May 5, 2016

Author Ta-Nehisi Coates Buys $2.1M Brooklyn Brownstone; Why NYC Has So Many Tulips

Atlantic writer and MacArthur Genius Grant winner Ta-Nehisi Coates bought a landmarked Prospect-Lefferts Gardens brownstone for $2.1 million. [NYP] Tour the 25 indoor and 12 outdoor venues for this summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics via Google Maps. [Refinery 29] For the first time in 40 years, a new brewery opens in Bushwick. [Edible Brooklyn] Take a look around NYC […]

May 4, 2016

Jane Jacobs Google Doodle; WTC Transportation Hub Getting a Massive LED Billboard

Marking her 100th birthday, legendary preservationist Jane Jacobs gets the Google Doodle treatment. [Gothamist] And here’s all the NYC apartments she lived in. [Untapped] Obama is considering making Christopher Park, located right across from the Stonewall Inn, a national monument to the gay rights movement. [NYT] There’s now a dedicated bathroom for dogs at JFK Airport. […]

April 28, 2016

Meet the Man Behind Google’s Doodles; Movers for the One Percent

As Google’s chief doodler, 35-year-old Ryan Germick shows how creative types are integral to the tech sector. [BBC] An artist is suing Big Gay Ice Cream over their unicorn logo. [NYP] “White glove” moving services can cost luxury homeowners tens of thousands of dollars. [WSJ] The Textalyzer could help curb distracted driving in New York. […]

April 27, 2016

NYC Manufacturing Campaign Goes Artisinal; A Houseplant That Charges Your Phone

The new campaign for Made in NYC, a group that promotes local manufacturing, looks to capitalize on “artisanal and handcrafted goods.” [NYT] A facetious, side-by-side comparison of similarly priced listings in New York City and less costly parts of the world. [New Yorker] This houseplant harnesses energy from photosynthesis to charge your phone. [Design Taxi] The latest […]

April 26, 2016

Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Gets Closer to Reality; Nathan’s Hot Dogs Documentary

A city-commissioned study on the proposed Brooklyn-Queen streetcar says the plan is feasible. [Politico] The Four Seasons will move to 280 Park Avenue, and the restauranteurs are looking for an architect. [NYP] Peak cherry blossom season has officially arrived in Brooklyn! [DNAinfo] A new documentary, “Famous Nathan,” is about the Coney Island hot dog chain’s founder. […]

April 25, 2016

An Architect’s Guide to ‘Game of Thrones;’ Biking in NYC for Nervous Nellies

Go on an architectural tour through “Game of Thrones” Seven Kingdoms and beyond. [Architizer] A nervous biker’s guide to cycling in NYC. [NYT] Here’s the first renderings of Rafael Viñoly’s new office building/car dealership in Hell’s Kitchen. [Curbed] Say goodbye to taxi cab partitions. [NYP] Gowanus’ Whole Foods-adjacent Coignet Building has finally shed its sidewalk shed and construction […]

April 22, 2016

The Met Struggles While MoMA Gets $100M; Illustrated Bodega Cats

This week, MoMA received a $100 million gift for an expansion and renovation, while the Met owned up to serious financial issues and possible staff cuts, a sign of today’s preference for contemporary art. [NYT] A Bed-Stuy artist created an illustrated series of bodega cats around Brooklyn. [DNAinfo] Germany installed traffic lights on the ground to prevent […]

April 19, 2016

26 Bushwick Homes to Be Vacated During M Train Work; Can You Legally Take Selfies While Voting?

This website turns your Instagram photos into customized adult coloring books. [Mashable] Dozens of Bushwick homes will have to be vacated for six to 10 months for work on the M train line. The MTA says it “provide suitable accommodations, relocation assistance and compensation.” [DNAinfo] The history of the Forward Building–from labor citadel to luxury condos. [Forward] […]

April 14, 2016

NYC Buildings in the Desert; ‘Shark Tank’ Searching for Entrepreneurs in the Bronx

Brooklyn photographer and designer Anton Repponen’s “Misplaced Monuments” series puts famous NYC buildings in the desert, the mountains, or the depths of the ocean. [designboom] Mapping the states that love bacon the most. [Mental Floss] Think you’ve got a million-dollar business idea? “Shark Tank” is holding a casting call in the Bronx. [DNAinfo] “Murder of a […]

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April 13, 2016

‘Breaking Bad’-Themed Coffee Shop Opening in Bushwick; Pencils Are Big Business

Walter’s Coffee Roastery, a “Breaking Bad”-inspired shop that started in Istanbul, is opening in Bushwick. Coffee is served in little beakers and some employees wear HazMat suits. [Eater] Here’s what today’s female architects have to say about sexism, equal pay, and more. [NYT] After being put in jeopardy of a massive “de-calendaring,” Long Island City’s Pepsi-Cola sign […]

April 12, 2016

Brooklyn’s Sleeper Neighborhoods Outpricing Dumbo; What Hunger Looks Like in NYC Today

Though Dumbo usually comes in as Brooklyn’s most expensive area, median sale prices this quarter in the Columbia Street Waterfront District came in at number one, followed by Prospect Lefferts Gardens. [Brownstoner]  The MTA is testing out Flex-Gates, a sort of roll-up security gate, to prepare for another Superstorm Sandy. [Daily Intelligencer] This Brooklyn-based photojournalist is capturing […]

April 6, 2016

Lyft Is Struggling in NYC; Shake Shack Coming to Penn Station

This year’s Pritzker Prize winner, Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, posted four of the firm’s low-cost “incremental” housing projects on the firm’s website for free download in order to help with the affordable housing crisis. [Dezeen] Vornado has given a 10-year lease to Shake Shack to open in its Penn Station retail corridor. [TRD] Frank Gehry reflects […]

April 5, 2016

Track the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Cherry Blossoms; The Beards of Brooklyn

See what it’s like to live in the world’s narrowest house. [Contemporist] The Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s “Cherrywatch” map gets updated daily showing the bloom state of the cherry trees and what species they are. [Untapped] Explaining the Federal architectural style. [Off the Grid] This week’s New Yorker cover titled “Take the L Train” shows two bearded […]

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