Manhattan

Photo courtesy of CV-19 ESSENTIAL

September 16, 2020

NYC’s first store dedicated to COVID essentials opens in Herald Square

It was bound to happen--a store selling solely coronavirus-related products. CV-19 ESSENTIAL opened today in Herald Square, selling everything from masks and cell phone sanitizers to plexiglass dividers and UV lights. There's even a "Safe Zone" Interactive Experience Center where shoppers can try out the gadgets (we're assuming they'll be sanitized between uses).
READ MORE

City Living

Photos courtesy of The Corcoran Group

September 15, 2020

$1.9M two-bedroom co-op exudes East Village character

By Dana Schulz

Thanks to its tall ceilings, Juliet balcony, and overall eclectic vibe, this apartment could easily pass for a Parisian pad or a London flat, but it's actually right here in the East Village. True to the neighborhood's charm, the two-bedroom co-op at 307 East 12th Street is full of character, and it's asking $1,895,000.
See more

Distinctive Homes

In Midtown, 1,401-foot One Vanderbilt is officially open

Photo courtesy of SL Green

September 14, 2020

In Midtown, 1,401-foot One Vanderbilt is officially open

By Dana Schulz

It's been nearly four years since One Vanderbilt broke ground next to Grand Central, and after topping out one year ago at 1,401 feet, NYC's fourth-tallest tower is officially open to office tenants. Developer SL Green, Manhattan's largest office landlord, held an opening ceremony this morning in which they also unveiled a $220 million package of public open space and transit infrastructure improvements.
Find out more here

New Developments

Manhattan’s 13th Avenue takes claim as the shortest avenue in the entire city

1885 map showing 13th Avenue, via the New York Public Library

September 11, 2020

Manhattan’s 13th Avenue takes claim as the shortest avenue in the entire city

By Emily Nonko

You may be scratching your head at the mention of the 13th Avenue in Manhattan, but it does exist--and it's the shortest avenue in the whole city with a fascinating history behind it. The minuscule stretch covers prime Meatpacking District real estate, just west of 11th Avenue and between Little West 12th Street and Gansevoort Street. The single block across the West Side Highway is unmarked, but officially known as Gansevoort Peninsula. The avenue was created by the city in 1837, and in no way was intended to be so short. In fact, by the mid-1800s 13th Avenue encompassed nearly 15 blocks and was planned to stretch all the way up to 135th Street. But the block never left Chelsea and was mostly destroyed by the city at the turn of the century.
Read all about the life and death of the Avenue

History

$66M triplex penthouse at 111 West 57th Street sits 900 feet above Central Park

Penthouse 72 Loggia, courtesy of 111 West 57th Street

September 11, 2020

$66M triplex penthouse at 111 West 57th Street sits 900 feet above Central Park

By Devin Gannon

Two new impressive units just hit the market at New York City's most slender supertall. At 111 West 57th Street, a three-level, four-bedroom penthouse with over 7,000 square feet of interior space and an additional 1,367 square feet in private outdoor space with picture-perfect views over Central Park has hit the market for $66 million. And a duplex with three bedrooms and unobstructed park views is now asking $39.5 million. The latest multi-million dollar listings at the Billionaires' Row tower come after two $30 million units sold earlier this summer during the coronavirus shut down, giving a boost to the city's nearly stagnant luxury market.
Learn more

Tenement Museum restarts outdoor walking tours

A young Tenement Museum member was treated to an advance tour after starting her own fundraising for the museum and raising $1,000. Photo by Gemma Solomons

September 10, 2020

Tenement Museum restarts outdoor walking tours

By Dana Schulz

The pandemic has taken its toll on almost every New York City museum, but the Lower East Side's Tenement Museum has had it especially hard. Because of the cramped quarters of the historic tenement houses that make up the museum, they've been unable to reopen indoors. As NY1 reported in late July, the museum laid off 76 part-time employees, 71 of whom were tour guides. But there's now a glimmer of hope for the museum that educates people on the history of immigration to New York in the 19th and 20th centuries. They will be restarting their outdoor walking tours for single household groups beginning this weekend.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

September 10, 2020

The best apartments in NYC you can rent for less than $3,000/month

By Devin Gannon

With New York City's listing inventory hitting its highest level in 14 years and net effective rents still falling, according to a new report by real estate appraisers at Miller Samuel, this may be the best time for renters to snag a good deal on an apartment. This week, we're taking a look at the best rentals currently on the market for under $3,000/month. From a Brooklyn studio with outdoor space and on-site laundry to a bright corner one-bedroom on the Lower East Side, find out just how far $3,000 will get you in NYC right now.
Find your next place

Distinctive Homes

Photo by Steven Pisano via Flickr cc

September 10, 2020

Village Halloween Parade cancelled for only the second time in 47 years

By Dana Schulz

Though the Village Halloween Parade was just a small neighborhood gathering in 1973, it has taken place and grown every year since then except after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This year, however, the beloved event is being cancelled for the second time ever due to COVID-19. Jeanne Fleming, who has been the director of the parade since 1985, broke the news yesterday to the Post, but promised New Yorkers a special "trick" in its place, though she's remaining mum on those details for now.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

September 9, 2020

A sunny solarium sets this $1.6M East Village condo apart

By Dana Schulz

At first glance, this one-bedroom condo at 407 East 12th Street is pretty standard, from its contemporary interiors to the $1.6 million price tag. But this East Village home is quite special thanks to a duplex layout, sunny solarium, and a landscaped multi-level terrace.
See more

Distinctive Homes

You can win a private session at Grand Central Terminal’s ‘hidden’ tennis courts

Photo courtesy of Grand Central Terminal

September 9, 2020

You can win a private session at Grand Central Terminal’s ‘hidden’ tennis courts

By Devin Gannon

A contest launched on Tuesday that is tailor-made for lovers of tennis and quirky New York City history. Grand Central Terminal's "Game, Set, & Match" contest will provide one winner and a partner an hour to play tennis at the iconic transit hub's Vanderbilt Tennis Club, located in a hard-to-find location on the terminal's fourth floor. In addition to the free match, the winner will receive $300 in gift cards for Grand Central Terminal vendors.
Get the details

City Living

Annual 9/11 dance tribute at Lincoln Center will be live streamed

Photo by Lincoln Center

September 8, 2020

Annual 9/11 dance tribute at Lincoln Center will be live streamed

By Devin Gannon

An annual dance performance in New York City commemorating September 11 will be live-streamed this year. On Friday, the Buglisi Dance Theatre and Lincoln Center, in partnership with Dance/NYC, will present a "reimagined" Table of Silence Project 9/11, a multi-cultural performance calling for peace and global unity. Created and choreographed by Jacqulyn Buglisi, the yearly performance first debuted in 2011, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

September 8, 2020

Chelsea Flea returns this weekend with new Smorgasburg vendors

By Dana Schulz

After closing in December and being unable to reopen this spring due to the pandemic, the beloved Chelsea Flea is returning this weekend. The outdoor flea market will have more than 40 antique and vintage dealers (some old favorites, some new), as well as a new partnership with Smorgasburg that will bring some great food options.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

Photos courtesy of Compass/Martin Eiden Team

September 8, 2020

$2.8M Upper West Side penthouse has a 3,000-square-foot terrace and a solarium

By Dana Schulz

For classic Upper West Side living, there's nothing quite like the co-ops that line West End Avenue. But this penthouse at 465 West End Avenue takes things a step further, exuding all the pre-war elegance you'd hope for, along with a glass solarium and a massive, 2,900-square-foot terrace. It's currently asking $2,775,000.
Look around

Distinctive Homes

September 4, 2020

Rent Vanessa Carlton’s Soho loft for a discounted $15.5K/month

By Devin Gannon

Even celebrities are facing a new real estate reality in New York City as inventory rises and demand falls. Singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton recently dropped the price of her Soho rental to $15,500 per month, from around $17,500 per month, the price she had been asking for the apartment since first putting it on the market in 2014.
Make your way Downtown

U Thant Island: Manhattan’s smallest island that’s off limits to the public

Photo via Wiki Commons

September 3, 2020

U Thant Island: Manhattan’s smallest island that’s off limits to the public

By Devin Gannon

Between the United Nations building and Long Island City sits a tiny 100-by-200 foot piece of land, known as U Thant Island. The East River man-made enclave is just south of Roosevelt Island and legally part of Manhattan. As Atlas Obscura discovered, the land did not exist until the 1800s when a trolley tunnel was dug beneath the River to connect Manhattan and Queens. While U Thant looks like a nice place to get some sun and relax, the island remains closed to the public as a bird sanctuary.
Find out more

History

Free outdoor sculpture garden opens at Rockefeller Center

Illusory Progression, True to Myth, and Rhizogenic Rhythms by artist Thaddeus Mosley; Photo courtesy of Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Tishman Speyer

September 2, 2020

Free outdoor sculpture garden opens at Rockefeller Center

By Devin Gannon

Another free public art installation has opened at Rockefeller Center. In its second year, the Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center opened on Tuesday as an outdoor sculpture garden with works from six major international artists. Originally scheduled to open this past spring as part of art programs offered by Frieze New York, the installation was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Hudson Yards’ Vessel and Edge reopen today

Photo of Vessel © James and Karla Murray

September 2, 2020

Hudson Yards’ Vessel and Edge reopen today

By Dana Schulz

Hudson Yards announced that both Vessel and Edge reopen today. The 150-foot-tall climbable public art piece and the observation deck that's 1,100 feet in the air (the highest in the Western Hemisphere) have been closed since March, only two days after Edge officially opened to the public. Both attractions will operate at 25 percent capacity and have numerous health and social distancing protocols in place.
More details

Events & Things To Do

$5.75M brownstone in historic Harlem has a secret garden

Listing photos courtesy of The Corcoran Group

September 2, 2020

$5.75M brownstone in historic Harlem has a secret garden

By Dana Schulz

The brownstones of Harlem's Mount Morris Park Historic District are some of the most beautiful in Manhattan, like this one at 105 West 122nd Street, which is breathtaking inside and out. This grand, Italianate home was built in 1920 and underwent a gut renovation in 2008 in which historic details like stained glass, woodwork, and moldings were all restored. It also included a new design for the rear garden, which is now a magical retreat. The five-bedroom home is now listed for $5,750,000.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

66-year-old East Village restaurant Veselka shares its COVID struggles

Photo of Veselka by James and Karla Murray for 6sqft. See more here >>

September 1, 2020

66-year-old East Village restaurant Veselka shares its COVID struggles

By Dana Schulz

After closing in March, Veselka reopened for takeout and delivery at the end of April, and both their main location and their secondary spot in the Market Line food hall are open for outdoor dining. But like so many others across the city, the 66-year-old Ukrainian restaurant is struggling without indoor dining. In a video interview with photographers James and Karla Murray, second-generation co-owner Tom Birchard said, "We need to have more tables than we have right now to survive long-term."
READ MORE

Food & Dining

This year’s Met roof garden installation tackles ‘the wall’

Installation view of Héctor Zamora (b. 1974, Mexico), The Roof Garden Commission: Héctor Zamora, Lattice Detour, 2020. Courtesy of the Artist. Image credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Anna-Marie Kellen

August 27, 2020

This year’s Met roof garden installation tackles ‘the wall’

By Dana Schulz

When the Metropolitan Museum of Art reopens on August 29, this year's eighth annual installation on the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden will also be on view. Titled Lattice Detour, the work by Mexican artist Héctor Zamora tackles a prevalent symbol in today's society--the wall. The 11-foot-tall work deliberately screens views of Central Park and the skyline to evoke the feeling of a barrier to viewers. But the bricks are stacked on their sides, thereby letting in light and air and referencing the latticed celosía walls that are used for shade and ventilation in the Middle East, Africa, Iberia, and Latin America.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

Massive Two Bridges projects can move forward without City Council approval

Rendering: SHoP Architects

August 27, 2020

Massive Two Bridges projects can move forward without City Council approval

By Devin Gannon

Three projects that include the construction of four towers and the creation of nearly 3,000 housing units in Two Bridges meet all zoning requirements and can move forward without City Council approval, an appeals court ruled Thursday. The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that had stopped the Manhattan megaproject from going ahead.
Learn more

August 27, 2020

The best NYC apartments for sale under $500K

By Devin Gannon

Like New York City, the real estate market is slowly starting to recover, with hundreds of new apartment listings posted each day. With some industry experts calling it a buyer's market due to an increase in inventory citywide, we're taking a look at some of the best deals for apartments on the market that are listed for under $500,000. From a spacious two-bedroom with a balcony and an outdoor pool in Riverdale to a charming studio with unique architectural details in Prospect Heights, find out what $500,000 can get you in NYC right now.
More here

Distinctive Homes

$2.3M West Village studio is a ‘zen cocoon’ designed for fashion lovers

Photo credit: RISE Media, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

August 26, 2020

$2.3M West Village studio is a ‘zen cocoon’ designed for fashion lovers

By Dana Schulz

This cool West Village home is not your average studio apartment. For one, the interior has been designed as what the listing describes as a "zen suite," complete with carved wooden doors from Bali, grasscloth and leather walls, and a flat-screen TV that ascends from the foot of the bed. Secondly, the bedroom alcove has been transformed into a custom dressing room/closet fit for a fashionista. Located at 400 West 12th Street, the famous Superior Ink condo, the 943-square-foot home is asking $2.3 million.
Look around

Distinctive Homes

Central Park’s first statue of historical women unveiled

Photo by Emily Dombroff

August 26, 2020

Central Park’s first statue of historical women unveiled

By Devin Gannon

The "bronze ceiling" has officially been broken in New York City's most famous park. A new statue depicting women's rights activists Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton was unveiled in Central Park on Wednesday, becoming the park's first monument of real-life women. The new statue comes on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted some women the right to vote.
More here

Events & Things To Do

Krispy Kreme unveils new Times Square flagship

All photos courtesy of Krispy Kreme

August 26, 2020

Krispy Kreme unveils new Times Square flagship

By Dana Schulz

Just like their doughnuts, Krispy Kreme says its new 24-hour Times Square flagship will be "fresh and one-of-a-kind." Opening on September 15, the massive, immersive new shop will feature the world's largest glaze waterfall, a doughnut-making theater, and the ability to produce 4,560 doughnuts an hour.
READ MORE

Food & Dining

There’s a giant gorilla sculpture in Hudson Yards

Photos by Tina Sokolovskaya

August 26, 2020

There’s a giant gorilla sculpture in Hudson Yards

By Dana Schulz

To raise awareness and funds for the critically endangered gorilla species, public artists Gillie and Marc Schattner have created a massive sculpture of the animal that arrived this week in Hudson Yards' Bella Abzug Park. Titled King Nyani, Swahili for gorilla, it's the world's largest bronze gorilla sculpture and can fit two to three humans just in its hands.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

August 25, 2020

Inside the stunning, abandoned City Hall subway station

By Dana Schulz

When the New York City subway opened on October 27th, 1904, it was the magnificent City Hall station that served as the backdrop for the festivities, with its arched Guastavino-tiled ceiling and skylights. But by 1945, the newer, longer subway cars could no longer fit on the station's curved tracks, so it was closed. Today, the New York City Transit Museum occasionally offers tours of the abandoned station, which is how photographers James and Karla Murray were able to capture these beautiful photos. Ahead, see more of the station and learn all about its history.
READ MORE

The 74

201 East 74th Street

Lenox Hill

Gracious Upper East Side condos with Central Park and skyline views

2 beds starting at $3,380,000
3 beds starting at $4,850,000
5 beds starting at $11,950,000

Learn More

Manhattan

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Passport to NYC:Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Passport to NYC:
Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!