March 13, 2019

For under $900K, this Clinton Hill one bedroom is cozy, yet contemporary

On a tree-lined block in the heart of Clinton Hill, this floor-through 1.5 bedroom at 315 Greene Avenue offers a flexible layout and even a little bit of outdoor space for the asking price of $875,000. The cozy unit comes with custom storage options and modern amenities, including a washer and dryer. A colorful collection of art and happy houseplants show how this condo is the perfect blank canvas to make your own.
READ MORE
March 13, 2019

Hudson Yards developers say protection against natural disasters and terrorism is part of its design

The soon-to-open Hudson Yards, the 28-acre development that's being called the largest private development in the U.S, is not only situated on the Hudson River, but what could pass for a small city could easily be seen as a target for terrorists with its million-square-foot retail center and dining district, the 1,296-foot-tall 30 Hudson Yards, the city's most expensive office building (50 Hudson Yards) and thousands of pricey apartments. The Wall Street Journal reports that the $25 billion project from Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group claims to be fortress-like in its protection against the wrath of both nature and humankind.
What's the plan, then?
March 13, 2019

Astoria Boulevard N, W station to close for nine months for elevator and mezzanine repairs

The Astoria Blvd N and W station in Queens will close at 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 17 and remain shuttered for nine months as New York City Transit works on a multi-phase repair project. The elevated station will get four new elevators and other accessibility features. In order to construct the street elevators, the mezzanine level will be demolished and rebuilt with more vertical clearance to prevent strikes by trucks and other over-height vehicles on the road below.
More info
March 13, 2019

Live one block from the G and L trains in Williamsburg, from $1,058/month

An affordable housing lottery launched this week for six apartments in a 10-story Williamsburg building. Located at 467 Keap Street, the rental is a short one-block walk to the G and L trains at Metropolitan Avenue. In addition to being close to the subway, the building, known as the Ainslie Tower, also sits near Brooklyn haunts like Union Pool, Rocka Rolla, and Pete's Candy Store. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for three $1,058/month one-bedrooms and three $1,280/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 12, 2019

Five ‘Tin Pan Alley’ buildings may be landmarked for their musical history

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday in favor of calendaring five buildings on West 28th Street in Manhattan's "Tin Pan Alley," in the neighborhood now called Nomad. The buildings at 47-55 West 28th Street were an integral part of the area known for having New York City's most significant concentration of sheet music publishers at the turn of the 20th century, and as the birthplace of iconic American songs like "God Bless America." It's also where popular music icons like Irving Berlin and George Gershwin wrote songs. Calendaring is the first formal step in the historic status designation process.
Sounds like a good idea
March 12, 2019

See inside Hudson Yards’ seven-story dining and shopping center ahead of Friday’s opening

The one-million-square-foot retail center at Hudson Yards officially opens on Friday as part of the mega development's grand opening. The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards includes a 190,000-square-foot Neiman Marcus with three restaurants and more than 100 stores and dining spots spread across the seven-story building. Ahead of the opening, Hudson Yards developers Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group released on Tuesday photos of the retail center, providing a sneak peek of this massive new shopping and dining district coming to the west side of Manhattan.
Get excited
March 12, 2019

Brooklyn Botanic Garden fights against shadow-casting Crown Heights towers

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is voicing concern over a proposal that would allow real-estate developers to amend the area’s zoning—which currently caps building heights at 75 feet—in order to build two 39-story towers close enough to the botanic grounds to obstruct sunlight in key parts of the garden, including the bonsai collection and desert pavilion. The proposal is subject to city approval and a public hearing will be heard today, with officials from the BBG in attendance, as the Wall Street Journal reported.
More info
March 12, 2019

My 450sqft: An Australian expat creates a calming ‘slice of heaven’ in the East Village

There are almost too many charming elements to note about advertising professional Kate Callander's East Village one-bedroom. First, there are all the original features--the floorboards, claw-foot tub, penny tiles, exposed brick, and copper light fixtures. Then there's the serene vibe you get as soon as you walk in. Hoping to create her own "slice of heaven" within the bustling neighborhood, Kate opted for neutral fabrics, whimsical touches like her beloved fairy lights, and soft, feminine finds. But most importantly, she's filled her home with mementos from her upbringing and travels. Kate was born in Australia and raised in Malaysia and Hong Kong, but after a vacation in NYC, she decided she never wanted to leave. She moved to her railroad-style home four years ago and has only grown more in love with the city and her apartment. We recently paid her a visit to learn more about how she decorated the space, how New York living is different than in her past cities, and where to get the best Aussie coffee in the East Village.
Meet Kate and explore her home
March 12, 2019

Gearing up for summer, Jersey Shore homeowners are fighting Airbnb tax on short-term rentals

A surcharge on short-term rentals took effect last October in New Jersey, making it one of the first big states to implement such a tax. An 11.6 percent tax, dubbed the "Airbnb tax," applies to properties rented for fewer than 90 days made on home-sharing sites or directly between a renter and homeowner, excluding deals arranged through a broker. But as homeowners gear up for the summer season in the coming months, owners of Jersey Shore rental homes say the tax has made it harder to fully book their properties ahead of beach season, the New York Times reported.
More here
March 12, 2019

Trump says ‘no deal’ on federal funding for Gateway rail project in 2020 budget

Despite a meeting in November to discuss the Gateway project, President Donald Trump has made it clear that the 2020 federal budget doesn't specify an money for the much-needed rail tunnel under the Hudson River. U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Jeffrey Rosen told reporters Monday that, “Those transit projects are local responsibilities, and elected officials from New York and New Jersey are the ones accountable for them.” Gov. Andrew Cuomo replied in a statement, "These ridiculous claims should not be taken seriously," calling the exclusion of funds for the project "political posturing."
200,000 daily commuters hope somebody figures it out
March 12, 2019

$9M triplex condo has a private entrance on one of Tribeca’s most charming alleys

With a private entrance on Collister Street—a quiet alley in Tribeca named for its past association with Trinity Church—this 4,500-square-foot home feels like a townhouse but comes with all the convenience and amenities of the full-service condominium it’s housed in at 7 Hubert Street. Spanning three floors with three bedrooms, a finished basement, and a charming ground floor complete with high ceilings, casement windows, and a furnished garden, this turnkey residence just hit the market for $8,950,000.
Get the tour
March 11, 2019

400 spots open on waitlist for affordable units at El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, from $731/month

A housing lottery has opened for 400 spots on the wait list for residential units at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 at 215 East 99th Street in East Harlem. Built in 1899, the limestone-and-brick neighborhood landmark was a school building until 1996. In 2015 it became El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, a project that transformed the then-abandoned public school building into a housing complex for local artists with affordable live/work housing for artists and their families and 10,000 square feet of complementary space for arts organizations. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for apartments which range from a $731/month studio to a $1,348/month two-bedroom.
Find out how to apply
March 11, 2019

Flatiron-shaped Prospect Heights co-op with loft-like details is back on the market for $1.8M

This Prospect Heights co-op at 296 Sterling Place has the unusual blessing of having views on all three sides through oversized windows and all-day sunlight due to the building's Flatiron resemblance. Inside, the top-floor pre-war loft has beamed ceilings that reach almost 13 feet, original hardwood floors and exposed brick. Listed back in 2016 for $1.8 million, the three-bedroom home is back on the market for the same price, albeit with new kitchen and bath details.
Get a closer look
March 11, 2019

Greenwich Village preservation group calls for interior landmarking of White Horse Tavern

A Village preservation group on Monday called on the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the interior of White Horse Tavern a landmark. In a letter to LPC Chair Sarah Carroll, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) wrote that "the potential loss of the interior of this tavern from a recent change in ownership would be a devastating loss, not only to New York City, but to the country and the world." The request comes less than a week after the 140-year-old West Village bar was sold to notorious landlord Steve Croman, who once served jail time for tenant harassment.
Find out more
March 11, 2019

Meet the women who founded New York City’s modern and contemporary art museums

When the first Armory Show came to New York City in 1913, it marked the dawn of Modernism in America, displaying work by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, and Duchamp for the very first time. Not only did female art patrons provide 80 percent of the funding for the show, but since that time, women have continued to be the central champions of American modern and contemporary art. It was Abby Aldrich Rockefeller who founded MoMA; Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney the Whitney; Hilla von Rebay the Guggenheim; Aileen Osborn Webb the Museum of Art and Design; and Marcia Tucker the New Museum. Read on to meet the modern women who founded virtually all of New York City’s most prestigious modern and contemporary art museums.
More Modern Women
March 11, 2019

Hudson Yards got bigger tax breaks than the ones promised to Amazon

The $20 billion, 28-acre Hudson Yards megaproject has been in the news recently as its official March 15 grand opening approaches. The New York Times reports that the nation's largest residential development has gotten more than a little financial help from the city government to get there. In fact, public records–and a recent study by the New School–reveal that the development has received nearly $6 billion in the form of tax breaks and additional government assistance, twice the controversial $3 billion in incentives held out to Amazon to entice the retail tech giant to bring its second headquarters to Queens.
That's a pretty big break
March 11, 2019

JFK’s TWA Hotel will curate exhibitions of rare Jet Age artifacts and memorabilia

Guests of the TWA Flight Center Hotel—set to open on May 15—will be able to experience the Jet Age through exhibitions of Trans World Airlines artifacts curated by the New-York Historical Society. Flight attendant’s logs, vintage furniture from TWA headquarters, in-flight amenities—like gilded playing cards and custom matchbooks—are some of the types of objects that will be on view in a rotating series of exhibitions dedicated to the former TWA terminal, a historic landmark designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen and opened in 1962.
More info
Pitch a story icon Know of something cool happening in New York? Let us know:
March 8, 2019

Woodlawn Cemetery hosts LGBT history trolley tour in honor of Stonewall’s 50th anniversary

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a watershed in the struggle for LGBT rights. In honor of the anniversary, Woodlawn Cemetery and the LGBT Historic Sites Project will offer a two-hour trolley tour taking visitors to the final resting places of some of Woodlawn's most illustrious LGBT "permanent residents."
Get tickets here
March 8, 2019

Did you know Grand Central’s clock is worth $20M?

For more than a century, millions of New Yorkers have been meeting “under the clock,” that great rendezvous point – and focal point – of Grand Central Terminal. The clock, which has presided over Grand Central’s Main Concourse since the Terminal opened in 1913, has stood out amidst the swirl of commuters and the flow of time, witnessing reunions of friends and lovers, beginning countless adventures, and playing a priceless role in the life of the city. Or, nearly-priceless. It turns out that appraisers from Sotheby’s and Christie’s have valued the four-sided brass masterpiece at between $10 and 20 million!
READ MORE
March 8, 2019

11 events to celebrate and commemorate Women’s History Month in NYC

Women’s History Month comes but once a year in March, so until Women’s Day every day, we’ll have to make the most of what the city of New York has to offer. And that’s quite a lot considering all the art, culture, and history of the Big Apple. Here’s a list of what you can do to commemorate women’s indelible contributions to human flourishing, while also reflecting on how you can contribute to achieving equality, from art exhibits to comedy shows to seminars on female entrepreneurship.
Check out our 11 event picks
March 8, 2019

An interactive ‘junglescape’ is coming to the courtyard of MoMA PS1 this summer

Serving as the light at the end of winter's tunnel, MoMA PS1 unveiled this week the winning design for its popular summer outdoor music series Warm Up. The installation "Hórama Rama" by Pedro & Juana (a Mexico City-based studio founded by Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo and Mecky Reuss) will bring an immersive "junglescape" with a cyclorama that sits on top of the concrete courtyard walls. "Hórama Rama" will feature a 40-foot-tall, 90-foot-wide structure that floats over the courtyard space, with hammocks and a functioning, two-story waterfall contributing to the wilderness vibe. The temporary exhibit accompanies the outdoor music series that runs from June to September.
See the winning design
March 8, 2019

Bjarke Ingels’ two twisting towers top out in Chelsea

Bjarke Ingels’ twisting towers at 76 Eleventh Avenue in Chelsea officially topped out this week, with the 36-story West tower reaching 400 feet shortly after the 26-story East tower hit its 300-foot height. The High Line-adjacent XI, located right across the street from Thomas Heatherwick’s bubbled condos at 515 West 18th Street, will offer 236 luxury condos, the first Six Senses Hotel location in the United States, commercial space, and a new public promenade that will extend from the park. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the XI's slanted shape gives the illusion the two buildings are being pulled apart, allowing for all residents to have views of both the city and the Hudson River.
Get the details
March 8, 2019

Judge rules MTA must provide elevators in all stations it renovates

On Wednesday U.S. District Court Judge Edgardo Ramos ruled that the MTA was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act for failing to install elevators when it renovated a Bronx subway station. The ruling is the result of a 2016 lawsuit initiated by Bronx Independent Living Services after the MTA refused to make a the Middletown Road elevated subway station in the Bronx wheelchair accessible, though the $27 million renovation included new floors, walls, ceilings and stairs to the street and the train platform, Gothamist reports. Ramos' ruling stated that the MTA is obligated to install an elevator, regardless of cost, unless it is technically infeasible.
Really, MTA?
March 7, 2019

White Horse Tavern now run by an infamous pair who vow to preserve its ‘rich history’

A beloved 140-year-old West Village bar known for its famous poet and artist clientele has been sold. The new owner of White Horse Tavern, which opened on Hudson Street in 1880, is Steve Croman, a notorious landlord who served prison time for tenant harassment, as Jeremiah's Vanishing New York first reported. And on top of that unsavory news, the historic bar will be run by restauranteur Eytan Sugarman, who recently made headlines for his copycat pepperoni slice at Made In New York that looks identical to that of Prince Street Pizza. But Sugarman told Eater NY he's taking the bar's historic details into account. "We are only focused on preserving the rich history and legacy of this iconic institution for New Yorkers," he said.
More details this way
March 7, 2019

Rafael Viñoly’s 88-story tower at 125 Greenwich Street officially tops out at 912 feet

Situated at the northwest corner of Thames Street, just south of the World Trade Center and northwest of Wall Street, Bizzi & Partners Development's condo tower at 125 Greenwich Street has officially topped out at 912 feet. Designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, the firm behind 432 Park Avenue, the building will offer some of the highest apartments in the Financial District. Upon completion later this year, the 88-story tower will house 273 residences.
More info
March 7, 2019

20 transformative women of Greenwich Village

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District on April 29, 1969.  One of the city’s oldest and still largest historic districts, it’s a unique treasure trove of rich history, pioneering culture, and charming architecture. GVSHP will be spending 2019 marking this anniversary with events, lectures, and new interactive online resources, including a celebration and district-wide weekend-long “Open House” starting on Saturday, April 13th in Washington Square. This is part of a series of posts about the unique qualities of the Greenwich Village Historic District marking its golden anniversary. Few places on earth have attracted as many creative, mold-shattering, transformative women as Greenwich Village, especially the Greenwich Village Historic District which lies in its heart. From its earliest settlers in the 17th century through its bohemian heyday in the late 19th and 20th centuries right up to today, pioneering women have made the Greenwich Village Historic District their home, from congresswoman Bella Abzug and gay rights advocate Edie Windsor to playwright Lorraine Hansberry and photographer Berenice Abbott.
See the entire list
March 7, 2019

Reserve a spot to stand 1,100 feet on the ‘Edge’ at Hudson Yards’ observation deck

Not only has Hudson Yards officially named the observation deck at 30 Hudson Yards "Edge," but they've opened a list to reserve a spot to step out onto the 1,100-foot-high platform when it opens in early 2020. Along with being the highest outdoor deck in the entire Western Hemisphere (and the fifth tallest in the world!), it juts out 65 feet from the building with a glass floor to peer at the city below. And as the Edge's website says, "Go further and lean out over Manhattan, literally, on the nine-foot wall of boldly angled glass—if you dare."
More details right here
March 7, 2019

State budget director says a pied-à-terre tax could help fund MTA

Calls for a pied-à-terre tax have increased since billionaire Ken Griffin closed on a penthouse at 220 Central Park South for over $239 million. The sale shattered the existing record of the most expensive home sold in the US by $100 million but Griffin will only be using the residence as "a place to stay when he’s in town." City Council Members Mark Levine and Margaret Chin recently announced support for a bill that was first drafted by Sen. Brad Hoylman five years ago, which would place a yearly surcharge of 0.5% to 4% on secondary residences worth more than $5 million. In a statement released on Wednesday, State Budget Director Robert Mujica added his support, stating that a pied-à-terre tax could be combined with other revenue solutions to help fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $40 billion in capital needs.
More info
March 7, 2019

Deal reached between Hudson Yards developer and unions ends bitter labor fight

The announcement Wednesday of a newly-forged framework between developer Related Companies and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (BCTC) marks the end–at least for now–of a menacing feud between the developer of the $20 billion Hudson Yards megaproject and the umbrella union group representing 100,000 union construction workers. The two organizations have headed back to the bargaining table after a year-long boycott of the project by the labor group which threatened progress on its final phase. The accord, unanimously ratified at a BCTC executive board meeting, represents a new model of collaboration between the development community and skilled workforce.
Find out more
March 7, 2019

New renderings revealed for Greenpoint Landing’s OMA-designed towers

Developers Brookfield Properties and Park Tower Group have unveiled the next phase of development in the massive Greenpoint Landing waterfront project, including an addition to the public waterfront esplanade designed by James Corner Field Operations and mixed-income housing designed by OMA, the architecture firm founded by Rem Koolhaas. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer on the two new towers and an adjacent seven-story building that will bring the total number of units in the project to 745, of which 30 percent will be affordable.
More this way
March 7, 2019

Once home to Rosario Candela’s daughter, this $7.5M Upper East Side triplex feels like a country retreat

Though he didn’t design the building, Rosario Candela gifted this sumptuous three-story Upper East Side home to his daughter as soon as it was completed in 1913. The deed has only changed hands once since, and the residence maintains its period details, including cove ceilings, paneled walls, French doors, and exquisite crown moldings throughout. With a flexible and generous layout, the bright interiors feel more like a country escape from the city, with the added bonus of being only two blocks away from Central Park and a short walk from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 4,500 square-foot space is now on the market for $7.495 million.
Get the tour
March 7, 2019

Lottery opens for 41 middle-income apartments in the cultural hub of Williamsburg, from $1,231/month

A housing lottery launched on Thursday for 41 middle-income apartments in Williamsburg. Designed by Aufgang Architects, the brand new rental at 123 Hope Street opened last summer and features a modern design mixed with a factory feel. The rental sits near all of the neighborhood's hot-spots, including restaurants like Emmy Squared and Don Pancho Villa and bars like St. Mazie Bar & Super Club and Banter Bar. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 80 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from a $1,231/month studio to a $2,759/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
March 6, 2019

Rockefeller Center developer reveals first NYC residential tower in Nomad

Formed over 90 years ago to develop and build Rockefeller Center, developer Rockefeller Group has never built a residential tower in its New York City hometown–until now. Their new condominium tower, Rose Hill has just been unveiled along with the launch of the building's teaser site. The 600-foot tower is currently under construction at 30 East 29th Street. The building will be designed by CetraRuddy; first looks show an Art Deco-inspired facade that does not diverge heavily from the architectural style of Rockefeller Center.
More, this way
March 6, 2019

$14.8M historic Tribeca penthouse has a rotunda with a gorgeous stained-glass oculus

Once featured on the cover of Architectural Digest, this penthouse in the landmarked American Thread Building at 260 West Broadway just hit the market for $14,800,000. The current owners, an art collector and his fashion executive partner, bought the space in 2013 and have filled the 3,777-square-foot Tribeca residence with art by the likes of Richard Serra, Gerhard Richter, and Ai Weiwei to name just a few. Their collection extends to furniture and includes Nanda Vigo chairs from the ’70s, a 19th-century baker’s table from Marseille, and a Karl Springer acrylic table from the 1980s. They describe the blend of period architecture, contemporary art, and design accents as a "speakeasy atmosphere" perfect for entertaining. Speaking to Architectural Digest, the owner revealed that “when we closed on the place, the super took me aside and reminded me that we had a huge responsibility. ‘You’ll be living in one of the most incredible spaces in the city,’ he told me. ‘And you’d better not mess it up.’”
Look inside
March 6, 2019

NYPL’s new entrance and public plaza on 40th Street gets green light from Landmarks

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved the New York Public Library's plan to add a new public entrance and plaza to its Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in Midtown. The changes fall under the library's larger master renovation plan, a $317 million project first unveiled in 2017. The LPC approved the changes to the exterior of the building--subject to the city's landmark rules--after design modifications suggested at a presentation in February were made by the library, Curbed NY reported.
Find out more
March 6, 2019

Feeling lucky? Why some New Yorkers consult a numerologist before renting or buying

No one ever said that the New York City real estate market was easy to understand or even entirely logical. Still, you might not expect numerology to be among the knowledge sets required to fully navigate the market. But from good luck and bad luck floors to lucky number combinations, numerology plays a surprisingly significant role in how some units are priced, how quickly they sell, and most importantly, to which buyers.
It's a numbers game
March 6, 2019

Moishe’s East Village kosher bakery has closed after 42 years

Moishe's, the beloved kosher bakery on 2nd Avenue, instantly recognizable by what the New York Times called its "stopped-in-time storefront," has served its last hamantaschen. Owner Moishe Perl told local photographers James and Karla Murray that yesterday was the bakery's last day, and that the entire building has been sold. In business since 1977, everything was baked on the premises daily. Moishe's challah bread, rye bread, hamantaschen, rugelach, babka and sugar kichel were legendary.
Find out more
March 6, 2019

City to build four new statues honoring women who have shaped NYC

New York City is commissioning four more statues of trailblazing women as part of a campaign to address the inequity of the city's public spaces. First lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen announced on Wednesday plans to honor Billie Holiday, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías, and Katherine Walker with monuments. In November, the city announced it would commission a statue of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress, to be built outside of the entrance to Prospect Park.
More here
March 6, 2019

56 Leonard sidewalk gets outlined in anticipation of Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture

Herzog & de Meuron's striking "Jenga" condo tower at 56 Leonard Street in Tribeca is a conversation piece on its own, with its cantilevered rectangles of glass rising into the sky. The long-anticipated flourish that will anchor the skyscraper–artist Anish Kapoor's reflective bean-shaped sculpture–is finally on the way, as evidenced by an intricate set of circles and arrows that just arrived on the building's sidewalk. The spray-painted outline will inform installation of the sculpture, which resembles a similar public art icon in Chicago, where Kapoor's "Cloud Gate" sculpture apparently attracts millions of tourists every year and has become an Instagram staple.
What's taking so long, the anticipation is killing us
March 6, 2019

Bespoke finishes and hanging gardens create an enchanted oasis at this $10M Soho penthouse

The interiors of this fifth-floor co-op at 12 Greene Street in Soho bring to mind a perfectly redesigned deco-era London terrace house or a dreamy country estate more than the average Manhattan penthouse. To top it off, three levels of private roof terrace gardens wouldn't be out of place in either, complete with mature trees and a reflecting pool. As unusual as it is expensive–it’s asking $9.95 million–this three-bedroom downtown oasis boasts a renovation that spared no luxury and considered every angle, from a rustic loft-like kitchen and a fabulous array of bespoke floor tiles to the aforementioned gardens.
Take the tour
March 5, 2019

Corey Johnson proposes new city-controlled transit system called Big Apple Transit or ‘BAT’

In a self-proclaimed atypical State of the City address, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson on Tuesday laid out his vision for city control over New York City's mass transit system. Johnson said municipal control "means we decide how our system is run, we decide how we raise money, and we decide how we spend it." He added: "Municipal control means saying goodbye to the MTA." The new entity would be controlled by the mayor and called Big Apple Transit, or "BAT."
Is it goodbye MTA?
March 5, 2019

Live in a Tudor City penthouse like the one in ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Spider-Man’ for $2.85M

This pre-war triplex penthouse, listed for $2.85 million, sits atop the Murray Hill apartment complex known as Windsor Tower at 5 Tudor City Place where "Scarface," "The Godfather," and "Spider-Man" were filmed; a nearly identical penthouse unit can be seen onscreen as the home of Spider-Man’s green nemesis, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin in the popular movie and yet another penthouse was featured in both Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” and “The Godfather: Part III.” But you don't need Hollywood cachet to appreciate 18-foot ceilings, a wall of casement windows overlooking the East River, a wood-burning fireplace, or a dramatic staircase that curves its way up to an intimate terrace.
Three floors of charm, this way
March 5, 2019

Hudson Yards Park renamed in honor of activist and former NY congresswoman, Bella Abzug

Update 3/25/19: Tishman Speyer bought last week an auto repair building on West 36th Street for $20 million, the New York Post reported Monday. The company will demolish the two-story building to make way for a greenway that will be the next segment of Bella Abzug Park. In exchange for paying for the new park, Tishman Speyer will get air rights from the city to put up a tower bounded by Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. The city on Friday renamed a park near Hudson Yards in honor of the late Bella Abzug, a former U.S. Representative of New York and stalwart supporter of the women's rights movement. The greenspace, formerly Hudson Yards Park, stretches just over two acres between West 33rd and 36th Street. First developed with the extension of the 7 subway line to 34th Street, the park will soon be extended to 39th Street and run over an Amtrak rail cut.
Details here
March 5, 2019

Latest StuyTown lottery provides ‘affordable’ apartments for single people earning $120K

You're a single New Yorker earning over $120,000 a year--do you really need subsidized housing? Apparently, yes. And apparently, a $2,975/month one-bedroom or a $3,695/month two-bedroom is now considered "affordable." These are the benchmarks for Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village's 2019 affordable housing lottery, which opens the waitlist for one- and two-bedroom units to households earning 165 percent of the area median income.
Get the scoop
March 5, 2019

City will expand Fair Fares program to all eligible New Yorkers by 2020

After facing criticism for the delayed and limited roll-out of Fair Fares, Mayor de Blasio and City Council Speaker Johnson have announced plans to expand the program. Starting this fall, eligible New Yorkers in NYCHA, enrolled students at CUNY, and military veterans below the poverty line will have access to the program, which provides half-priced MetroCards for low-income New Yorkers. By January 2020, open enrollment will expand to all New Yorkers at or below the federal poverty line (a household income of $25,750 for a family of four). The program has also been criticized for its reversal on reduced fares for single trips, but Monday's announcement came with the good news that a pay-per-ride option will be available by mid-March.
READ MORE
March 5, 2019

After $13.4M beach replenishment, closed-off portion of Rockaway Beach set to reopen this summer

Last summer, 11 blocks of Rockaway Beach were closed due to safety issues from erosion. The decision to shutter the half-mile stretch came just days before the city's beaches were set to open on Memorial Day weekend. Though the city said at the time that it might take years to get it reopened, a press release this week announces that the beach will reopen in time for this summer season, thanks to a $13.4 million beach replenishment project in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will dredge 300,000 cubic yards of sand.
All the details
March 5, 2019

De Blasio signs off on basement apartment conversion program for East New York

Certain basement apartments in East New York will be transformed into legal and affordable homes thanks to a new law signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday. The legislation creates a three-year pilot program that helps homeowners renovate cellar and basement units to meet the new code standards, which include minimum ceiling heights, window sizes, and proper safety requirements. "There are thousands of basement apartments in our City, but too many are illegal and unsafe," de Blasio said in a statement. "This program will help New Yorkers secure safe, affordable homes and give homeowners a new legal source of income."
Get the details

Our Mission

More than just current events, here you'll learn about the places, people, and ideas that are shaping your city.