All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

Luxury spa on Governors Island to undergo major expansion in July

Panoramic of QC New York’s Building 111 (left), which will opening in mid-July 2024, and Building 112 (right), which opened in 2022. All images courtesy of QC New York

May 10, 2024

Luxury spa on Governors Island to undergo major expansion in July

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The luxurious Italian wellness spa on Governors Island, QC New York, is gearing up for a major expansion this summer. QC NY on Thursday announced plans to open a 15,000-square-foot addition in July, featuring sensory saunas, waterfalls, a salt room, a lavender room, an ice room, a relaxation room with waterbeds, and a 142-seat restaurant. The new multi-million dollar expansion will be located in Building 111.
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NYC looks to install 500 secure bike parking facilities

All images courtesy of NYC DOT

May 10, 2024

NYC looks to install 500 secure bike parking facilities

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The city is looking to build hundreds of free, secure bike parking locations across the five boroughs to prevent theft and encourage more New Yorkers to bike. The Department of Transportation on Thursday issued a request for proposals seeking operators for a network of 500 secure biking parking facilities to be built starting next year. The new storage spaces would accommodate the continued growth in bike ridership across the city, which is seeing more than 600,000 trips daily.
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Japan Parade returns to NYC this weekend

Photo courtesy of 7beachbum on Flickr

May 9, 2024

Japan Parade returns to NYC this weekend

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A parade dedicated to Japanese culture is returning to New York City for its third year. On Saturday, May 11, the Japan Parade kicks off at 1 p.m. on Central Park West and West 81st Street and heads south to 68th Street. The parade will feature live music, martial arts, traditional dance and drum performances, appearances by prominent Japanese organizations, and more.
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Artist Felipe Pantone’s biggest mural yet dazzles the Jersey City skyline

Photos courtesy of FPStudio

May 9, 2024

Artist Felipe Pantone’s biggest mural yet dazzles the Jersey City skyline

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Renowned Argentinian artist Felipe Pantone's largest installation yet brings a burst of vibrancy to Jersey City. "OPTICHROMIE for Jersey City" covers 25 floors of a residential building in Journal Square with a dazzling digitized-style gradient mural of geometric patterns. The towering artwork contrasts the darker tones seen in the background of the Manhattan skyline and the mural's bold colors.
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Downtown Brooklyn’s Abolitionist Place park is now open

All photos courtesy of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

May 8, 2024

Downtown Brooklyn’s Abolitionist Place park is now open

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First promised 20 years ago, a Downtown Brooklyn park commemorating the borough's abolitionist history is finally open. City officials on Wednesday cut the ribbon on the 1.15-acre Abolitionist Place, located at 225 Duffield Street. Designed by landscape architecture firm Hargreaves Jones, the park offers a playground, a water play feature, a central lawn, a paved area with boulders, seating, and a dog run. The green space was part of the 2004 upzoning of Downtown Brooklyn and planning officially began in 2010. Financial issues and design changes delayed the project several times.
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A giant, confetti-shooting hot dog is now on view in Times Square

All photos © 6sqft

May 8, 2024

A giant, confetti-shooting hot dog is now on view in Times Square

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A confetti-shooting, 65-foot-long hot dog now sits in the heart of Times Square. Created by artists Jen Carton and Paul Outlaw, the animatronic sausage sculpture "Hot Dog in the City" seeks to celebrate the American hot dog while delving into the interconnected themes of consumption, capitalism, class, and culture within the context of the iconic New York City fast food. Located in Duffy Square, the installation, accompanied by programs and talks, is on view to the public through June 13.
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A new grocery store for Two Bridges: Brooklyn Fare opens at One Manhattan Square

Photos courtesy of One Manhattan Square

May 8, 2024

A new grocery store for Two Bridges: Brooklyn Fare opens at One Manhattan Square

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Over a decade after the longstanding Pathmark store closed, residents of Two Bridges this week celebrated the opening of a new grocery store in the neighborhood. Brooklyn Fare Kitchen & Market has opened at the base of luxury condominium One Manhattan Square at 227 Cherry Street. The new store measures 25,500 square feet, features an all-glass storefront and 20-foot ceilings, and offers a variety of fresh produce, prepared foods, and more, at an affordable price.
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NYC breaks ground on $200M project to rebuild and elevate The Battery

Image courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

May 7, 2024

NYC breaks ground on $200M project to rebuild and elevate The Battery

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New York City officials this week broke ground on an ambitious project to defend Lower Manhattan from climate change. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced the start of work on the city-funded Battery Coastal Resilience Project, a $200 million plan to rebuild and raise the wharf promenade in The Battery, part of a larger effort to protect Lower Manhattan from sea level rise and storm surge. Slated for completion in 2026, the project will protect 100,000 residents, 300,000 jobs, and 12,000 businesses in the area, according to the city.
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Chelsea’s most expensive listing is this $40M penthouse at The Cortland

All images courtesy of Related Companies

May 7, 2024

Chelsea’s most expensive listing is this $40M penthouse at The Cortland

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A penthouse atop a new condo building in Chelsea is hitting the market this week for $39,500,000, marking the neighborhood's most expensive property currently on the market. Designed in collaboration between Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Olson Kundig, The Cortland at 522 West 22nd Street is a 25-story tower with waterfront views and 144 luxury residences. Penthouse 25 measures over 5,760 square feet and includes two outdoor terraces with 360-degree views. If it sells for the asking price, the home would become one of Chelsea's priciest deals.
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Original Domino Sugar Factory sign reimagined as a lobby sculpture

Photo courtesy of Etienne Frossard

May 6, 2024

Original Domino Sugar Factory sign reimagined as a lobby sculpture

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Williamsburg's original Domino Sugar Factory sign has been given new life as an art installation. Two Trees Management last week unveiled "Untitled (reverse virgule)," which repurposes the iconic yellow Domino Sugar Factory sign into an 11-foot by 36-foot wall sculpture. Created by artist Virginia Overton, the piece sits in the lobby of the Refinery at Domino, a new office building that opened last year within the historic sugar factory building.
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289-unit condo proposed for Crown Heights site next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

960 Franklin Avenue. Street View 2024 © Google

May 6, 2024

289-unit condo proposed for Crown Heights site next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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A Crown Heights property that has seen several development proposals over the years traded hands again. A limited liability company tied to Yitzchok Schwartz's YS Developers paid $64 million for 960 Franklin Avenue, which sits a block from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and is home to a former spice factory, as The Real Deal reported. YS Developers acquired the site from Isaac Hager and Daryl Hagler and on Friday filed plans for a seven-story residential building with 289 condos. A previous plan that called for two 34-story towers with over 1,500 apartments was successfully stopped by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and local residents, who feared the high-rises would block sunlight to its nearby greenhouses.
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NYC looks to activate outdoor pool space during the off-season

Astoria Pool. Photo courtesy of Global Jet on Flickr

May 3, 2024

NYC looks to activate outdoor pool space during the off-season

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New York City is looking for creative ways to repurpose outdoor pool space during the fall and winter. The city's Parks Department on Thursday issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI), seeking innovative ways to reimagine six outdoor pool decks for recreation, services, programming, and concessions during the off-season, from October through March.
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Four years after start of Covid, Green-Wood Cemetery opens community art memorial honoring New Yorkers

Photos courtesy of Erik McGregor

May 3, 2024

Four years after start of Covid, Green-Wood Cemetery opens community art memorial honoring New Yorkers

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Four years after the start of the pandemic, a new memorial at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery remembers the lives lost to Covid-19 and those still affected by the pandemic. Created by Naming the Lost Memorials (NTLM) and City Lore, "A Big, Slow, Majestic Covid Memorial" features tributes created by 22 community groups from across New York City. The memorial, stretching 200 feet across the cemetery's historic wrought-iron fence near the main entrance at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street, is on view through June 3.
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NYC to expand car-free access in Manhattan ahead of congestion pricing

Image courtesy of Pranay Pareek on Unsplash

May 2, 2024

NYC to expand car-free access in Manhattan ahead of congestion pricing

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New York City is stepping up its effort to improve car-free access to Midtown and Lower Manhattan to prepare for the start of congestion pricing, scheduled in just a few weeks. The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) on Thursday released a report detailing 37 new projects and 47 existing projects that enhance car-free access to and around Manhattan's Central Business District (CBD) as the city's congestion pricing program goes into effect on June 30.
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135 middle-income apartments available in Mott Haven, from $3,088/month

Rendering courtesy of Michaelis Boyd

May 2, 2024

135 middle-income apartments available in Mott Haven, from $3,088/month

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A housing lottery has launched for 135 middle-income apartments at a new luxury residential project in Mott Haven. Located at 138 Bruckner Boulevard in the South Bronx, the 12-story mixed-use building offers spacious units, luxurious amenities, and proximity to the Bronx waterfront. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $105,875/month for a single person and $218,010 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $3,088/month studios to $3,939/month two bedrooms.
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MTA launches pilot program allowing Fair Fares discount on OMNY cards

Image courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

May 2, 2024

MTA launches pilot program allowing Fair Fares discount on OMNY cards

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After a long delay, transit riders who are part of New York City's half-priced fare program will soon be able to tap-and-go. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday officially launched a Fair Fares pilot program on OMNY, allowing commuters who are part of the city's half-priced fare program to use the contactless payment system. The 90-day pilot program starts with 50 Fair Fares riders and will allow the MTA to collect feedback and finalize a rollout for all qualifying customers later.
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Master plan unveiled for five-tower ‘resort-style’ development on Williamsburg waterfront

Renderings courtesy of Hayes Davidson

May 1, 2024

Master plan unveiled for five-tower ‘resort-style’ development on Williamsburg waterfront

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An "urban resort-style" development with five new residential towers and 850 residences is coming to the Williamsburg waterfront. Naftali Group on Wednesday unveiled "Williamsburg Wharf," a 3.75-acre mixed-use development at Kent Avenue, between Division Street and South 11th Street. The multi-phase project will bring 1 million square feet of residential, commercial, and retail space--as well as a waterfront park--to 464-484 Kent Avenue. Construction on the first phase of the project is slated for completion in 2025.
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Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show will return to the Hudson River

Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks over the Hudson River. Photo by mamojo on Flickr

May 1, 2024

Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show will return to the Hudson River

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The Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks are returning to the Hudson River for the first time in over a decade. Hosted over the East River since 2014, the annual fireworks show will switch to the west side for the 2024 event, Macy's announced Tuesday. The best spots to take in the extravaganza will be between West 14th and West 34th Streets and along the north New Jersey waterfront.
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For $11.95M, a duplex in a glamorous new Upper East Side condo

Renderings courtesy of Elad Group

April 30, 2024

For $11.95M, a duplex in a glamorous new Upper East Side condo

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A few months after sales launched at the condo 201 East 74th Street, we're getting a closer look at one of the residences in the new Upper East Side tower. Designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, The 74 features an Art Deco-inspired design and 42 residences. On the market for $11,950,000, residence 6A flaunts interiors by acclaimed AD100 designer Rafael de Cárdenas, embodying a "quiet luxe oasis" across nearly 5,400 square feet and five bedrooms.
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The Met’s rooftop installation features sculptures inspired by children’s desktop doodles

Petrit Halilaj (born Kosovo, 1986) Installation view of The Roof Garden Commission: Petrit Halilaj, Abetare, 2024 Courtesy of the artist: Chert Lüdde, Berlin; kurimanzutto, Mexico City / New York; Mennour, Paris. Image credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Hyla Skopitz

April 30, 2024

The Met’s rooftop installation features sculptures inspired by children’s desktop doodles

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A sprawling series of sculptures inspired by the doodles and drawings of school children have been installed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's rooftop, as part of the annual Roof Garden commission. Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj this week unveiled his work "Abetare," an exhibition of three-dimensional metal sculptures depicting drawings he found on classroom desks at his former school in Kosovo, as well as in Albania and countries from the former Yugoslavia. While appearing whimsical, the sculptures provide a look at the imagination of children whose lives were upended by war. The installation is on view at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden through October 27.
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New ‘Legendary Yankees’ mural honors living Black baseball icons

Aaron Judge and C.C. Sabathia with artist André Trenier. All photos courtesy of the New York Yankees

April 29, 2024

New ‘Legendary Yankees’ mural honors living Black baseball icons

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The Bronx Children's Museum last week unveiled "Exhibiting Possibilities: Legendary Yankees," an outdoor mural featuring six living Black baseball legends and former Yankees, including Willie Randolph, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter, C.C. Sabathia, and Aaron Judge. Created by Bronx native André Trenier, the artwork is part of a larger project from the museum to inspire children in the neighborhood to dream big.
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MTA to offer 10% discount on LIRR and Metro-North trips in NYC

Metro-North station in Fordham. Photo via Wikimedia

April 29, 2024

MTA to offer 10% discount on LIRR and Metro-North trips in NYC

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To promote public transit use when congestion pricing begins, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to offer a 10 percent discount on monthly tickets for Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trips that start and end within the five boroughs. The board is expected to approve a pilot program on Tuesday that would cut fares by up to $22 per month depending on the zone, as laid out by the MTA. The program, which would start July 1 and run for one year, is designed to incentivize drivers to switch to public transit as New York City's congestion pricing program kicks off on June 30.
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NYC’s congestion pricing program to start June 30

Image courtesy of Kyler Boone on Unsplash

April 26, 2024

NYC’s congestion pricing program to start June 30

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New York City's congestion pricing program finally has an official start date. In an interview with ABC 7 on Friday, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber announced the first-in-the-nation program will go into effect on Sunday, June 30 at 12 a.m. The MTA has also opened an online application portal for those qualified to apply for the program's discounts and exemptions. The plan still faces legal challenges from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and several other opponents, which must be resolved before the program can go into effect.
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NYC to install ‘bee hotels’ in 7 public plazas to protect at-risk pollinators

Photos courtesy of NYC Department of Transportation.

April 26, 2024

NYC to install ‘bee hotels’ in 7 public plazas to protect at-risk pollinators

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"Bee hotels" are coming soon to a public plaza near you. The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Thursday announced the Pollinator Port Project, which will install habitats for at-risk native bee populations at seven public plazas and open streets, giving them a place for nourishment and allowing researchers from Rutgers University to analyze their use of the "bee bunkers" and how they travel across the city.
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New maps show which NYC neighborhoods build the most housing

Image courtesy of Joshua Armstrong on Unsplash

April 25, 2024

New maps show which NYC neighborhoods build the most housing

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Amid a housing shortage, only a few New York City neighborhoods are building the majority of new housing. The Department of City Planning on Thursday released two new interactive map tools illustrating where new housing is being permitted and built across the five boroughs by looking at City Council districts, community districts, and neighborhood tabulation areas (NTAs). According to the housing database, development is concentrated in only a few areas: 10 of the city's 59 community districts saw as much new housing built as the other 49.
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