Search Results for: forest hills

The beautiful yet fleeting season of fall has officially begun in New York City. While a trip to the Catskill or Adirondack mountains makes for a fun weekend, New Yorkers don't have to travel outside city limits to enjoy the colorful fall foliage. Typically, peak foliage in the city takes place at the end of October through early November and lasts only a few days. Ahead, find some of the best parks and gardens across the five boroughs to take in the beauty of the season.
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Events & Things To Do

New York City’s best spots for bird watching

Birdwatching in Prospect Park, courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance on Flickr

June 15, 2023

New York City’s best spots for bird watching

With hundreds of parks and over 500 miles of waterfront, New York City is an excellent place for bird watching. The five boroughs serve as a temporary and permanent home to over 400 species of bird, thanks to both habitat diversity and location on the Atlantic Flyway, the route birds follow during migrations. From Pelham Bay Park in the northeast Bronx down to Great Kills Park on the South Shore of Staten Island, there is no shortage of birding activities in New York. We've rounded up the best places to find feathered friends throughout the city, most of which are accessible via public transportation. For guided bird-watching tours and walks, check out events from NYC Parks, NYC Audubon, and the Linnaean Society of New York.
Full list ahead

$695K home in the woods of upstate NY has old-house looks without old-house problems

Photo credit: Annabel Taylor/Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty

February 13, 2023

$695K home in the woods of upstate NY has old-house looks without old-house problems

Down a tree-lined drive in the deep woods of East Chatham, New York, this shaker-style farmhouse looks every inch the traditional side-hall colonial. In reality, this 1,680-square-foot home was built in 1991. Situated on a private five-acre site surrounded by forest, the house, asking $695,000, has the clean lines, gabled roof, and classic fenestration of a historic country home.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

$4.5M modern treehouse in Westchester is surrounded by woods, ponds, and a pool

All photos courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence

June 14, 2022

$4.5M modern treehouse in Westchester is surrounded by woods, ponds, and a pool

Situated on 12 acres in Bedford, New York this contemporary Westchester County estate at 270 Cantitoe Street is a unique forest retreat surrounded by nature and architecture inspired by it. Asking $4.5 million, the property is comprised of the main house, two guest houses, and a heated three-car garage. On the private grounds are a heated gunite pool and a spa/jacuzzi, and several ponds.
More hereThe forest awaits, this way

Distinctive Homes

Dancing Pumpkin, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts and David Zwirner

April 8, 2021

See inside the New York Botanical Garden’s blockbuster Yayoi Kusama exhibition

This Saturday, April 10, the New York Botanical Garden's hotly-anticipated exhibit KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature will open to the public and remain on view through October 31, 2021. The blockbuster show dedicated to legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was originally planned to open in May 2020, but of course, was postponed due to the pandemic. Among the works on view are Kusama's famous polka-dot pumpkins, her larger-than-life flowers, and the famous Narcissus Garden, composed of 1,400 stainless steel spheres floating on water.
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Events & Things To Do

Step into a ‘Kaleidoscope’ of color at this year’s New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show

Photo courtesy of New York Botanical Garden

February 12, 2020

Step into a ‘Kaleidoscope’ of color at this year’s New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show

The New York Botanical Garden's popular orchid show will return for its 18th season this Saturday with a special exhibit from "floral designer to the stars" Jeff Leatham. The Orchid Show: Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope employs the artist's love of color, transforming various galleries with thousands of orchids and their own color schemes. Highlights of the very-Instagrammable show include a kaleidoscopic tunnel of lights, a 10-foot tall mirrored orchid sculpture set above a water fountain, and a series of yellow and orange orchid arches.
Take a tour of this year's show!

January 15, 2020

17 spots to celebrate Lunar New Year 2020 in NYC

The two-week-long celebration of Lunar New Year begins next week, considered one of New York City's most festive events of the year. The welcoming of the Year of the Rat, the first zodiac animal and said to be a sign of wealth, kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 25 and is followed by 15 days of festivities, including lots of parades, performances, and firework displays. With several Chinatowns and many Asian communities found across the five boroughs, there are fun Lunar New Year activities for all New Yorkers, from Lower Manhattan's 21st annual Chinatown parade to the first-ever Asian comedy festival.
Our favorites ahead

Events & Things To Do

Via Wikimedia

March 26, 2019

De Blasio’s plan for a borough-based jail system as Rikers replacement moves forward

Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to open four new jails as replacements for the Rikers Island complex has officially entered the public review process. The City Planning Commission on Tuesday certified the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure application from the city's corrections department to open new facilities in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens as part of the city's 10-year plan to close Rikers. The rubber stamp from the CPC comes after the project's draft environmental impact statement, which was released last week, found no significant adverse impacts.
Learn more here

June 20, 2018

This rustic Finger Lakes cabin and taxidermy factory on 90 acres could be yours for just $1M

Located near the remote Ithaca-area village of Van Etten, NY, is a genuine, authentic, real live (or, mostly not) taxidermy factory for sale, asking $1.05 million. You don’t see a listing for a stuffed fauna foundry every day, but this one, it turns out, is enough to cover all the days. The 90-acre parcel in the heart of the state's Finger Lakes region includes a 2,927-square-foot classic log-and-stone three-home with hillside views. Also on the property are a tiny cottage overlooking a two-acre pond, 20 acres of fenced pastures, 70 acres of hardwood forest, an orchard, a fenced garden, a pole barn with tack room and an outdoor arena, a garage, and a woodshed–plus a workshop and office (more about those later).
Now, about that wildlife

May 30, 2018

10 glorious glamping sites near New York City

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Glamour camping--combining luxury with minimalism--is all the rage. While you might have to get yourself a bit outside the big city to enjoy such a getaway, there are plenty of spots not too far afield. And whether they are fully off-the-grid or just feel like it, they'll restore your mind and spirit as you return to nature but don't have to give up your high thread count sheets, wifi or working showers. From a mobile tiny house to a geodesic dome to a horse farm tipi, we've rounded up 10 of the best glamping resorts near NYC.
Check out the list

10 things you never knew about Prospect Park

Image by Elizabeth Jeegin Colley for the Prospect Park Alliance

June 20, 2017

10 things you never knew about Prospect Park

By Emily Nonko

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux debuted Prospect Park to the Brooklyn masses in 1867. Though Olmsted and Vaux had already designed Central Park, they considered this their masterpiece, and much of the pair's innovative landscape design is still on display across all 585 acres. But it was the result of a lengthy, complicated construction process (Olmsted and Vaux weren't even the original designers!) as well as investment and dedication from the city and local preservationists throughout the years. After challenges like demolition, neglect, and crime, the Parks Department has spent the past few decades not only maintaining the park but restoring as much of Olmsted and Vaux's vision as possible. It's safe to say that these days, Prospect Park is just as impressive as when it first opened to the public. And of course, throughout its history the park has had no shortage of stories, secrets and little-known facts. 6sqft divulges the 10 things you might not have known.
All the juicy secrets ahead

April 26, 2017

Hear the natural sounds that made up life in 17th century Manhattan (interactive)

For most modern New Yorkers, it’s hard to imagine the city being anything more than a crowded, noisy, concrete jungle. However, with the website Unsung.NYC, users can now explore the natural sounds of Manhattan, present during the 1600s before European settlers arrived. As the Times reports, “Calling Thunder” lets listeners hear all the chirps, croaks, and laps of waves, all of which coincide with images from four main points in Manhattan—the Collect Pond Park, the High Line, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Inwood Hill Park.
learn more here

March 16, 2017

Bid on a VIP tour of Yale with Robert A.M. Stern and other starchitect experiences

The Van Alen Institute announces their fourth annual Auction of Art + Design Experiences, offering a rare international sampling of curated events with leading names in the creative world. Like an omakase of "distinctive experiences" with some of today's most notable innovators in the architecture, design and culture spheres, the benefit auction, available via Paddle8, offers a Robert A.M. Stern-led VIP preview of the architect’s addition to the Yale University campus, an afternoon in the archives of Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro outside São Paulo, a workout at Medellín Sports Coliseum with its architect, Giancarlo Mazzanti, a visit to a collection of stilted Miami beach houses with architect Terry Riley, meditation studio time with Winka Dubbeldam and a tour of John Lautner-designed horror story homes in the Hollywood hills, to name just a few.
More cool experiences to bid on, ahead

August 5, 2016

Vacation at a Glass Cabin in the Woods of Upstate New York for $300/Night

By Emily Nonko

This is a rural retreat like no other. Known as the Sixteen Doors House and designed by the firm Incorporated Architecture & Design, this is a modern cabin made practically transparent by the placement of sixteen doors and windows. Luckily, it's surrounded by six acres of forest in the foothills of the Berkshires so privacy is a non-issue. 6sqft profiled the design project back in 2014; now it's being offered as a vacation rental through Airbnb. For $300 a night, you can have your own tranquil experience at the Sixteen Doors House.
See inside

The Country’s First Botanic Garden Was on 20 Wooded Acres at Today’s Rockefeller Center

View of Elgin Botanic Garden in 1801

March 30, 2016

The Country’s First Botanic Garden Was on 20 Wooded Acres at Today’s Rockefeller Center

Today, New Yorkers get to enjoy lush landscapes and beautiful plantings at the 250-acre New York Botanical Garden and the 52-acre Brooklyn Botanic Garden, but these outdoor oases weren't founded until 1891 and 1910, respectively. About 100 years prior, a public botanic garden sprouted up on 20 acres of land at what is today Rockefeller Center, and it was the first such garden in the nation. Elgin Botanic Garden was founded in 1801 by Dr. David Hosack, a physician, botanist, and educator, perhaps best known for serving as the doctor to Alexander Hamilton after his duel with Aaron Burr in 1804. He used his own money to purchase and landscape the grounds, and by 1805 it was home to more than 1,500 plant species, which he studied for medicinal purposes.
The full history of Hosack and the Elgin Botanic Garden

History

October 19, 2015

Garrison Treehouse Features Twisty Slide, Writing Desk and Hudson Valley Panoramas

By Rebecca Paul

Even as adults many of us willingly admit that having a treehouse would be awesome, and the Garrison Treehouse, designed by the NYC-based studio Sharon Davis Design, is better than we imagined. This 200-square-foot playful retreat is quaintly situated amongst the meadow, forest, orchards and hills of the Hudson River Valley in Garrison, New York (where Davis herself has an eco-retreat), and includes fire poles, a twisty slide, a balcony and even a writing desk.
Live out your childhood fantasies

Architecture And Design

October 8, 2015

Check Out Frank Gehry’s First-Ever Yacht; A Pumpkin Pie Shortage Is Looming

Frank Gehry has designed his first yacht, but in true starchitect fashion, it’s not your average sailboat. [Town & Country] After getting $444,000 from the state back in December of last year, the Queensway now received another $100,000 from the New York Community Trust. So far, the park has raised $1.5 million of the $120 million […]

Uncategorized

September 23, 2015

Modern ‘House on the Hill’ Sits in an Open Meadow Miles Away From Any City

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

The owners of the "House on the Hill" in upstate New York are a couple of NYC-based art collectors who for the past twenty-five years have spent their weekends in an old farmhouse in Columbia County. In love with the sweeping views and the near-untouched landscape that greeted them every time they made the trip up, they decided they wanted to build an eco-friendly passive house in the middle of a forest clearing nearby. With the idea of living a simpler and more efficient life in mind, they asked Gates Merkulova Architects to build them a shelter designed with materials that would age as gracefully as they hoped to with time.
Learn more about this modern retirement home

June 2, 2015

Jewelry Designer Asks $1.3M for Rego Park Condo Decked out in Gold and Crystal

Experts recently said that NYC apartments are a better investment than gold. But how does the formula work out when the apartment is dripping in gold? A Queens-based jewelry designer spent $150,000 to outfit her Rego Park condo with glittering and gilded touches like door handles made of Swarovski crystals, walls and ceilings painted with crystal dust, 24k white gold leaf mosaics on the kitchen backsplash and columns and gold-plated bathroom fixtures. And she appropriately named her home the Jewelry Box. DNAinfo reports that the apartment, located at the Millennium 99 luxury condo at 63-36 99th Street, has hit the market for $1,288,886, which might be the highest asking price to date in the neighborhood.
Check out the opulent pad here

October 3, 2014

Incorporated Architecture & Design’s Sixteen Doors House is “In” the Landscape