All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

October 7, 2025

The best design tours to book during Archtober 2025

New York City's annual Archtober festival, which celebrates the city’s defining architecture, has returned for its 15th year. This year’s theme, "Shared Spaces," invites participants to rethink how New Yorkers “move, connect, and live together.” As part of the festival, Archtober’s Building of the Day series lets visitors embark on architect-led tours of featured projects across all five boroughs. Ahead, discover a selection of tours not to be missed, from the transformation of Chelsea’s historic Terminal Warehouse to the nation’s largest office-to-residential conversion in the Financial District.
book a tour
October 6, 2025

NYC announces nearly 140 car-free Halloween events

New York City's Halloween open streets program returns for another record-breaking season, with nearly 140 participating locations over two weeks. On Monday, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the "Trick-or-Streets" program, which will close streets, plazas, and other corridors across the five boroughs to vehicles, opening the spaces for spooky (and safe) festivities from October 17 through 31.
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October 6, 2025

Upscale event venue to be first tenant at Chelsea’s redeveloped Terminal Warehouse

Chelsea’s landmarked Terminal Warehouse, a nearly 135-year-old building recently transformed into a commercial and events space, has officially landed its first tenant. Convene Hospitality Group signed a 50,000-square-foot lease for a three-level luxury event space, "The Mallory," named after George Mallory, the architect of the original building in 1891. Located in the building's northwest corner at 12th Avenue and West 28th Street, and accessed via the warehouse's famed tunnel, the venue will have space for up to 550 guests and include a reception lounge with a 25-foot bar, a grand event hall, special suites, and a gallery with movable walls.
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October 3, 2025

Corlears Hook Bridge, amphitheater, and new sports fields reopen at East River Park

City officials last weekend celebrated the reopening of the Corlears Hook Bridge, amphitheater, and restored sports field at East River Park. The reopening is part of the broader East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) initiative, which is elevating and rebuilding the park to protect the Lower East Side from rising sea levels. In May, the park’s south end reopened after closing in 2021, with new picnic and barbecue areas, a passive lawn, six tennis courts, two basketball courts, a nature exploration area, and a multi-use area.
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October 3, 2025

Sunset Park rental with bike storage hub opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $649/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 48 mixed-income apartments at a new mixed-use development in Sunset Park. Rising 14 stories at 201 25th Street, One Sunset offers contemporary residences and amenities, including New York City’s first secure indoor bike storage hub. New Yorkers earning 30, 60, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, with rents ranging from $649 to $3,640/month for one-bedrooms, $762 to $1,715/month for two-bedrooms, and $1,963/month for three-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
October 2, 2025

NYC public libraries stand against censorship during Banned Books Week

New York City's public libraries are recognizing Banned Books Week this year with a stacked lineup of programs and events. Running from October 5 through 11, the week-long observance arrives amid a continued rise in book censorship. According to the American Library Association (ALA), 2,452 unique titles were challenged in 2024—almost nine times the annual average of 273 titles from 2001 to 2020.
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October 2, 2025

Statue of Liberty to stay open during federal shutdown, Trump says

The Statue of Liberty will remain open during the U.S. government shutdown, President Donald Trump's administration said Thursday. The shutdown leaves federal workers without pay and closes federally funded museums and monuments, like Lady Liberty. After Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state would not pay to maintain the monument during the shutdown, the Trump administration announced the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would remain open.
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October 2, 2025

1,600-foot-tall office tower 350 Park Avenue gets unanimous City Council approval

Billionaire Ken Griffin’s proposed 1,600-foot office tower at 350 Park Avenue will be built after the City Council unanimously approved the building last week. The Council voted 48-0 to approve the 62-story supertall building developed by Vornado Realty Trust, Citadel, and Rudin Management and designed by Norman Foster's Foster + Partners. The tower will deliver 1.8 million square feet of office space anchored by Griffin’s Citadel and Citadel Securities, plus a new public concourse. The huge building will rise 200 feet taller than JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, also designed by Foster + Partners.
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October 1, 2025

10 best haunted attractions in and around NYC

With fall weather beginning to creep into the five boroughs and Halloween just a few weeks away, it’s time to start getting into the spooky spirit. One of the most classic ways to celebrate the season is by braving a haunted house, where scares lurk around every corner. While New York City isn’t known for sprawling estates or large farmhouses, there are a few haunted attractions in the five boroughs, but even more are just a drive or train ride away. Ahead is a guide to the best haunted attractions in and around the city, from Tribeca’s famous Blood Manor to eerie farm attractions upstate and in New Jersey.
ways to get spooked, ahead
October 1, 2025

IKEA to open small-format store in Soho

Soho is getting an IKEA. The Scandinavian furniture retailer purchased a six-story commercial building at 529 Broadway from billionaire Jeff Sutton’s firm, Wharton Properties, for $213 million, according to property records. Ingka Group, which owns most IKEA stores worldwide, plans to open a 25,000-square-foot store on the building’s first and second floors, as The Real Deal first reported, continuing its push for smaller-format locations.
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October 1, 2025

NYC subway and bus fare to increase to $3

It will officially cost you 10 more cents to ride New York City subways and buses starting in January. On Tuesday, the MTA Board voted 11-0, with two abstentions, to approve fare hikes raising the base fare from $2.90 to $3. Reduced fares will go up from $1.45 to $1.50 and express bus fares from $7 to $7.25. The agency did scale back increases to its 7-day fare-capping program from $36 to $35 in response to rider feedback.
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September 30, 2025

$8B Citi Field casino proposal moves forward

Some good news for New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. The billionaire's vision of a casino complex next to Citi Field is one step closer to becoming reality. On Tuesday, the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) overseeing the bid unanimously approved "Metropolitan Park," advancing the proposal to the final stage: securing one of the state’s coveted downstate gaming licenses. Cohen's bid joins three other CAC-approved proposals: Bally's Bronx casino, MGM Empire City in Yonkers, and Resorts World NYC in Jamaica, Queens.
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September 30, 2025

New York launches design competition for Ruth Bader Ginsburg memorial in Brooklyn Bridge Park

New York is inviting artists to help honor late Supreme Court Justice and Brooklyn native Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a new memorial at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul launched an artist competition to design the memorial, celebrating Ginsburg’s contributions to civil rights, gender equality, and the rule of law. The announcement comes during the same month as the fifth anniversary of Ginsburg's passing in 2020.
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September 30, 2025

F and M trains will swap routes between Manhattan and Queens

Subway riders traveling between Manhattan and Queens should prepare for changes to their commute come December, when the MTA swaps the F and M lines to ease notorious delays at Queens Plaza. Starting December 8, the F and M lines will trade East River tunnels, separating express and local service and eliminating a bottleneck at Queens Plaza that delays up to 20 percent of rush-hour E, M, and R trains, the agency announced on Monday. The changes will apply on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., improving trips for the 1.2 million riders who use the lines each day.
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September 29, 2025

MTA looking into cooling subway stations with geothermal technology

The MTA is exploring a new way to cool sweltering subway stations: geothermal technology. According to a request for information (RFI) published last week, the agency is considering a system that would use the Earth’s subsurface to transfer heat out of stations and store it elsewhere, to keep platforms between 82 and 85 degrees on hot days. As first reported by The City, the MTA is targeting the 1 line’s 168th Street and 181st Street stations, which rank among the system’s hottest because of their depth.
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September 29, 2025

MTA revises proposed fare hikes, following public feedback

The MTA is scaling back part of its planned fare hikes in response to feedback from riders, transit advocates, and elected officials. On Saturday, the agency announced that after a six-week public outreach period that collected nearly 1,400 comments, the fare cap for seven days of unlimited travel on subways and buses will go up by $1, to $35, instead of the originally planned $36. After 12 trips in any seven-day period, customers get unlimited free rides the rest of the week. The cost of a single ride, however, is still expected to increase from $2.90 to $3.
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September 26, 2025

Williamsburg ice skating rink reopens in Domino Park this November

After a successful debut last year, Williamsburg’s first waterfront ice skating rink will return this winter in Domino Park. Two Trees Management announced Monday that the 7,000-square-foot rink will open on November 10, offering New Yorkers the chance to skate with scenic views of the skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge through February 22, 2026. The rink’s popular DJ nights, holiday-themed skate events, live performances, and other seasonal activities will return, and this year it will also offer a semi-private party space for birthdays.
time to skate
September 26, 2025

Yonkers and Jamaica casino proposals advance

After several high-profile New York City casino proposals were rejected this month, two bids, in Queens and Yonkers, have advanced in the approval process. On Thursday, Resorts World NYC in Jamaica and MGM Empire City in Yonkers won unanimous approval from community advisory committees, sending the proposals to the state board. Both bids aim to convert existing gaming facilities into full-scale casinos, unlike other remaining plans, such as those in the Bronx and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which include entirely new developments.
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September 25, 2025

Adams targets city-owned sites in Williamsburg and East Harlem for 1,700 homes

Two city-owned sites could be redeveloped into at least 1,700 new homes. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said the city will issue requests for proposals for 900 homes at 390 Kent Avenue, one of the last underutilized waterfront sites in Williamsburg, and 800 homes at 1880 First Avenue in East Harlem, currently a parking lot for NYC Health + Hospitals. The two properties were identified through an executive order Adams signed in August 2024, directing city agencies to determine if housing could be built on any properties they owned.
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September 25, 2025

Bensonhurst library to become new modern branch with 100% affordable housing

A Brooklyn public library will be redeveloped into a new modern branch with affordable housing above it. Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday plans to replace the 70-year-old New Utrecht Library in Bensonhurst with a new state-of-the-art branch alongside housing units, part of the city's "Living Libraries" program, which pairs new libraries with housing. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) will issue a request for proposals for the redevelopment, which will also include the city-owned parking lot next to the library.
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September 24, 2025

NYC on track to complete more than 50,000 new homes this year

New York City is on pace to complete 50,000 new homes this year, according to newly released data from the Department of City Planning. In the first half of 2025, developers completed 25,674 residential units, putting the city on track to meet the 50,000 homes needed per year to reach Mayor Eric Adams' "moonshot" goal of 500,000 new homes over the next decade. As first spotted by Crain's, the projected total would far exceed last year’s 34,000 units, which marked the highest number of new homes built in the city since 1965.
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September 24, 2025

15 mph e-bike speed limit to take effect in October

A 15-mile-per-hour speed limit on e-bikes and e-scooters will take effect in October, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday. Starting October 24, the new rule lowers the speed limit for vehicles from 25 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour, a pledge Adams made in June. It remains unclear how the limit will be enforced and what the possible fines would be for speeding.
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September 24, 2025

On the Rockaway peninsula, new rental opens lottery for 37 apartments, from $2,650/month

Applications are being accepted for 37 middle-income apartments at a new residential development on the Rockaway peninsula. Located at 60-14 Beach Channel Road in Arverne, a small neighborhood between Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway, the five-story building includes contemporary residences, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Jamaica Bay on the other. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $2,650/month studios to $2,800/month two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
September 23, 2025

New ‘super-express’ Metro-North trips travel between NYC and Poughkeepsie in under 90 minutes

Metro-North is launching faster "super-express" trains on the Hudson Line next month, zipping passengers between New York City and Poughkeepsie in under 90 minutes. Starting October 6, the service will offer the fastest trip ever between New York City and Poughkeepsie, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. Originally slated for 2026 and first unveiled in her 2025 State of the State address, the early launch comes after work was completed ahead of schedule.
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September 23, 2025

Sabrina Carpenter buys Tribeca penthouse for $9.95M

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is the latest celebrity to scoop up a home in a Tribeca landmark. The singer-songwriter paid $9,950,000 for a duplex penthouse at 108 Leonard Street, as first reported by The Real Deal. Designed in the 1890s by McKim, Mead & White, the Beaux-Arts building served as the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company and has been recently restored by Jeffrey Beers International and converted into luxury condos. Carpenter, who is currently touring behind her new album "Man's Best Friend," bought the home from Cassandra Grey, founder of beauty brand Violet Grey.
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