Search Results for: forest hills

The M train is not running this weekend, a fact the MTA buries in the second sentence of a note about station improvements along the J line. As well, beginning the Monday, the 167th Street B and D station will be joining the slew of other "temporarily closed" stations until January 2019. Strangely, the MTA does not list any service changes for the L train, despite an extended closure of weekend service between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
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Transit

Waitlist opens for 400+ middle-income units near Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Via Paul VanDerWerf on Flickr

August 8, 2018

Waitlist opens for 400+ middle-income units near Flushing Meadows Corona Park

A lottery to get on the waitlist for more than 400 moderate-income units launched this week across a few rental buildings in Forest Hills, a residential neighborhood of Queens. The buildings, located at 62-27 108th Street, 108-53 62nd Drive, and 110-01 62nd Drive, are being developed by Phipps Houses, a major developer of affordable housing. The buildings sit nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home to the Queens Museum, New York Hall of Science, Citi Field, and the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from a $1,462/month studio to a $2,170/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Queens shows how diversity is driving NYC’s economic boom

Elmhurst’s Chinatown. Image: Wiki Commons.

August 7, 2018

Queens shows how diversity is driving NYC’s economic boom

Recent economic snapshots issued by the state comptroller show that New York City has continued to experience record economic expansion in the past three years. This growth has been led by notable gains in the economies of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx (Staten Island's report is expected later this year), which since the 1990s have seen an economic boost from a large increase in their immigrant populations, Crain's reports. The revitalization of these immigrant-rich areas has led to an uptick in the number of businesses as well as sales and job growth. Unemployment is at its lowest rate since 1990. Queens, the borough that is home the city's most diverse population and becoming more so, is clearly one to watch.
More jobs, great food

City Living

E and F trains masquerading as one another and more weekend subway changes

Photo by FHKE via Flickr

August 3, 2018

E and F trains masquerading as one another and more weekend subway changes

Despite continued work in the Rockaways, E and F train riders share the pity prize for most debilitating service changes this weekend. The E will be masquerading as both the F and R, in parts, and skipping a huge portion of its usual stops, including express stations, while the F will be masquerading as the E (naturally) as well as the A, in parts. This weekend's work also holds particularly unpleasant change-ups for N and R straphangers.
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Transit

East Village Target’s CBGB odes get mixed reviews

Photo by Tia Richards for 6sqft

July 23, 2018

East Village Target’s CBGB odes get mixed reviews

Target officially opened its first store in the East Village on Saturday, to mixed reviews from locals. During its grand opening, the chain recreated the storefront of CBGB, a famous punk rock club where the Ramones, Patti Smith and Blondie played, with a red-and-white awning that reads "TRGT." Located on 14th Street and Avenue A, the design included red newspaper boxes similar to old ones of the Village Voice paper, fake fire-hydrants and a temporary facade made to look like the housing tenements of the Village in the 1970s and 1980s. Jeremiah Moss, the author behind the Vanishing New York blog, called the new store "the most deplorable commodification of local neighborhood culture I've ever witnessed." As of Monday, the CBGB-themed storefront is no longer up.
Details here

23rd Street and 145th Street subway stations to close for months beginning Monday morning

Photo via Wikipedia

July 20, 2018

23rd Street and 145th Street subway stations to close for months beginning Monday morning

Monday will be a dark day for straphangers: At 5am, the 145th Street 3 station will close through November, the 23rd Street F, M station will close through December, and the Jamaica Center-bound 104th Street J, Z platform will close through January. This compounds the usual slew of service changes and the fact that the M is simply not running this weekend, and the E and F are having a masquerade as one another. In good news, by the MTA's estimates the Avenue U, Avenue P, Avenue N, Bay Parkway and Avenue I Manhattan-bound platforms should be reopening this month.
Compared to the above, the other changes are more palatable

Transit

June 13, 2018

17-foot stacked, bronze rhino sculpture finds new home in Downtown Brooklyn

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Photo via Goodbye Rhinos project The iconic stacked rhino sculpture is switching boroughs. Designed by artists, Gillie and Marc Schattner, The Last Three is a 17-foot-tall, bronze sculpture depicting the last three Northern White Rhinos Najin, Fatu and Sudan, and represents a protest of rhino horn sales. The artists announced on Tuesday that the sculpture will move from its current home at Astor Place and be permanently installed at Forest City New York’s MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn. The first public viewing will start Wednesday at 6 pm.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Late night weekday subway changes once again rival the weekend in terms of disruption

Photo via Christina McCartey/Flickr

June 8, 2018

Late night weekday subway changes once again rival the weekend in terms of disruption

For the second week in the row, the incumbent late night weekday service changes are arguably worse than those on the weekend. The Q and S alone are the only lines without set service changes, and who knows what kind of signal delays might change even that small bit of reassurance.
In terms of service changes, the weekdays are beginning to meld with the weekends

Transit

Next week’s subway service changes to be nearly as extensive as this weekend’s

Photo by Rashaad Jorden via Flickr

June 1, 2018

Next week’s subway service changes to be nearly as extensive as this weekend’s

The weekend will be extending into the week in the worst way possible this Monday, with the kind of service changes usually reserved for Saturday and Sunday spilling into workdays. While the A and C trains win this week for most convoluted service changes, the 4 also deserves a nod, and the vast majority of lines have far more than average changes.
All the disruptions

Transit

N, Q, F, A and E all masquerading as one another and other weekend service changes

Photo by smallcurio/Flickr

May 11, 2018

N, Q, F, A and E all masquerading as one another and other weekend service changes

Many subway trains are masquerading as one another this weekend. The 2 and the 5 will be performing their usual swapped responsibilities, and this weekend the N and Q as well as the F, A and E are also joining in on the game-like service changes. Additionally, getting to Coney Island is going to be frustrating for many if not most straphangers due to a lack of service across lines servicing the area. Rockaway has had the same problem for some time now.
Here's the full lineup of changes

Transit

72nd Street B, C station to close through the fall and other weekend service changes

Photo by eric molina/Flickr

May 4, 2018

72nd Street B, C station to close through the fall and other weekend service changes

This weekend, the MTA is closing the first of what it specifies are "two non-adjacent subway stations" (a desperate grovel for mercy from public critique, that specification), 72nd Street and 86th Street on the B, C line. The 86th Street station will not close until June 4, and neither station will reopen until late October. Meanwhile, the usual slew of weekend service changes also awaits straphangers. Read on for the details.
A number of stations are, unsurprisingly, closed for repairs

Transit

N train platform closures, D masquerading as F, and other weekend service changes

Photo via bestpicko.com/Flickr

April 20, 2018

N train platform closures, D masquerading as F, and other weekend service changes

It's sad to say that the service changes planned for this weekend, despite being extensively disruptive, seem somewhat better than normal. The D train's affinity for running on the F line continues, the N has a number of platform closures, and it's apparently the R train's turn to go on a bit of a vacation from running, but otherwise there are not a ton of notable new developments. Gauge the damage for yourself below.
The whole list of changes

Transit

A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

Rendering via Target

April 3, 2018

A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

Retail giant Target announced on Tuesday that it will bring three new Target stores to New York City, further expanding its footprint in the Big Apple. The new stores, planned for the Upper East Side, Astoria and Staten Island, will be "small format," tailored to the needs of shoppers in urban areas (h/t NBC). In a statement, Mark Schindele, a senior vice president of Target's properties, said: "All three of these new stores will offer the best of Target in that borough, yet curate the assortment to meet the needs and preferences of the nearby community."
More details here

New Developments

March 20, 2018

$2.7M FiDi penthouse occupies the former attic of one of NYC’s earliest skyscrapers

This full-floor penthouse is located within the former attic of one of New York's early skyscrapers, the Liberty Tower. Built at 55 Liberty Street in 1909 by Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb, the Gothic Revival-style office building was the tallest in the world when completed. It was home to FDR's law offices and, later, to German spies plotting to prevent American from joining WWI. Architect Joseph Pell Lombardi converted the tower to co-ops in 1979, with the attic unit retaining vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, and 29 windows offering views across the city. It's now listed for $2.695 million.
See it up close

Distinctive Homes

January 19, 2018

L trains running every 30 minutes, and more weekend subway service changes

The MTA can’t even get its service change updates right: As of 4:50pm, The Weekender is showing duplicates for many track maintenance notifications, as if to repeatedly subject straphangers to service changes in writing. Easily the cherry on the cake of weekend transit hell, however, is that tomorrow, from 7am to 7pm, the L train will be running “approximately every 24 minutes between Broadway Junction and Rockaway Pkwy.” Oof, allow for some serious extra time. Many trains will also be running local.
The rest of it

Transit

NYC trick-or-treat: The best neighborhoods for sweets and scares

Screen capture of ‘Hocus Pocus’

October 23, 2017

NYC trick-or-treat: The best neighborhoods for sweets and scares

By Susan Cohen

Halloween is a lot like real estate; both the holiday and the industry place a premium on size and neighborhood, it's not unheard of to hear phrases like "tons of it" and "prime location" used to describe trick-or-treating or a new listing, and when it comes down to it, apartment hunters and trick-or-treaters want the same things: the best block, thoughtful exteriors, attention to details, and most importantly, value. Ahead, 6sqft has put together a list of some of the best blocks across the five boroughs to score sweets and scares. Just remember to bring along your broker parent and to count the square feet pieces of candy.
Where to spend Halloween this year

October 9, 2017

This $988K Tudor in Bayside, Queens looks like something out of a fairy tale

A turreted entryway, arched front door, leaded and stained glass windows and wood beamed ceilings--it all makes for a mini-castle in the heart of Bayside, Queens. This Tudor home at 48-12 217th Street was built in the 1930s, and is located in a neighborhood filled with other Tudor beauties with well manicured front yards. This home comes with plenty of suburban perks, like a front and back yard, garage and finished basement. Combined with the 1930s period details, it's a unique property that's now on the market for $988,000 and may just lure you out to eastern Queens.
There's even a Tiffany chandelier

September 22, 2017

Bought in the ’70s for $170K, showbiz couple’s massive Upper West Side townhouse asks $20M

Built in 1897 in the Elizabethan Renaissance Revival style by renowned architect Clarence True, this brick and limestone mansion occupies a 43-foot-wide lot, not in Forest Hills or Riverdale, but at 323 West 80th Street on the Upper West Side. The New York Post writes that the owners, a Broadway producer who ran the downtown rock club the Bitter End and his wife, Donna, a casting director who happens to be the sister of Bernadette Peters, bought the house–then a rundown SRO–for $170,000 in the 1970s. Even then, they could see the potential in this grand, gothy 10,000-square-foot palace, at the time carved up into 20 rooms. A few years have passed, but we can't help but wonder if they imagined they'd list the spruced-up house, complete with garage, elevator and enchanted garden, for almost $20 million.
Check out the details of this amazing property

September 18, 2017

Map shows how many years of life a house costs, and in NYC the numbers aren’t pretty

New Yorkers know that taking on a mortgage in the city is no easy feat. But a recent map shows that, compared to the rest of the country, we'll spend many more years than most everyone else (except San Franciscans) in our attempts to pay it off. This map, which measures "mortgage magnitude," looked at the median local income and median local home value to show the relative affordability of property in each US county. The value of the average property was then expressed in the number of years salary it costs. In some counties, a house will only set you back a total of one year's pay. But as you move out toward costal cities like New York, that number gets dramatically higher.
Here's how many years New Yorkers should expect

Affordable Housing

September 15, 2017

Malba mansion with views of the Whitestone Bridge and its own wood-fired pizza oven asks $8.8M

You'll have to go all the way to the northernmost part of New York City to find a 12,000-square-foot mansion on a 16,000-square-foot lot. But here it is, at 3 Point Crescent in Malba, Queens. The sprawling seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom home has all sorts of interior flourishes--including plenty of mahogany--and the property comes with direct views of the Whitestone Bridge. There are lots of other perks too, like a seven car driveway, temperature controlled wine room, 40-foot pool and a wood-fired oven in the basement. The entire package is up for grabs at an ask of $8.795 million.
Take the very grand tour

Distinctive Homes

67 years ago in Queens, Althea Gibson became the first African-American on a U.S. tennis tour

West Side Tennis Club via Joe Shlabotnik/Flickr; Althea Gibson via Wiki Commons

August 22, 2017

67 years ago in Queens, Althea Gibson became the first African-American on a U.S. tennis tour

On August 22, 1950, what was then known as the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) accepted Harlem's Althea Gibson into their annual championship at Forest Hills, New York (the precursor to the U.S. Open). The spot on the championship roster made Gibson the first African-American athlete to compete in a U.S. national tennis competition, launching a storied career in which she won a whopping 16 Grand Slams, including the 1956 French Open where she became the first person of color to win such a title.
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On this day in 1974, the Ramones played their first gig at CBGB in the East Village

The Ramones outside of CBGB, photo via CBGB

August 16, 2017

On this day in 1974, the Ramones played their first gig at CBGB in the East Village

On August 16, 1974, four men dressed in leather motorcycle jackets and Converse high-tops hit the stage at CBGB, an iconic East Village dive bar, for the very first time. After this debut performance, the Ramones, who hailed from Forest Hills, Queens, became the first regulars at CBGB, a spot known for the cutting edge punk rock musicians that played there, like Talking Heads, Patti Smith and Blondie. In the year 1974 alone, the Ramones played there over 70 times.
Find out more

History

Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

Images: Esri Taxi Cab Terrain map

August 15, 2017

Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

Looked at from any distance, New York City may appear to be a honking sea of cars and taxis, with the latter making the biggest visual impact (and probably doing the most honking). Thanks to GIS gurus Esri via Maps Mania, we have a snapshot–an aggregate vision, if you will–of a year of life in the Big Apple made up of the city's taxi journeys. The Taxi Cab Terrain map allows you to zoom in and find out about the many millions of rides that start and end in the New York City and New Jersey metro areas based on data from the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Mapping yellow cab travel data covering July 2015 to June 2016, the map shows how different NYC boroughs use taxis and how they pay for their rides. Esri's John Nelson then takes a look at socioeconomic data to look for influences that might impact how different neighborhoods use and pay for cab rides.
More from the map, this way

June 21, 2017

$1.3M Arbor Close Tudor is a reminder of the 1920s ‘garden city’ movement