All articles by 6sqft

December 7, 2018

Columbus Circle monument gets historic designation; Amy Poehler opens Park Slope wine shop

Despite calls to remove it, the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [NYP] Visit the last chess shop in NYC. [The Atlantic] Amy Poehler has opened a wine store in Park Slope. [Eater] How Staten Island is keeping brick-and-mortar retail alive and repurposing its shopping malls. [CO] […]

November 27, 2018

Frida Khalo exhibit coming to Brooklyn Museum; Iconic East Village bar Continental sets closing date

Frida Kahlo self portrait via Wiki Commmons (L); Google Street View of Continental Bar (R) Check out this year’s holiday window displays. [Untapped Cities] Meet the man who provides picture-perfect avocados to 120+ NYC restaurants. [Eater] A huge Frida Kahlo exhibit will open at the Brooklyn Museum in February. [WSJ] And a retrospective on New Yorker cartoonist […]

November 15, 2018

Björk is coming to the Shed; Will Ikea bring a mixed-use development to NYC?

Björk will premiere her “most elaborate stage concert yet’ during the inaugural season of Hudson Yards’ performance venue the Shed. [Gothamist] Ikea is looking to open six mixed-use developments in the next two years, and NYC is on their list. [CO] At $61,000 per Amazon job, New York pays twice what Virginia does. [Business Insider] Get a look […]

October 3, 2018

GIVEAWAY! Win a VIP pass to Open House New York Weekend

Open House New York Weekend is back for its 16th year from Friday, October 12th through Sunday the 13th, with an impressive roster of tours, events, and access to typically off-limits sites. Yesterday, reservations went live for the 123 reservation-only sites, but there are also close to 150 open-access sites, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn, and several architecture offices. And while these open-access sites don't require reservations, the lines can build up. Which is why 6sqft has teamed up with Untapped Cities and fellow partner Brooklyn Based for a giveaway of two OHNY Weekend Passports, a VIP pin that lets you and a guest have front-of-the-line admittance!
Enter here
September 26, 2018

New Jersey has a new tallest tower; Queens Night Market returns this weekend

Public observation decks at New York City skyscrapers are having a moment. [WSJ] Roughly 33,000 new apartments will be delivered in Manhattan by 2021. [Crain’s] MTA hires two dozen station managers to keep platforms clean and enhance straphanger customer service. [MTA] The Queens International Night Market returns for its fall season this Saturday. [TimeOut] A new pop-art […]

September 10, 2018

Win two VIP tickets to Washington Square Park’s fall foodie festival (worth $270)

The 16th annual Taste of the Village is back next month with the chance to sample food and drink from 30+ local establishments, all in a magical setting under the Washington Square Arch. 6sqft has teamed up with the Washington Square Park Conservancy to offer two lucky readers a set of VIP tickets to the event--which is worth $270 and provides one-hour early access to the event on October 4th plus a special taste. This year's roster includes longtime favorites like Murray's Cheese, Otto, and Rafetto's Pasta along with hip newcomers including Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Tacombi, and Mekki.
Find out how to enter!
September 4, 2018

Cuomo gives $15M for community center at Bedford-Union Armory; Planning sessions start for Brooklyn Bridge Park’s public pool

Governor Cuomo announced that his office will fund the $15 million Carey Gabay Community Center at Crown Heights’ Bedford-Union Armory development. [Curbed] In 2011, the city introduced green cabs as a way to service areas where yellow cabs typically wouldn’t travel. That same year, Uber began operating in NYC. [NYT] The Hunters Point South ferry landing […]

August 29, 2018

Inside the worst train wreck in NYC history; Lower East Side ferry route launches today

On Nov. 1, 1918, 100 lives were lost when a Brooklyn Rapid Transit employee lost control of a train at the Prospect Park station. The event was so horrific that the name of the street was changed so New Yorkers would not be reminded of it. [NYP] Eight unique ways to celebrate Labor Day weekend in […]

August 16, 2018

City will preserve 670 affordable apartments in ‘high-cost’ neighborhoods; Why is the Flower District dying?

The city will preserve 669 Section 8 apartments for 40 years. They’re located in “high-cost neighborhoods”–Williamsburg, Harlem, the East Village–“where the majority of similar buildings have converted to market-rate.” [NYC HPD] Twenty percent of dwelling units currently under construction in New York City are in a hotel. [TRD] Once a $120 million engine, NYC’s Flower District is being […]

August 10, 2018

NJ Transit says ‘summer of hell’ will last until fall; Brooklyn’s iconic Watchtower sign will not rise again

NJ Transit admitted to extremely poor service this summer–but warned that it probably won’t end until the fall. [NYT] Go inside the world Of NYC “canners,” who survive by collecting recyclable cans and bottles. [Gothamist] And meet the Brooklyn can collector who’s worth $8 million. [NYP] The iconic Watchtower sign that stood atop the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ former […]

August 7, 2018

Kushners finally unload debt-ridden 666 Fifth Avenue; Is the ride over for Coney Island?

With a wave of bland real estate development, will Coney Island become just like much of the rest of the city–gentrified, but with rides? [The Bridge] For two centuries, New Yorkers have loved giant oysters. [Atlas Obscura] Kushner Companies finally unloaded the troubled 666 Fifth Avenue to Brookfield, whose 99-year lease will likely give the family […]

August 2, 2018

Ferry services comes to the Bronx and LES this month; Was Florida’s beloved key lime pie invented in NYC?

The NYC Ferry’s Soundview and Lower East Side routes will launch on August 15th and 29th. [NYC Ferry] What it’s like to live in an SRO, NYC’s original “micro-housing.” [NYP] There is a fierce debate going on after a cookbook author claimed key lime pie was invented by the Borden condensed milk company at their Madison […]

July 27, 2018

NY may be first city to cap Uber drivers; MTA (sort of) wants you to hold them accountable

NYC could become the first city to cap Uber drivers. If the legislation passes the City Council it would halt new for-hire vehicle licenses for a year. [NYT] After a week of criticism, the MTA announced a quarterly Customer Commitment initiative so “customers can hold NYCT accountable.” [MTA] Target said they’re sorry if their new East […]

July 23, 2018

Have your business or firm featured on 6sqft!

Does your design firm operate out of a super quirky loft? Do you run a decades-old family shop or restaurant? Is your office space Instagram-ready? If your business or company has a New York story to tell, 6sqft wants to feature it! We'll send a reporter out to your place of work for a photo shoot and short interview and then feature it in all its glory for our Where I Work series!
How to submit your home!
July 19, 2018

Join Untapped Cities for two insider tours of the Woolworth Building

After its iconic neo-Gothic architecture and copper crown, the Woolworth Building is known by New Yorkers for being off-limits to the public, but Untapped Cities is your source to get inside the landmark. Next week, they'll be hosting their uber-popular Special Access tour, which takes guests into the spectacular “cathedral-esque” lobby and mezzanine, as well as the cellar level with its abandoned bank vault and subway entrances. You'll learn about the building's history, restoration, and incredible interior Art Deco architecture. And for those true history buffs, next month they'll offer a VIP version of this tour with building architect Cass Gilbert’s great-granddaughter, Helen Post Curry.
SIGN UP FOR THE TOURS HERE!
July 18, 2018

Low-income New Yorkers eligible for $5 Citi Bike memberships; Goodwill opening ‘curated’ NYC boutiques

The NYPL’s new Culture Pass, a program that gives library card holders free access to 30+ museums, had more than 2,000 applications on its first day (and crashed the site!). [amNY] Dentures, trumpets, prosthetic limbs–a rare look inside the subway’s lost and found. [Vice] Discounted Citi Bike memberships were previously only available to NYCHA residents, but […]

July 13, 2018

First dockless bikes arrive in the Rockaways; what it’s like to go glamping on Governors Island

As the NYC Ferry hits five million passengers since its launch last year, the first larger, 350-seat boat has arrived in New York Harbor. [NYC Ferry] NYC’s first-ever dockless bicycles arrived today on the Rockaways as part of a city-wide pilot program. [Office of the Mayor] S’mores around a fire, 1,500 thread-count sheets, and the island […]

July 11, 2018

Walmart starts NYC takeover; Bruce Springsteen’s childhood NJ home finds a buyer

How the saga of Trump City foreshadowed the president’s chaotic path to the White House. [Politico] Jet.com, a subsidiary of Walmart, will build a fulfillment center in the Bronx, from which it’ll offer same-day grocery delivery. [Business Insider] Bruce Springsteen’s childhood home in Freehold, NJ sold for $255,000. [APP] LinkNYC kiosks will display unrealized projects from “Never […]

July 6, 2018

Nathan’s may start weighing hot dogs in its eating contest; 1 in 8 new apartments are in flood zones

This Sunday, go on a free tour of the Little Red Light House in Washington Heights, Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse. [NYC Parks] After a counting error with Joey Chestnut this year, the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest is considering using technology to monitor plate weights. [ESPN] After a July 1st fire, FiDi’s Dead Rabbit, voted the […]

July 2, 2018

NYCHA repairs require $32B over five years; Is it legal to buy fireworks in NYC?

Twenty years ago, Grand Central underwent a massive restoration. See what it looked like before. [Untapped Cities] NYCHA needs $32B over the next five years to address unmet capital repairs, including mold and lead paint exposure, with $25B needed within one year. [Politico] Thinking of setting off some fireworks on Wednesday? Read this first. [Metro] Meet 26-year-old Haley Dragoo, […]

June 26, 2018

Millennials flock to Washington Heights; Shark exhibit opens this weekend at Coney Island Aquarium

Is Washington Heights the new Williamsburg? The upper-Manhattan ‘hood has 50,103 millennial residents, the most in the city. [NYP] See photos of Staten Island’s abandoned boat graveyard in the ’80s and 2000s. [Curbed] Mayor de Blasio announced a $400 million initiative to renovate 2,400 NYCHA apartments across 21 public housing developments in Brooklyn and Manhattan. [Office of […]

June 19, 2018

Hudson Yards’ Spanish food hall to open spring 2019; Colorful street art arrives at the WTC site

The City Council is introducing legislation that will open information centers and create a position for someone to hear gripes about the L train shutdown. [NYDN] José Andrés’ Spanish food hall for 10 Hudson Yards will be called Mercado Little Spain and open next spring. [Grub Street] Which New York City borough would win an all-out Civil […]

June 8, 2018

Remembering Anthony Bourdain’s NYC; Verrazzano or Verrazano?

In remembrance of “one of NYC’s most rollicking food celebrities,” this list rounds up some of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite spots and thoughts on his home city. [Eater NY] In 1983, a group of Park Slope neighbors created an unusual communal yard. It still remains as “a special slice of nature.” [CityLab] A permanent Nutella cafe will […]