All articles by Michelle Cohen

Michelle is a New York-based writer and content strategist who has worked extensively with lifestyle brands like Seventeen, Country Living, Harper’s Bazaar and iVillage. In addition to being a copywriter for a digital media agency she writes about culture, New York City neighborhoods, real estate, style, design and technology among other topics. She has lived in a number of major US cities on both coasts and in between and loves all things relating to urbanism and culture.
Don’t Look Up: Would Traffic Signals in the Pavement Protect NYC Phone Gazers?
April 29, 2016

Don’t Look Up: Would Traffic Signals in the Pavement Protect NYC Phone Gazers?

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We've already seen the creation of texting lanes for smartphone addicts (in Antwerp, Belgium and Chongqing, China) so pedestrians don't have to be stuck behind someone hunting for the perfect emoji. Recently the German city of Augsburg has taken the step of actually installing traffic lights in the pavement so text-walkers could be made aware of when it's unsafe to walk–by which we mean they're about to walk into the path of a 50-ton train. The idea came about after a 15-year-old girl was fatally hit by an oncoming tram while wearing headphones and looking down at her smartphone. As reported in The Telegraph, the lights look like ordinary road markers, but flat to the ground. Bavarian public-works/transportation provider Stadtwerke Augsburg has installed the experimental earthbound traffic signals in two rail stations. The LED lights blink green when it's safe to walk and red when a train is approaching. They're visible from a distance, so they might even give pedestrians some lead time to realize an intersection is up ahead.
Find out more
Ozzy Osbourne Meets Hansel and Gretel in Video Director Johan Renck’s $3M Tribeca Loft
April 28, 2016

Ozzy Osbourne Meets Hansel and Gretel in Video Director Johan Renck’s $3M Tribeca Loft

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With classic industrial loft bones and downtown shabby chic interiors, this big, bold loft at 79 Worth Street in Tribeca is asking $3.1 million. At 1,909 square feet, there's plenty of room to choose between shabby and chic, and to be fair, the decor is not only on-trend but fairly awesome. According to records, the current owner is noted Swedish video director Johan Renck (he's worked with everyone from David Bowie and Madonna to Karl Lagerfeld and directed episodes of "Breaking Bad"), who purchased the loft in 2009 for $1.5 million. We don't know if he's responsible for the apartment's current look, but we can definitely see both a creative and a Scandinavian influence.
Check out the rest of the loft this way
Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5B Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’

Rendering for a proposed new MSG by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

April 27, 2016

Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5B Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’

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Moving MSG to make room for a bigger, better Penn Station train hub would be really expensive and probably not a good idea, according to a new report by transit think tank Rudin Center for Transportation Policy. Commercial Observer reports that the just-released study outlines the concern that moving the arena would come with a price tag of over $5 billion, take, like, forever, and would generally "become an urban planner’s worst nightmare." The study refers to the proposed overhaul of Pennsylvania Station and the idea of extending it to the post office off Eighth Avenue as well as suggestions by urban planners for relocating MSG.
So what's going to cost so much?
Cheery Two-Bedroom in Boerum Hill Asks Less Than a Million
April 27, 2016

Cheery Two-Bedroom in Boerum Hill Asks Less Than a Million

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Though not by much -- this pretty second-floor, two-bedroom co-op on a prime Boerum Hill street comes in at $925,000, to be exact. Friendly and quaint yet urban and diverse, this neighborhood was pricey and sought-after long before Brooklyn nabes were vying for “coolest in the world” status. The apartment for sale at 368 State Street has plenty going for it in the looks department. Pre-war details like decorative moldings, high ceilings and hardwood floors complement interiors that have been updated for modern comfort. It’s only one flight upstairs, and a common roof deck even puts outdoor space into the equation.
Get a closer look
$5K/Month Carroll Gardens Duplex in a Former Wine Cellar Has Plenty of Personality
April 26, 2016

$5K/Month Carroll Gardens Duplex in a Former Wine Cellar Has Plenty of Personality

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In a rented apartment, visitors and friends won't necessarily hold you responsible for any infrastructure eccentricity–that's part of the ease of signing a lease. The problem is, it's often difficult to find a rental with any personailty. There's no floor plan available for this quirky Carroll Gardens garden duplex at 78 Douglass Street, but it certainly looks like there's a fair amount of space, and even if not, you've got two floors to call home. As is often the case with pre-war row house apartments, there do seem to be "plenty of unique features," as the listing says.
Check out the party-ready yard and the former wine cellar basement
A Photographer’s Eye Makes This $3.25M Carroll Gardens Townhouse Pretty as a Picture
April 25, 2016

A Photographer’s Eye Makes This $3.25M Carroll Gardens Townhouse Pretty as a Picture

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When a photographer who's worked for Martha Stewart Living puts her creative skills to work crafting a home in a classic Carroll Gardens townhouse, the results tend to photograph well. That's certainly the case with this gorgeous three-story brick house at 189 Huntington Street. Lifestyle, food, fashion and interiors photographer Dana Gallagher has clearly trained her editorial and design eye on every detail. Comprised of an upstairs owners' duplex and a beautifully outfitted one-bedroom garden apartment below–each with an outdoor oasis–this 20-foot-wide two-family property could also be transformed easily into a single-family dream house.
Get a closer look
Innovative 1931 Long Island ‘Skyscraper House’ Was Built by the Father of Palm Springs Modern
April 25, 2016

Innovative 1931 Long Island ‘Skyscraper House’ Was Built by the Father of Palm Springs Modern

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In a 1932 article in Modern Mechanix magazine, the design of this three-story Long Island “skyscraper house” was touted as the “latest in homes,” with an all-metal frame and glass walls. What the story doesn’t mention is that this little house in the ‘burbs was designed as a case study home by noted architects Albert Frey (who spent his early years in Le Corbusier's studio) and A. Lawrence Kocher. Known as the Aluminaire House, this diminutive dwelling is among the earliest examples of European-inspired modern architecture in the eastern U.S.. It was included by Philip Johnson in a MoMA exhibit in 1931 that later became the manifesto for the International Style of architecture–one of only six American buildings in the show to exemplify the style. With the Coachella music festival in the recent spotlight, visions of Palm Springs-style desert homes have been popping up at every turn, and though this little skyscraper house couldn't be further away geographically, its co-creator Albert Frey is known for establishing the "desert modernism" style exemplified in those iconic Palm Springs homes. And as with many ideas in the ultra-creative 1930s, the construction of this Modernist gem in 1931 was well ahead of its time.
Find out more about the story and future of Aluminaire House
VIDEO: Visit ’93 New York City in High-Tech HD
April 25, 2016

VIDEO: Visit ’93 New York City in High-Tech HD

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Ancient history doesn't look like it used to. Instead of grainy footage or shaky home video, we can enjoy this pretty early demo HD video to reminisce about streets filled with people who weren't looking at little tiny screens. Remember those days? This 1993 video takes a wander through a few of the city's favorite photo ops (Times Square, Central Park, the East Village and the East Third Street Hell's Angels' back yard).
Watch the video
Marc Jacobs President Lists Fashion-Forward Village Townhouse for $17M
April 22, 2016

Marc Jacobs President Lists Fashion-Forward Village Townhouse for $17M

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One of several fabulous and fancy Greenwich Village townhouses owned by Marc Jacobs' friend and business partner Robert Duffy is back on the market. Duffy purchased the 3,800-square-foot, four-story 1839 brick home at 62 West 12th Street for $10.25 million in 2013. The brick beauty has been thoroughly modernized with attention paid to the aesthetics and function of every detail, from the massive steel-framed glass wall separating the ground floor from the rear garden to the fact that there’s an elevator to get you there from upstairs. Despite having all the comforts of home, the house has retained much of its architectural integrity and pre-war charm.
Take the tour
Artist Hopes to Raise $25K to Build a Pedestrian Bridge from Red Hook to Governors Island
April 22, 2016

Artist Hopes to Raise $25K to Build a Pedestrian Bridge from Red Hook to Governors Island

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From her back window on Columbia Street in Brooklyn, artist Nancy Nowacek could see Governors Island and Buttermilk Channel (the strait connecting Brooklyn to the island), and it seemed incredibly close. In fact, it's the equivalent of only about four city blocks away. So since 2012, Nowacek has been working on her vision of building Citizen Bridge over New York Harbor, a floating modular pedestrian bridge over the 1,400-foot span from Red Hook to Governor's Island. In what is currently planned as a one-day-only event, she sees Citizen Bridge as a completely new way to experience New York City harbor, rather than seeing it from the shore, from a bridge above, or from a boat. As noted by Mental Floss, Nowacek has turned to Kickstarter to raise money for a pilot phase. The project's goal of $25,000 would fund a proof-of-concept, which is the final phase before launching for real.  So far, they've prototyped seven bridge designs in full-scale sections.
Find out more about this plan to walk on water
$1.4M Co-op in Jackie Onassis’ UES Childhood Building Looks Exactly Like You’d Imagine
April 21, 2016

$1.4M Co-op in Jackie Onassis’ UES Childhood Building Looks Exactly Like You’d Imagine

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It doesn't get much more classic Upper East Side than this two-bedroom, sixth-floor co-op on a quietly elegant street just off Park Avenue. The limestone-anchored 1928 building at 125 East 74th Street, designed by Lafayette A. Goldstone, as the NY Post informs us, was the early childhood home of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Unit 6A in this pretty prewar building is on the market for $1.39 million. Famous associations aside, the gracious layout of the apartment, which started out having eight rooms and was reconfigured to its current five-room state, looks to be a pretty good deal for the price given its size and location.
See more of this elegant aerie
Ansonia Loft With Exposed Wood Beams and Big Brick-Framed Windows Asks $1.9M
April 21, 2016

Ansonia Loft With Exposed Wood Beams and Big Brick-Framed Windows Asks $1.9M

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While keeping its turn-of-the-century industrial charm, this three-bedroom duplex loft was given an architect's renovation, with both details and space arranged to accommodate modern family life. The Ansonia Court Clock Factory at 420 12th Street may be a loft among the brownstones of Park Slope, but the co-op complex is a favorite in the area. A pretty central courtyard, warm-yet-industrial loft apartments and a laid-back, convenient South Slope location make homes here unique and sought-after. Residents generally put their own stamp on their own brick-clad lofts, and this three-bedroom duplex is no exception. The $1.9 million price tag does seem like a lot for the real space, and the co-op lacks the amenities of a full-service building, but people truly love the Ansonia's charm, so we're guessing this duplex will do pretty well.
Explore the lovely loft
$9.5M LES Carriage House With a Waterfall Was Once the Home of a German Sausage Dynasty
April 20, 2016

$9.5M LES Carriage House With a Waterfall Was Once the Home of a German Sausage Dynasty

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If you think the Lower East Side has turned into a big sausage party, check out this listing–you'll see it's nothing new. The unassuming brick building at 170 Eldridge Street has written in peeling paint across the top of one of the loading bays "Office of / S. Oppenheimer" and "S. Oppenheimer." Dating from somewhere between 1875 and 1879, this is considered by some to be the city's oldest painted signage. The sausage casing distributor was started in Chicago by Sigmund Oppenheimer, who emigrated from Mannheim, Germany in 1868 and flourished for nearly a century, with offices worldwide and a New York presence that began in the 1870s at this address and later expanded to 96 Pearl Street and elsewhere in the city. Since 1996, the property has been a rare and fascinating mixed-use townhouse for restaurateur Georges Forgeois, whose enduring establishments (Jules Bistro, Cafe Noir, Bar Tabac) are standout destinations in their respective neighborhoods. Forgeois' brother, Dany, purchased the property in 1996 for $200,000 and later transferred ownership to Georges, according to records, in 2012. The home was listed in November for $12 million and just got a broker change and a price chop to $9.5M.
Find out more and take a look inside
Live the Park Slope Brownstone Life in This Regal Rental for $17.5K/Month, Sauna Included
April 19, 2016

Live the Park Slope Brownstone Life in This Regal Rental for $17.5K/Month, Sauna Included

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In the coveted environs of north Park Slope, steps from Prospect Park on a pretty tree-lined and landmarked block, this Brooklyn townhouse beauty at 594 Second Street has all the historic details homeowners here work so diligently to preserve, yet with every modern comfort in place. Understated luxuries–like tall french doors that open out to a landscaped garden, two decks, three wood-burning fireplaces, a sauna, an upstairs family room and a laundry room make this historic house a home–albeit an expensive one. Starting in July, you can rent this regal residence for an equally regal $17,500 a month (furnished or unfurnished).
Tour the townhouse
Mega-Mansion Watch: National Academy Lists Three UES Properties for $120M
April 18, 2016

Mega-Mansion Watch: National Academy Lists Three UES Properties for $120M

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Three lots in Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side comprising the National Academy Museum & School just hit the market for $120 million. The prize properties, situated directly on Central Park, could be "one of the most remarkable conversion opportunities currently available in all of New York City." The property, listed by Cushman & Wakefield, includes two interconnected townhouses at 1083 Fifth Avenue and 3 East 89th Street, and a 65-foot-wide school building on East 89th Street, adding up to over 42,000 square feet of of above-grade space plus 12,000 square feet below-grade for "a wide variety of potential visions" including an epic single-family home, boutique condominiums, or continued use as an educational/community facility.
Find out more
Live Across the Street From Michelle Williams in Ditmas Park for $679K
April 18, 2016

Live Across the Street From Michelle Williams in Ditmas Park for $679K

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If you think it's pretty cool that Michelle Williams bought an historic townhouse in Prospect Park South and is restoring it to its former glory, here's a chance to live across the street at 1409 Albemarle Road–and maybe pick up a few renovation tips. You won't need them, though, as the two-bedroom co-op has been thoroughly renovated by previous owners, so you can move right in. The picturesque yet convenient neighborhood is no secret, but nearby destinations like The Farm on Adderley, Lark cafe and a host of others continue to draw attention and new neighbors.
Check out this co-op in a landmarked building
Find Your Neighborhood on This Interactive Map Made From Local Brooklyn Litter
April 15, 2016

Find Your Neighborhood on This Interactive Map Made From Local Brooklyn Litter

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There's no shortage of trash in NYC–even better than seeing it picked up is when someone is doing something interesting with it. Atlas Obscura introduces us to artist-cartographer Jennifer Maravillas, who has transformed the litter found in neighborhoods throughout the 71 square miles (the map is called "71 Square Miles") of Brooklyn into a map of the borough. Each neighborhood on the map is made up of paper litter–like flyers, advertisements and notes–found in that same neighborhood. The result is a bright, multicolored collage on which each bit of litter corresponds the place Maravillas found it. You can enter your address and find it on the interactive map, along with the trash you might see every day.
Check out the trash on your block
April 14, 2016

Mayor’s Affordable Housing Push Brings Tough Questions on Racial Integration

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Affordability vs. racial inclusion may sound like an odd battle to be having, yet it's one that often simmers below the surface in discussions of neighborhood change. The words "Nearly 50 years after the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act..." are, of course, no small part of the reason. And in a city known for its diversity–one that often feels more racially integrated than it is–the question of how housing policy might affect racial makeup tends to be carefully sidestepped, but the New York Times opens that worm-can in a subsection called "Race/Related."
Is there a tradeoff between integration and affordability?
There’s Room for the Whole Crew in This Pretty Brooklyn Heights Co-op, Asking $2.7M
April 14, 2016

There’s Room for the Whole Crew in This Pretty Brooklyn Heights Co-op, Asking $2.7M

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The neighborhood's gorgeous, the block is gorgeous, and all the gorgeous things Brooklyn Heights is known for (the Promenade, shops and cafes on Montague Street, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pierrepont Playground) are steps away -- and the inside of this $2.7 million apartment in the historic co-op at 61 Pierrepont Street has no trouble living up to its surroundings. With a gracious and logical layout, the three-plus bedroom apartment is tastefully renovated and custom-configured beyond the standard bedrooms-and-common-space, all kind of squished together. There's a living room and a dining room. Not only are the bedrooms on opposite sides, but one has a cozy den next door. Find an office. Find a guest suite. Got kids? No problem. In-laws? Did we mention the thing about the bedrooms being well separated? And, there's an elevator.
Take a look around
AC/DC Bassist Cliff Williams’ Former West Village Condo Is Back on the Market for $3M
April 13, 2016

AC/DC Bassist Cliff Williams’ Former West Village Condo Is Back on the Market for $3M

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This two-bedroom condominium in a chic and adorably urban corner of the West Village at 63 Downing Street looks a lot like an apartment a model or actress buys after she gets her first big gig (though in that context the ask is pretty steep; what kind of world is it when starter model apartments are selling for $3M?). She'll move in with a boyfriend soon thereafter, and rent the pad out for a few years. Then if she's done well, she'll make celebrity real estate headlines when she sells it and buys a big loft in Williamsburg or Bushwick. There are a lot of models and actresses out there, so this sunny downtown pad with almost as much outdoor space as indoor should be snapped up in no time. Apparently, it's the kind of apartment that elder statesman rockers with plenty of cash buy, too, because AC⚡️DC bassist Cliff Williams owned this unit with his wife Georganne for nine years before selling it in 2013 for $2.3 million—well over the $1.89M ask (the couple have a daughter who's a model and actress, so it all fits somehow). Williams made a killing selling his Fort Myers, Florida mansion for $7 million about a year ago, so there's something to be said for his real estate karma.
Take a look at these summer-ready terraces
Miko Mercer Is Building a 160-Square-Foot Tiny House in Crown Heights
April 12, 2016

Miko Mercer Is Building a 160-Square-Foot Tiny House in Crown Heights

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Brooklyn resident Miko Mercer, 30, joined the Tiny House Movement, and she's done more than just take a passing interest. The New York Times recently visited Ms. Mercer and the 160-square-foot DIY dwelling she's constructing, not on a homesteader's plot, but inside a big Crown Heights warehouse. Mercer, who runs the skin care division at popular beauty subscription service Birchbox and draws a six-figure income, still found that, as a single person, she couldn't afford to buy a home in a city where the average price of an apartment is $1.7 million. She ordered a trailer bed, leased the warehouse space and got to work, designing the house herself using a 3-D modeling application called Sketchup, meticulously managing the budget using a spreadsheet. She puts the estimated cost of her tiny house at about $30,000.
Find out what's in the plans for this tiny home
Vinyl, Kale or Condos: It’s Your Move in the ‘Settlers of Brooklyn’ Board Game
April 12, 2016

Vinyl, Kale or Condos: It’s Your Move in the ‘Settlers of Brooklyn’ Board Game

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In the Settlers of Brooklyn (pronounced inexplicably in the lost tongue of the High Middle Ages), an "award-winning game of entitlement, self-discovery and brunch," there are five resources available: coffee, vinyl, bicycles, skinny jeans, and kale. All of which sound like reasonably life-enhancing additions, but when combined with a tableful of flannel-wearing gits, such as those portrayed in the video below, set on engineering the perfect endless brunch, the whole picture begins to grate like the line outside Egg on a Sunday morning. So the best thing to do may be just to roll with it, which is the idea behind this quick video sendup from snarkmeisters Above Average.
Watch the full video here
Luciano Pavarotti’s $10.5M Pied-à-Terre and Next Door Unit Listed as $20M Combo
April 12, 2016

Luciano Pavarotti’s $10.5M Pied-à-Terre and Next Door Unit Listed as $20M Combo

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The 2,000-square-foot co-op at the Hampshire House at 150 Central Park South that was for three decades the favorite Manhattan pied-à-terre of the late operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti, is for sale for $10.5M–or as part of a two-unit, $20.5 million option to create a 3,300 square-foot three-bedroom dream home with two balconies and iconic Central Park views. The neighboring two-bedroom apartment–listed in February for $10 million–is about half the size of Pavarotti's place, but has a 40-foot terrace with park views from every room. The resulting three-bedroom combo has 72 feet of park frontage and the kind of stunning views Central Park South is known for. The opera star, who passed away in 2007, had several apartments in the city but was particularly fond of this one, in part because of its proximity to the Met. The other two members of the "Three Tenors" opera supergroup, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras have lived at this building as well at various times.
Take in the view, this way
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