All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

October 4, 2023

Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is back on and bigger than before

Get back to designing those canine costumes, New Yorkers: this year's Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is back on. After being canceled last week, the 33rd annual dog parade will proceed with support from Mayor Eric Adams and financial backing from dog wellness company Get Joy. Taking place on October 21, this year's event is set to be the largest ever and will feature a formal parade procession instead of just a gathering inside the East Village park, according to the New York Times.
paw-some parade news, this way
October 4, 2023

Katz’s Deli and Magnolia Bakery team up on New York classics package

What's a better pairing than pudding and pastrami? New York City icons Katz's Delicatessen and Magnolia Bakery this week announced a collaboration on a meal package that includes beloved menu items from both institutions. Now available to ship nationwide for a limited time, the "New York Classics" bundle includes two pints of Magnolia's banana pudding and enough Katz's hand-carved pastrami, corned beef, and sandwich fixings for up to six people.
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October 3, 2023

Paul Rudolph’s modernist Modulightor Building may become NYC landmark

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar an iconic building in Midtown East designed by renowned modernist architect Paul Rudolph. Located at 246 East 58th Street, the Modulightor Building was built between 1989 and 1993 to house the lighting company of the same name Rudolph founded with German physicist Ernst Wagner. Rudolph designed the duplex apartment on floors three and four, which is the only Rudolph-designed space regularly open to the public.
read more about the modulightor building
October 3, 2023

Work begins on 188-unit, mixed-income Chelsea building designed by COOKFOX

Work has begun on a 188-unit residential project in Chelsea. MAG Partners and affordable housing cooperative Penn South on Tuesday broke ground on a seven-story residential building at 335 Eighth Avenue. Developed under the Affordable NY Program, the building will set aside 30 percent of units for low- and middle-income New Yorkers. The development, situated on the corner of West 26th Street and 8th Avenue, will contain ground-floor commercial space, including a 23,000-square-foot Lidl grocery store.
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October 3, 2023

NYC’s curbside compost program expands to Brooklyn

Brooklynites, it's time to get your compost on! On Monday, curbside compost collection began in New York City's most populous borough. Brooklyn is the second borough to join the city's universal composting program after Queens, which rolled out a permanent, year-round program in March after a successful pilot last year. Between Queens and Brooklyn, the program will serve nearly 5 million residents, making it the nation's largest composting program.
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October 2, 2023

Fall in NYC: The best of autumn in the Big Apple

As the summer's heat and humidity gradually give way to the cool breeze of autumn, New York City undergoes a stunning transformation. New Yorkers put away their shorts and t-shirts until next year, and pull on their cozy sweaters as they venture out underneath a breathtaking canopy of red, yellow, orange, and brown. Ahead, find our guide to the best of fall in NYC and beyond, from corn mazes and hay rides at farms across the tri-state to mug-holding competitions and oompah music at one of the city's many Oktoberfest celebrations.
the best of fall in nyc
September 28, 2023

See the Meatpacking District’s new public plaza with street mural curated by the Whitney Museum

City officials on Thursday celebrated the opening of a new public plaza and street mural in the Meatpacking District. Located on Tenth Avenue between Gansevoort and Horatio Streets, Gansevoort Landing serves as a connection between the Meatpacking District and the highly-anticipated Gansevoort Peninsula, a soon-to-open public park within Hudson River Park. Gansevoort Landing includes a wider pedestrian plaza and crosswalk to ensure quicker and safer access to the park, as well as a stunning street mural commissioned by the Whitney Museum.
read more about gansevoort landing
September 28, 2023

This year’s Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has been canceled

Dog lovers, we have some ruff news. The Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade has been canceled indefinitely. The event's website homepage reads, "Parade has been canceled for the foreseeable future" in bold. The dog parade, which would have been returning for its 33rd year, was canceled due to overwhelming complications with permits and logistics, parade organizers told Gothamist.
ruff news
September 27, 2023

Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica coming to Queens park

A replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be on display in Queens in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. "The Wall That Heals," a traveling three-quarter-scale version of the memorial in Washington D.C., arrives in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on Thursday, a way for New Yorkers to remember the lives lost during the conflict. The memorial is free and open to the public from September 28 through October 1.
read more about the memorial
September 27, 2023

New York seeks proposals transforming Chelsea prison into affordable housing

New York State is moving forward with a plan to transform a former prison in Chelsea into affordable housing. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced a request for proposals (RFP) to redevelop the Bayview Correctional Facility at 550 West 20th Street into a residential development with affordable and supportive housing. The proposals for the 100,000-square-foot site near the High Line must have a minimum of 60 supportive housing units and 15 short-term transitional residences, according to the RFP.
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September 26, 2023

NYPL photo exhibition captures quirkiness of NYC subway in the 1970s

A new photo exhibition at the New York Public Library captures the everyday interactions of New Yorkers taking the subway in the late 1970s. Located in the Print Gallery of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, "New York Subways 1977: Alen MacWeeney" features 42 diptychs created by Irish-American photographer Alen MacWeeney that show New Yorkers on crowded and graffiti-filled subway cars. The free exhibition is on display now through January 7, 2024.
learn more about the photo exhibition
September 26, 2023

Veselka opens new outpost in Grand Central Terminal

The East Village's legendary Veselka restaurant is now serving up its signature Ukrainian delicacies in Grand Central Terminal. Located in the dining concourse in the historic terminal, the kiosk offers Veselka classics to-go, like borscht, cabbage rolls, and, of course, pierogi. Perfect for the commuter crowd, the outpost also sells coffee and breakfast items, including bacon, egg, and cheese pierogi, a fried egg sandwich on a challah knot, bagels, and muffins.
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September 25, 2023

Lottery opens for 230 luxury apartments at huge Greenpoint rental, from $848/month

A two-tower rental development on the Greenpoint waterfront opened a lottery this week for 230 luxury apartments. Designed by CetraRuddy, Tower 77 sits on a former industrial area facing Newton Creek at the northern tip of the Brooklyn neighborhood. New Yorkers earning between 40 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced from $848/month for studios to $4,173/month for three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
September 25, 2023

NYPD ‘robocop’ now patrols Times Square subway station

Late-night commuters fear not! A 420-pound, 5-foot-2-inch-tall robot is now patrolling the Times Square subway station overnight. During a press conference held at the 42nd Street subway station last Friday, Mayor Eric Adams announced a two-month pilot program to test the robocop, officially known as the Knightscope K5 Autonomous Security Robot. The robot will patrol the 42nd Street station from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., recording video to be viewed in case of an emergency or crime, according to the mayor.
READ MORe on the ROBOCOP
September 22, 2023

NYC dedicates 220-year-old tombstone of Irish immigrant in Washington Square Park

A 220-year-old tombstone uncovered in Washington Square Park over a decade ago will now be honored and put on display. The New York City Parks Department on Friday dedicated the headstone of James Jackson, an Irish immigrant who died in 1799 and was buried in Washington Square Park, a potter's field from 1797 to 1825. The headstone was discovered during a renovation project at the park's Sullivan Street entrance in 2009. The relic is now being presented in one of the windows of the Park House close to where it was discovered, accompanied by an informative sign where visitors can learn more.
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September 21, 2023

Tenement Museum reopens historic building after $7M restoration

A 160-year-old tenement on the Lower East Side that was home to thousands of immigrants from 1863 to 1935 will reopen to the public following a major restoration. After a year-long renovation project, the Tenement Museum on Thursday will unveil work done on 97 Orchard Street, one of two historic tenements owned by the museum that offers an immersive look at the lives of immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The comprehensive renovation project reinforced and protected original features and finishes, preparing it for future generations of visitors.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RESTORATION PROJECT
September 20, 2023

High Line-style pedestrian bridge to link Newark Penn Station and Prudential Center

Work began this week on a High Line-esque pedestrian bridge in Newark a decade in the making. Gov. Phil Murphy and Mayor J. Baraka on Tuesday broke ground on the Mulberry Commons Pedestrian Bridge, a walkable pathway above McCarter Highway that will link Newark Penn Station and the Prudential Center. The bridge is the second phase of the Mulberry Commons development, a 22-acre project aimed at revitalizing the area between downtown Newark and the Ironbound neighborhood, with Mulberry Commons Park at the center. Officials say the bridge will support economic growth, make Newark more walkable, and enhance the pedestrian experience in and around Newark Penn Station.
see it here
September 19, 2023

Major South Bronx development Bankside opens lottery for 132 apartments, from $2,525/month

The sprawling South Bronx mixed-use development Bankside released another housing lottery this week. Applications are now being accepted for 132 middle-income apartments at Lincoln at Bankside, a four-tower development with 921 apartments and a new public waterfront park. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $86,572 for a single person annually and $198,250 for a household of five, can apply for the units, priced from $2,525/month studios to $3,400/month two bedrooms.
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September 19, 2023

The Met’s ‘Manet/Degas’ exhibit includes U.S. debut of ‘Olympia’

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host a major exhibition analyzing the friendship and rivalry of two revolutionary French artists. Debuting on September 24, "Manet/Degas" examines the artistic dialogue between renowned painters Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas, pioneers of modernist painting in France. Through a collection of 160 artworks, the exhibition sheds light on the friendships, family relationships, social circles, and historical circumstances that influenced the creative and professional journeys of the two artists. Manet's famous "Olympia" painting, considered one of the most controversial artworks of the 19th century, will travel from Paris to the United States for the first time for the exhibition.
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September 18, 2023

Central Park Tower penthouse gets $55M price cut

The highest residence in the world just got a lower price tag. The triplex penthouse at Central Park Tower was listed for $250 million last September, considered the most expensive home in the country if it found a buyer. But after a year on the market, the apartment is now asking $195 million, a price cut of $55 million, or 22 percent, as Bloomberg first reported. The discounted ask means the penthouse is no longer in the running for the priciest home sale in the United States.
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September 18, 2023

An illuminated steel whale has surfaced on Broadway

A massive, illuminated steel whale has arrived on the streets of the Garment District. Located on the Broadway pedestrian plazas between 38th and 39th Streets, "Echoes – A Voice from Unchartered Waters" is a 55-foot-long interactive art and sound installation meant to inspire deeper thought about the ways our daily routines affect the environment. Created by artist, designer, and researcher Mathias Gmachl, "Echoes" is free and open to the public through November 13. The installation is the latest public artwork sponsored by the Garment District Alliance.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SCULPTURE
September 15, 2023

Forest Hills rental with new Trader Joe’s opens lottery for 50 middle-income apartments, from $2,750/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 50 middle-income luxury apartments at a new residential development under construction in Forest Hills. Located at 73-65 Yellowstone Boulevard, The Yellowstone offers residents spacious units, indoor and outdoor amenities, and easy access to a new Trader Joe's opening on the building's ground floor. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $96,000 for a single person and $198,250 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, priced between $2,750/month for one-bedrooms and $3,599/month for two-bedrooms.
do you qualify?
September 15, 2023

Center for Brooklyn History reopens in Brooklyn Heights after renovation

The world's largest collection of Brooklyn history is once again accessible to the public. Located at 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights, the Center for Brooklyn History reopened this week following an extensive renovation of its first floor, which includes space for visitors to read, study, and enjoy exhibitions. As part of the reopening, the Center debuted "Brooklyn is...," an exhibition celebrating the borough through the photos, artworks, and words of Brooklyn residents, who are invited to submit their personal memories to be featured.
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