Manhattan’s Menorah being lit by Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, in 2016. Credit: Credit: Chaim Perl / Chabad.org/ Chabad Lubavitch/Flickr.

In the mid-1970s, former Chabad Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson encouraged his emissaries to build public menorahs in major cities and organize nightly lightings to increase public awareness about Hanukkah and inspire fellow Jews to light menorahs in their homes. Decades later, Chabad rabbis continue the effort in cities worldwide, but in New York, the practice hasn’t always been friendly. The tradition ended up creating a fun competition between rival menorahs in Brooklyn and Manhattan, both claiming to be “The World’s Largest.” To mark the first night of Hanukkah on Thursday, both of New York City’s 32-foot-tall menorahs will be lighted.

Find out the story and learn about this year’s lightings

Images courtesy of Christie’s International Real Estate

Westchester’s largest privately owned property is now also the county’s most expensive listing. Stonewall Farm, an equestrian estate situated on 740 acres, has just hit the market for $100 million. The property—which is located in Granite Springs, about an hour from the Belmont Park racetrack—is owned by Calvin Klein co-founder Barry Schwartz and his wife Sheryl, who purchased the first 673 acres for $3.25 million in 1979. The sprawling estate has a 40-stall barn, two 24-stall barns, hayfields, apple orchards, professional racing facilities, and riding trails.

Lots more to see here

Photo credit: Billie Grace Ward via Flickr

In the face of growing coronavirus concerns, many New Yorkers are avoiding public transportation and heeding advice to walk or bike whenever possible. As the Daily News reported, ridership on Wednesday was down nearly 20 percent on subways and 15 percent on buses compared to March 2019. A similar comparison on Thursday morning showed Metro-North ridership was down by 48 percent and Long Island Rail Road ridership down 31 percent. According to the New York Times, the number of cyclists crossing the East River bridges has doubled since the beginning of March and Citi Bike has seen a 70 percent increase in trips so far this month.

Read more

Photo courtesy of Lord & Taylor

After The Real Deal first learned of the possible deal in late February, the Post is now reporting that Amazon is doling out $1.15 billion to acquire Midtown’s Lord & Taylor building from WeWork. Rumors that Amazon would potentially lease the building circulated last summer ahead of WeWork’s planned IPO. The sale will have big implications for both companies, giving WeWork much-needed capital and representing Amazon’s largest real estate acquisition to date. According to the Post, the landmark building will become Amazon’s NYC headquarters and home to “several thousand employees in the coming years.”

More details

Cellist Dale Henderson, photo by Phillip Guye, courtesy of Bach in the Subways 

Classical music lovers, mark your calendars: Johann Sebastian Bach’s 335th birthday on March 21 will be honored with a whole week of spontaneous, free performances of his music throughout the city. From March 19th to 25th, Bach in the Subways will bring hundreds of performers to the city to share the German composer’s work. The name suggests you’ll have to ride underground for a chance to see them play, but you can expect performers to spring up in public spaces above ground as well.

Read more

Photo credit: Mihai Bojin via Flickr

As Coronavirus fears begin impacting Broadway attendance, producer Scott Rudin is slashing ticket prices to keep theatres full, Deadline reports. Starting this Thursday at noon, all remaining March tickets for Rudin’s popular productions—To Kill a Mockingbird, West Side Story, The Lehman Trilogy, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and The Book of Mormon—will be available for only $50.

This could be the deal you’ve been waiting for

Listing images by VHT; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

Conveniently located near Columbia University and only one block from Riverside Park, this two-bedroom in Morningside Heights is sunny, flexible, and recently upgraded. It’s in an HDFC co-op building at 175 Claremont Avenue so income restrictions will apply, but if you qualify, the apartment is a sound investment at $595,000.

Read more

Photos courtesy of Empire State Realty Trust

French artist Johann Perathoner has created a panoramic 3D replica of Manhattan that is currently on view in the Empire State Building’s lobby. Though compact in scale, the composition is ambitious in scope and captures an incredible amount of detail in its small size. Made up of vibrant colors and 100 different textures that include rhinestones and fake diamonds, the piece took Perathoner more than 1,000 hours to complete.

Read more