All articles by Dana Schulz

October 9, 2019

132-year-old Peter Luger decides to start taking online reservations

The world-famous steakhouse in the shadows of the Williamsburg Bridge will finally start accepting online reservations, amNY reports. Opened 132 years ago, Peter Luger is the third oldest steakhouse in New York City, best known for its dry-aged steaks. After installing a new phone system, the restaurant learned first-hand that many diners were experiencing hours-long wait times trying to get a reservation. In fact, they were receiving up to 6,000 calls each day.
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October 9, 2019

MTA report says subway speeds should be increased by 50 percent

In June, Governor Cuomo advocated for an MTA task force that would specifically address issues related to subway speeds. After an initial analysis, the Speed and Safety Task Force found that subways in 2019 were running slower than they did 20 years ago due in large part to a flawed signal system and deficient posting of speed limits. Using that information, the Task Force released this week its preliminary findings, which note that "train speeds could be increased by as much as 50 percent" if these issues are fixed.
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October 8, 2019

Brooklyn’s tallest office tower tops out; see new interior renderings

Brooklyn just keeps getting bigger. In April, the borough's tallest tower, the condo tower Brooklyn Point, topped out at 720 feet. Now, Brooklyn's tallest office tower has also reached its full 495-foot height. One Willoughby Square (or 1WSQ as it's now being called) is expected to open at the end of 2020, at which time its architect, FXCollaborative, will also become the anchor tenant. The 34-story building will contain 500,000 square feet of office space; all of the floor plans are column-free and many floors have private outdoor terraces.
More looks and details
October 3, 2019

Uber Copter launches $200 helicopter rides from Manhattan to JFK

As of today, New Yorkers who want to get to JFK Airport as quickly as possible can do so via a private helicopter ride. In an email sent out to customers today, Uber Technologies announced the full launch of Uber Copter, a helicopter that you can book via the app that will take you from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport to JFK for $200-$225. The program opened on July 9th, but now any Uber member can book a chopper on weekday afternoons between 1pm and 6pm. Though you'll need to get to/from the heliport in lower Manhattan and your terminal, the flight itself is only eight minutes.
Get the scoop
October 3, 2019

CetraRuddy’s new tower will bring affordable rentals to Downtown Brooklyn

After breaking ground last month, the mixed-use development at 22 Chapel Street near the Manhattan Bridge now has more details to share. Designed by CetraRuddy, the 20-story tower will bring 180 rental units to Downtown Brooklyn, 45 of which will be affordable. Among other amenities, it will have a rooftop pool and terrace, along with ground-floor retail space and a new headquarters for the START organization. Completion is expected in 2021.
More details
October 2, 2019

For $3M, this 125-acre upstate farm has a barn and a log cabin pool house

Two hours north of the city in the Dutchess County town of Wassaic, you can own an entire 125-acre farm for the price of a three-bedroom Manhattan condo. Known as Avalon Farm, the $2,950,000 property has a nearly 3,000-square-foot contemporary main house, along with a fully functional barn, an in-ground pool and adjacent log cabin pool house, tennis court, and its own stream. It's definitely secluded, but the farm is a quick drive to downtown Amenia, which is full of restaurants, antique shops, and even a drive-in movie theater.
Get a look around
October 1, 2019

Old-world Victorian decor fills every inch of this $325K Bronx co-op

Located in the University Heights section of the Bronx, this co-op could easily pass for a Victorian period museum. From House of Hackney wallpaper to reclaimed 19th-century doors to a painting that is Louvre-approved (literally!), nearly every inch of the 1,250-square-foot home is filled with old-world furniture and decor. And even if this isn't quite your style, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom layout and $325,000 price tag will surely grab your attention.
Even the bathrooms are worth checking out
September 30, 2019

Upper West Side group wants a stretch of Broadway to go car-free

It's been 10 years since Times Square went car-free along Broadway, with pedestrian plazas at Herald Square, Madison Square, Union Square North, Grand Army Plaza, and many more soon following. And now, a local Upper West Side group hopes the city will agree to do the same for the northbound stretch of Broadway from 73rd to 79th streets. As Streetsblog reported, last weekend, Streetopia Upper West Side hosted an event, “Celebrate Broadway,” where they closed this portion of the road and filled it with tables and hosted performances in hopes that the enthusiasm will lead to a permanent closure of traffic.
More details
September 25, 2019

City’s Gowanus Canal cleanup plan gets squashed by Trump’s EPA

Photo by Danny Navarro / Flickr cc Since taking office, Donald Trump and his administration have been proposing cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that would decrease funding for the cleanup of the Gowanus Canal. Declared a federal Superfund site in 2010, the Canal has a major issue with combined sewer overflow (CSO), which occurs when heavy rainfall overtaxes the sewer system and causes stormwater runoff and wastewater to empty into the waterway. As Brooklyn Eagle reports, the city's proposal to mitigate this issue was to "replace two [CSO] retention tanks holding 8 and 4 million gallons with a 16 million-gallon CSO tunnel running beneath the upper portion of the canal." However, in a letter obtained by the Eagle, Trump EPA appointee Pete Lopez said that they would instead install two large retention tanks along the Canal walls.
What next?
September 25, 2019

The making of Hudson Yards’ Spanish market: Meet the team behind Mercado Little Spain

When New York Times food critic Pete Wells visited José Andrés' Mercado Little Spain, he declared that it had "more great food and drinks per square foot than anywhere else in New York." From Ibérico hams and Peking duck to the seemingly simple yet ever-pleasing pan con tomate, the food at Hudson Yards' Spanish market has certainly made its mark on the gastronomy scene. But what sets Andrés apart from other chefs and restauranteurs is his entire vision. Mercado Little Spain is designed as a series of "streets," with the various kiosks leading guests on a curated experience. Most of the design elements and materials were sourced from Spain, and the artists commissioned represent different regions of the country. To bring his vision to life, Andrés assembled a stellar team, including Michael Doneff, the Chief Marketing Officer at his ThinkFoodGroup; Juli Capella, co-founder of Spanish architecture and design firm Capella Garcia Architecture; and NYC-based design studio (and NYC food hall experts) ICRAVE. Ahead, take a behind-the-scenes tour of Mercado Little Spain and hear from all these amazing and talented collaborators on what it was like working on the project.
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September 23, 2019

New City of Women map assigns a significant female figure to all 424 subway stations

Three years ago, journalist Rebecca Solnit and geographer/writer Joshua Jelly-Schapiro created City of Women, a subway map that replaces stations with significant women in NYC's history and cultural landscape. The map was originally part of their book “Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas,” but they've now done an updated version that's currently for sale at the New York Transit Museum. In this revamp, they've assigned a woman to all 424 subway stations and have added 80 names, including Cardi B and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ahead, we chat with Joshua to learn more about the inspiration behind the map, how they chose the names, and what's next.
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September 19, 2019

Designs revealed for major mixed-use project on Lower East Side synagogue site

In 2017, the Lower East Side's abandoned 1850 Beth Hamedrash Hagadol synagogue, which once housed the city's oldest Jewish Orthodox congregation, was severely damaged in a fire. The following year, the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) and developer Gotham Organization began floating plans for a two-towered, mixed-use development on the site, and they've now announced that the project is entering the city's uniform land use review procedure (ULURP). The plan includes a new headquarters for the CPC, retail space, and 488 new rental units, 208 of which will be permanently affordable with 115 set aside for affordable senior housing. Dattner Architects will also incorporate the remains of the former synagogue into a new meeting space and cultural heritage center for the congregation.
All the details this way
September 18, 2019

REVEALED: $150M renovation of Central Park North includes new pool, skating rink, and more

The north end of Central Park around the Harlem Meer is one of its most beautiful vistas, but because of the large, obtrusive Lasker Rink and Pool, it is currently disconnected from the North Woods below it, as well as the rest of the park. To better connect the area, the Central Park Conservancy and the City of New York today revealed a $150 million project to build a new pool and rink that will bring year-round recreation, as well as integrate into the surrounding landscape and restore lost pedestrian connections.
See all the renderings and plans
September 18, 2019

Robert A. M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South passes $1B in sales

Since its first closing nearly a year ago, Robert A.M. Stern's 220 Central Park South has now surpassed the $1 billion mark in sales according to data compiled by CityRealty. The milestone is definitely not surprising considering this is the same building where Billionaire Ken Griffin bought the country's most expensive home ever sold for $239,958,219. And with an average sales price of $6,934 per square foot for its 39 total closings, 220 is also the city's most expensive condo building.
More info ahead
September 13, 2019

Join the cash mob to help save St. Mark’s bodega Gem Spa

The East Village's Gem Spa first opened in the 1920s on the corner of St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue and received its current moniker in the 1950s. The shop became famous when it was frequented by Beat writers such as Allen Ginsberg and featured in a painting by Jean-Michelle Basquiat and then later as an all-night punk hangout and tourist stop for egg creams. Today, however, the store is struggling to stay afloat due to the ever-increasing gentrification of the neighborhood and losing its cigarette and lottery licenses in the spring. In an effort to save the icon, small business advocacy group #SaveNYC is hosting a cash mob this Saturday. In preparation, a faux storefront was installed that reads "Schitibank coming soon," in reference to rumors that Citibank is trying to take over the storefront.
All the details
September 12, 2019

James Baldwin’s former Upper West Side home receives national landmark status

In June, the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission designated six sites significant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, including the former home of James Baldwin on the Upper West Side. Now, the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project tells us that the Baldwin residence at 137 West 71st Street has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, which recognizes his role nationally as relates to LGBT and civil rights history.
Find out more
September 10, 2019

My 400sqft: How a lifestyle blogger and her husband make small-space living work for them

A lot of couples in NYC count down the days until they can pack up their studio for more spacious digs, but for Raechel and Ryan Lambert, they have no plans to upsize. The couple has been living in studio apartments for the past seven years--first in San Francisco, now in Hell's Kitchen--and they're doing it to maximize in other areas of their lives, such as travel and saving. Rae, a product marketer for tech companies, also runs the blog Small Space, Big Taste, where she embraces her minimalist mindset and shares with readers her tips on finance, cooking, traveling, and interiors. From packing for an eight-day trip in one backpack to sharing everything one needs to know about Murphy beds, Rae's articles are best exemplified in her and Ryan's 400-square-foot apartment. When Rae invited us into her home, we were welcomed into an airy, comfortable apartment that was so well organized it had space for cooking, dining, lounging, sleeping, and even playing the piano. Thanks to a less-is-more philosophy and a great collection of multi-purpose and moveable furniture, this couple's savvy design may have you rethinking that one-bedroom listing.
Take a tour of Rae's apartment and get some first-hand tips
September 5, 2019

PHOTOS: See an abandoned High Line before its days as a public park

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Photographer Jonathan Flaum started going up on the abandoned High line in the '80s, when it was full of overgrown wildlife, to see some of his friends' graffiti work and find a quiet escape from the city. In the late '90s, he heard about plans to demolish the former elevated train tracks and decided to start photographing the structure. Soon thereafter, Joshua David and Robert Hammond started Friends of the High Line, then a small, grassroots organization advocating for its preservation and adaptive reuse into a park. When they built their website, they incorporated Jonathan's photos to provide a behind-the-scenes look for those who weren't as adventurous to venture up there. The park's first phase officially opened in 2009 and to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Jonathan has shared with us his collection of photos. Ahead, hear from him on his experiences with the High Line and see how far this NYC icon has come.
See all the photos
September 5, 2019

Brooklyn’s highest penthouse sells to Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie

Not only will Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie have some of the most insane views in New York City, but he'll be just a 15-minute walk from the team's court at the Barclay's Center. The New York Post reports that Dinwiddie is in contract to buy the penthouse unit at Brooklyn Point, the 720-foot-tall tower that is the borough's current tallest residential building and boasts the highest rooftop infinity pool in the western hemisphere. The 68th-floor apartment was last asking $3.9 million.
Have a look inside
September 4, 2019

This spring, you can spend the night in an off-grid Mars habitat upstate

If you're intrigued by all the talk of living on Mars but don't actually want to depart planet Earth, you can have a shot at semi-extraterrestrial living this spring. AI SpaceFactory, the architects behind NASA's Mars habitat MARSHA, are bringing a "Mars habitat designed for off-grid living on Earth" to a site an hour-and-a-half north of NYC along the Hudson River (h/t Curbed). For a donation as low as $175, you'll be able to spend the night in the TERA cabin and get "a glimpse into the future of sustainable life on and beyond our planet," according to a press release.
More details and views
September 3, 2019

My 2,400sqft: Inside Compass agent Christine Blackburn’s custom-designed Fort Greene home

Ten years ago, Christine Blackburn and her husband built an entirely new home above two storefronts in Fort Greene. Christine is one half of the Barak/Blackburn Team at Compass. As a seasoned real estate agent who specializes in North Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan, it's no surprise that she had the eye to create a home with a double-height living room, two terraces, a roof deck, and plenty of cool, custom design details. 6sqft recently paid Christine a visit to get a tour of her home, learn what it was like to build the residence from the ground up, and hear her thoughts on the real estate market in New York City.
Take the tour
August 29, 2019

121-year-old Middle Eastern grocery Sahadi’s opens second Brooklyn location at Industry City

Today, beloved Middle Eastern grocery store Sahadi's is opening its second Brooklyn location at Industry City, and it'll now include a sit-down restaurant. It's the first expansion for the third-generation, family-owned business, whose production facility has long been located nearby in Sunset Park. The new 7,500- square-foot space will have 80 seats, Lebanese wines on tap, daily meze specials, grab-and-go options, and one of NYC's only operational Saj griddles. As co-owner Ron Sahadi says, "We were artisanal before it was cool."
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August 28, 2019

Gowanus’ historic Coignet Stone Building is for sale asking $6.5M

If there's one building that has come to represent the preservation movement in Gowanus, it very well might be the Coignet Stone Building. Built in 1873 as a showroom and physical advertisement for Francois Coignet's concrete construction company, it was the first documented concrete building in the city. Whole Foods purchased the property in 2005 and built its new supermarket next door, and the following year, the Coignet Buiding was landmarked. After years of neglect, Whole Foods completed a $1.3 million restoration in 2016, listing the property shortly thereafter for $6 million. It's now back for a hair more, and though a gut interior renovation is definitely required, it's being sold as a residential townhouse that has incredible potential.
See inside
August 28, 2019

10 bronze sculptures of powerful women are on view outside a Midtown office building

It's been nearly two years since artists Gillie and Marc first revealed their "Statues for Equality" project. Noting that less than three percent of all NYC statues are of women, the husband-and-wife public art specialists created a series of 10 bronze sculptures of inspirational women who were voted on by the public--Oprah Winfrey, P!nk, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall, Cate Blanchett, Tererai Trent, Janet Mock, Tracy Dyson, Cheryl Strayed, and Gabby Douglas. Monday, on Women's Equality Day, the statues were unveiled in front of RXR's Realty's 1285 Avenue of the Americas (h/t Untapped Cities).
Check out all the statues
August 13, 2019

Where I Work: Shelly Fireman’s Redeye Grill has been serving the Carnegie Hall crowd for 25 years

When Sheldon “Shelly” Fireman opened Redeye Grill across from Carnegie Hall 25 years ago, the term "restauranteur" didn't exist. But by that point, he'd already gained local celebrity status for Greenwich Village's all-night Hip Bagel and had the foresight to open Cafe Fiorello near recently completed Lincoln Center. Today, Shelly is the CEO of Fireman Hospitality Group, which operates six restaurants in NYC as well as two on the Potomac River in Maryland. And though he can most definitely be called a restauranteur now, Shelly stands out amongst the myriad food influencers in the city. Though his establishments exude an old-school New York charm and certain nostalgia, he has found the formula to withstand the test of time. After a 2018 kitchen fire, the iconic Redeye Grill reopened in July. We recently sat down to lunch with Shelly to hear more about his story and take a tour of this classic Midtown restaurant.
Have a look around and meet Shelly