All articles by Devin Gannon

37 middle-income apartments available at resort-like rental in Long Island City, from $1,990/month

Rendering by NEAT Agency

October 2, 2020

37 middle-income apartments available at resort-like rental in Long Island City, from $1,990/month

By Devin Gannon

A housing lottery launched this week for 37 middle-income apartments at a new, amenity-packed rental in Long Island City, Queens. Dubbed The Cove and located at 43-12 Hunter Street, the 18-story tower contains 123 apartments and boasts ground-floor retail, an outdoor roof terrace, a game room, a library, and a fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which include $1,990/month studios, $2,345/month one-bedrooms, and $3,072/month two-bedrooms.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

8 spots to celebrate Oktoberfest 2020 in NYC

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels

October 1, 2020

8 spots to celebrate Oktoberfest 2020 in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Although the world's biggest Oktoberfest festival in Munich won't take place this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, there are still ways to celebrate Bavarian culture locally this month. Biergartens and beer halls across New York City are serving up traditional biers and brats, decking out their spaces with festive decorations, and putting on live music. And while indoor dining can officially resume as of this week, most restaurants also have spacious outdoor patios and gardens, as well as take-out and delivery options.
See the full list

New ‘one-stop shop’ network helps NYC small businesses reopen and recover amid COVID-19

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

October 1, 2020

New ‘one-stop shop’ network helps NYC small businesses reopen and recover amid COVID-19

By Devin Gannon

A new initiative launched this week that aims to help New York City's 230,000 small businesses stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. The NYC Small Business Resource Network connects business owners with specialists from each borough who will provide advice and access to available resources regarding challenges like loan and grant opportunities and legal and accounting services. The program aims to serve owners in the hardest-hit communities, with a focus on minority-, women-, and immigrant-owned businesses.
Get the details

Policy

Empire State Building is treating couples to a free photoshoot at its iconic observatory

Photo courtesy of the Empire Realty Trust

September 30, 2020

Empire State Building is treating couples to a free photoshoot at its iconic observatory

By Devin Gannon

One of the city's most romantic spots, both in the movies and in real life, is offering couples a free photoshoot. The Empire State Building will treat twosomes to a free photo session from a professional photographer at the iconic skyscraper's 86th-floor observatory. On October 10, visitors will receive a complimentary photoshoot with the price of admission to the main observatory.
Get the details

Tribeca’s eco-friendly Pier 26 opens with innovative man-made tidal marsh

Photos by Max Guliani for Hudson River Park

September 30, 2020

Tribeca’s eco-friendly Pier 26 opens with innovative man-made tidal marsh

By Devin Gannon

A new eco-friendly public pier opened in Tribeca on Wednesday, the first to open at the four-mile-long Hudson River Park in 10 years. Designed by landscape architecture firm OLIN, Pier 26 spans 2.5 acres, features indigenous plants and trees, and boasts multi-use recreation fields. But the most unique element of the new $37.7 million pier is a man-made rocky tidal marsh and the cantilevered walkway that hangs above it, providing an ecological experience and incredible water and Statue of Liberty views at the same time.
See it here

Uncategorized

Lottery opens for 34 units at new Coney Island rental one block from the beach, from $1,700/month

Photo of Coney Island by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

September 29, 2020

Lottery opens for 34 units at new Coney Island rental one block from the beach, from $1,700/month

By Devin Gannon

The city is now accepting applications for 34 middle-income apartments in a new 20-story rental in Coney Island located just one block away from the beach. The Sea Breeze Tower, located at 271 Breeze Avenue, contains 115 units and sits across the street from the Asser Levy Park, with the beach and landmarked Riegelmann Boardwalk just a five-minute walk away. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from $1,700/month studios to $2,950/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

10th annual Archtober kicks off in NYC with virtual and in-person design events

Little Island May 2020 © CityRealty

September 29, 2020

10th annual Archtober kicks off in NYC with virtual and in-person design events

By Devin Gannon

New York City's annual month-long celebration of architecture and design returns to the five boroughs this week. In its 10th year, Archtober offers hundreds of architect-led building tours, lectures by design experts, and exploration of lesser-known wonders of New York's built environment every day during the month of October. Like everything else, this year's festival will look a bit different because of the coronavirus pandemic, with virtual talks and tours, self-led activities, and socially-distanced in-person events.
Learn more

Photo by Daniel Lee on Unsplash

September 28, 2020

Cuomo extends New York’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium through 2020

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed an executive order extending the moratorium on residential evictions through the rest of the year. The freeze, which officially began in late March because of the pandemic, was set to expire on October 1. The order extends the Tenant Safe Harbor Act, which protects tenants who can prove they experienced financial hardship during the COVID-19 crisis, to January 1, 2021. According to the governor, the executive order will extend these protections to eviction warrants "that existed prior to the start of the pandemic," which were not previously included under the original law.
More details this way

Policy

These neighborhoods had the biggest rent drops since March

Fifth Avenue and East 75th Street; Photo by Eden, Janine, and Jim on Flickr

September 28, 2020

These neighborhoods had the biggest rent drops since March

By Devin Gannon

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March, rental prices in Manhattan have dropped by 24 percent. While the market is slowly recovering on the island, with asking rent slightly up over the last month, new data from CityRealty shows which neighborhoods are still reeling from the state-mandated lockdown and overall financial impact of the health crisis. According to the report, the Manhattan neighborhoods that experienced the largest drop in rental prices between March and September include the Upper East Side, specifically part of the southern portion of Fifth Avenue from 59th to 79th Street, and Noho.
Find out more

‘Notorious RBG’ exhibit to open at New-York Historical Society next year

Chief Justice William Rehnquist Administers the Oath of Office to Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg as Associate Supreme Court Justice at the White House (1993); Courtesy of the National Archives

September 28, 2020

‘Notorious RBG’ exhibit to open at New-York Historical Society next year

By Devin Gannon

A special exhibit dedicated to Ruth Bader Ginsburg will open at the New-York Historical Society next fall. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on view from October 1, 2021, to January 23, 2022, will include archival photos and documents, a robe from Ginsburg's Supreme Court dress, and three-dimensional "reimaginations" of significant places of her life, including her childhood home in Midwood, Brooklyn. Ginsburg passed away at her home in D.C. on September 18.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Popular Articles

Bronx Brewery taps inventive empanada food lab as first full-time food partner

Photos courtesy of the Bronx Brewery

September 25, 2020

Bronx Brewery taps inventive empanada food lab as first full-time food partner

By Devin Gannon

Two South Bronx businesses are teaming up to bring New Yorkers a unique new culinary experience. The Bronx Brewery announced a deal last week to make Empanology a full-time food partner at the bar's spacious backyard. The partnership involves some tasty collaborations, including a BBQ sauce that incorporates the brewery's "World Gone Hazy" IPA and other limited-edition menu items.
Find out more

Food & Dining

NYC outdoor dining will be year-round and permanent

St. Marks Place outdoor dining; Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

September 25, 2020

NYC outdoor dining will be year-round and permanent

By Devin Gannon

Outdoor dining will be a permanent, year-round feature for New York City restaurants, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday. The city's popular "Open Restaurants" program, which launched in June and allows restaurants to set up outdoor seating on sidewalks, patios, and on some streets closed to cars on weekends, was set to expire on October 31. During his weekly appearance on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show, de Blasio said the program will be "part of the life of the city for years to come." The "Open Streets: Restaurants" program, which has closed roughly 87 streets to traffic for car-free dining on weekends, will also be made permanent, the mayor said.
Get the details

Empire State Building’s Art Deco spire returns in all its glory after restoration

Progress of the restoration; Courtesy of the Empire State Realty Trust

September 25, 2020

Empire State Building’s Art Deco spire returns in all its glory after restoration

By Devin Gannon

What's old is new again. The iconic spire of the Empire State Building has returned to its original 1931 silhouette following a year-long restoration. The Empire State Realty Trust removed a network of archaic antennas and other unnecessary material found between floors 88 and 103 from the mooring mast, providing an obstacle-free look at the skyscraper's unique 200-foot Art Deco pinnacle.
More details this way

Architecture And Design

NYC opens new lab that will process COVID-19 tests within 48 hours

Image: Matt Monath Photography

September 24, 2020

NYC opens new lab that will process COVID-19 tests within 48 hours

By Devin Gannon

A lab dedicated to processing New York City coronavirus tests within 24 to 48 hours officially opened on Thursday. The "Pandemic Response Lab" is located in the Alexandria Center for Life Science on First Avenue and East 29th Street in Manhattan. The lab, led by the city's Economic Development Corporation and run by robotics company Openetrons, will expand testing capacity citywide while also providing a quicker turnaround time to get results from samples collected at NYC Health + Hospitals sites.
More details here

Policy

John Lennon’s former ‘Lost Weekend’ penthouse in Manhattan asks $5.5M

Photo Credit: James Smolka/ Brown Harris Stevens

September 24, 2020

John Lennon’s former ‘Lost Weekend’ penthouse in Manhattan asks $5.5M

By Devin Gannon

One of New York City's most storied apartments has just hit the market. John Lennon's former penthouse at 434 East 52nd Street, where he briefly lived with his mistress May Pang during the 1970s and famously spotted a UFO, is asking $5.5 million. The 4,000-square-foot triplex in the Southgate co-op, located where Sutton Place, Beekman, and Midtown East meet, was also where the iconic photos of Lennon wearing a tank top that said "New York City" were taken.
Take the tour

10 NYC apartments you can buy for under $600K

September 24, 2020

10 NYC apartments you can buy for under $600K

By Devin Gannon

For roughly $600,000, would you prefer a two-bedroom in a pre-war building located across from a park in south Brooklyn or a studio on a high floor of a Park Avenue co-op in Murray Hill? A recently renovated studio in Lincoln Square with Central Park views or a two-bedroom corner unit in Bay Ridge? Whether you're prioritizing square footage over location or green space access over public transit options, you'll be able to find a home in New York City that meets your specific needs, thanks to record-high inventory. Ahead, we've rounded up 10 apartments across the city now on the market for under $600,000.
See the homes

Distinctive Homes

Industry City developers withdraw rezoning application

Photo by Steven Pisano on Flickr

September 23, 2020

Industry City developers withdraw rezoning application

By Devin Gannon

Plans to rezone Industry City in Sunset Park are dead after developers behind the project decided to withdraw their application on Tuesday. As Politico New York first reported, the decision to pull out of the plan, first proposed six years ago, comes as developers were unable to convince Brooklyn residents and officials, particularly Council Member Carlos Menchaca, the local representative, to support the rezoning efforts. Supporters of the rezoning said it would have brought thousands of new jobs to the city, which currently is seeing an unemployment rate of about 20 percent because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Learn more

Policy

New COVID-19 clusters found in South Brooklyn and Queens, where virus cases have tripled

Borough Park, Brooklyn; Photo via Wikimedia

September 23, 2020

New COVID-19 clusters found in South Brooklyn and Queens, where virus cases have tripled

By Devin Gannon

Urgent action is required in four areas across Brooklyn and Queens where there has been a serious uptick of positive coronavirus cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday. The city's Health Department identified a new cluster in Midwood, Borough Park, and Bensonhurst, which officials are calling the Ocean Parkway Cluster, after the avenue that connects the neighborhoods. Health officials have also found an increase in cases in Edgemere-Far Rockaway, Williamsburg, and Kew Gardens. The new cases account for 20 percent of all cases citywide as of September 19.
More here

Policy

New York pol calls on Cuomo to reopen comedy clubs

Photo by ajay_suresh on Flickr

September 22, 2020

New York pol calls on Cuomo to reopen comedy clubs

By Devin Gannon

New York gyms, malls, museums, and restaurants, have all been given the green light from officials to reopen. Why not comedy clubs? State Sen. Michael Gianaris is proposing new measures that would allow comedy venues to immediately reopen under the same coronavirus restriction placed on other indoor activities, which would include a 25 percent capacity limit. "I challenge anyone to explain why comedy clubs would be less safe to operate than restaurants or bowling alleys," Gianaris, who represents parts of Queens, told the New York Post.
Get the details

101st-floor restaurant at 30 Hudson Yards will reopen for indoor dining next month

Photo by Charissa Fay

September 22, 2020

101st-floor restaurant at 30 Hudson Yards will reopen for indoor dining next month

By Devin Gannon

The restaurant on the 101st floor of 30 Hudson Yards will reopen for indoor dining on October 6. Peak, which first opened to the public in March and then closed later that month because of the coronavirus pandemic, has again started taking reservations for its massive 10,000-square-foot dining room, which sits one floor above Edge, the 1,100-foot-high outdoor sky deck. The restaurant said it will not take any parties larger than 10 guests and will not accept cash payments.
Get the details

Food & Dining

In Union Square, a massive ‘climate clock’ counts down to Earth’s deadline

Photo by Zack Winestine

September 21, 2020

In Union Square, a massive ‘climate clock’ counts down to Earth’s deadline

By Devin Gannon

The massive electronic clock in Union Square that has puzzled New Yorkers for over two decades has been repurposed as a count down to climate disaster. Created by Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd, the "Climate Clock" displays the years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds the world has left to make significant changes before the effects of global warming become permanent. The new installation comes as Climate Week NYC kicks off this week, alongside the United Nations General Assembly.
Details this way

Uncategorized

Huge hound sculptures made of recycled materials take over Midtown

Photos by Alexandre Ayer/Diversity Pictures for the Garment District Alliance

September 21, 2020

Huge hound sculptures made of recycled materials take over Midtown

By Devin Gannon

Over-sized sculptures of dogs have been installed along Broadway in Midtown's Garment District. Created by artist Will Kurtz, the gigantic public art exhibit "Doggy Bags," features six sculptures of different breeds of dogs, all made out of recycled single-use materials, like plastic bags. The exhibit, which can be found between 38th and 40th Streets, will be on display through November 20.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

New York will construct a statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her native Brooklyn

Ruth Bader Ginsburg at her confirmation hearing / R. Michael Jenkins, Congressional Quarterly. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

September 21, 2020

New York will construct a statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her native Brooklyn

By Devin Gannon

United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be recognized with a statue in her hometown of Brooklyn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday, just one day after the death of the trailblazing icon. Born in 1933 to Russian-Jewish immigrants and raised in a clapboard house on East 9th Street in Midwood, Ginsburg attended the city's public schools and later Cornell and Columbia Universities. In 1993, Ginsburg, who fought for gender equality her entire career, became the second woman to ever serve as a justice on the Supreme Court.
Find out more

Uncategorized

In Westchester, a historic bank building is now a $1.9M contemporary home

Photos by Rob Shaw, RHS Photography

September 18, 2020

In Westchester, a historic bank building is now a $1.9M contemporary home

By Devin Gannon

A unique industrial loft in a former 20th-century bank building has hit the market in the Westchester village of Dobbs Ferry. The home, where "Tribeca meets Main Street USA," as the listing describes, was formerly the Greensburgh Savings Bank and has been converted into a one-of-a-kind townhouse. Asking $1.899 million, the four-bedroom home at 81 Main Street measures over 6,300 square feet, has a private backyard, and features remnants of its past life, like a bank vault and super tall ceilings.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

35 mixed-income apartments up for grabs at new East Williamsburg rental, from $924/month

Photo by Korye Logan on Flickr

September 18, 2020

35 mixed-income apartments up for grabs at new East Williamsburg rental, from $924/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are now being accepted for 35 mixed-income apartments at a new apartment building in East Williamsburg. Located at 222 Johnson Avenue, the seven-story rental is located just one block from the L train and is surrounded by some of Brooklyn's best restaurants and entertainment venues. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60, 125, 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from $924/month studios to $2,876/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

53
54
55
56
57