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.
New rides and a boutique hotel to help reawaken Coney Island

Image: Luca Vanzella via Flickr

August 23, 2018

New rides and a boutique hotel to help reawaken Coney Island

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On the heels of news that Coney Island will be getting its first new hotel in 50 years, plans have surfaced for a 150,000-square-foot expansion of Luna Park that will bring new rides, food and arcade games. The faded but beloved seaside icon has been in the news recently for a renewed pace of development that many see as new promise for the area. A log flume ride, zip lines and a ropes course are coming to the block between Surf Avenue and the boardwalk and between West 15th and West 16th streets, with food, arcade games and seating planned for two more streets nearby. And according to NY1, developer PYE Properties has proposed a boutique hotel in the historic Shore Theater, a 1920s landmark that has fallen into disrepair and has been vacant since 1978, attracting the homeless and graffiti but little attention.
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New city-sponsored ‘freelancers hub’ will open in Dumbo

Image via Pexels

August 22, 2018

New city-sponsored ‘freelancers hub’ will open in Dumbo

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In a city where two out of five workers is a freelancer, a significant workforce doesn't always have ready access to health care or even a tranquil space to work. The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment hopes to address those needs, among others, with a new freelancer's hub, the first government-backed initiative to help media freelancers across NYC with networking, legal and business assistance and advice on projects. Plans for the new hub, which will be located at the Made in NY Media Center in Dumbo, Brooklyn, were announced this morning by Made in NY Commissioner Julie Menin. The mayor's office is partnering with The Freelancers Union and Independent Filmmaker Project to create and operate the space, which will open in October.
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Massive $39M Trump World Tower ‘sky mansion’ has 16 rooms, 24 hidden TVs, and 20+ closets
August 22, 2018

Massive $39M Trump World Tower ‘sky mansion’ has 16 rooms, 24 hidden TVs, and 20+ closets

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The listing for this 7,500-square-foot, 16 room, six-bedroom property in the Trump World Tower at 845 United Nations Plaza calls the massive home a "mansion in the sky," and that gives you an idea of just what to expect, though you might already guess what to expect from the (almost) entire 82nd floor of the modern-luxe-encrusted tower. There are, of course, the 360-degree views, which reach to the moon. And a peek at the floor plan affirms a dizzying magnitude of square footage in one single Turtle Bay condominium.
Take the sky mansion tour
Organization honors 9/11 victims by giving away 500,000 daffodil bulbs

Image: Eden, Janine and Jim via Flickr.

August 21, 2018

Organization honors 9/11 victims by giving away 500,000 daffodil bulbs

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New York City non-profit New Yorkers for Parks is getting ready for its annual daffodil bulb giveaway project in tribute to the memories of those who died in the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The annual Daffodil Project distributes 500,000 daffodil bulbs to residents and groups, to be planted in public places throughout the city (h/t AM New York).
Find out where to get yours
Music fan behind ‘Aretha’ signs at Franklin Ave subway aims for permanent tribute mural

Images: Aretha Franklin, Franklin Avenue subway station via Wikimedia.

August 21, 2018

Music fan behind ‘Aretha’ signs at Franklin Ave subway aims for permanent tribute mural

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Upon hearing of the death of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin last week, music enthusiast and location manager LeRoy McCarthy corralled a street artist friend and got to work on a fitting sendoff–"Aretha," stenciled in magenta sprayable chalk lettering above each sign that identified the Franklin Avenue subway station in Brooklyn. Curbed reports that McCarthy, who was responsible for efforts to name streets for Notorious B.I.G. in Clinton Hill, Phife Dawg in Queens and the Beastie Boys in the Lower East Side, among others, hopes to create a more permanent tribute. The plan is to create the word R-E-S-P-E-C-T in large black letters on a blank wall just south of Fulton Street on the west side of Franklin Avenue.
more than a little respect, hopefully
A new deal and more construction at Waldorf Astoria, though opening date is delayed

Photo via Wikimedia

August 21, 2018

A new deal and more construction at Waldorf Astoria, though opening date is delayed

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When the iconic Waldorf Astoria closed in 2017 for the massive renovation promised when Chinese company Anbang Insurance Group acquired it in 2014, the hotel's future held jumbo condos and massive guest rooms. The fate of the Park Avenue landmark has been a topic of drama and discussion ever since, especially given the takeover of Anbang by the Chinese government after the incarceration of the company's chairman, Wu Xiaohui, last year during a fraud investigation. The New York Post now reports that although contractor AECOM Tishman has signed a deal with Anbang and construction is underway for the promised 350 condos and 350 hotel rooms, the project's completion date has been moved from 2020 to 2021.
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New plans unveiled for creative and industrial office space in Greenpoint

Image: FXCollaborative/Bezier

August 20, 2018

New plans unveiled for creative and industrial office space in Greenpoint

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Simon Baron Development has announced plans for a seven-story office building at 12 Franklin Street on the Greenpoint/North Williamsburg border. The project, designed by FXCollaborative, will rise in an area bristling with residential development, dining and entertainment choices but with a shortage, according to the developer, of Class A office space geared toward small businesses. The building's 134,000 square feet of office, retail and rooftop amenity space will include 23,000 square feet of manufacturing space–the building's design was intended to reinforce the industrial character of the neighborhood. The project is scheduled for public review today.
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NYC pet laws and the legal loophole that may let your furry friend stay despite a ‘no pets’ rule

Image: Wikimedia Commons

August 20, 2018

NYC pet laws and the legal loophole that may let your furry friend stay despite a ‘no pets’ rule

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As long as Fido’s not a ferret, of course. You may not know this, but you could be able to keep a pet in a “no pets” apartment–legally. New York City's Pet Law, established in 1983, may actually override your landlord’s kibosh on your kitty or pup, as long as certain criteria are met. Your pet can't be one of the many, many critters on the city's "banned" list, which includes the aforementioned ferrets, pot-bellied pigs, most snakes, hedgehogs, and squirrels.
So how can I keep Fluffy in my no-pets condo?
TBD Design Studio gave this West Village penthouse a complete overhaul–and a private rooftop pool

Image courtesy of TBD Architecture + Design Studio; photo by Christopher Olstein.

August 17, 2018

TBD Design Studio gave this West Village penthouse a complete overhaul–and a private rooftop pool

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It's hard to find a penthouse in downtown Manhattan that isn't impressive in one way or another, but this 1,600-square-foot space high above Christopher Street in the West Village has bragging rights to that rare and elusive refuge that few can claim: There's a private pool on its rooftop terrace. TBD Architecture + Design Studio was responsible for a total renovation of the stunning duplex (h/t Dezeen), resulting in a new multi-level rooftop deck with a hot tub, outdoor shower, bar area, and the aforementioned pool.
Check it out
For just $128K, a Bronx co-op with Deco details and more space than you’d expect
August 17, 2018

For just $128K, a Bronx co-op with Deco details and more space than you’d expect

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In a Bronx neighborhood known for comfortable living at reasonable prices and for its six-story pre-war elevator co-ops, this large alcove studio at 601 Pelham Parkway North is a fine example of both. The unit's $128,000 ask alone is worth noting; a glance at the floor plan shows that while the space isn't palatial, it goes beyond the usual one-room studio, and its kitchen and bath have more going for them than many we've seen in more expensive properties. The Art Deco building is, according to the listing, the neighborhood's "most sought after."
Have a look
Developer’s pitch would turn Liberty State Park into a Formula One racetrack

Image courtesy of Shinya Suzuki via Flickr.

August 16, 2018

Developer’s pitch would turn Liberty State Park into a Formula One racetrack

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Five million people a year visit New Jersey's 1,212 acre Liberty State Park on the west shore of New York Harbor for views of Lady Liberty and the the New York City skyline and a visit to its historic rail terminal. But even as the public land is enjoyed by the public for which it is set aside, private interests see the taxpayer-owned waterfront parkland as a jackpot waiting to happen in the form of luxury resort concepts like a golf course and, the most recent pitch, a Formula One racetrack with a 100,000-seat grandstand and fields for international cricket matches, Bloomberg reports. Though they would be on mostly private land, the developer wants 20 acres of the park in order to offer rich revelers its breathtaking views in return for cleaning up 200 contaminated, fenced-off park acres.
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Get free tickets to 1,300 museums and more on Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day

Image courtesy of Cooper Hewitt

August 16, 2018

Get free tickets to 1,300 museums and more on Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day

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Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day–formerly Museum Day Live–is happening this year on September 22; it's a chance to get free admission to museums across the country, including many great NYC options. Tickets became available on August 15 on the Smithsonian site, where you can download two free tickets to museums, galleries and cultural institutions like the Cooper Hewitt design museum, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and many, many more.
Choose from over 1,300 museums
This $1.6M ‘European country house’ in the Bronx is stone cold foxy
August 16, 2018

This $1.6M ‘European country house’ in the Bronx is stone cold foxy

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With a beautifully-designed, renovated boho-chic interiors and a stone exterior that seems to grow right from the verdant landscape, this "European country" Tudor-style house at 2741 Edgehill Avenue in the northwest Bronx neighborhood of Spuyten Duyvil looks pretty good at $1.6 million even without three patios and parking for five cars. It's also minutes from Metro North and not far from the 1 subway line.
Take the tour
Manhattan’s public squares may not actually be square, but they matter

“Public squares, parks, and places in the City of New York.” Via NYPL Digital Collections.

August 15, 2018

Manhattan’s public squares may not actually be square, but they matter

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Built to emulate Great Britain's enviable squares, which were actually square, Manhattan's public squares were created in the celebrated New York City tradition of being whatever they pleased–and definitely not square. According to the New York Daily News, Manhattan doesn't have any actual squares at all: Lisa Keller, executive editor of the Encyclopedia of New York City, said "Americans just call it a square if it's bigger than a breadbox." But those 40 squares from Madison to Foley, Herald and Greeley have been vital in defining the city's public spaces; they were its first parks, and a predecessor to the granddaddy of all squares, Central Park.
Squares that shaped the city
Private seven-acre Connecticut island with a garden wonderland sells for $21.5M
August 14, 2018

Private seven-acre Connecticut island with a garden wonderland sells for $21.5M

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A private island in Long Island Sound known as Rogers Island just got a new owner, who paid $21.5 million for the seven-acre property off the Connecticut coast. The sellers, a couple of "island collectors" by the name of Christine and Edmund Stoecklein, are bound for the West Coast, according to Mansion Global, unloading their gorgeously landscaped land mass and even lovelier Tudor mansion for less than the $22.3 million they paid for it in 2003, to an anonymous buyer.
Take the cross-island tour
New Yorkers are bypassing food trucks for McDonalds as fast food finds new footing

Image: Wikimedia commons

August 14, 2018

New Yorkers are bypassing food trucks for McDonalds as fast food finds new footing

By
Even as New York City continues to experience record financial growth, a small explosion of fast food chains within city limits still comes as somewhat of a surprise. A recent Crain's article confirms that, even more surprisingly, McDonalds, perhaps the fast-foodiest of all, is not only expanding but polishing up its image to appeal to a more upscale market–and it's working. You might just chalk it up to a sweeping takeover by big chain stores, but isn't that about gentrification? Fast food has traditionally had a big presence in the city's lower-income neighborhoods–known as "food swamps"–and in tourist areas. But the nation's largest Chick-fil-A just opened in...the Financial District. Reasons for the latest fast food boom are many, it turns out, and extend beyond mere mallification.
Would you like fries with that?
New SHoP Architects-designed Pier 17 is making progress, looking sharp
August 13, 2018

New SHoP Architects-designed Pier 17 is making progress, looking sharp

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Howard Hughes Corporation's re-launch of the SHoP Architects-designed Pier 17 in Lower Manhattan's Seaport District kicked off this summer, with exciting plans for food, drink, art, architecture, retail, and entertainment concepts finally being realized. The first two venues in the new complex–the Heineken Riverdeck waterfront bar, designed by Woods Bagot, and the Fresh Market Hall restaurant–are open for business and the district's 2018 rooftop concert series officially began on July 28 with a free opening-day performance by Jon Batiste and the Dap-Kings. The rest of the new complex in what historically was the city's first 24-hour district is still under construction, but designs are taking shape on the way to transforming the existing building into a vibrant destination and a 21st century 24/7 live/work/play community.
Take a look
Cuomo announces deal to keep 360 Roosevelt Island apartments affordable for 30 more years

Aerial view of Roosevelt Island. Image: Schizoform via Flickr.

August 13, 2018

Cuomo announces deal to keep 360 Roosevelt Island apartments affordable for 30 more years

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that an agreement had been reached to keep over 360 Roosevelt Island apartments in the Westview housing development, currently in the Mitchell-Lama rental program, affordable for 30 more years. Without the agreement, the Westview's owner could have removed the building from the middle-class housing program and converted all of the apartments to market rate immediately. Instead, Westview will be able to exit from the Mitchell-Lama program but tenants will be offered first-time ownership opportunities at deeply affordable and below-market prices. Simultaneously, long-term affordability protections will be provided for tenants who continue to rent.
Find out more
This $3.5M Crown Heights mansion gives you plenty of room to imagine its grand historic past
August 13, 2018

This $3.5M Crown Heights mansion gives you plenty of room to imagine its grand historic past

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For the many house-hunters seeking a townhouse in Crown Heights, this $3.5 million Colonial Revival mansion at 190 New York Avenue is a fine example of the neighborhood's grand history. The area known as the St. Marks District was, at the turn of the 19th century, home to many of the borough's wealthiest residents, with streets lined with large free-standing or semi-detached homes like this one. This four-story townhouse measures an unusually large 30 feet by 59 feet on a 109-foot lot. Inside are 14 rooms including seven bedrooms, seven fireplaces and a master bedroom that's blessed with a terrace. And here's a fun fact--according to the listing, a one-time tenant was the prolific singer and actress Ethel Waters
Take the tour
RPA report shows subway platform temperatures of 104 degrees
August 10, 2018

RPA report shows subway platform temperatures of 104 degrees

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Are subway platforms really as hot as the inside of a rotisserie, or does it just seem that way? On Thursday, August 9, 2018, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) sent out an intrepid task force of staff and interns to measure the temperature in the city's ten busiest subway stations. The temperature outside was 86 degrees. The data they collected helped to inform a report titled, "Save Our Subways: A Plan To Transform New York City’s Rapid Transit System."
Roasted alive?
In 1981 the MTA rolled out 7,000 pure white subway cars to curb graffiti and guess what happened next

Image courtesy of the NY Transit Museum Collections.

August 10, 2018

In 1981 the MTA rolled out 7,000 pure white subway cars to curb graffiti and guess what happened next

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Throughout the 1970s and '80s, New York City struggled with infrastructure failure, poverty, crime and garbage. One front in what seemed like a constant battle against total chaos was the attempt to keep subway cars graffiti-free. Inspired by a single white car sitting in a train yard in Corona, Queens that somehow managed to remain tag-free for two months (behind a security system that included a chain-link fence, barbed wire and guard dogs, but never mind that) in September 1981, the MTA rolled out one dozen all-white 7 trains–7,000 cars in all. The new program was dubbed “The Great White Fleet,” and officials hoped the bright white cars would do their part to keep graffiti at bay.
A rolling canvas
Sepia tones create a cavernous living space in this $3.75M Village duplex with a rooftop haven
August 10, 2018

Sepia tones create a cavernous living space in this $3.75M Village duplex with a rooftop haven

By
This decidedly non-cookie-cutter co-op at 200 Mercer Street where Noho and the Village meet is a fine example of the surprises that await behind the doors of New York City's apartments. The two-bedroom duplex, currently on the market for $3.75 million has had a complete modern renovation with a studied eye for design detail that transcends the merely trendy. Every comfort and convenience has been considered, from the wood-burning fireplace, central air-conditioning and laundry to integrated speakers and home automation, and a private roof deck is covetable in any home.
Get a closer look
Bought for $156K in ’79, soccer legend Pelé’s East Hampton beach house sells for $2.85M

Pelé image via Flickr.

August 9, 2018

Bought for $156K in ’79, soccer legend Pelé’s East Hampton beach house sells for $2.85M

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Brazilian soccer legend Pelé's former Hamptons beach house recently sold, the New York Post reports. The seven-bedroom home at 156 Waterhole Road in Springs changed hands for $2.85 million, below its most recent ask of $3.25 million. The famous footballer won three World Cups during his career, which ran from the 1950s to the 1970s when he played for the New York Cosmos. Pelé–born Edson Arantes do Nascimento–bought the waterfront ranch house for $156,000 in 1979 and expanded it into its two-story, 3,400-square-foot form. Located on a landscaped acre next to Clearwater Beach and marina, the unassuming-on-the-outside house with sleek, recently renovated interiors also includes a pool, an outdoor shower and deeded access to the beach. Pelé, who is 77, lives in Brazil.
Take the tour
Newark woos Amazon by adding $1B in tax breaks to HQ2 pitch

Image: Axel Drainville via Flickr.

August 9, 2018

Newark woos Amazon by adding $1B in tax breaks to HQ2 pitch

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Since Amazon announced they'd be deciding which city would become the location of the mega corporation's second headquarters by the end of the year, competition between contenders has heated up. Along with 20 cities that include Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, New York, Boston, three sections of the Washington, D.C., region and, in Canada, Toronto, Newark is still in the ring from an initial field of 238 possible locations. On Wednesday the city approved a new addition to the $7 billion package the state is offering to sweeten the pot in hopes of scoring HQ2, as it's being called. The added incentive comes in the form of a trio of ordinances offering nearly $1 billion in payroll tax exemptions to companies that create at least 30,000 jobs and invest $3 billion in the city in the coming 20 years, Bloomberg reports.
That's quite a package
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