All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade returns on Saturday

All photos by Eliza Rinn, unless noted otherwise

June 16, 2026

Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade returns on Saturday

The Mermaid Parade returns to the Coney Island boardwalk this Saturday for its 44th year, bringing its annual sea-themed celebration back to Brooklyn’s shoreline. Hosted by Coney Island USA, the event is the nation's biggest art parade, drawing around 5,000 participants in handmade sea-themed costumes and floats. This year's parade takes place on Saturday, June 20, at 1 p.m., rain or shine.
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Events & Things To Do

Protected bike lane coming to Adams Street near Brooklyn Bridge to curb illegal parking

Illegal parking in the existing painted bike lane. All images courtesy of NYC DOT

June 16, 2026

Protected bike lane coming to Adams Street near Brooklyn Bridge to curb illegal parking

By Aaron Ginsburg

A planned protected bike lane linking Downtown Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Bridge aims to close a gap in the borough's cycling network while curbing a hotspot for illegal parking. Detailed by the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) earlier this month in a presentation to Brooklyn Community Board 2, the project would install a two-way protected bike lane along Adams Street and Boerum Place, extending existing protections that currently end at Adams and Johnson Streets and creating a continuous connection to the Brooklyn Bridge. The redesign would also deter illegal parking in the existing painted bike lane, where cyclists are regularly forced into traffic to get around vehicles.
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A public artwork you can play with comes to Union Square

Photos by Jane Kratochvil, courtesy of Union Square Partnership

June 15, 2026

A public artwork you can play with comes to Union Square

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new interactive public sculpture designed by Fashion Institute of Technology students opened at University Plaza in Union Square last week. Created in collaboration with the Union Square Partnership (USP), "Bead Maze" reimagines a doctor’s waiting-room toy as a large-scale artwork featuring interactive plywood beads connected by bent steel pipes and a color palette inspired by the vibrancy of the Union Square Greenmarket. The project, located between 13th and 14th Streets, was brought to life by design collective Scale Rule, which works pro bono to help realize student concepts through design, fabrication, and installation.
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Architecture And Design

NYC unveils the first look at the future of sidewalk sheds

Photos courtesy of Gabrielle Beaumont

June 15, 2026

NYC unveils the first look at the future of sidewalk sheds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Two of six prototype sidewalk sheds that forgo the traditional unsightly design have been installed outside the Department of Buildings headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Designed by Arup, the sheds provide additional space to improve circulation and increase light for visibility, while enhancing the streetscape with a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. The structures, on view in front of 280 Broadway for 30 days, are a first look at new shed designs, required by a law passed by the City Council last year.
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Knicks to celebrate first NBA title in 53 years with ticker-tape parade

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

June 15, 2026

Knicks to celebrate first NBA title in 53 years with ticker-tape parade

By Aaron Ginsburg

After a half-century drought, the New York Knicks have finally brought an NBA championship back to the five boroughs. To celebrate, as is tradition in New York City, a ticker-tape parade will be held for the team on Thursday, the first time in franchise history. The parade will take place at 10 a.m. on June 18 along the Canyon of Heroes in Lower Manhattan and end outside City Hall, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani will present the team with keys to the city.
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Events & Things To Do

NYC launches ‘neighborhood passport’ for World Cup, highlighting immigrant communities

Images courtesy of Team Wonder

June 12, 2026

NYC launches ‘neighborhood passport’ for World Cup, highlighting immigrant communities

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has officially launched its “neighborhood passport” for the World Cup, encouraging residents and visitors to explore immigrant communities across the five boroughs. Released last week, the NYC Neighborhood Passport invites participants to check out diverse neighborhoods, cultural institutions, small businesses, and soccer-related events, while collecting stamps designed by local artists, with each stamp reflecting the artist’s cultural identity and roots. The free passports are now available at all public library branches.
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Events & Things To Do

Greenwich Village block co-named for Jimi Hendrix

Credit: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit on Flickr

June 12, 2026

Greenwich Village block co-named for Jimi Hendrix

By Aaron Ginsburg

A block in Greenwich Village has been co-named in honor of legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix, paying tribute to the street where he built the historic Electric Lady Studios. After a major snowstorm forced the ceremony in February to be rescheduled, part of West 8th Street was officially co-named "Jimi Hendrix Way" on Wednesday, marking the culmination of a decades-long effort by family members and supporters. The honor recognizes Hendrix’s connection to Electric Lady Studios, which he commissioned in 1968 and opened in 1970, just months before his death at age 27, and which remains one of the most influential recording studios in the world.
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Policy

City Council unveils proposal to build affordable housing on top of libraries

Sunset Park Library and Apartments. Credit: Brooklyn Public Library

June 11, 2026

City Council unveils proposal to build affordable housing on top of libraries

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City Council wants to build affordable housing on top of public libraries to ease the current housing crisis. Council Speaker Julie Menin on Thursday called on the Mamdani administration to invest $60 million to support the redevelopment of three initial library sites, one in each of the city’s three public library systems. The plan builds on the city's existing model of co-locating affordable housing and libraries, including Bensonhurst’s New Utrecht Library, which the city issued a request for proposals for just this week, as well as ongoing projects at Grand Concourse and on the Upper West Side. Similar projects in Sunset Park and Inwood opened in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
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Historic Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus reopens after 5-year renovation

The new Carroll Street Bridge in retracted position. Credit: NYC DOT

June 11, 2026

Historic Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus reopens after 5-year renovation

By Aaron Ginsburg

The 137-year-old Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus will reopen next week after a five-year rehabilitation, with access limited to pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles. The city's Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced that the historic 1889 structure—one of just four remaining retractile bridges in the country—will reopen on June 15. The trapezoid-shaped one-lane bridge, closed since 2021, has been locked in an open position throughout the rehabilitation and barred to all vehicular traffic.
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Architecture And Design

SHoP Architects to design new Gotham FC training hub in NJ

Renderings courtesy of SHoP Architects

June 11, 2026

SHoP Architects to design new Gotham FC training hub in NJ

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gotham Football Club has tapped renowned architectural firm SHoP Architects to design a new $35 million training facility in New Jersey for the championship-winning women's soccer team. Announced on Wednesday, the project will transform the former New York Red Bulls training facility in Whippany into a purpose-built training hub focused on player performance, recovery, and well-being, making it one of the first facilities to meet the National Women’s Soccer League’s new training standards. Renovations are expected to begin later this summer, with completion targeted for summer 2027.
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Architecture And Design

23 soccer ball sculptures installed across NYC and NJ ahead of World Cup

By Aaron Ginsburg

Twenty-three soccer ball sculptures are popping up across New York City and New Jersey to celebrate the arrival of the FIFA World Cup this week. The initiative, dubbed "Art of the Game," includes large-scale public artworks by internationally recognized artists on major streets, parks, museums, and watch party locations across all five boroughs and New Jersey. The sculptures will remain on view through Labor Day; 12 of the works will be installed permanently, and five will be auctioned for charity through Christie’s.
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Architecture And Design

Nearly 195,000 people slept in NYC shelters in 2025, the most ever

Credit: Felton Davis on Flickr

June 10, 2026

Nearly 195,000 people slept in NYC shelters in 2025, the most ever

By Aaron Ginsburg

The number of New Yorkers sleeping in homeless shelters rose 27 percent under Mayor Eric Adams' four years in office, driven by overcrowded housing conditions and evictions, according to a new report. The Coalition for the Homeless released its annual "State of the Homeless" report, which found that the number of non-migrant New York City residents needing shelter grew by more than 12,000 between January 2022 and December 2025. Plus, last year, 194,531 individuals used the city's shelter system over the course of the year, the most in its history. The increase excludes asylum seekers and other new arrivals who entered the shelter system during that period.
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Your guide to Pride in NYC: Parades, parties, and more

Photo by Elvis Yang on Pexels

June 9, 2026

Your guide to Pride in NYC: Parades, parties, and more

By Aaron Ginsburg

When June arrives in New York City, the five boroughs come alive with celebrations honoring the contributions and impact of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. In today's political climate, marked by continued attacks and hostile rhetoric directed towards the LGBTQIA+ community, honoring Pride is more crucial than ever. Ahead, here's a guide to make the most out of Pride Month in the five boroughs, from the iconic Pride March to a vast selection of vibrant parties, live performances, and cultural events.
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Events & Things To Do

Swirling street mural in Hudson Square ‘flows’ with the movement of pedestrians

Photos courtesy of Just A Spectator

June 9, 2026

Swirling street mural in Hudson Square ‘flows’ with the movement of pedestrians

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new asphalt mural in Hudson Square turns pedestrian movement into bold, swirling stripes of rainbow colors. Unveiled Monday by the Hudson Square Business Improvement District (HSBID), “Urban Flow” by Dasic Fernández spans Little Sixth Avenue and Dominick Street, featuring an evolving network of colorful bands that expand and contract to reflect patterns of circulation and gathering. The mural is intended to complement the future Hudson Square Plaza, a 6,000-square-foot public space set to open this summer.
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Architecture And Design

Work to bring Second Avenue Subway to East Harlem begins

Photo credit: Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

June 9, 2026

Work to bring Second Avenue Subway to East Harlem begins

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York officials on Monday broke ground on phase two of the Second Avenue Subway, which will bring the Q train to 125th Street. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that excavation has begun at East 119th Street and Second Avenue, where next year a tunnel-boring machine will begin mining the new subway tunnels from 120th Street and Second Avenue to 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. The groundbreaking marks a major milestone for a project first proposed nearly a century ago that has faced multiple failed attempts to bring subway service to East Harlem.
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June 8, 2026

Whole Foods to open new stores in Bushwick, Cobble Hill

By Aaron Ginsburg

Whole Foods continues to expand in Brooklyn. The Amazon-owned supermarket chain is set to open a new store at 1224 Flushing Avenue in Bushwick after signing a 15-year lease for a 10,000-square-foot space where it is expected to open one of its small-format convenience stores, according to Crain's. The Bushwick location is the second new lease the supermarket giant signed for a Brooklyn store last week, following a 10-year deal at a former Rite Aid at 182 Smith Street in Cobble Hill.
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Real Estate Trends

Here are the NYC neighborhoods with the highest storefront vacancy rates

Photo by Ruoyu Li on Unsplash

June 5, 2026

Here are the NYC neighborhoods with the highest storefront vacancy rates

By Aaron Ginsburg

Though New York City’s storefront vacancy rate has rebounded since the pandemic, some neighborhoods still have retail vacancy rates as high as 20 percent, according to a new report. Released on Thursday by the city's Comptroller Mark Levine, the report, titled "Who's Minding the Storefront? An Analysis of Storefront Vacancies," found that while the citywide vacancy rate has returned to near pre-pandemic levels, parts of Lower Manhattan, Battery Park City, Northern Brooklyn, and Western Queens continue to see retail vacancy rates at or above 20 percent. Citywide, roughly 15,700 storefronts remain vacant, representing an 11 percent vacancy rate, about half a percentage point above pre-pandemic levels.
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Policy

NYC to expand traffic sensor network to study how New Yorkers use streets

Credit: NYC DOT

June 4, 2026

NYC to expand traffic sensor network to study how New Yorkers use streets

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City will expand its use of cutting-edge sensor technology to track road usage and inform safer, more data-driven street design. Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn on Tuesday announced that the agency will install privacy-protected sensors, first piloted in 2023, at about 80 additional locations across the five boroughs, bringing the total to 100. The devices count pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and vehicles to analyze how New Yorkers use city streets, offering insight into pedestrian crossings, where bike access may need improvement, and how cars move through specific areas.
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Balloon Museum announces opening of NYC flagship at the Tin Building

“Black Hole Horizon” by Thom Kubli. Credit: The Balloon Museum

June 4, 2026

Balloon Museum announces opening of NYC flagship at the Tin Building

By Aaron Ginsburg

The world’s first traveling inflatable art exhibition is opening a permanent location in New York City. The Balloon Museum will open at the historic Tin Building in the Seaport District on July 15, bringing its unique large-scale installations to a 58,000-square-foot space that formerly housed Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s food hall. Its inaugural exhibition, “Daydream: Air Becomes Art,” will bring together experimental, site-specific works that use air as a “unifying medium,” featuring artists including Marina Abramović and Martin Creed.
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Events & Things To Do

Former Planned Parenthood clinic in Noho will be converted to luxury condos

Rendering of the proposed building from Bleecker and Mott Streets. Credit: BKSK Architects

June 3, 2026

Former Planned Parenthood clinic in Noho will be converted to luxury condos

By Aaron Ginsburg

The former home of Manhattan's only Planned Parenthood clinic in Noho is set to become luxury condos. The Landmarks Preservation Commission this week approved a plan to convert the Classical Revival-style commercial building at 26 Bleecker Street into 15 luxury condominium residences. Planned Parenthood, which first moved to the building in 1989, sold the property last year to Israeli development firm Izaki Group Investments for $38.1 million. The nonprofit, which officially shut down operations at the building last October, cited increasing financial and political pressures as reasons for selling.
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Food hall at former Lord & Taylor building to open this month

Credit: Young Skeletons

June 3, 2026

Food hall at former Lord & Taylor building to open this month

By Aaron Ginsburg

The food hall at Fifth Avenue's landmarked Lord & Taylor building will finally open later this month, making the historic Midtown property accessible to the public for the first time since the department store closed in 2019. Shaver Hall, a 35,000-square-foot dining and entertainment destination, will open on the ground floor on June 26, featuring 11 chef-curated eateries, three full-service restaurants, and live entertainment. Amazon purchased the 1914 building in 2020 and converted it into the company's largest corporate office space in the city, which opened in 2023.
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Food & Dining

16 spots in NYC to watch the Knicks in the NBA Finals

Credit: Jacob Williamson

June 2, 2026

16 spots in NYC to watch the Knicks in the NBA Finals

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers are ready to party like it's 1999. After a Game 4 victory at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday in which they overcame a 29-point deficit—the largest comeback in NBA Finals history—the New York Knicks are one win away from their first NBA championship since 1973, bringing a level of excitement to the city not seen in three decades. With countless bars and restaurants across the city hosting screenings, there is no shortage of places to cheer on the team as they face the San Antonio Spurs. Here are some spots promising an electric atmosphere as the Knicks continue their first NBA Finals in 27 years.
Places to watch, ahead

Events & Things To Do

New York SNAP recipients can now receive free membership to The Met

Photo by Charles Parker from Pexels

June 2, 2026

New York SNAP recipients can now receive free membership to The Met

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday launched free membership for New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The initiative is offered through the new “Explorer Membership” level, which provides one year of free membership, access to member preview days, a digital membership card, invitations to community programs, and more. The program is a joint effort by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Human Resources Administration, and Department of Social Services, and follows a similar initiative launched by the American Museum of Natural History last July.
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Here’s how to view a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence in NYC

Images courtesy of Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library, unless noted otherwise

June 1, 2026

Here’s how to view a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York Public Library on Monday released the first batch of free tickets to view a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence during America's 250th anniversary this July. As part of an exhibit commemorating the nation's founding, the library will grant limited access to one of the few surviving "fair copies" of the document handwritten by Thomas Jefferson, on view at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building from July 1 through July 7. Tickets are released online every Monday through June 29.
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Events & Things To Do

Plan to restore 1820s Lower East Side church and add 130 affordable homes advances

Credit: City Planning Commission

June 1, 2026

Plan to restore 1820s Lower East Side church and add 130 affordable homes advances

By Aaron Ginsburg

A project to restore an 1820s-era Lower East Side church and build a mixed-use development with 130 affordable apartments next to it is moving ahead. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal on Friday recommended approval of a proposal to renovate St. Augustine's Chapel at 290 Henry Street and replace an existing two-story classroom annex with a 21-story mixed-use housing development. Now headed to the City Planning Commission for review, the development would include income-restricted apartments for families earning 50, 80, and 110 percent of the area median income, as well as some units for formerly homeless New Yorkers.
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All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

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