All articles by Dana Schulz

Everything you need to know about affordable housing: applying, getting in, and staying put

Photo by mari small on Unsplash

July 15, 2021

Everything you need to know about affordable housing: applying, getting in, and staying put

Affordable housing has long been a topic at the forefront of NYC politics, but it gained even more attention with Mayor de Blasio's plan to preserve or build 300,000 affordable units by 2026, which has resulted in a slew of new lotteries, a new more user-friendly web portal, and an update to ease the process for immigrants and low-income New Yorkers. But the topic is not without its issues, especially with the city reeling in the wake of the pandemic. Many still wonder if the city is doing enough for affordability and if some of the available units are really affordable. Ahead, we break down the different types of affordable housing programs, how you can qualify and apply, and what happens if and when you get in.
Everything you need to know about affordable housing

On a private mews in Brooklyn Heights, this creatively restored carriage house is asking $5.5M

Listing photos courtesy of Compass

July 15, 2021

On a private mews in Brooklyn Heights, this creatively restored carriage house is asking $5.5M

The dead-end street known as Hunts Lane in Brooklyn Heights is a charming mews lined with former horse stables built in the 19th-century. One such carriage house, 4 Hunts Lane, is on the market for $5.5 million, and it might just be the most beautiful on the street. In addition to its gorgeous modern interiors, the four-bedroom home has a one-car garage, artist's studio, and soaring sky-lit spaces in the former hayloft.
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Distinctive Homes

The 7 best beaches for surfing near NYC

July 14, 2021

The 7 best beaches for surfing near NYC

Whether you're a seasoned surfer or are looking to learn the sport, you don't have to go far from New York City to ride some waves. Ahead, we've rounded up the seven best beaches in the area for surfing, from the Rockaways, NYC's only legal surfing beach, to spots on Long Island and the Hamptons to the greatest of the Jersey Shore. We'll also fill you in on other things to do in these towns and where to rent boards or take lessons.
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Events & Things To Do

For $15,000, spend August in this pretty pink cottage in Westhampton Beach Village

Listing photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

July 13, 2021

For $15,000, spend August in this pretty pink cottage in Westhampton Beach Village

In addition to being ridiculously charming, this three-bedroom house is one of the least expensive rentals in Westhampton Beach Village. It's available for the month of August for $15,000 or through Labor Day for $18,000. It's just 1.5 miles from Main Street and 2.5 miles from the beach, and it sits on a half-acre complete with a backyard deck and outdoor shower. It also comes fully furnished, which includes a decked-out home gym.
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Distinctive Homes

Clinton Hill’s famous Pfizer mansion sells for $9.05M, setting neighborhood record

Listing images courtesy of Douglas Elliman

July 13, 2021

Clinton Hill’s famous Pfizer mansion sells for $9.05M, setting neighborhood record

After three years on the market, the grand Queen Anne townhouse at 280 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill has closed for $9,050,000, setting a sales record for the neighborhood. The previous record-holder was 315 Vanderbilt Avenue, which sold for $7,200,000 in 2015. The 10,000-square-foot mansion is known as the Pfizer mansion as it was built in 1887 for Charles Erhart, co-founder of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company and brother-in-law to Charles Pfizer. The opulent home features historic details like an original Otis elevator, moldings and woodwork galore, eight fireplaces, and stained glass. There's also a sunken "speakeasy" party room, seven bedrooms, a wine cellar, and a beautifully landscaped backyard.
See the whole place

Real Estate Trends

In a former piano factory, this $1.87M Yorkville loft has a sunroom and 800-square-foot terrace

Listing photos by MW Studio for Sotheby’s International Realty

July 13, 2021

In a former piano factory, this $1.87M Yorkville loft has a sunroom and 800-square-foot terrace

The beamed ceilings, whitewashed brick walls, and open floorplan make this Yorkville co-op feel more like a downtown loft. In addition to the rustic interiors (the building was once a piano factory) and spacious duplex layout, the three-bedroom home has a lovely sunroom that opens to a huge, almost 800-square-foot terrace. Located at 407 East 91st Street, between 1st and York Avenues, it's on the market for $1,875,000.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

NYC Restaurant Week returns with indoor dining, 530 restaurants, and five weeks of specials

Image via NYC & Company

July 12, 2021

NYC Restaurant Week returns with indoor dining, 530 restaurants, and five weeks of specials

Since 1992, New York City Restaurant Week has given New Yorkers the chance to dine at their dream restaurants with discounted, pre-fixe menus. The event usually happens once in the summer and once in the winter, but in 2020, it only returned in January, reborn as NYC Restaurant Week To Go, which offered the deal for takeout, delivery, or outdoor dining only. Now it's back for indoor dining, too, and is extending the fun for five weeks, with nearly 530 restaurants participating. From July 19 through August 22, enjoy $21 or $39 lunches or dinners, as well as $125 signature meals at select restaurants.
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Famous NBA merger attorney Donald Schupak re-lists his huge Fifth Avenue co-op for $21M

Listing photos courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 12, 2021

Famous NBA merger attorney Donald Schupak re-lists his huge Fifth Avenue co-op for $21M

Investor and attorney Donald Schupak gained fame back in 1976 when he oversaw the merger of the ABA and the NBA and garnered a highly lucrative deal for the Spirits of St. Louis. In 2015, he tried to score another deal when he listed his huge Upper East Side co-op at 1050 Fifth Avenue for $30 million. This time, he wasn't so successful, as it never sold. But he's now put the seven-bedroom, 7,500-square-foot spread--complete with Central Park views--back on the market for the reduced price of $21 million.
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Long Island home from ‘Meet the Parents’ lists for $2.3M, indoor pool included

Listing photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

July 9, 2021

Long Island home from ‘Meet the Parents’ lists for $2.3M, indoor pool included

Remember the scene from "Meet the Parents" when Ben Stiller's character spikes the volleyball in the indoor pool and breaks the bride-to-be's nose? You can now personally take a dip in that pool. As the NY Post first reported, the Oyster Bay, Long Island mansion that was used as the setting for the 2000 comedy has hit the market for $2,299,000. The seven-bedroom home was built in 1983 and sits on 2.17 acres. In addition to the pool room, which has a retractable roof, the house has a circular drive, three-car garage, two separate family rooms, and much more.
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Distinctive Homes

13 ways to celebrate Bastille Day 2021 in New York City

Photo by Rafael Garcin on Unsplash

July 9, 2021

13 ways to celebrate Bastille Day 2021 in New York City

France's Independence Day is coming up on Wednesday, July 14, and you don't have to be in Paris to join the festivities. Ahead, we've rounded up 11 ways to celebrate Bastille Day in New York City, from a special Central Park SummerStage event to a block party in the newly dubbed "Little Paris" to several restaurant specials.
The full list

Events & Things To Do

Popular Articles

Rustic-chic Park Slope loft has two floors, two balconies, and two bedrooms for $1.7M

Listing photos by Allyson Lubow, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 8, 2021

Rustic-chic Park Slope loft has two floors, two balconies, and two bedrooms for $1.7M

Park Slope's popular Ansonia Court co-op was once a clock factory, and today its apartments retain many of the old-world factory details like brick walls, beamed ceilings, and wide-open layouts. This two-bedroom unit on the market for $1,699,000 is no exception and it comes with the added perks of chic, modern upgrades, a duplex configuration, and two private outdoor spaces.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

‘Running of the Goats’ returns to Riverside Park next week

Goatham 2019. Photo © 6sqft

July 8, 2021

‘Running of the Goats’ returns to Riverside Park next week

Next week, 24 weed-eating goats will return to Riverside Park. On Wednesday, July 14, the animals will arrive for the Riverside Park Conservancy's second-ever "Running of the Goats," where the public can see them run from their truck to a weed-filled hill at 120th Street. Five of the goats will then remain for the duration of the summer and campaign to be the G.O.A.T., for which the public can vote-the-GOAT using a "new and heretofore untested ranked-choice voting system."
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Events & Things To Do

Queen Anne townhouse in Fort Greene has lovely interiors and a garden apartment for $2.5M

Listing photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

July 8, 2021

Queen Anne townhouse in Fort Greene has lovely interiors and a garden apartment for $2.5M

This townhouse on the Fort Greene/Bed-Stuy border is part of a row of 16 Queen Anne townhouses designed by famed Brooklyn architect Amzi Hill. Aside from its preserved historic bones that include ornate moldings and tin ceilings, there's a beautiful modern backyard, a five-bedroom owner's triplex, and an income-generating garden-level apartment. It's on the market for $2,495,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Iconic frozen hot chocolate spot Serendipity3 reopens this week with new fantasy-filled interiors

Photo courtesy of Serendipity3

July 7, 2021

Iconic frozen hot chocolate spot Serendipity3 reopens this week with new fantasy-filled interiors

Iconic Upper East Side restaurant and general store Serendipity3 opened its doors in 1954, attracting the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, and even Jackie O, who is said to have tried to get the recipe for the famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. It was also famously featured in the movie Serendipity, along with One Fine Day and Trust The Man. The decadent dessert spot at 225 East 60th Street has been closed for the past year, but this Friday, July 9, it will reopen to the public after a renovation that created a fantastical, pastel dreamscape, complete with hanging antique Tiffany lamps and a funky neon Pegasus.
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Food & Dining

Construction to start on Daniel Libeskind’s affordable senior housing building in Bed-Stuy

Rendering of The Atrium at Sumner. © 2019 New York City Housing Authority

July 7, 2021

Construction to start on Daniel Libeskind’s affordable senior housing building in Bed-Stuy

Architect Daniel Libeskind, perhaps best known for the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the World Trade Center master plan, is one step closer to completing his first building in New York City. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced that they have secured financing for an all-affordable senior housing building in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy designed by the starchitect. The 190-unit Atrium at Sumner will be built on NYCHA's Sumner Houses campus, with construction set to begin later this month on the $132 million project. The 11-story building will meet Passive House standards and feature a community garden, a year-round indoor garden, and a central atrium.
More details here

Hell’s Kitchen co-op is a stylish and modern starter pad for $618K

Listing photos by Heidi Solander

July 7, 2021

Hell’s Kitchen co-op is a stylish and modern starter pad for $618K

For just over $600,000, this Hell's Kitchen co-op is a great place to get started as a homeowner in New York City. It's technically an alcove studio, but the apartment feels spacious and grown-up thanks to preserved historic details, modern additions, and substantial closet space. It's located at 411 West 44th Street, on a tree-lined block just west of 9th Avenue.
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Distinctive Homes

New-York Historical Society expansion includes a home for the American L.G.B.T.Q.+ Museum

View along West 76th Street looking northeast. Rendering by Alden Studios for Robert A.M. Stern Architects, courtesy of the New-York Historical Society and NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

July 6, 2021

New-York Historical Society expansion includes a home for the American L.G.B.T.Q.+ Museum

The New-York Historical Society, the oldest museum in the city, recently unveiled to the Landmarks Preservation Commission plans to expand by more than 70,000 square feet with a five-story extension at the rear of its Upper West Side lot. The $140 million expansion will be designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and include additional classrooms and gallery space, as well as a permanent home for the American L.G.B.T.Q.+ Museum, the city's first museum dedicated to L.G.B.T.Q. history and culture, as the New York Times first reported.
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Everything you need to know about NYC’s ticker-tape parade to honor Covid heroes

Photo by Spurekar via Flickr cc

July 6, 2021

Everything you need to know about NYC’s ticker-tape parade to honor Covid heroes

Update 7.7.21: Due to the extreme heat, the post-parade ceremony at City Hall Plaza has been cancelled. In April 2020, when New York City was truly the world epicenter for the coronavirus, Mayor de Blasio said that the city would hold a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes for health care workers, first responders, and essential workers as soon as things reopened. Fast forward 15 months, and the Hometown Heroes Parade will take place this Wednesday, July 7. Queens nurse Sandra Lindsay, who in December received the first vaccine dose in NYC, will serve as the parade's Grand Marshal, while Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts will host the ceremony.
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160-year-old wood-frame house in Clinton Hill is asking $3.75M

Listing photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

July 6, 2021

160-year-old wood-frame house in Clinton Hill is asking $3.75M

Built in 1860, this pair of Clinton Hill houses is a rare example of a wood-framed Italianate, and number 357 is now on the market for $3,750,000. In addition to featuring its original clapboard siding on the outside, the interiors have been beautifully preserved over the years, from moldings and plasterwork to five marble mantles. And the magic continues out back, with a secret garden of hydrangeas, roses, lilacs, and a magnolia tree.
See it all here

For $12.9M, you can own this 19-acre East Hampton farm with a Mediterranean-style mansion

Listing photos courtesy of Compass

July 2, 2021

For $12.9M, you can own this 19-acre East Hampton farm with a Mediterranean-style mansion

Thanks to the lush landscapes and great growing seasons of the Hamptons, the farm-to-table movement is prevalent throughout the area. This 19.3-acre property in East Hampton is perfect for a chef or home cook looking to get in on the action. The majority of the property's acreage is used for an agricultural reserve, complete with a self-sufficient farm that runs off power from a wind turbine and is equipped with underground micro-irrigation. Plus, when you're ready to host that amazing dinner party, there's a beautiful Mediterranean-style home with a gourmet kitchen and covered outdoor patio. It's all asking $12,900,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Middle-income housing lottery opens at new Bronx building with a roof deck and co-working space

All renderings courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

July 1, 2021

Middle-income housing lottery opens at new Bronx building with a roof deck and co-working space

In the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, just a block away from the Madison Avenue Bridge and 138th Street subway station, a new apartment building has all the amenities one could want for a work-from-home life. There's a cool roof deck complete with a dog run and firepits, a fitness center plus yoga room, game room, movie room, and several co-working spaces. And for those earning 130 percent of the area median income, a middle-income affordable housing lottery has just launched for 65 units, ranging from $2,000/month studios to $2,900/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

In Bed-Stuy, this lovely two-bedroom condo with a roof deck is asking just $925K with no monthly taxes

Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

July 1, 2021

In Bed-Stuy, this lovely two-bedroom condo with a roof deck is asking just $925K with no monthly taxes

A two-bedroom condo in Brooklyn for under $1 million with $0 in monthly taxes is probably a steal no matter how you look at it, but this Bed-Stuy home is also completely beautiful and has a massive roof deck. Located at 464 Hancock Street, the $925,000 apartment also has a wood-burning fireplace, contemporary kitchen, heated floors in the bathroom, and a bonus storage room that makes a great home office or gym. And in addition to the nearly 800-square-foot deck, there's also a lovely balcony off the primary bedroom.
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Distinctive Homes

The Bungalow is a new Montauk-style hangout on the Lower Manhattan waterfront

Rendering by TMRW, courtesy of Brookfield Place New York

June 30, 2021

The Bungalow is a new Montauk-style hangout on the Lower Manhattan waterfront

This Friday, the waterfront Upper Plaza at Brookfield Place will be transformed into The Bungalow, a "relaxing urban oasis inspired by the beachside retreats of Montauk." Guests can take in views of the Hudson River and New York Harbor while enjoying specialty cocktails and small bites. They'll also be able to enjoy live music and DJs, bocce courts, and weekly events and arts programming. The best part? It's free to enter.
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For just $745K, a restored Victorian on a full acre in West Orange, NJ

Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

June 30, 2021

For just $745K, a restored Victorian on a full acre in West Orange, NJ

The St. Cloud neighborhood of West Orange, NJ is a small area sandwiched between the Essex County Country Club and the South Mountain Reservation. Though it's considered affluent, the homes here are still relatively affordable, even though it's only an hour train ride from Manhattan. This classic Victorian home sits on a full acre and has five bedrooms, a salt-water swimming pool, a custom play area, and a backyard cottage. It's on the market for $745,000.
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Distinctive Homes

A new technicolor mural is unveiled at Roosevelt Island’s annual ‘Pop-Up Pool Party’

All photos by Max Touhey

June 29, 2021

A new technicolor mural is unveiled at Roosevelt Island’s annual ‘Pop-Up Pool Party’

For the seventh year running, Roosevelt Island's waterfront rental building Manhattan Park has hired a local artist to transform its pool deck into a colorful art installation and "Pop-Up Pool Party." This year's mural comes from Brooklyn-based Melissa Dadourian, who created a technicolor geometric pattern over four-and-a-half days, using 36 gallons of paint. Though the pool is primarily for building residents, a number of seasonal memberships and day passes are available.
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Events & Things To Do

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