All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

The Met to reopen Rockefeller Wing with free, all-day festival

Arts of the Ancient Americas collection. Photo by Brigit Beyer

May 23, 2025

The Met to reopen Rockefeller Wing with free, all-day festival

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will celebrate the long-awaited reopening of its Michael C. Rockefeller Wing this month with a free festival. Taking place on May 31, the all-day event will celebrate the unveiling of newly reimagined galleries for the Arts of Africa, ancient Americas, and Oceania following a four-year, $70 million renovation. Visitors can enjoy live music, interactive art-making, gallery chats, and more at the Met, all inspired by the stunning art and cultures showcased in the updated wing.
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NYC expands reservation-only Rockaway ferry service this summer, hikes price

Rockway Line NYC Ferry. Photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office on Flickr

May 22, 2025

NYC expands reservation-only Rockaway ferry service this summer, hikes price

By Aaron Ginsburg

Riding the New York City ferry to the beach will be easier this summer, but it’ll cost more. NYC Ferry and the city's Economic Development Corporation on Wednesday announced plans to expand the popular "Rockaway Rocket" and "Rockaway Reserve" programs, offering more reserved seats at a new price of $12 per ticket, up from $10. The expanded service will let beachgoers reserve spots on the crowded ferries in advance, a response to rising demand as the city's public beaches saw 11.6 million visitors in 2024—an increase of over 230,000 people from the previous year, according to the city's Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
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Central Park launches new Ranger Corps to encourage better public behavior

Credit: Central Park Conservancy

May 22, 2025

Central Park launches new Ranger Corps to encourage better public behavior

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new team of park rangers has been patrolling Central Park for the past six weeks, helping visitors and ensuring the beloved green space remains safe, clean, and welcoming. Managed by the Central Park Conservancy, the Ranger Corps has been on duty since early spring, addressing visitor concerns and quality-of-life issues, including noise complaints, illegal vending, assisting unhoused individuals, reuniting lost children with their families, and more.
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Policy

14th Street Busway mural honors Union Square as hub for connection, above and below ground

Photos by Jane Kratochvil

May 22, 2025

14th Street Busway mural honors Union Square as hub for connection, above and below ground

By Aaron Ginsburg

This year’s 14th Street Busway mural has officially been unveiled, bringing vibrant colors to the corridor and celebrating Union Square’s role as a hub for connection and exploration. Designed by New York-based artist Yuke Li, "Turning Point" features bold, abstract compositions and retro-inspired hues, with fluid shapes that mirror the movement of people and energy through the space. The mural was completed on Friday after five days of work, in collaboration with Brooklyn-based urban planning and design firm Street Plans, local volunteers, and community groups.
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Architecture And Design

The Chrysler Building is now on the market

Credit: Mitch Hodiono on Unsplash

May 21, 2025

The Chrysler Building is now on the market

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Chrysler Building is officially up for sale after a drawn-out legal battle between RFR Holding and Cooper Union. As first reported by The Promote, the leasehold for the iconic Art Deco skyscraper is on the market for the first time since 2019, after a judge terminated RFR’s lease in January and evicted the firm for falling more than $21 million behind on rent owed to Cooper Union, which owns the land beneath the tower. Cooper Union has since tapped real estate firm Savills to find a new operator to take over the lease.
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Real Estate Trends

Adams announces $250M more for Fifth Avenue redesign plan

Images by Field Operations, courtesy of City Hall

May 21, 2025

Adams announces $250M more for Fifth Avenue redesign plan

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is investing another $250 million to transform Fifth Avenue into a pedestrian-centric corridor. Mayor Eric Adams announced the new funding on Wednesday, bringing the total investment in the project to $400 million, including $152 million the city had previously committed. Focused on the stretch between Central Park and Bryant Park, the Fifth Avenue redesign will reduce traffic lanes from five to three, nearly double the width of sidewalks, shorten crosswalks, and add more than 230 trees, as well as new seating and improved lighting.
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NYC unveils plan for dedicated busway on 34th Street

Images courtesy of NYC DOT

May 21, 2025

NYC unveils plan for dedicated busway on 34th Street

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City plans to transform a busy stretch of 34th Street in Manhattan into a busway to improve sluggish crosstown commutes. The Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled plans for a dedicated lane along 34th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues for buses, trucks, and emergency vehicles, which could boost speeds by up to 15 percent for the more than two dozen bus routes that use the corridor. Modeled after the successful 14th Street busway, the plan would still permit other vehicles to enter but require them to make the next available legal turn off the street.
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U.S. Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium to get $800M revamp

All renderings courtesy of USTA

May 20, 2025

U.S. Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium to get $800M revamp

By Aaron Ginsburg

The U.S. Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium is getting an $800 million revamp, the U.S. Tennis Association announced Monday, marking the largest single investment in the tennis tournament's history. Unveiled on Monday, the project includes a grand entrance designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, expanded public space, upgraded concourses, a larger courtside bowl, and a new players-only building with state-of-the-art training facilities, premium accommodations, and cafes. Work is already underway and will roll out in three phases, continuing through 2025 and 2026 without disrupting tennis events, with completion expected ahead of the 2027 U.S. Open.
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Architecture And Design

Related drops casino from Hudson Yards plan, but keeps proposal for 4,000 new homes

Renderings courtesy of Related Companies and Wynn Resorts

May 20, 2025

Related drops casino from Hudson Yards plan, but keeps proposal for 4,000 new homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Related Companies is dropping the casino from its project proposed for the undeveloped section of Hudson Yards, the developer announced Monday. In partnership with Wynn Resorts, Related previously pitched a $12 billion mixed-use development anchored by a casino, dubbed "Hudson Yards West," as part of its bid for one of the state's three downstate gaming licenses. Due to opposition from the community and local elected officials, Related and Wynn announced they would no longer pursue a gaming license. However, the developer plans to move forward with a plan to build 4,000 apartments, nearly 50 percent of which will be affordable under a tentative agreement with the Adams administration.
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Policy

Hazardous section of Jacob Riis beach will stay closed this summer

Credit: Steven Pisano on Flickr

May 20, 2025

Hazardous section of Jacob Riis beach will stay closed this summer

By Aaron Ginsburg

Parts of Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways will remain closed this summer due to unsafe conditions. Bays 1 through 5 of the beach, labeled "extremely hazardous" by the National Park Service, have experienced years of erosion, with nearly century-old wooden pilings and rockwork now exposed along the shoreline, as first reported by Gothamist.
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Policy

Popular Articles

Lincoln Center unveils design for revamped Amsterdam Avenue side of campus

Aerial view from Amsterdam Avenue looking east; visible are new streetscape, gardens, and theater. Rendering by Brooklyn Digital Foundry

May 19, 2025

Lincoln Center unveils design for revamped Amsterdam Avenue side of campus

By Aaron Ginsburg

New renderings reveal a reimagined west side of Lincoln Center, part of a project aimed at making the campus more welcoming and accessible. Lincoln Center for Performing Arts (LCPA) on Monday unveiled a preliminary design for the transformation of its Amsterdam Avenue-facing side, led by Hood Design Studio, Weiss/Manfredi, and Moody Nolan. The proposal includes an outdoor performance venue, new community park spaces, and the removal of a longstanding wall, which cuts the campus off from the rest of the neighborhood.
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Architecture And Design

NJ Transit strike ends, service to resume Tuesday

Photo by James Petts on Flickr

May 19, 2025

NJ Transit strike ends, service to resume Tuesday

By Aaron Ginsburg

NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) reached a tentative agreement on Sunday, ending the first strike at the agency in 42 years. Regular weekday train service will resume on Tuesday, May 20, giving workers a day to inspect and prepare tracks and rail cars. The strike began on Friday when 450 unionized workers walked off the job over engineers' wages. While details of the agreement have not been released, Gov. Phil Murphy called the contract settlement "fair and fiscally responsible" with a "generous wage increase" for union members.
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CityPickle unveils plan for huge pickleball hub under the Brooklyn Bridge

Renderings courtesy of CityPickle

May 16, 2025

CityPickle unveils plan for huge pickleball hub under the Brooklyn Bridge

By Aaron Ginsburg

CityPickle on Friday released its plan to transform two parking lots beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo into a pickleball hub. The project, slated for Anchorage Plaza—an area under the bridge between Old Fulton and Washington Streets—takes up 60,000 square feet and features 11 pickleball courts, food trucks, green space with planters, games, seating, shaded areas, bike racks, and space for community programming. CityPickle was selected by the city’s Parks Department last June to revitalize the underused space, which will operate from March through November.
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High Line to host festival celebrating NYC pigeons

Iván Argote, Dinosaur, 2024. A High Line Plinth commission. On view October 2024 – Spring 2026. Photo by Timothy Schenck. Courtesy of the High Line.

May 16, 2025

High Line to host festival celebrating NYC pigeons

By Aaron Ginsburg

Celebrate the winged icon of New York City’s gritty streets at the High Line next month. On Saturday, June 14—also National Pigeon Day—Pigeon Fest will take over the elevated park along 30th Street and the Spur with a day of free programming, including games, art workshops, a pigeon impersonation pageant, and more. The festival centers around Iván Argote’s "Dinosaur," a 16-foot-tall hyper-realistic pigeon sculpture installed at the park in October above the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street.
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Events & Things To Do

NYC’s earliest concrete building in Gowanus back on market for $3M

Photos by Vanessa DeGarcia, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

May 15, 2025

NYC’s earliest concrete building in Gowanus back on market for $3M

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Coignet Stone Building, the earliest known concrete building in New York City, is back on the market for $2,995,000. Located at 360 3rd Avenue in Gowanus, the landmarked structure was built in 1873 as both a showroom and a physical advertisement for Francois Coignet's concrete construction company, marking the first documented use of concrete for a building in the city. Whole Foods purchased the property in 2005 and completed a $1.3 million restoration in 2016 before listing it for $6 million. The building returned to the market in 2019 as a proposed residential townhouse, asking $6.5 million.
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MTA proposes 684-unit development above future Second Avenue Subway terminus in East Harlem

Streetview of East 125th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, Map data © 2024 Google

May 15, 2025

MTA proposes 684-unit development above future Second Avenue Subway terminus in East Harlem

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants to rezone a block in East Harlem to allow for a nearly 700-unit residential building above the future terminus of the Second Avenue Subway. The MTA filed plans on Tuesday to rezone the south side of East 125th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, where the station for the last stop on the Q line will eventually open as part of the Second Avenue Subway extension. As first reported by Crain's, the MTA plans to partner with a private developer to build an apartment tower with up to 684 units on the block's west side, an MTA-owned property.
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NJ Transit strike: The best travel alternatives for getting to NYC

NJ Transit gated off the concourse at Penn Station as a result of the strike. Photo © 6sqft

May 14, 2025

NJ Transit strike: The best travel alternatives for getting to NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

NJ Transit engineers are now on strike for the first time in more than 40 years, impacting commutes for hundreds of thousands of residents. According to the New York Times, about 450 unionized workers went on strike on Friday as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and NJ Transit failed to reach a long-delayed contract agreement. The engineers' demands include pay parity with engineers at nearby commuter railroads. With no train service as of Friday morning, here’s how you can still get to New York City from the Garden State.
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Vacant parking lot in Harlem to become 75 apartments

Credit: Haussmann Development

May 14, 2025

Vacant parking lot in Harlem to become 75 apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

A vacant parking lot in Harlem will soon become a residential building. Haussmann Development on Monday announced it closed on a land purchase at 16–20 Convent Avenue for $7.5 million. Haussmann plans to build a 10-story residential building with 75 one- and two-bedroom apartments, including 15 affordable units for households earning 60 percent of the area median income.
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Affordable Housing

New public art exhibition in Midtown East explores what it means to be American

All photos courtesy of The Soloviev Group, unless noted otherwise

May 13, 2025

New public art exhibition in Midtown East explores what it means to be American

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new public art installation in Midtown East celebrates the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States with stories of veterans, farmers, activists, and other everyday heroes. Designed by C&G Partners, the nearly 7-acre exhibition, "Path of Liberty: That Which Unites US," immerses visitors in 55 personal stories brought to life through striking visuals and interactive elements. Opening on May 15, the installation is located at the site of the Soloviev Group's proposed Freedom Plaza casino on First Avenue between 38th and 41st Streets.
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Queensboro Bridge to open separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians

Credit: David Wilson on Flickr

May 13, 2025

Queensboro Bridge to open separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Queensboro Bridge will finally have separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, starting this weekend. Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced that the bridge’s north outer roadway is now a dedicated bike lane and the south outer roadway, a pedestrian-only path. Originally announced in 2021, the project was expected to open in March, but was abruptly delayed by the mayor, who required a "full briefing" before the path could open, as Streetsblog reported.
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NYC’s largest mass timber housing development to bring 500 homes to Staten Island’s North Shore

Renderings courtesy of GF55 Architects

May 12, 2025

NYC’s largest mass timber housing development to bring 500 homes to Staten Island’s North Shore

By Aaron Ginsburg

A mixed-income housing development with more than 500 apartments planned for Staten Island’s North Shore is set to become New York City’s largest mass timber residential development. On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams announced the selection of Artimus and Phoenix Realty Group to build the new homes, 25 percent of which will be designated as affordable, on two vacant sites along the New Stapleton waterfront. The development will be built with mass timber to lower the project’s carbon footprint and accelerate construction.
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Adams allocates $52M to replace West Village rec center in proposed budget

Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. Tdorante10 via Wikimedia Commons

May 12, 2025

Adams allocates $52M to replace West Village rec center in proposed budget

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Eric Adams is allocating $51.8 million to rebuild a beloved, but run-down, recreation center in the West Village. The 100-year-old Tony Dapolito Recreation Center has been closed since 2019 due to significant structural issues, including foundation damage. Under his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, Adams includes funding for the Parks Department to demolish the existing building on Clarkson Street and construct a modern facility across the street as part of a new mixed-use development.
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A train service to the Rockaways will resume this month

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

May 9, 2025

A train service to the Rockaways will resume this month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Just in time for summer, A train service to the Rockaways will resume later this month following a four-month shutdown. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that regular service will return on May 19, restoring subway access for the more than 9,000 daily commuters who travel in and out of the Rockaways. The shutdown, which began in January, allowed the agency to strengthen infrastructure against extreme weather and repair viaducts and bridges damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
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Updated plan for Broadway Junction redevelopment adds 1,000 affordable homes

Images courtesy of Totem

May 9, 2025

Updated plan for Broadway Junction redevelopment adds 1,000 affordable homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to redevelop a two-acre site around the Broadway Junction transit hub has been revised to increase the number of affordable homes from 600 to 1,000. After nearly 100 public meetings, developer Totem on Thursday released an updated version of its proposal to rezone the East New York site into Herkimer-Williams, a mixed-use project with four buildings along four blocks, containing housing, retail, community space, and open space. The revisions include more affordable housing, community-led retail, reduced building heights, and less office space.
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It’s time to nosh: Jewish food festival coming to Governors Island

All photos courtesy of The Great Knosh

May 8, 2025

It’s time to nosh: Jewish food festival coming to Governors Island

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City’s top restaurants are heading to Governors Island this summer for a one-day-only Jewish food and culture festival. Taking place Sunday, June 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Great Nosh is a picnic-style party with collaborations between some of the city's most iconic restaurants, including Katz’s Deli, Russ & Daughters, Apollo Bagels, and Morgenstern’s.
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