All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

Huge light installation coming to site of proposed Midtown East casino near the U.N.

Longwood Gardens, P.A USA – Copyright © 2022 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. Image courtesy of Serena Munro

May 11, 2023

Huge light installation coming to site of proposed Midtown East casino near the U.N.

By Aaron Ginsburg

An impressive light installation will debut this fall at the storied 7-acre vacant site near the United Nations in Midtown East. Stretching from 38th to 41st Streets on First Avenue, and designed by world-renowned artist Bruce Munro, "Field of Light" will include an array of 17,000 flower-like lights that will serve as a "beacon of freedom and hope around the world." Opening in September, the free and public installation is being paid for by the Soloviev Group, the firm which has proposed constructing a mixed-use development dubbed Freedom Plaza on the undeveloped property, anchored by one of three casinos planned for the New York City area.
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Events & Things To Do

$416M mixed-use development will bring 700 new apartments to Inwood

Renderings courtesy of the New York Governor’s Office

May 10, 2023

$416M mixed-use development will bring 700 new apartments to Inwood

By Aaron Ginsburg

A massive mixed-use development project will bring nearly 700 mixed-income housing units to Upper Manhattan. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced the two buildings, located at 405 and 407 West 206th Street in Inwood, will feature all-electric heating and cooling and other sustainable features to help the state reach its carbon reduction goals. The $416 million complex includes a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, 281 of which will be reserved for residents earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
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New exhibition celebrates design icon Milton Glaser’s grooviest work

Questor. Annual report, 1969. Questor Corporation. All images courtesy of SVA

May 10, 2023

New exhibition celebrates design icon Milton Glaser’s grooviest work

By Aaron Ginsburg

A New York City exhibition is showing off rarely-seen whimsical work of famed late illustrator Milton Glaser. Hosted at the School of Visual Art's Gramercy Gallery, "Milton Glaser: POP" features nearly 150 items drawn from the Glaser archives, including book, album, and magazine covers as well as posters and advertisements. Many of these pieces have not been viewed since they were originally published, and some have never been published at all. Free and open to the public, the exhibition will be on view from Wednesday, May 17 through Monday, June 5.
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Events & Things To Do

Lottery opens for 106 senior units at 100% affordable development in the Bronx

Rendering courtesy Magnusson Architecture and Planning

May 9, 2023

Lottery opens for 106 senior units at 100% affordable development in the Bronx

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new 16-story tower at a public housing development in the Bronx launched a housing lottery for 106 senior apartments last week. Located within NYCHA's Sotomayor Houses in Soundview, Casa Celina includes 205 units for low-income seniors, with 30 percent reserved for formerly homeless New Yorkers, community facilities, and amenities, including a rooftop terrace. Applicants must have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older, qualifies for Section 8 benefits, and earns no more than $60,050 annually. Eligible New Yorkers will pay 30 percent of their income for the available studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

19 best spots in NYC for outdoor music this summer

May 9, 2023

19 best spots in NYC for outdoor music this summer

By Aaron Ginsburg

The summer is one of the most lively times of the year in New York City, with fun events everywhere you look. The season is especially exciting for music lovers who can enjoy an extensive selection of both free and ticketed shows at outdoor venues across the five boroughs. We've rounded up the best open-air spots hosting concerts in the coming months, from a jam-packed season at Forest Hills Stadium in celebration of its 100th anniversary to Lincoln Center's botanically-transformed campus for its three-month-long arts festival.
Get ready to groove

NYC’s congestion pricing program gains key approval

Photo by Raidarmax on Wikimedia Commons

May 8, 2023

NYC’s congestion pricing program gains key approval

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's congestion pricing plan is finally moving forward after years of delays. President Joe Biden's administration last week approved the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's environmental review of their proposed Central Business District Tolling Program, which would charge drivers for entering certain parts of Manhattan at peak hours. With this initial approval from the Federal Highway Administration, a 30-day public review period is now open. The MTA said the new tolling system could launch as soon as spring 2024, as Politico reported.
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MTA service alerts are back on Twitter

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

May 5, 2023

MTA service alerts are back on Twitter

By Aaron Ginsburg

After suspending the use of Twitter for real-time service alerts just last week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has resumed posting on the social media platform. The decision comes after Twitter reversed plans to charge government agencies for using its application programming interface (API), which would have cost the MTA $50,000 per month.
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Two-tower Prospect Heights rental with huge public park launches lottery, from $2,290/month

All images courtesy of TF Cornerstone

May 5, 2023

Two-tower Prospect Heights rental with huge public park launches lottery, from $2,290/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery opened this week for 240 middle-income units at 595 Dean Street, the latest building to open at the Prospect Heights mega-development, Pacific Park. The two-tower, mixed-use project has 798 total rentals, 30 percent of which are designated below market rate, and is anchored by roughly 60,000 square feet of public open space. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $78,515 annually for a single person and $187,330 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $2,290/month studios to $3,360/month two-bedrooms.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

NYC’s containerized trash program would eliminate 150,000 parking spaces

Image courtesy of m01229 on Flickr

May 4, 2023

NYC’s containerized trash program would eliminate 150,000 parking spaces

By Aaron Ginsburg

Containerization, storage of trash in sealed bins rather than in plastic bags, is possible on 89 percent of New York City's streets with residential properties. A new analysis released by the city's Department of Sanitation this week found installing collection receptacles across the city is actually feasible, but would require the elimination of roughly 150,000 parking spaces, or 10 percent of all curb space on blocks with residential buildings. As first reported by the New York Times, the city will launch a pilot program in West Harlem this fall that will include the installation of trash containers in parking spots on up to 10 blocks and at more than a dozen schools.
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New store selling all Brooklyn-made goods opening at Industry City

May 4, 2023

New store selling all Brooklyn-made goods opening at Industry City

By Aaron Ginsburg

What started as a Brooklyn-themed holiday pop-up will now operate year-round. The 1,200-square-foot marketplace Brooklyn Made will open in Sunset Park's Industry City this month, with over 50 Brooklyn-based vendors selling merchandise, artwork, beauty products, houseware, and more. The shop will open in Industry City's Innovation Alley on Thursday, May 18.
Details here

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Community-created memorial honoring New Yorkers lost to Covid on view at Green-Wood Cemetery

All photos courtesy of Green-Wood Cemetery

May 4, 2023

Community-created memorial honoring New Yorkers lost to Covid on view at Green-Wood Cemetery

By Aaron Ginsburg

A massive new public art memorial at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery honors lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. Curated by Naming The Lost Memorials and City Lore, the "The Many Losses from Covid-19" memorial is made up of personalized tributes to the 79,000 New Yorkers lost to the virus, as well as those suffering from long Covid. Created by 20 local community groups, the month-long display will be located alongside the cemetery's historic wrought-iron fence near the main entrance at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street.
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Events & Things To Do

A suspended spherical concert hall will hang in The Shed at Hudson Yards

A rendering of Sonic Sphere in The Shed’s 115-foot-tall McCourt space, 2023. Courtesy The Shed.

May 3, 2023

A suspended spherical concert hall will hang in The Shed at Hudson Yards

By Aaron Ginsburg

A 65-foot-tall spherical concert hall will hang suspended inside The Shed in Hudson Yards. Created by avante-garde architects Ed Cooke, Merijn Royaards, and Nicholas Christie, the Sonic Sphere offers concertgoers a truly unique experience with immersive 3-D sound and light explorations of music that redefine the idea of a concert hall. Performances in the sphere will run from June 9 through July 7.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

Broadway Junction’s overhaul to include $500M in safety, public space, and accessibility upgrades

Image courtesy of Caroline Willis/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

May 2, 2023

Broadway Junction’s overhaul to include $500M in safety, public space, and accessibility upgrades

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is investing nearly $500 million to revitalize the area around one of Brooklyn's busiest transit hubs. The overhaul of East New York's Broadway Junction subway station includes accessibility upgrades, two new public plazas, and safety improvements as part of the city's effort to make the hub a regional transit center, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday. Work is expected to begin in 2027 and finish by 2030.
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Live above the nation’s first hip hop museum in the Bronx, from $465/month

Renderings courtesy of S9 Architecture

May 2, 2023

Live above the nation’s first hip hop museum in the Bronx, from $465/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery opened this week for 432 mixed-income units at Mott Haven's major waterfront project, Bronx Point. Located at 575 Exterior Street, Bronx Point is a 22-story mixed-use development with over 1,000 apartments, retail space, and the country's first permanent museum dedicated to hip hop. New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 80, and 120 percent of the area median income, or between $18,515 annually for a single person and $198,600 for a household of seven, can apply for the apartments, priced from $465/month studios to $3,332/month three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

25 ways to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in NYC

Photo courtesy of 7beachbum on Flickr

May 1, 2023

25 ways to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

During May, the country marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to honor and recognize the achievements and culture of Asian Americans. Throughout the month, many of New York City's community organizations and cultural institutions will host activities and events celebrating the city's diverse Asian communities, from learning about Chinatown's historic monuments and making K-Pop-themed crafts to catching a set from an AAPI comedian and taking a virtual Vietnamese cooking class.
Our picks here

Events & Things To Do

MTA suspends use of Twitter for service alerts, calls the platform ‘unreliable’

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

April 28, 2023

MTA suspends use of Twitter for service alerts, calls the platform ‘unreliable’

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City commuters will no longer be able to check Twitter for service alerts. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday suspended the use of Twitter for posting service alerts, stating that the social media platform's reliability "can no longer be guaranteed." The transit agency's Twitter access through its application programming interface (API) was "involuntarily interrupted" twice in the last two weeks on April 14 and April 27.
Details here

Dine-in movie theater to open at Bjarke Ingels’ VIA 57 West

Image via WikiCommons

April 27, 2023

Dine-in movie theater to open at Bjarke Ingels’ VIA 57 West

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new dine-in movie theater is opening inside a luxury residential building in Midtown next month. Located within the Bjarke Ingels-designed and Durst Organization-developed VIA 57 WEST, Look Dine-In Cinema's new flagship location offers a premium movie experience with large screens, state-of-the-art sound systems, luxury seating, and extensive food and beverage options. The theater opens on Thursday, May 4.
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Get a sneak peek of AMNH’s Studio Gang-designed Gilder Center before it opens

The Staircase in the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan

April 27, 2023

Get a sneak peek of AMNH’s Studio Gang-designed Gilder Center before it opens

By Aaron Ginsburg

The American Museum of Natural History's highly anticipated science center officially opens next week. Designed by Jeanne Gang's Studio Gang, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will serve as a space for scientific discovery with cutting-edge collections, research facilities, next-generation classrooms, and interactive exhibitions. Opening on Thursday, May 4, the Gilder Center is also New York City's latest architectural treasure, with its curving structure inspired by caves and canyons now nestled within the museum's existing historic campus.
See inside the new science center

Half of NYC households can’t afford basic needs, new report finds

Photo via Wikimedia

April 25, 2023

Half of NYC households can’t afford basic needs, new report finds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Half of all New York City households are unable to afford their basic needs, according to a new report. Released this week by the Fund for the City of New York, the report found that 1,298,212 working households, or 2,991,973 people, do not earn enough to afford essential expenses like rent, health care, food, and transportation. The number of struggling households is up to 50 percent from 36 percent in 2021, a 38 percent increase over a two-year period, highlighting the pandemic's immense economic impact on New Yorkers.
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300 NYC blocks to go car-free under this year’s ‘Open Streets’ program

The 31st Avenue Open Street in Astoria is 100% run by volunteer residents. Photo courtesy of the 31st Avenue Open Street Collective

April 25, 2023

300 NYC blocks to go car-free under this year’s ‘Open Streets’ program

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly 300 blocks across New York City will be closed to cars as part of the city's 2023 Open Streets program, the Department of Transportation announced this Earth Day. This year's program will have roughly 160 open streets, including more than 25 new locations. The program also features new redesigns of existing locations that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists and will "evolve beyond the need for metal barriers." While the final list of open streets is still being finalized, many are expected to launch by July 1.
Get the list

$700M climate research campus designed by SOM headed to Governors Island

Aerial view of The Exchange, showing the iconic forms designed to evoke the dramatic landscapes and hills of Governors Island. © SOM | Miysis

April 24, 2023

$700M climate research campus designed by SOM headed to Governors Island

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has revealed its vision for a first-in-the-nation climate research hub on Governors Island. Led by Stony Brook University, the New York Climate Exchange will be a nonprofit organization dedicated to climate research and solutions and serve as a center for climate education and green job training. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the 400,000-square-foot campus includes classrooms, laboratories, new open space, student and faculty housing, university hotel rooms, and more. Construction on the $700 million project is expected to begin in 2025, with the first phase slated for completion in 2028.
See the designs

NYC subway tops 4 million daily riders for the first time since March 2020

Photo by(vincent desjardins) on Flickr

April 24, 2023

NYC subway tops 4 million daily riders for the first time since March 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

For the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the New York City subway system served more than four million riders in a single day. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced the NYC subway system recorded 4,002,961 paid riders on April 20, the highest tally reached since March 12, 2020. OMNY, the transit system's contactless fare system, also set a single-day subway record on Thursday with 1,699,914 taps, representing 42.5 percent of the day's subway rides.
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NYC board weighs biggest rent hike for stabilized apartments in nearly two decades

Image courtesy of Maxim Pierre on Flickr

April 21, 2023

NYC board weighs biggest rent hike for stabilized apartments in nearly two decades

By Aaron Ginsburg

The panel that determines the percentage landlords are allowed to raise the rent for the roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments in New York City this week discussed a proposal for the most significant hike in nearly two decades. During a meeting on Thursday, the Rent Guidelines Board weighed a proposed 8.25 percent increase for one-year leases and a 15.75 percent increase for two-year leases, as Patch reported. While the board likely won't approve the nearly 16 percent increase, rent hikes are still expected in response to a drop in operating income for landlords.
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Policy

Eataly Flatiron unveils rooftop restaurant inspired by the Italian countryside

All photos courtesy of Eataly

April 21, 2023

Eataly Flatiron unveils rooftop restaurant inspired by the Italian countryside

By Aaron Ginsburg

Eataly Flatiron's seasonal rooftop restaurant has undergone a floral transformation for spring. Located on the 14th-floor rooftop of the esteemed Italian food and beverage marketplace, Serra by Birreria opened for the season on Thursday. The restaurant's lush, intricate design was created and installed by Less Than 3 Studio and is inspired by Southern Italy's countryside. Over the course of these warmer months, Serra will host a jam-packed schedule of programming and events, including live DJ sets, and the restaurant's first-ever zodiac night.
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Food & Dining

NYC will repair 400 vacant rent-stabilized apartments to house homeless New Yorkers

Photo by Anthony Fomin on Unsplash

April 20, 2023

NYC will repair 400 vacant rent-stabilized apartments to house homeless New Yorkers

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City will invest up to $10 million to provide homeless New Yorkers with newly repaired, rent-stabilized homes. As part of the new "Unlocking Doors" program, the city will invest up to $25,000 for urgent renovations at 400 rent-stabilized homes that have fallen into disrepair and are unavailable for rent. The city will then match households with City Fighting Homeless and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) vouchers with the new apartments.
Get the details

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