Italian architect Carlo Ratti wants to build a mile-high observation tower that’s (sort of) a vertical version of Central Park. [Dezeen] Without leap years, today would be July 15, 2017. [LA Times] The city co-named 42 thoroughfares and public places, honoring “individuals, cultural icons and entities that made lasting contributions to New York City.” See […]

Rather than following the smell of turpentine, look at things like access to transit, attractive architecture, and eminent rezoning to spot the next hot neighborhood. [NYT] A team of theoretical physicists and mathematicians ranked NYC as having the most complicated subway map in the world. [CityLab] But another study said New York is the fifth best city […]

Have an IDNYC and earn less than $54,000 a year? Then you can get your taxes done for free. [DNAinfo] New MTA posters ban hoverboards in subways and rail stations over their “potential to catch fire.” [Mashable] Check out these rare photos that show the slow and sad destruction of the old Pennsylvania Station. [Gothamist] The Joule […]

How one mechanical failure at Union Square redirected 625 different trains in one day, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. [NY Mag] After reviewing the backlog of 95 sites yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided that 30 sites are worthy of protections. [Curbed] The “lo mein loophole:” how U.S. Immigration law fueled a chinese restaurant boom. [NPR] Beijing […]

Ever wonder why barber shops don’t take credit cards? Here’s your answer. [Atlas Obscura] The state is conducting a study to understand where and how noise affects New York City residents. [DNAinfo] Mapping just how bar-saturated the Lower East Side is. [Bowery Boogie] The luxurious wedding and remarkable home of great Brooklyn architect Montrose Morris. [Brownstoner] […]

In order to meet the December deadline for the Second Avenue subway, the MTA may spend $66 million to speed up work. [Second Avenue Sagas] A new study finds that 46% of New Yorkers have agued with their neighbors over noise. [DNAinfo] Did you know the Oscar statuettes are crafted in New York state? [Fox 5] […]

Drink inside a massive bubble at the Hyatt Times Square, the highest rooftop hotel bar in NYC. [Travel + Leisure] Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will commit $10 million to a $40 million restoration of the landmarked, Art Deco Orchard Beach Pavilion, once known as the Bronx Riviera. [Welcome2TheBronx and TRD] A Red Hook artist is training thousands […]

If you’re not a rich person living on the waterfront, you’re basically a bear, says this funny simplified city map. [The Map Room] The waters surrounding NYC contain at least 165 million plastic particles, and they’re making their way into the food supply. [NYDN] Check out the Brooklyn Nets’ new 70,000-square-foot practice facility in Industry City. [Crain’s] […]

Has the landmarks law become a catchall? Michael Kimmelman looks at the soon-to-be-decided fate of the city’s 95 backlogged sites. [NYT] Everything you ever wanted to know about bodega bagels (but were too afraid to ask). [Eater] And in other bagel news… that Williamsburg shop selling the infamous “rainbow bagel” has been forced to close […]

Did you know that Victorian Flatbush is actually a cluster of about a dozen smaller neighborhoods in Flatbush developed around the turn of the century? While many use “Victorian Flatbush” and “Ditmas Park” interchangeably, they aren’t the same thing. See how the area really breaks down in this informative, interactive map. [NeighborhoodX] Check out these 1800s-era artifacts […]

This interactive chart shows how co-op prices have changed from 200o to 2015. The Financial District increased the most at 272%. [NeighborhoodX] Richard Meier on the buildings he wishes he’d designed. [WSJ] Meet the city’s professional proposal planner, who not only photographs the occasion, but coaches the groom-to-be and orchestrates the occasion. [Racked] Taking your Valentine’s date […]

Five people have been charged with second-degree manslaughter related to the Second Avenue explosion last year. [EV Grieve] A Clinton Hill shop offers $300 “bespoke perfume consultations.” [DNAinfo] The new windows have been revealed at Aby Rosen’s 190 Bowery. [Bowery Boogie] These maps explain the subway for tourists and transplants. [Gothamist] In the 1880s partiers had […]

New York Fashion Week kicks off today, but many big-name designers aren’t showing. Is the heyday over? [Daily Beast] “To Kill a Mockingbird” is coming to Broadway… [NYT] And so is “Frozen.” [Time] On average, there’s a Starbucks about every six blocks in Manhattan. [Gothamist] Chateau le Woof in Astoria is a cafe for humans and […]

State Senator Tony Avella will introduce legislation to create special architectural districts throughout the state. [Times Ledger] Buy your sweetie a $50 NYC apartment for Valentine’s Day. The Queens Museum of Art is selling sites on its famous panorama. [Gothamist] Preservationists are worried about the fate of the 1970s Ambassador Grill and Lounge, inside the One UN New […]

Watch this lovely short documentary about Elias Weiss Friedman, a.k.a. the Dogist. [Gothamist] Take this food test to find out if you’re a real New Yorker. [BuzzFeed] Inside Marisa Tomei’s gorgeous Manhattan apartment, full of flea market and thrift store finds. [Elle Decor] Designers are working to turn ugly window grilles into beautiful works of art. […]

Mapping Manhattan’s parking tickets by type of car. [CityLab] Representative Carolyn B. Maloney is on a mission to bring a pair of Chinese pandas to NYC, an obsession that would cost the city tens of millions of dollars. [NYT] Mayor de Blasio revealed plans to transform Governor’s Island into a year-round “center of culture, commerce and […]

The New York Transit Museum is accepting proposals for PLATFORM, its cross-disciplinary program series. [NYTM] Explore the history of Kossar’s, NYC’s most famous bialy bakery. [Gothamist] A pneumatic waste-removal system is coming to the High Line. [CityLab] Confessions of a real estate agent in gentrifying Brooklyn. [Billfold] Crystal Cruises is optioning returning the historic S.S. United States back to […]

Meet the people who call New York’s affordable housing developments home. [Slate] New Yorkers share their regrets on a blackboard in Petrosino Square, and they all have one thing in common. [Good] The NFL’s history across the five boroughs. [Curbed] By the end of the year, drivers will be able to pay for all 85,000 metered parking […]

Weill Cornell scientists have mapped genetic differences in NYC’s bedbug population. They’ll use their findings to create more effective insecticides. [Crain’s] Peter Ruta is turning 98 this month. But the oldest living painter in Westbeth is still not getting his due. [Tablet] Thought last night’s 6 train commute was hell? Check out these pictures of 100,000 […]

Starchitect Jeanne Gang is designing an FDNY training facility in Brownsville, Brooklyn. [ArchDaily] Staten Island Chuck vs. Punxsutawney Phil: Who’s the better forecaster? [DNAinfo] The city will cut helicopter traffic in half. [NYP] In a promo for the new movie, Derek Zoolander participates in Vogue’s 73 Questions. When asked his thoughts on Brooklyn, he says, […]

Flying after 45: Meet the adults mastering trapeze classes at Circus Warehouse in Long Island City. [NYT] Comparing the real estate booms of Dumbo and the Upper East Side. [BK Mag] Don’t forget to vote in ArchDaily’s 2016 Building of the Year Awards! [ArchDaily] Jeremiah Moss thinks Bernie Sanders should be mayor of New York. [NYO] […]

Take a 45-second journey through the history of the High Line. [Friends of the High Line] The long jump, the yogi, the leap of faith… the only 15 ways to cross a slush puddle. [TONY] Central Park’s Alice in Wonderland sculpture will be carved out of ice. [DNAinfo] Historic photos show unemployed men shoveling snow […]

Celebrity photographer Kevin Abosch decided to photograph an organic potato against a black backdrop…. and got $1 million for it. [NYDN] Rose the albino rat, who gained fame when she made an appearance in the play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” has died. [NYT] A new animated show on HBO features “unexpected tales of […]

Wrap your city’s skyline around your finger with these architecture-inspired rings. [Design Milk] Famed actor Jerry Stiller shares why he chooses to live on the Upper West Side. [West Side Rag] You can help name Hudson Yard’s park. [DNAinfo] Time-lapse video shows 13 hours of superstorm Jonas covering New York City in just 90 seconds. [Tech […]

The time New York banned women from smoking. [Mental Floss] In an effort to increase capacity, the MTA has proposed open gangway subway cars. Here’s a first look at the conceptual rendering. [Second Avenue Sagas] Check out these floating bonsai trees. [HypeBeast] Did you see the $200/night Greenpoint igloo that went up on Airbnb this […]