadway is back, even sooner than planned. Ahead of the Great White Way's official reopening on September 14, Central Park's iconic Tavern on the Green is offering a sneak peek of the magic to come this fall. The Upper West Side restaurant will host a pop-up concert series, Broadway at Tavern, featuring stars of Broadway, with performances starting on May 25. The event will run through the summer and into the fall.
Get the details
May 12, 2021

170-year-old Greenwich Village buildings will be razed and replaced with high-rise condo tower

Two five-story apartment buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District will be demolished to make way for a 213-foot-tall luxury condo tower. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans from Madison Realty Capital and City Urban Realty to raze 14-16 Fifth Avenue, an apartment building that sits just north of Washington Square Park. Preservationists campaigned against the demolition of the building since the project was first announced in 2017, citing the history of the 170-year-old structure as significant enough for protection.
Find out more
May 12, 2021

The 34th annual Loisaida Festival makes a (virtual) return to the Lower East Side this month

In 1987, Avenue C was renamed Loisaida Avenue, "a Spanglish name for the Lower East Side, connoting the Puerto Rican and Latinx community which have had a significant presence there since the mid-20th century," explained Village Preservation executive director Andrew Berman. That same year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, the vibrant community hosted the first Loisaida Festival to celebrate their neighborhood's culture. Thirty-four years later, and the Festival is still going strong. For the second year, the event will be virtual on two Sundays--May 23 and 30--featuring an exciting roster of musicians, performers, and family-friendly entertainment.
READ MORE
May 12, 2021

Funky $995K Midtown penthouse was made from a mechanical room and a shipping container

The vision of award-winning design studio LOT-EK, this Midtown West penthouse is truly unique. The main living area was transformed from the building's former mechanical room, and it's topped off by a bedroom suite created from a 20-foot shipping container. The whole industrial-style interior features concrete walls and exposed steel pipes and beams, and it's all surrounded by a lush wrap-around terrace overlooking the Empire State Building. Located at 31 West 31st Street, it's on the market for the first time since it was built in 1996, and it's asking $995,000.
Check it out
May 11, 2021

Pre-register now for tickets to One Vanderbilt’s 1,000+ foot observation deck and glass skyboxes

This fall, you'll be able to ride an all-glass elevator up more than 1,000 feet to experience Summit One Vanderbilt, the Midtown tower's new observation deck that features two glass-floored overhangs. The attraction doesn't open until October 21, but you can pre-register on its website now for priority access to tickets. Also opening will be an outdoor bar, the highest urban outdoor alpine meadow in the world, and an immersive art installation.
READ MORE
May 11, 2021

See the massive public lawn that has taken over Lincoln Center’s famous plaza

The Lincoln Center's famed Josie Robertson Plaza has been transformed into a huge green space for the public. Designed by set designer Mimi Lien, the public installation, called "The Green" officially opened on Monday as a place for New Yorkers to lounge, borrow a book from the New York Public Library, and even enjoy pop-up performances hosted by the institution. The Green is the centerpiece of Lincoln Center's "Restart Stages" initiative, which converted the 16-acre campus into 10 new outdoor performance venues last month.
See it here
May 11, 2021

A self-filtering floating pool is officially coming to the East River

A plan to build a swimming pool on the East River is finally moving forward after being in the works for over a decade. In an Instagram post published on Saturday, the nonprofit +POOL announced the group had received confirmation from the city to proceed with due diligence on their project: a floating, self-filtering pool on the south side of Pier 35 on the Lower East Side.
Learn more
May 11, 2021

Macy’s unveils $235M plan for public space and subway accessibility with new Herald Square tower

It's been two years since Macy's first floated the idea of building a 700-950 foot office tower atop its Herald Square flagship, and it looks like the plan is getting closer to reality thanks to a $235 million private investment in transit accessibility and public infrastructure. This includes upgraded subway access, improved transit connections, ADA-accessible elevators, and a modernized car-free Herald Square and Broadway Plaza.
READ MORE
May 10, 2021

New condo 2505 Broadway adapts pre-war elegance for modern Upper West Side living

Long known as a family neighborhood rooted in its pre-war history, the Upper West Side has found a new life in recent years, attracting young professionals and a commercial boom that's brought countless downtown restaurants uptown. And, of course, along with this transition comes a reimaging of the residential market. Take for example the 44-unit condo at 2505 Broadway. It was designed by Eran Chen and the architects at ODA in their signature modular style, but it retains the classic sophistication the neighborhood is known for. The residences are refined yet modern, and there is an array of forward-looking amenities such as a state-of-the-art gym with adjacent flexible space used as a sports court or movie theater, a pet spa, and an outdoor terrace overlooking the Hudson River.
READ MORE
May 10, 2021

This $2.8M West Village co-op feels like an elegant European salon

This two-bedroom West Village co-op could easily pass as a Parisian or London flat, with its elegant, old-world charm. Located at 237 West 11th Street, the home has gorgeous custom millwork and built-ins, chevroned herringbone oak floors, coffered ceilings, antique transoms, and bespoke finishes throughout. It's currently on the market for $2,795,000.
See the whole place