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.
Watch the Seasons Change in Three Directions From This Unusual Prospect Heights Co-op
January 22, 2016

Watch the Seasons Change in Three Directions From This Unusual Prospect Heights Co-op

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When we're looking for a new home we're often hoping for something different and, well, special, especially after seeing space after generic space. This Prospect Heights pad at 296 Sterling Place is definitely unique. It's spacious at 1,400 square feet, with 13-foot beamed ceilings and windows everywhere with open views on all three sides–because the building has three sides. You get the elegant original details of a classic pre-war co-op (original parquet wood floors, for example), plus the exposed brick and beams you'd love in a loft. And with two bedrooms plus an office/third bedroom, there's room for everyone. Overall, charming modern updates and the above cool-old-building-of-the-day infrastructure–plus the fact that the perfect Prospect Heights location tops pretty much everyone's list–are the stuff bidding wars are made of. The ask–$1.799 million–could get you an entire townhouse worth of quirky charm a few years back, but not in Brooklyn of 2016.
Take a look around this unique space
SOM Architects Reveal New Renderings of Hudson Yards-Adjacent Manhattan West Towers
January 22, 2016

SOM Architects Reveal New Renderings of Hudson Yards-Adjacent Manhattan West Towers

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Architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has released new drawings of the Brookfield Properties-developed Manhattan West project located between 32nd and 33rd Streets and Ninth and Tenth Avenues, Dezeen reported today. The glass-clad Manhattan West towers–punctuated by green public space–will be rising next to the Hudson Yards development. The five-million-square-foot project will include two office towers, a rental tower with 844 apartments at 435 West 31st Street, retail space and a new landscaped public plaza designed by James Corner Field Operations, the firm responsible for the design of the High Line.
Take a look at the latest images
Colorful, Classic and Costly—This Full-Floor Flatiron Rental Loft Asks $9,800/Month
January 21, 2016

Colorful, Classic and Costly—This Full-Floor Flatiron Rental Loft Asks $9,800/Month

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To be honest, we're finding this 2,500 square-foot full-floor rental loft in a pre-war Flatiron District building at 4 West 22nd Street super exciting... It's got a somehow just-right combination of gorgeous loft bones, creative-cool decor, lots and lots of space, and two actual bedrooms (that are decent-sized) plus possibly room to create a temporary third, actual closets, and a kitchen that looks like it can't wait to cook, party, or both at once; the neighborhood is a fortunate confluence of everything newly-trendy in Manhattan. The rent, it seems, has been assigned accordingly at $9,800—the owners are banking on plenty of people getting just as excited.
Take a look inside
Victoria’s Secret Angel Lais Ribeiro Struts Into $2.5M Chelsea Condo
January 21, 2016

Victoria’s Secret Angel Lais Ribeiro Struts Into $2.5M Chelsea Condo

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Victoria's Secret Angel and top model Lais Ribeiro recently closed on a 1,279-square-foot, two-bedroom unit in the Karl Fischer-designed Slate condo at 165 West 18th Street listed at $2.49M (h/t NYP). The 25-year-old Brazilian model has walked for Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs among others, and has a seven-year-old son, Alexandre. The unit–for which Ribeiro reportedly paid close to the $2.49 million ask–has a private balcony, walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, and Brazilian hardwood floors.
Check out the new model HQ
The Best Address for Less: Live in the Dakota for $1.85M
January 20, 2016

The Best Address for Less: Live in the Dakota for $1.85M

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While it’s not exactly what we’d call affordable housing, you don’t have to be as rich as Yoko Ono or as famous as Lauren Bacall (whose apartment recently sold for $21 million) to live in the iconic Dakota overlooking Central Park. This pint-sized top-floor aerie on the Upper West Side offers a seriously rare chance to rub elbows with venerable co-op’s celebrity residents–and the memories of notable residents past–for a relatively earthbound $1.85 million. Though there’s still the nearly $3,000 monthly co-op fee to contend with, it’s not often that a space here that isn’t a storage unit finds its way to the market for less than four or five million at the very least; there are currently three eight-figure units listed, including Roberta Flack's pad and Judy Garland's former home. And the one-bedroom apartment itself is just the bright and elegant pre-war gem you’d imagine it to be.
Have a look around this rare little gem
Are Shuttle Buses a Viable Alternative to the L Train During a Shutdown?

Image via Allen1628famm/YouTube

January 20, 2016

Are Shuttle Buses a Viable Alternative to the L Train During a Shutdown?

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The MTA’s announcement of possible plans to close the L train for months or even years at a time to repair the Hurricane Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel has businesses scrambling and commuters (the train has 300,000 riders on the average weekday) fearful. Data mapping company CartoDB offers a bit of “location intelligence” to better understand the consequences of a shutdown for people living in Brooklyn and, more importantly, what some realistic alternatives to the L train might be. For example, shuttle buses: "If the shuttle bus takes 20 minutes, we are able to calculate the best choices for riders along the L needing to get to Manhattan. Should they go all the way to Lorimer and take the shuttle bus or should they transfer earlier at Myrtle-Wyckoff to the M train or at Broadway Junction to the A?"
Will shuttle buses save the day?
Confirmed: Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub Will Open First Week of March!

Santiago Calatrava: WTC Transportation Hub , New York (Photo: Mega Projects and Skyscrapers, via YouTube)

January 19, 2016

Confirmed: Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub Will Open First Week of March!

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The Port Authority has announced today in a press release that the World Trade Center Transportation Hub—anchored by architect Santiago Calatrava's Oculus–will open the first week of March. The hub will link the World Trade Center PATH station and "enable travelers to have a seamless connection with 11 New York City subway lines and the East River ferries in addition to access to PATH trains."
What about the mall?
The West Village In Springtime, Yours for $5,995 a Month in This Cozy Sublet
January 19, 2016

The West Village In Springtime, Yours for $5,995 a Month in This Cozy Sublet

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New York City is at its best in springtime, and we can't think of too many places that illustrate this better than the West Village. This furnished two bedroom co-op at 29 Perry Street is available for sublease from March through June, which is just about perfect, season-wise—as the listing gushes, "walking these blocks feels like being on a movie set." It's just a matter of whether the $5,995 monthly rent works, wallet-wise.
See what's here and what's missing
Loophole Allows Developers to Build ‘Skyscrapers on Stilts’ to Give Residents Ocean Views

Image by CityRealty

January 18, 2016

Loophole Allows Developers to Build ‘Skyscrapers on Stilts’ to Give Residents Ocean Views

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There has been plenty of heated discussion over the city’s latest supertall towers such as 432 Park Avenue, 111 West 57th Street, and 225 West 57th Street; they block light, alter the skyline and cast long shadows, for example. To add fuel to the fire, Crain’s reports today on a recent discovery in developers’ attempts to construct the tallest towers possible–with views above 700 feet that not only stretch south over Manhattan, but reach to the open Atlantic Ocean 14 miles in the distance. Currently, regulations govern how many square feet of livable space can be built on a development plot, which limits the height to which residential towers can rise. But rather than squandering those square feet on lower, less-in-demand floors, developers are vertically expanding the mechanical spaces used in their buildings–which don't count toward the square footage allotment. This allows them to start their apartments higher up, essentially "putting a skyscraper on stilts."
Start higher, build taller
Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Find Glaring Disparities

Image via One Riverside Park

January 18, 2016

Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Find Glaring Disparities

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After receiving 88,000 applications for 55 affordable apartments last February, the residents chosen from among them have been moving in to the rental side of the 33-story luxury building at Extell Development's 50 Riverside Boulevard in Lincoln Square. The lower-income/luxury split sparked the heated “poor door” controversy due to the significant amenity differences and efforts to physically separate the two parts of the building (the rental, low-income portion of the building actually has a separate address of 40 Riverside Boulevard). Now, according to the Post, low-income tenants have been discovering that the differences are indeed notable.
A lavish lobby and a forbidden courtyard
This $3M Chelsea Loft Condo Works Two Ways, Depending on Your Lifestyle
January 18, 2016

This $3M Chelsea Loft Condo Works Two Ways, Depending on Your Lifestyle

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This 1,500 square-foot modern loft in the Chelsea Mercantile building at 252 Seventh Avenue, with interiors by popular decorator and current owner Anthony Baratta, has at its center a 600-square-foot living room, making it the perfect home if you entertain regularly; a wall of windows in said living room also makes for an easy upgrade if you'd prefer to add another bedroom instead. That, plus the popular building's impressive landscaped roof deck and celebrity cachet have undoubtedly figured into its $2.995 million ask.
Take a look
With a Cool Renovation and a Sunroom, This Tiny East Village Home Transcends the Ordinary
January 15, 2016

With a Cool Renovation and a Sunroom, This Tiny East Village Home Transcends the Ordinary

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It's probably a good idea to start off by saying that this quirky co-op at 228 East 13th Street is comprised of 300 square feet of interior space. That's about the same as the "large" model in most luggage sets. Ok, it's actually bigger than a suitcase, but not by much; that fact aside, there's a lot you can do with a small space. And if you're going to live in one, it might as well be a good one, in a great location–like a gorgeous brick-and-brownstone block of the East Village a few blocks from Union Square and actually near subways. With something special–like a sunroom.
Definitely worth further investigation
Study Suggests Competition From Uber May Curb Cabbie Rudeness
January 15, 2016

Study Suggests Competition From Uber May Curb Cabbie Rudeness

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Is the rise of car share services like Uber and Lyft making taxi drivers nicer? The Washington Post reports that according to research presented this week by the Technology Policy Institute's Scott Wallsten, complaints are down in New York and Chicago, including those about general rudeness, busted A/C, and that bit about the credit card machine not working. The drop in complaints corresponds with the rise of availability of Uber and Lyft in those cities, they claim.
What are New Yorkers complaining about less
World Reaches 100 Supertall Skyscrapers With Completion of 432 Park Avenue
January 14, 2016

World Reaches 100 Supertall Skyscrapers With Completion of 432 Park Avenue

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As of December 23, when the slender 1,396-foot-tall 432 Park Avenue condominium tower was officially pronounced complete by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) as the building was "partially habitable," it became the world’s 100th supertall skyscraper (h/t TRD), categorized as those at least 984 feet in height. In addition to being the world's tallest all-residential building, 432 Park Avenue is also the world's 14th-tallest building overall and the city’s seventh supertall skyscraper. In fact, New York has the second-highest number of supertalls on the planet.
Find out more about the world's tallest towers
For $450K There’s a Lot to Love About This Sweet Cornelia Street Studio
January 14, 2016

For $450K There’s a Lot to Love About This Sweet Cornelia Street Studio

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It's not Valentine's Day yet, but for anyone who's dreamed of a lovely little garrett in the West Village, with plenty of whitewashed brick and an enchanted garden, we can see this impossibly charming studio co-op at 24 Cornelia Street tucked into a heart-shaped box. And the price, a fairly lovable $450,000, might set hearts aflutter, too; it's hard enough to find any apartment in New York City for under $500,000, let alone in the West Village.
See more of this sweet Village studio
All You Need to Bring to This Curated Noho Loft Is a Toothbrush and $6,500 a Month
January 13, 2016

All You Need to Bring to This Curated Noho Loft Is a Toothbrush and $6,500 a Month

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This classic loft at 49 Bleecker Street comes completely furnished, all set up for a short-term rental at $6,500 a month. It may be suitable for corporate renters as the listing suggests, but the 950-square-foot co-op on a perfect Noho block looks like it would be just as much fun if you’re in town for play rather than work. Funky flea market-chic furniture, colorful wall art and cool design elements–throws, pillows, vintage lighting, culturally relevant non-fiction–have been carefully selected and casually distributed.
Have a look around
WeWork’s Communal Living Concept on Wall Street Gets Its First Residents
January 13, 2016

WeWork’s Communal Living Concept on Wall Street Gets Its First Residents

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Co-working space provider WeWork (which has 40,000 members in 19 US, European and Asian cities that share office space with perks like free coffee, cool furniture and a communal atmosphere) has launched their new "co-living" apartment concept, beginning with 45 units in a Wall Street building. FastCompany reports that last weekend, 80 new residents moved into furnished apartments at 110 Wall Street, where the company already runs a co-working space on the building’s first seven floors. They're part of what the company says is the first stage of beta testing for this community-driven concept, with New York City as the guinea pig. The concept is, according to a company spokesperson, "focused on enabling people to live more fulfilling lives. During this testing phase, we’ll be listening to feedback from our community." Plans are in the works to accommodate 600 people on 20 floors of the building.
Find out more about the latest co-living experiment
New Renderings, Shape Shifts for Bjarke Ingels-Designed High Line Towers
January 12, 2016

New Renderings, Shape Shifts for Bjarke Ingels-Designed High Line Towers

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New renderings have appeared via YIMBY for 76 Eleventh Avenue, the Bjarke Ingels-designed High Line-adjacent towers first revealed this past November. The planned project, developed by HFZ Capital with the goal of creating a "self contained kind of city," was expected to include a hotel, retail space, and around 300 luxury condos with prices to start at just below $4 million. The most noticeable changes from the earlier renderings, which showed the towers fitting together at an angle, show more space between the buildings, which now appear as more of a pair than two complementary parts of a "jigsaw-like" whole.
See what else has changed
Asking $3.75M, Young Designer’s Tribeca Triplex Is a Perfect Girls’ Night In
January 12, 2016

Asking $3.75M, Young Designer’s Tribeca Triplex Is a Perfect Girls’ Night In

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This girly-modern Tribeca triplex belonging to young interior designer Sasha Bikoff was featured–along with its owner–in a buzzed-about 2014 NY Times story about how NYC's young contemporary millionaires live, illustrating a penchant for downtown glamour over uptown gilt. The then-26-year-old–who's designed her share of uptown interiors–is pictured in the stylish pad, which she purchased in 2011 for $2.3 million and bestowed with a total makeover. The article highlights architect Ben Hansen's dazzling glass-fronted boutique condo residence at 471 Washington Street as one of a handful favored by the iconoclastic (and well-heeled) under-40 set. Bikoff listed the apartment a year ago for an ambitious $4.5 million; it has since changed brokers and toned down its earlier ask to $3.75 million. The apartment's decor–and a bedroom-sized dream closet–make it clear that stylish singles' pads aren't just for the boys.
See more of the glamorous pad
This $1.95M Mediterranean Revival Home in Historic Fieldston Holds Some Modern Surprises
January 11, 2016

This $1.95M Mediterranean Revival Home in Historic Fieldston Holds Some Modern Surprises

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The leafy, well-tended Fieldston Historic District–one of New York City's only privately owned neighborhoods–lies within the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale. Here inside this 4,200-square-foot whitewashed stucco Mediterranean Revival home you'll find original 1901 details, modern, energy-efficient updates and at least five bedrooms–just twenty minutes from Lincoln Center. Altogether it's a mix of suburban quietude, townhouse grandeur and a New York City address, for $1.95 million. in addition to plenty of room on two stories for living and entertaining–plus outdoor space for gardening–there are a few 21st century surprises.
Take the tour
Visualizing All the Money in the World in One Infographic
January 11, 2016

Visualizing All the Money in the World in One Infographic

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From the value of all the Bitcoins in the world ($5 billion) to the amount of total global debt ($199 trillion) to the barely-fathomable amount of the derivatives market (as much as $1.2 quadrillion. Yup. Quadrillion), a chart created by The Money Project, produced by Visual Capitalist, attempts to put all the world’s currency in one place in the form of tiny, little squares (h/t Fast Co. Exist). Starting with the question, "How much money exists in the world?" this data visualization starts with the world’s total money supply.
More really big numbers, this way
Scofflaw Taxi Baron’s Big, Bold Tribeca Penthouse Back on the Market for $25M
January 8, 2016

Scofflaw Taxi Baron’s Big, Bold Tribeca Penthouse Back on the Market for $25M

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The meter’s running again on the Tribeca penthouse belonging to Simon Garber, the yellow cab king (his company, SLS Jet Management, is one of the city's largest taxi medallion owners) who made news a few years ago for squeezing drivers with fake fees. In 2014 reports had the 6,300-square-foot duplex–plus 2,450 square feet of outdoor space–in the lavish 101 Warren Street condo ready to hit the market for $27 million. After only a few days the listing mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear as a rental, asking a traffic-stopping $100,000 a month. Last June, Compass re-introduced the listing for sale at $30 million, which soon slunk to $25 million, then disappeared again. Now it’s back on the market, this time at the slightly-trimmed but still hirsute $25 million.
Get a shiny eyeful, this way
Supermodel Gigi Hadid Checks Out $6.5M Selldorf-Designed Noho Pad
January 7, 2016

Supermodel Gigi Hadid Checks Out $6.5M Selldorf-Designed Noho Pad

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Supermodel du jour Gigi Hadid was spotted having a look at one of the last remaining units in the Annabelle Selldorf-designed Noho condop at 10 Bond Street. The Post reports that the Palestinian/Dutch beauty viewed the 2,775 square-foot, three-bedroom unit #3B with new flame, former One Direction-er Zayn Malik, in tow. Hadid–whose mom is "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Yolanda Foster–put her smaller Noho pad on the market last summer for $2.45 million after being harassed by a stalker who broke into the apartment and stalked her online. Her latest interest (the apartment, not the boy, who appears to have replaced ex-boo Joe Jonas) looks to be a step up, and not only in price, at $6.49 million. Selldorf designed the interiors as well as the building itself, which boasts 98 feet of continuous glazing in living areas and weathered steel and cast terra cotta panels inspired by the neighborhood's historic cast iron construction.
Find out more
$1.4M for a DIY Duplex on a Heavenly Hell’s Kitchen Block
January 6, 2016

$1.4M for a DIY Duplex on a Heavenly Hell’s Kitchen Block

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Tucked into the top two floors of 521 West 47th Street, a 1910 co-op loft building that was once a commercial bakery, "Penthouse C" is a package deal priced at $1.4 million consisting of units #3C and #4C and the roof space above them. The listing calls it an "Extremely rare and exciting 'once in a lifetime' chance to combine two authentic lofts plus the corresponding roof space to create your own 3-4 bedroom 3 bath penthouse," though that may take some doing; in their current form, the two spaces offer two different flavors of loft-y bohemian charm.
Check out this unique space
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