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.
Dreamy Scandi-chic Soho studio renting for $5K deserves a big <i>hygge</i>
February 14, 2017

Dreamy Scandi-chic Soho studio renting for $5K deserves a big hygge

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Other than "expensive," (at $5,000 for a diminutive studio), we really can't think of a better description for this clean and cozy pad than hygge, the Scandinavian super-meme that has recently been sweeping the lifestyle and interiors world. Pronounced “hoo-guh,” and defined as "a concept, originating in Denmark, of creating cosy and convivial atmospheres that promote wellbeing," it pretty much sums up this sweet studio at 110 Thompson Street.
Come in and relax
VIDEO: Watch the NYC subway move 7 million people in 1949
February 13, 2017

VIDEO: Watch the NYC subway move 7 million people in 1949

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Despite the fact that NYC today has more than 8.5 million residents, the subway system had some of the highest ridership numbers back in the 1940s. In fact, a 1948 record was only recently beat in 2015 when 5.7 million rode the train daily, with annual ridership hitting 1.7 billion–another high not reached since the 1940s. To show just how packed the subway was 60 years ago, 6sqft has uncovered this 1949 film footage of daily subway operations from the New York Transit Museum Archives, which shows the crew working all the angles to keep trains running on time, while crowds jostle and shove to get to where they’re going.
Watch the video
February 13, 2017

As subway delays double, Cuomo may cut MTA funding by $65 million

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget includes a "hidden" $65 million cut to state funding headed for the MTA, the Daily News reports. The $244 million in funding–compared to $309 million in 2016–represents a 21 percent drop in money from the state’s general fund intended to shore up the MTA after a drastic 2011 payroll tax cut on regional businesses the transit agency serves. The funding cut comes on the heels of data that show subway delays have more than doubled during that same time period according to the New York Times.
So much to look forward to on the morning commute
Thrillist co-founder Ben Lerer lists colorful, pop art-filled Soho loft for $7.4M
February 13, 2017

Thrillist co-founder Ben Lerer lists colorful, pop art-filled Soho loft for $7.4M

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This 3,800-square-foot townhouse-sized spread at 101 Wooster Street right in the middle of Soho's Cast Iron Historic District combines the industrial cool factor of a loft with the space and storage of a house, throwing in a generous helping of color, texture and modern luxury. With so much going for it, we can see this impressive co-op's appeal to its previous owner, comedienne Whoopi Goldberg, who sold it for just over $3 million in 2010. The current owners, tech and VC heavyweight Ben Lerer (he's a founder of Thrillist and investor in scores of others; father Ken was a HuffPo founding partner) and his wife, Emily, were the parties responsible for the current riot of art, color and general eye candy–and the current $7.395 million price tag.
Prepare to be amazed
Upcoming photo auction will include iconic images of NYC through the ages

Ormond Gigli (1925- ) Girls in the Windows, New York City. Image courtesy of Swann Galleries

February 9, 2017

Upcoming photo auction will include iconic images of NYC through the ages

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An auction to be held at Swann Auction Galleries in Manhattan on February 14th will feature historic photos that capture the essence of New York City through the ages. The event, titled "Icons & Images: Photographs & Photobooks," will put up for bid everything from classics from 19th century portraiture to Edgar Allan Poe tintypes to Nan Goldin's evocative images of 1990s NYC. This will also be a rare opportunity to own a contemporaneous print of Lewis W. Hine's dramatic "Empire State Building," (c. 1930).
Preview the prints up for auction
$399K for an adorable Bay Ridge co-op with plenty of potential and space to spare
February 9, 2017

$399K for an adorable Bay Ridge co-op with plenty of potential and space to spare

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We sometimes see a floor plan that makes this much sense, but not often. This window-wrapped Bay Ridge apartment at 6665 Colonial Road currently has one bedroom, but the potential for another–or even two more–is immediately evident. The flow of space through the home makes important spaces like the kitchen and bath easy to get to from everywhere, while keeping private space private. The home's interiors are sunny and cozy without being cramped. And $399,000 isn't a number you see too often in New York City, even in well-kept secret Bay Ridge.
Have a look around
Half of Tribeca dream penthouse pair, whitewashed but still dreamy, hits the market for $4.9M
February 8, 2017

Half of Tribeca dream penthouse pair, whitewashed but still dreamy, hits the market for $4.9M

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Sometimes one penthouse is enough. That's what the owner of a pair of sleek, terrace wrapped trophy penthouses at 110 Duane Street on the West Broadway side of Tribeca found out after the two units were on the market together for about a year starting in 2014 at $9.95 million for the pair. After a $1 million price chop, there was an attempt to further sweeten the 4,550-square-foot dream home concept with plans drawn up for a massive melding of the two. The two pricey pads parted ways in 2015, going to separate buyers, 3N for $4.25 million and 3S for $4 million. Now the latter half of the star-crossed dream home has had a trendy, Euro-pale design makeover and is back on the market for $4.9M.
At 2,200 square feet, who needs two?
$2.88M Tribeca loft has glass and steel doors from City Hall and closets from heaven
February 7, 2017

$2.88M Tribeca loft has glass and steel doors from City Hall and closets from heaven

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If your closets are no match for your shopping addiction, let this historic Tribeca loft in (appropriately) a 1910 mercantile warehouse at 77 Hudson Street inspire you. While original and reclaimed materials like wide timber beams, cast iron posts, original pine flooring, a claw foot tub and those floor-to-ceiling sliding doors of steel and glass sourced from the historic City Hall set the stage, the current setup of this 2,000 square-foot loft, on the market for $2.88 million, makes fashion a priority.
But how many pairs of heels can it hold?
As New York City grows, so does its garbage
February 6, 2017

As New York City grows, so does its garbage

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As a city of 8 million people became a city of 8.5 million, it only took a glance skyward at any given time to note the booming population in every borough, with tall towers and boutique buildings springing up like weeds in formerly less-bustling neighborhoods. It's just as noticeable closer to the ground as an exploding population's trash threatens to reach skyscraper proportions, too, taxing the city's sanitation infrastructure. From street cleaning to curbside sanitation pickup to volunteer "adopt-a-basket" efforts in tourist zones and parks, the job of keeping the city clean is getting out of hand, the New York Times reports. Yet the garbage keeps growing. The city's sanitation department spent $58.2 million last year to keep the streets clean, up from $49.5 million the previous year, as well as expanding and adding routes, putting more people on duty to empty sidewalk baskets and adding Sunday service; Staten Island got its first street sweeper last year.
More people means more trash
Vince Clarke’s gorgeous Park Slope townhouse asks $6M after Roman and Williams haute-goth makeover
February 6, 2017

Vince Clarke’s gorgeous Park Slope townhouse asks $6M after Roman and Williams haute-goth makeover

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Back in 2008, the stunning 19th century Park Slope townhouse at 178 Garfield Place belonging to J. Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons wowed design and brownstone junkies when it made the cover of Domino magazine and the pages of countless others. In 2012, the stylishly- and painstakingly-renovated home was sold for an impressive $4 million to Depeche Mode founder Vince Clarke and his wife, Tracy Hurley Martin. As 6sqft previously reported, the pair–she helmed Brooklyn's fabulously peculiar (and recently-shuttered) Morbid Anatomy Museum and adores curiosities and the darker side of collecting–hired designers-to-the-stars Roman and Williams to give the four-story home yet another design makeover. Though a New York Times home design feature quotes Mrs. Martin as saying, "This is it. This is where I’m going to die. Hopefully not anytime soon,” upon first touring the 3,600 square-foot townhouse, a very much alive Martin and Mr. Clarke have put the home on the market for $5.995 million.
Tour the iconic and beautiful townhouse
Win this Catskills cabin with a 200-word essay
February 3, 2017

Win this Catskills cabin with a 200-word essay

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In a non-traditional run around the local real estate market, one enterprising couple is attempting to sell their Bethel, N.Y. vacation house by inviting buyers to submit a 200-word essay on, ““How would owning the lakefront dream home change your life?” along with $149. Andrew Bares and Kelly Lavorgna had attempted to sell the two-bedroom cabin on five-and-a-half acres at 391 Woodstone Trail twice in the last four years without success, which prompted them to undertake this slightly different angle on the prospective buyer's "sweetheart letter." If the contest attracts 5,500 applicants, it will bring the sellers $819,500 for the house (h/t New York Times).
So what's the catch?
NYC launches citywide book club, One Book, One New York
February 3, 2017

NYC launches citywide book club, One Book, One New York

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On Wednesday the city announced that it's bringing back the One Book, One New York program to get New Yorkers reading and support independent bookstores in the five boroughs, the New York Times reports. Starting in early March, residents from all corners of the city will be encouraged to read the same book, which will be chosen in an online vote from a small group of finalists. The five choices are: Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me,” Paul Beatty’s “The Sellout,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah,” Betty Smith’s “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” and Junot Díaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” But the first challenge the program faces is to get New Yorkers to agree on a book.
Read on, New York
$1.75M Flatiron loft is an art studio, office, library and cool bedroom retreat under one roof
February 3, 2017

$1.75M Flatiron loft is an art studio, office, library and cool bedroom retreat under one roof

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The Flatiron District is known for its big, basic loft apartments, often creatively customized by residents, and this duplex co-op at 131 Fifth Avenue is no exception. Currently on the market for $1.75 million, the art-friendly home has understated bragging points like 15-foot ceilings and 10-foot windows overlooking 5th Avenue, as well as a full suite of interior design tools for creative living.
Get a closer look
Historic Calvert Vaux-designed co-op that was once a refuge for girls, now asks $1.35M as a cozy duplex
February 2, 2017

Historic Calvert Vaux-designed co-op that was once a refuge for girls, now asks $1.35M as a cozy duplex

By
Time hasn’t erased the historic feel of this unusual one-bedroom-plus-sleeping loft co-op, diminutive as it is elegant. It has the look of a renovated townhouse in one of the city’s most creative neighborhoods. At $1.35 million this petite pad may be an expensive refuge, but in its earliest days it was a refuge of a different sort with a history as interesting as its architecture–especially at a time when the ability to offer shelter to those in need is firmly in the spotlight. Landmarked in 2008, the subtly ornate red-brick facade of 307 East 12th Street was designed in 1892 by the firm of Calvert Vaux, who co-designed Central and Prospect Park among other enduring landmarks. Built for the Children’s Aid Society, the building was known as the Elizabeth Home for Girls; the New York Times tells us that it housed "several dozen young women rescued from abusive homes, offering them safe lodging, job training and healthy communal activities.”
Find out more about the building's early residents
Map shows where New York City’s refugees have come from since 2002

Countries of origin for NYC’s refugees in 2002; map: DNAinfo

February 1, 2017

Map shows where New York City’s refugees have come from since 2002

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In the years since the 9/11 terror attacks, somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 people have sought refuge in New York City. Around 8,066 refugees have entered the United States through the city according to U.S. State Department Refugee Processing Center data. This week, President Donald Trump called for restrictions on entry to the U.S. for refugees and immigrants from the predominantly Muslim nations of Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Syria. A map of the world's nations, courtesy of DNAinfo, shows the 59 countries from which New York City's refugees have come each year since 2002.
Find out how many refugees have actually come to NYC from those countries
Industrial-chic Williamsburg loft in a 1914 shoe polish factory asks $3.2M
February 1, 2017

Industrial-chic Williamsburg loft in a 1914 shoe polish factory asks $3.2M

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Another big bi-level loft is for sale in the Esquire Lofts, one of Williamsburg's more iconic factory condo conversion buildings. Built in 1914, the former shoe polish factory at 330 Wythe Avenue offers the essence of loft living with 2,146 square feet of open space with the added bonus of the waterfront neighborhood's direct views of the East River and the Manhattan skyline. Currently configured with two bedrooms, the space could sleep three or four. It's currently on the market (for the first time as a resale) for $3.195 million.
Have a look
Lendlease-Turner selected as design-build team for $1.5B Javits Center expansion
February 1, 2017

Lendlease-Turner selected as design-build team for $1.5B Javits Center expansion

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A Lendlease-Turner Construction partnership has been chosen to coordinate and build the planned 1.2 million-square-foot expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Manhattan's far west side. Commercial Observer reports that the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, the entity that controls the state-owned venue, announced Tuesday that they had approved the team for the project, which is expected to cost $1.55 billion. Atlanta-based architecture firm tvsdesign is also part of the Lendlease-Turner consortium. According to the announcement, the winning proposal offered, "significant design, logistical and operational benefits, including increased atrium space, integrated public and support spaces and a commitment to maintaining current operations during all phases of construction."
Find out more and see new renderings
De Blasio defends sanctuary city status, saying withheld funds would be millions, not billions
January 31, 2017

De Blasio defends sanctuary city status, saying withheld funds would be millions, not billions

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In the state's capital on Monday, Mayor de Blasio spoke in defense of various policies including NYC's "sanctuary city" designation, WNYC reports. The mayor was in Albany to ask state legislators for funding for items like education, public health and affordable housing. In the face of criticism from Staten Island assembly members Nicole Malliotakis and Ron Castorina (both Republicans), who questioned the mayor's pledge not to aid in the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants by the new administration, de Blasio said he had discussed the issue with then-President-elect Trump, and would continue to resist mass deportation for "moral, economic and security reasons." Though Castorina said de Blasio would be risking the loss of billions of dollars in federal aid, the mayor said the money withheld by the federal government would only be $100-150 million and that his legal advisers say the city could fight back in court.
Sanctuary cities are safer
$4.75M Park Slope townhouse offers original 1910 details with 21st century improvements
January 31, 2017

$4.75M Park Slope townhouse offers original 1910 details with 21st century improvements

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Even before you open the front door, this limestone townhouse on one of the prettiest blocks in the heart of Park Slope has more going for it than location. Built in 1910, the three-story home at 542 Third Street was designed by notable and prolific Swedish-American architect Axel Hedman. Along with partner Magnus Dahlander, Hedman is thought to have built more elegant rowhouses in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Park Slope, Sunset Park and Prospect Lefferts Gardens/Lefferts Manor than any other in his profession. Guided by the current owners’ high standards and exacting design principles, the home's finest historic details have been preserved while modern comforts and conveniences have been seamlessly integrated.
Take the tour, floor by floor
Karim Rashid’s East Harlem HAP Five gets its bright pink trim

Final rendering of HAP FIVE (l), Construction progress as of January 27; CityRealty

January 30, 2017

Karim Rashid’s East Harlem HAP Five gets its bright pink trim

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Construction is progressing at the very Karim Rashid-esque HAP Five residential project at 329 Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem, CityRealty reports. The building's frame has been enclosed in glass and its balconies are getting the hot-pink trim chosen by neighborhood residents after a bolder color scheme was nixed. HAP Investment Developers has specified that the project will be rental apartments instead of condos; the 21,500-square-foot, eight-story new project will offer 20 apartments including studios and one- and two-bedroom units created by the award-winning designer, all of which will have open kitchens and offer access to either a balcony, terrace or backyard.
New construction photos, this way
Elegant Central Park West penthouse hits the market for the first time in 30 years, asks $20M
January 30, 2017

Elegant Central Park West penthouse hits the market for the first time in 30 years, asks $20M

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The listing for this prewar triplex penthouse on the Upper West Side says it's "like a house hovering twenty-two floors above Central Park," but one look at the sprawling floor plan suggests that "mansion" might be a better word. Five bedrooms may sound ordinary, if luxurious, but countless other rooms and suites, three enormous terraces on the middle floor, a wraparound terrace on the bedroom floor and helicopter views in every direction put this iconic home atop a classic Emery Roth-designed co-op at 320 Central Park West in a class by itself—and its $20 million ask certainly reflects its status.
Check out those views, this way
$14K/month multifunctional Flatiron loft is ready for all your creative endeavors
January 28, 2017

$14K/month multifunctional Flatiron loft is ready for all your creative endeavors

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This Gramercy/Flatiron pad at 333 Park Avenue South, available for rent furnished or unfurnished for $14,000 per month, has all your classic loft details such as rustic beamed ceilings, wooden columns, and massive industrial windows. But it's also been reconfigured into a multifunctional, multi-level home that has plenty of separate zones for photo studio work, office space, entertaining, living, and any other use you could think of. Add in the slew of custom built-ins, chic decor, and artsy wall treatments, and that five-digit price tag seems a lot more reasonable.
Investigate the possibilities
SL Green says One Vanderbilt will bring in $200M a year
January 27, 2017

SL Green says One Vanderbilt will bring in $200M a year

By
SL Green Realty CEO Marc Holliday said Thursday that the midtown office tower One Vanderbilt is expected to pull in as much as $198 million a year in net operating income when complete in 2020 and fully leased, The Real Deal reports. That figure, in 2028 dollars, likely includes $42 million in admission fees for the building's planned observation deck and is based on the assumption that the tower will be leased out at an average of $155 per square foot. If realized, that figure would put the 1.7-million-square-foot, 1,401-foot-tall tower in a league with some of the the city's significantly larger trophy properties.
Find out more
Built for an aviation pioneer, this 1940 International Style mansion asks $40M
January 27, 2017

Built for an aviation pioneer, this 1940 International Style mansion asks $40M

By
Known as the Sherman Fairchild Mansion, the extraordinary modern-fronted townhouse at 17 East 65th Street is one of those New York City sights that might stop you in your tracks in the middle of an otherwise sedate Upper East Side sidewalk. The current façade of this five-story home was designed by William Hamby and George Nelson in 1940 for brilliant and prolific aviation pioneer/inventor Sherman Fairchild (well-known architect Michael Graves was commissioned to design yet another facade for the home in 1979, but that version was never built). The 25-foot-wide, 9,440 square-foot modern townhouse has been on and off the market since 2014; it's currently asking $40,000. While the home's exterior is provocative and unique–especially given the Upper East Side location a block from Central Park–the interiors, which have undergone a thorough renovation by the current owner, noted Renaissance art dealer Martin Zimet of French & Company, are yet another surprise.
Take a look inside
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