All articles by Devin Gannon

July 29, 2022

Amtrak launches direct service from NYC to Burlington, Vermont

For New Yorkers looking for an escape from the city without dealing with traffic or chaos at the airport, Amtrak on Friday launched new train service from New York City to the city of Burlington, Vermont. The scenic trip takes around 7.5 hours and travels through the Hudson Valley, Green Mountains, and along Lake Champlain, with new stops in Middlebury and Ferrisburgh-Vergennes before ending in Burlington, a small city with New England charm and vibrant culture. It's the first time since 1953 that Amtrak service will connect New York City and Burlington.
Details this way
July 28, 2022

Beloved Colombian coffee roaster Devoción opens new cafe in Dumbo

Colombian coffee roaster Devoción is bringing its ultra-fresh coffee to a new Brooklyn neighborhood. The Bogotá-based company has opened a new location in Dumbo on the ground floor of the mixed-use development Front & York. As the fourth Devoción in New York City, the coffee shop boasts an industrial, yet warm, vibe thanks to design elements like concrete flooring, wood paneling, and tons of plants and flowers.
More this way
July 28, 2022

As rents increase in New York City, so do evictions

The number of evictions in New York City has increased every month from January to June, according to new city data. The state's eviction moratorium expired on January 15 after officials extended it several times after it first took effect in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic. The data comes as more bad news for renters, who are facing record-high rents after prices fell early on in the pandemic.
Learn more
July 28, 2022

NYC to host 10 free concerts across the five boroughs as part of ‘Rise Up’ series

A new concert series that will take place in every borough throughout the summer officially kicked off on Wednesday. The "Rise Up NYC' series involves 10 free community concerts in parks and outdoor spaces across the city. According to Mayor Eric Adams, the series is meant to "encourage New Yorkers to explore all of the city and reconnect with one another as the city emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic." The "Rise Up" series was announced with less fanfare than last year's "Homecoming" concert in Central Park, which was headlined by Paul Simon, Jennifer Hudson, and Bruce Springsteen and meant to celebrate NYC's recovery from Covid but later called off in the middle of it because of severe weather.
Details this way
July 27, 2022

$3.5M Hotel des Artistes duplex has a double-height living room and indoor wraparound balcony

A duplex in one of New York City's most famous buildings is now available. Located at 1 West 67th Street on the Upper West Side, the neo-Gothic style Hotel des Artistes was built in 1915 as an artist's co-op building and has been home to notable residents over the last century, including the dancer Isadora Duncan, former NYC mayor John Lindsay, and artist Norman Rockwell. On the market for $3,495,000 is a one-bedroom with soaring 20-foot ceilings, colossal south-facing windows, and a balcony overlooking the great room.
Take it all in
July 27, 2022

MTA proposal would expand cell phone service and Wi-Fi to entire subway system

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Tuesday plans to expand cellular service and Wi-Fi throughout the entire subway system. While commuters have been able to use their mobile devices at all underground subway stations since 2017, the proposed project would bring cell connectivity to all tunnels between stations and in above-ground stations. The MTA estimates it would take 10 years to turn the subway system into a fully digitally connected network.
Find out more
July 26, 2022

Museum honoring the legacy of Jackie Robinson opens in NYC

A museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson opened in New York City on Tuesday. Located at 75 Varick Street in Hudson Square, the 19,380-square-foot Jackie Robinson Museum celebrates both Robinson's baseball achievements, as well as his role in the civil rights movement, and encourages a conversation about race and social issues. Designed by Gensler, the museum features immersive exhibits and artifacts, from an interactive model of Ebbets Field to his Dodgers home uniform.
See inside
July 26, 2022

This year’s ‘Summer Streets’ will extend car-free blocks to East Harlem for the first time

New York City's annual "Summer Streets" program, which closes several miles of streets in Manhattan to cars, will expand to East Harlem this year for the first time ever. Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced last week plans to extend the initiative by nearly two miles to East 109th Street. On three Saturdays in August, New Yorkers will be able to enjoy outdoor recreation, performances, fitness classes, and arts and crafts on more than eight miles of open streets spanning from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park.
Get the details
July 25, 2022

Bed-Stuy’s historic Jacob Dangler House has been demolished

The Jacob Dangler House, the historic French Gothic mansion that has sat on the corner of Willoughby and Nostrand Avenues in Bed-Stuy for 120 years, was demolished last week. Despite a campaign led by local residents and public officials to landmark the building, the city's Department of Buildings issued a permit for a full demolition on Tuesday, according to Brownstoner. The developer plans to build apartments on the site, as 6sqft previously reported.
Get the details
July 22, 2022

Tribeca duplex penthouse with huge rooftop and ties to Sarah Jessica Parker asks $5.9M

In Tribeca, a two-level penthouse that is the combination of two units has hit the market. Located at 366 Broadway in the landmarked Collect Pond House co-op building, the expansive apartment has four bedrooms and four baths and is topped by a 1,000-square-foot landscaped rooftop. The home also has a celebrity connection; actress Sarah Jessica Parker once owned one of the units pre-combination. The duplex co-op is now available for $5,850,000.
See inside
July 21, 2022

New underwater habitat with 20 million juvenile oysters deployed at NYC’s Gansevoort Peninsula

A new man-made underwater habitat with 20 million juvenile oysters was installed along the northern shore of Gansevoort Peninsula in the Hudson River this week. As part of a major project to restore and protect Hudson River Park's 400-acre Estuarine Sanctuary, the reef-like system includes hundreds of submerged "reef balls" and "gabions" seeded with baby oysters. Ultimately, the project aims to create an oyster reef complex, improve habitats for organisms found in the river, and help mitigate the effect of storm surges.
Get the details
July 20, 2022

NYC Ferry’s reservation-only ‘Rockaway Rocket’ offers direct service from Wall Street to the beach

New York City will launch express weekend service from Lower Manhattan to Rockaway Beach on Saturday. NYC Ferry's "Rockaway Rocket" will run on summer weekends from Lower Manhattan to the Rockaways and cost passengers $8 each way. The shuttle pilot program is an effort by the city to raise revenue and increase ridership and is part of a broader overhaul of the ferry's fare system.
Get the details
July 18, 2022

‘The Godfather’ mansion on Staten Island can be booked on Airbnb for the month of August

The Staten Island home that served as Don Corleone's residence in the 1972 classic film The Godfather is now available to rent on Airbnb. Located in the neighborhood of Todt Hill, the English Tudor-style mansion was featured in the movie's opening wedding scene. Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the iconic mob drama, the current owners are renting out the home for the month of August, for $50/night.
Get the details
July 15, 2022

Chinatown speakeasy Apotheke opens new Nomad location with rooftop terrace

Fourteen years after making its Chinatown debut, popular speakeasy-style cocktail bar Apotheke has opened a second New York City location. Located on West 26th Street in Nomad, the bar will serve its signature medicinal-themed beverages alongside its first-ever food menu, made up of small and shareable plates. Apotheke Nomad offers two separate spaces, a dimly-lit basement speakeasy and a rooftop terrace that will open later this summer.
Get the details
July 14, 2022

Slanted ‘Sleeve House’ in the Hudson Valley countryside asks $2.3M

One of the most distinctive homes in the Hudson Valley is back on the market. Surrounded by nearly 46 acres with views of the Catskills, the "Sleeve House" is an ultra-contemporary home created as two long volumes, a smaller one "sleeved" into a larger one, which allows for separate public and private spaces. Designed by Adam Dayem's Actual/Office Architects, the three-bedroom home sits on a sloped hill and is wrapped in charred wood of varying thickness, a nod to the rural area's historic barns and agricultural buildings. 6sqft first wrote about this home when it was listed for $2,100,000 in 2017. Now it's available again, this time for $2,275,000.
Details this way
July 13, 2022

NYC sues illegal Airbnb operator who earned $2M and deceived thousands of guests since 2018

New York City is suing an operator of an illegal short-term rental in Midtown East who officials say ran more than 78 Airbnb listings and "deceived more than 6,500 guests." According to the lawsuit, announced on Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, Arron Latimer, a licensed broker, Apex Management, and Esther Yip, used several limited liability corporations to run a short-term rental operation at 344 East 51st Street in Turtle Bay. The lawsuit is the first under a new city law that requires short-term rental platforms to regularly report data on listings and their hosts.
Learn more
July 12, 2022

In the West Village, $799K pre-war co-op boasts pops of color and pied-à-terre potential

On a quintessential West Village block, this pre-war one-bedroom packs a punch. Not only is the apartment at 25 Leroy Street suitable as a year-round abode, but the building also permits pied-à-terre use. Asking just under $800,000, the home charms with pops of color, exposed beams, and a surprisingly spacious upgraded kitchen (if you're okay with a built-in mini-fridge, that is).
Details this way
July 11, 2022

Hoboken approves transit-oriented mixed-use project on the waterfront

After 15 years of delays, the plan to revitalize the southern end of the Hoboken waterfront is officially moving ahead. Mayor Ravi Bhalla on Thursday signed a redevelopment agreement that paves the way forward for Hoboken Connect, a mixed-use development that includes new office space, housing, and public open space near the transit hub Hoboken Terminal.
Get the details
July 8, 2022

$74.34M penthouse at Aman New York is NYC’s biggest sale of the year

A penthouse on New York City's Billionaires' Row has sold for $74.34 million, the highest closed sale of 2022 so far. Taking up the entirety of the 20th floor of the Aman New York, a new hotel and residential project at the iconic Crown Building on Fifth Avenue, the home measures over 6,700 square feet and features a private saltwater swimming pool, cabana, and two terraces. The apartment--dubbed the "Jala Penthouse"--was originally listed for $83.53 million.
Details this way
July 8, 2022

Brooklyn Heights’ oldest home is back on the market with refreshed interiors for $4.25M

The oldest home in Brooklyn Heights is once again for sale, following an update to its interiors. The history of the Federal-style corner property at 24 Middagh Street is fuzzy, but reports date the home's construction between 1790 and 1829. The five-bedroom home, which also includes a separate two-story carriage house and a private courtyard, was last on the market in 2018 for $4,500,000; it is currently listed for $4,250,000.
Take a look inside
July 7, 2022

City underreported NYC Ferry costs by $224M, according to audit

The city agency that operates New York City's ferry system failed to report nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in expenditures during Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, according to a new audit released by City Comptroller Brad Lander on Wednesday. The 50-page audit says the Economic Development Corporation spent $758 million on ferry operations from July 1, 2015 through December 31, 2021, but only reported $534 million. The report also details tens of millions in unnecessary expenses as a result of the agency's "poor financial management."
Details here
July 6, 2022

The Giglio Feast: History, fun facts, and what to expect at this year’s celebration in Brooklyn

Revelers will once again gather in Williamsburg this week for a festival full of food, dancing, and live music. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel and San Paolino di Nola Feast is based on a tradition that got its start in Italy over 1,000 years ago, with its centerpiece a four-ton 72-foot tower. As part of the neighborhood’s nearly two-week feast, the tall, ornately decorated structure, known as the “Giglio,” is carried through the streets by over 100 men. The Giglio Feast, which runs through July 16, has been held in Williamsburg every July since 1903, nearly two decades before the better-known Feast of San Gennaro was celebrated in Manhattan's Little Italy. Ahead, learn about the roots of the unique festival, how it’s evolved over the last century, and what to expect this year.
More here
July 6, 2022

Amy Schumer buys Brooklyn Heights townhouse from ‘Moonstruck,’ last listed for $11M

Amy Schumer is in contract to buy the Brooklyn Heights townhouse featured in the 1987 movie Moonstruck. As first reported by the New York Post, the actress-comedian has toured multiple homes in the historic neighborhood and put an offer on the corner property at 19 Cranberry Street, which was most recently listed for $11,000,000 after first hitting the market last summer for $12,850,000.
Learn more
July 5, 2022

NYC launches nation’s first mobile test-to-treat Covid program, with free antiviral pills at testing sites

New York City will provide antiviral medication for New Yorkers who test positive for Covid at certain mobile testing sites, Mayor Eric Adams announced last week. Clinicians at participating mobile testing units will be able to write prescriptions for those who test positive--and are eligible for-- Paxlovid, an oral antiviral treatment that reduces the chance of severe illness caused by the virus. The new test-to-treat program is the first of its kind in the United States.
Get the details
June 29, 2022

Where to watch the Macy’s July 4th fireworks for free in NYC

Nowhere is quite like New York, especially on the Fourth of July. Macy's signature fireworks show, the largest in the nation, will once again ring in Independence Day with more than 48,000 shells and effects from five barges floating in the East River. While there are many places around the city hosting fireworks watch parties, there are seven official public viewing locations along two miles that will offer the best (read: free) views of the Macy's Fourth of July show, including Midtown, Long Island City, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg.
Get the details