All articles by Devin Gannon

May 25, 2021

You can rent ‘Real Housewife’ Luann de Lesseps’ Sag Harbor home for the summer

Any Bravo fans looking for a summer rental? Luann de Lesseps, star of "The Real Housewives of New York," is renting her waterfront Sag Harbor home for the months of July and August, as the New York Post first reported. "I want to travel after the pandemic," de Lesseps, who also added she is also getting ready for her cabaret shows scheduled for this fall, told the newspaper. The Hamptons property sits on Sag Harbor Cove and boasts water views and a private dock. According to the listing, renters will pay $100,000 for the month of July, $110,000 for August, or $200,000 for both months.
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May 25, 2021

For $1.7M, an Arts & Crafts colonial in the Queens enclave of Douglaston

With a suburban-like feel coupled with waterfront parks and a treasure trove of historic homes, the Queens neighborhood of Douglaston is one of New York City's hidden gems. A lovely freestanding Arts & Crafts style colonial located within the Douglas Manor community is now on the market for $1,700,000. Constructed in 1911, the five-bedroom home at 315 Hollywood Avenue boasts oak details, wood-burning fireplaces, a screened-in porch, and an intimate backyard garden.
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May 24, 2021

NYC public schools will fully reopen this fall without a remote option

New York City public schools will not offer a remote option for students next school year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday. Starting on the first day of school on September 13, all students and school staff will return to the buildings full-time. "This is going to be crucial for families," de Blasio said during a press briefing. "So many parents are relieved, I know."
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May 21, 2021

For $1.95M, this Hudson Valley mansion has Tiffany stained glass windows and intricate wood paneling

This historic mansion in the Hudson Valley has lived many lives, starting in 1906 as a hunting lodge for an heir to a soap fortune to most recently, a bed and breakfast decked out with antiques. Today, the seven-bedroom property at 317 Allen Street in Hudson, New York, now dubbed Tiger House, is on the market for $1,950,000, giving the new owners a chance to shape the unique home's next chapter.
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May 21, 2021

Live performances return to the subway as part of ‘Music Under New York’ program

It's music to our ears. Live music will return to subway platforms across the city next month as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's "Music Under New York" program. The program, which typically includes thousands of live shows performed each year, will resume June 4, about 14 months after public performances were halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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May 20, 2021

NYC’s newest park Little Island finally opens on the Hudson River

The offshore public park in the Hudson River that almost didn't get built officially opens on Friday. Designed by Heatherwick Studio and MNLA, Little Island at Pier 55 is designed to resemble a leaf floating on water, with an undulating base of tulip-shaped concrete pots ranging in elevation from 15 feet to 62 feet. The two-acre park features a 687-seat amphitheater, a plaza with concessions, a small stage, and incredible views, all surrounded by an abundance of greenery.
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May 20, 2021

42nd-floor members-only rooftop pool reopens at the American Copper Buildings

A 42nd-story rooftop pool overlooking the East River is coming back to New York City for the summer. Located atop the American Copper Buildings in Murray Hill, The Sentry is currently accepting membership applications for its 2021 season, which kicks off ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. Sky-high swimming does not come cheap, however. Memberships start at $2,600 for a single member, $4,300 for couples, and $3,000 for non-residents.
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May 19, 2021

Hamilton Heights brownstone from ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ can be booked on Airbnb for $20/night

Last week, the Hamilton Heights house made famous in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums hit the rental market for $20,000 per month. This week, Airbnb announced the iconic mansion will be available to book this Memorial Day Weekend for just $20 per night. Bookings will open on May 26 at noon for one, two-night stay at the 1899 brownstone beginning May 29.
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May 19, 2021

13 places to go hiking in New York City

Forget the rental car or Metro-North trip, all you need to go hiking is a MetroCard. Home to over 30,000 acres of parkland, New York City offers hundreds of nature trails to explore in parks across the five boroughs. New Yorkers do not have to travel very far to connect with the great outdoors, from the Staten Island Greenbelt, which is three times the size of Central Park, to ecologically diverse forests in Van Cortlandt Park, to the salt marshes of Marine Park Preserve. Ahead, discover some of the best trails to take a hike in every borough.
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May 18, 2021

Former NAACP headquarters in Greenwich Village is now a New York City landmark

A building in Greenwich Village that once served as the headquarters for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and housed W.E.B. DuBois' trailblazing magazine The Crisis, is now a New York City landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate 70 Fifth Avenue, a Neoclassical Beaux-Arts building designed by Charles A. Rich and built between 1912 and 1914. The commission on Tuesday also landmarked the Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz in Washington Heights.
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May 18, 2021

NYC’s plan to rezone Soho and Noho moves forward

A proposal to bring more affordable housing in two of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods is moving forward. The City Planning Commission on Monday certified the application to rezone Soho and Noho, kicking off the public review process. The plan replaces existing 1970s-era zoning rules with medium- to high-density mixed-use districts that could create as many as 3,500 new homes, with 900 units of permanently affordable housing.
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May 18, 2021

60 Wall Street revamp swaps out postmodern atrium for a skylight and massive 100-foot green wall

The eccentric 1980s atrium at the Financial District office tower 60 Wall Street is getting a 21st-century makeover. As part of a major renovation, owner Paramount Group is ditching the indoor palm trees and man-made rock displays and creating a public space they feel is more attractive in a post-pandemic era. With designs from Kohn Pedersen Fox, the updated atrium of the 47-story tower will boast a new skylight and a 100-foot-tall, block-long interior green wall.
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May 17, 2021

The NYC Marathon returns this November at 60% capacity

Runners, take your mark. The annual New York City Marathon will be held this fall after last year's event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced the world's largest marathon will take place on November 7, the 50th running of the race. Participation will be limited to 60 percent capacity, or 33,000 runners, according to the governor.
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May 17, 2021

24/7 subway service resumes in New York City

New York City's subway system resumed 24-hour service on Monday for the first time in over a year. Last May, Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed the subway overnight as part of a disinfection plan created in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It was the first time the trains closed overnight since the subway first opened 116 years ago. The return of 24/7 service this week comes just two days before most capacity restrictions in New York are lifted and as rates of COVID have fallen across the state.
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May 14, 2021

Jing Fong will stay in Chinatown with new downsized location

New York City's largest Chinese restaurant is downsizing. This Sunday, Jing Fong, will close its Elizabeth Street location, the 20,000-square-foot restaurant known for its 800-person dining room and as a hot spot for dim sum. Thankfully, the iconic spot will be staying in Chinatown, as Eater NY reported, with a new 125-seat restaurant opening in July.
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May 14, 2021

You can have a sleepover at Monica and Rachel’s ‘Friends’ apartment

Here's a chance to fulfill your Friends fantasy. The Friends Experience, the interactive exhibit featuring those too-good-to-be-true apartments and iconic scenes from the television series, has teamed up with travel company Booking.com to provide the "ultimate sleepover." Fans have the chance to book two overnight stays at a set re-creation of Monica and Rachel's apartment this month for just $19.94, a nod to the year the sitcom first premiered.
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May 13, 2021

You can roller skate outside on the TWA Hotel’s tarmac

Roller skating is having a major moment, brought on by the pandemic and possibly quarantine boredom. New Yorkers can now embrace the nostalgia at one of the most fitting places in the city: the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport. The retro 1960s-inspired hotel is opening a roller skating rink this month on the tarmac outside of the 1958 Lockheed Constellation "Connie" airplane-turned cocktail bar. Roll-A-Rama at the Runway Rink launches May 14 and will operate on weekends.
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May 13, 2021

Tavern on the Green to host concert series featuring Broadway stars

Broadway is back, even sooner than planned. Ahead of the Great White Way's official reopening on September 14, Central Park's iconic Tavern on the Green is offering a sneak peek of the magic to come this fall. The Upper West Side restaurant will host a pop-up concert series, Broadway at Tavern, featuring stars of Broadway, with performances starting on May 25. The event will run through the summer and into the fall.
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May 13, 2021

Here are the New York City sites vaccinating kids 12+

With approval from an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, the Pfizer vaccine is now available for children ages 12 to 15. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has authorized all New York providers to open eligibility for the vaccine to this age group. In New York City, there are over 200 sites offering Pfizer, the only vaccine approved for those aged 12 to 17, including at dozens of pharmacies across the five boroughs and some state-run sites.
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May 12, 2021

New ‘Open Boulevards’ will bring dining, performances, art and more to NYC streets

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced plans to reimagine New York City streets once again with "Open Boulevards," an expansion of the popular Open Streets and Open Restaurants programs that launched at the start of the pandemic. The mayor said the initiative "supercharges" the existing program with "multiple blocks in a row filled with restaurants, performances, and community activities." The Open Boulevards announcement continues City Hall's "Streets Week!," which so far has included new plans to lower speed limits and add protected bike lanes.
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May 12, 2021

170-year-old Greenwich Village buildings will be razed and replaced with high-rise condo tower

Two five-story apartment buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District will be demolished to make way for a 213-foot-tall luxury condo tower. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans from Madison Realty Capital and City Urban Realty to raze 14-16 Fifth Avenue, an apartment building that sits just north of Washington Square Park. Preservationists campaigned against the demolition of the building since the project was first announced in 2017, citing the history of the 170-year-old structure as significant enough for protection.
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May 11, 2021

A self-filtering floating pool is officially coming to the East River

A plan to build a swimming pool on the East River is finally moving forward after being in the works for over a decade. In an Instagram post published on Saturday, the nonprofit +POOL announced the group had received confirmation from the city to proceed with due diligence on their project: a floating, self-filtering pool on the south side of Pier 35 on the Lower East Side.
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May 11, 2021

New design for Marsha P. Johnson State Park adds more greenery, scraps rainbow-striped mural

A new design was unveiled last week for Marsha P. Johnson State Park in Williamsburg following backlash regarding the state's original proposal. During the local community board's Parks and Waterfront Committee meeting last Thursday, Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners presented a revised plan that incorporates more greenery and plantings to the Brooklyn waterfront site and ditches the rainbow-striped plastic mural that opponents criticized, as first reported by Brooklyn Paper.
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May 10, 2021

Jersey City’s Harborside complex reveals waterfront outdoor space and perks like Smorgasburg

Jersey City's office complex Harborside hopes to appeal to tenants post-pandemic by offering a number of health and wellness amenities, part of a nearly complete renovation. Developer of the waterfront site Mack-Cali on Monday unveiled the latest phase of the Harborside campus makeover, highlighting new public spaces, upcoming cultural events, and the launch of Smorgasburg's first-ever New Jersey location.
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May 10, 2021

All U.S. residents aged 16+ can get the COVID vaccine in New York

Any resident of the United States who is at least 16 years old is now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in New York. In vaccination guidance updated last week, the state's Department of Health ditched the work or residency requirement to previously needed to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The policy change comes as Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wants to set up mobile vaccination hubs at popular tourist destinations, like Central Park and Times Square, to vaccinate visitors to the Big Apple.
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