Events & Things To Do

April 13, 2021

20 underground and secret NYC attractions you need to check out

While visiting the major, most popular attractions of New York City can be fun, it can also be stressful, overwhelming and full of selfie-taking tourists. However, the great thing about the Big Apple is that plenty of other attractions exist that are far less known or even hidden in plain sight. To go beyond the tourist-filled sites and tour the city like you're seeing it for the very first time, check out 6sqft's list ahead of the 20 best underground, secret spots in New York City.
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‘Whispering Libraries’ broadcasts music and poetry from hidden outdoor speakers across Brooklyn

Photo by Ajay Suresh on Flickr

April 9, 2021

‘Whispering Libraries’ broadcasts music and poetry from hidden outdoor speakers across Brooklyn

By Devin Gannon

While the city's public libraries remain open for grab-and-go lobby service only, a new initiative brings poetry and literature right to you. The Brooklyn Public Library this month launched Whispering Libraries, an outdoor audio experience featuring a collection of oral histories, podcast excerpts, spoken word, and more, broadcast from hidden speakers at branches across the borough. The curated playlists can be heard up to five times per day at 10 select branches.
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Dancing Pumpkin, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts and David Zwirner

April 8, 2021

See inside the New York Botanical Garden’s blockbuster Yayoi Kusama exhibition

By Dana Schulz

This Saturday, April 10, the New York Botanical Garden's hotly-anticipated exhibit KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature will open to the public and remain on view through October 31, 2021. The blockbuster show dedicated to legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was originally planned to open in May 2020, but of course, was postponed due to the pandemic. Among the works on view are Kusama's famous polka-dot pumpkins, her larger-than-life flowers, and the famous Narcissus Garden, composed of 1,400 stainless steel spheres floating on water.
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Pop-up pools proposed for NYC’s open streets this summer

A “dumpster pool” opened on Park Avenue in 2010 as part of the city’s Summer Streets initiative, courtesy of NYC DOT on Flickr

April 7, 2021

Pop-up pools proposed for NYC’s open streets this summer

By Devin Gannon

Last year, New York City public beaches and pools did not open until July because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, city comptroller and mayoral candidate Scott Stringer wants to make sure New Yorkers from all boroughs can enjoy the summer season by making pools, beaches, and the city's waterfront more accessible. In a proposal announced on Tuesday, Stringer called on the city to bring a series of pop-up pools to Open Streets and vacant lots in neighborhoods that lack green space.
More here

Governors Island reopens May 1 with new ferry stops and art exhibits

Photo by Kreg Holt

April 2, 2021

Governors Island reopens May 1 with new ferry stops and art exhibits

By Devin Gannon

Following a shortened season last year, Governors Island will reopen for the entire six months of the 2021 season starting May 1. Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Trust for Governors Island announced on Thursday that the 172-acre site will return to its "pre-pandemic season calendar," with dozens of art exhibitions and cultural programs offered through October 31. For the first time ever, ferries to Governors Island will run from two stops in Brooklyn on weekends, at Brooklyn Bridge Park and Atlantic Basin in Red Hook, in addition to daily service from Manhattan.
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Smorgasburg to open new flea market at former Hester Street Fair site

Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

April 1, 2021

Smorgasburg to open new flea market at former Hester Street Fair site

By Devin Gannon

Outdoor food market operator Smorgasburg announced on Wednesday that it will open a new flea market at a location already familiar to most New Yorkers. Hester Flea will set up shop on the Lower East Side at Hester and Essex Streets, the same place where the Hester Street Fair operated for the last decade, organizers said in an email. As Curbed first reported, the Seward Park Co-op board did not renew the longtime LES fair's lease after their agreement ended last year.
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Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel opens April 9 with advance reservations

Photo by Marcell Viragh on Unsplash

April 1, 2021

Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel opens April 9 with advance reservations

By Dana Schulz

After never being able to reopen last year, Coney Island's Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park will open for the 2021 season on Friday, April 9, the date on which the state said outdoor amusement parks and rides can reopen at 33 percent capacity. For now, the Wonder Wheel will only be open on weekends from 11am to 6pm with advance reservations (there will also be a limited number of standby tickets).
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Reclaim the Roaring 20s this summer at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island

Photo courtesy of Jazz Age Lawn Party

April 1, 2021

Reclaim the Roaring 20s this summer at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island

By Devin Gannon

Obviously, the start of this decade did not go according to plan. But this summer, as New York City returns in all of its vaccinated glory, there's a chance to reclaim some of what was lost in 2020. The annual Prohibition Era-inspired Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island is taking place in June, for one weekend full of 1920s music, dancing, vintage cocktails, and flapper fashion.
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Photo (cropped) by Phil Hearing on Unsplash

March 31, 2021

The 10 best plants for bathrooms

By Diane Pham

Plants are an easy and inexpensive way to spruce up any room in a home, and this rings especially true in the bathroom where design choices typically don't involve much more than the color of one's bathmat. However, keeping greenery alive and flourishing in a room where temperatures can shift from cool and comfortable to hot and steamy in just minutes can be difficult. But don't be deterred from growing a green canopy above your shower. Ahead, 6sqft rounds up 10 robust plants that enjoy high humidity, warm temperatures, and bright or low light.
10 plants to add to your bathroom here

Tribeca Film Festival returns this summer with 12 days of outdoor screenings in every borough

The Battery; Photo Credit: Overland Entertainment

March 30, 2021

Tribeca Film Festival returns this summer with 12 days of outdoor screenings in every borough

By Devin Gannon

The Tribeca Film Festival first launched in 2002 following the September 11 terrorist attacks, part of an effort to fuel Lower Manhattan's comeback. Now after a devastating year for New York, the film festival hopes to bring the city together once again for its 20th anniversary. From June 9 to June 20, there will be 12 days of outdoor, in-person screenings with events taking place in every borough.
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Events & Things To Do

A memorial honoring Hurricane Maria victims opens in New York City

By 6sqft

A memorial honoring the thousands of victims of Hurricane Maria, which struck Puerto Rico in 2017, opened in Battery Park City last week. Designed by Puerto Rico-based architect Segundo Cardona and artist Antonio Martorell, the memorial, "My Cry Into the World," features an ascending glass spiral that evokes both a hurricane and a shell, symbolizing protection for "living organisms against a hostile environment." The memorial is located at the overlook near Chambers Street.
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Broadway stars to perform in NYC rooftop concert series

Photo courtesy of TodayTix

March 26, 2021

Broadway stars to perform in NYC rooftop concert series

By Devin Gannon

Welcoming back the return of live performance in New York City is an outdoor concert series featuring Broadway stars. Next month, ticket-selling company TodayTix will host in-person performances by Lauren Patten and Derek Klena from Jagged Little Pill, Ana Villafañe from On Your Feet!, and The Lion King's Bradley Gibson on the rooftop of a Manhattan building. The shows mark one of the first live ticketed events to take place in the city after over a year.
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Rendering courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York

March 26, 2021

Get a sneak peek of the Waldorf Astoria’s restored Grand Ballroom

By Dana Schulz

It's been four years since the Waldorf Astoria closed its doors for a restoration and reimagination that will bring 375 luxury condos to the storied landmark. And since then, the team has been teasing out renderings of what we can expect when the Waldorf finally reopens in early 2023. The latest is a look at the Grand Ballroom, one of the largest in NYC (it can accommodate more than 1,000 people) that's hosted the likes of JFK, Queen Elizabeth II, and Grace Kelly. The Art Deco space is an interior landmark, and the restoration will return it to its 1931 splendor.
More details and views here

Step inside the ‘Goodnight Moon’ bedroom in a new immersive exhibition

All photos by Joe Kramm, courtesy of Fort Makers

March 24, 2021

Step inside the ‘Goodnight Moon’ bedroom in a new immersive exhibition

By Dana Schulz

Local design studio and artist collective Fort Makers has put together a new, immersive exhibition called "Goodnight House." Inspired by the classic children's book "Goodnight Moon"--written by Brooklyn-born author Margaret Wise Brown--the show not only brings you into the book's pages, but it features new artwork and designed objects that are reimaginations of various objects found within the book’s bedroom setting.
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Lead image, clockwise from top left: © Sprout Home; © The Sill; © Chelsea Garden Center; © The Sill

March 24, 2021

The 10 best plant shops in NYC

By Rebecca Fishbein

At long last, it appears springtime’s on its way to New York, transforming streets of sad, wilted grey and brown into, er, slightly less sad-looking grey and brown. If the little buds starting to sprout on tree branches in the parks and on the streets aren’t enough green for you, there are plenty of plant shops in the city that’ll help introduce some oxygenating goodness into your own apartment, no matter how small, dark, or pet-filled it may be. Note that for the sake of this list, we’ve stuck with plant shops, not florists, though you’ll find arrangements at some of these shops—this one, though, is for home gardeners and lovers of succulents, which it turns out you do need to water from time to time, a lesson some of us first-time plant parents learned the hard way.
Check out the list

Events & Things To Do

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

Photo courtesy of AptDeco

March 23, 2021

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Spring is the perfect time to reset, rearrange, and reimagine your living space. In addition to the annual deep clean that commences as the weather warms, updating the style and decor of your New York City apartment provides a much-needed physical and mental refresh for the months ahead. Whether this means selling furniture you're tired of looking at or buying gently used designer and vintage items to personalize your abode, there are several websites to help New Yorkers in the process.
Full list here

March 22, 2021

Where to find New York City’s secret waterfalls

By Alexandra Alexa

New York state is home to many spectacular waterfalls that are worthy of any bucket list, but if you know where to look, there are a surprising number of waterfalls to discover right here in the concrete jungle of New York City. They're not all "secrets," but they do tend to exist well off the beaten path, tucked into the more remote parts of Central Park or in small Midtown plazas. Once you've found one, you'll likely have a new favorite spot perfect for escaping the city's unrelenting noise—if only for a short while.
Drown out the city at one of these 6 spots

Events & Things To Do

A former brickyard in Kingston is now luxury hotel cabins on the Hudson River

Cabin interiors; Photo courtesy of Hutton Brickyards

March 19, 2021

A former brickyard in Kingston is now luxury hotel cabins on the Hudson River

By Devin Gannon

For years, New Yorkers have been drawn to the Hudson Valley city of Kingston for its rich history, arts and culture, and proximity to nature, ideal for both a weekend getaway and year-round residence. A new hotel just north of New York City is set to open this spring that will offer 31 individual cabins across 73 acres of lush landscape, providing a coronavirus-safe escape for city dwellers. Located on the site of a former brick factory, Hutton Brickyards has been transformed from a manufacturing property into a laid-back but luxurious riverfront resort with private cabins, a spa, restaurant, and events space.
Details here

Where to order takeout Easter and Passover meals in NYC

Photo by Robert Couse-Basker on Flickr

March 19, 2021

Where to order takeout Easter and Passover meals in NYC

By 6sqft

Though restaurants are now open, many New Yorkers are still choosing to spend Passover and Easter at home. And thanks to local restaurants, catering companies, and delicatessens, handmade holiday meals can be delivered to your doorstep or picked up from your favorite spot. Ahead, find places for to-go Seder dinners and Easter brunch and baskets.
The full list

NYC’s ‘Open Culture’ program kicks off this weekend with outdoor performances

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces the opening of the Open Culture Program to allow live performances on designated streets. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

March 19, 2021

NYC’s ‘Open Culture’ program kicks off this weekend with outdoor performances

By Devin Gannon

More than 100 streets in New York can become stages under the city's Open Culture program that launched this month. Modeled after the Open Streets and Open Restaurant initiatives that close some streets to cars and let restaurants set up creative outdoor dining seating, this new permit type allows ticketed, socially distanced performances, rehearsals, classes, and workshops to take place on blocks in every borough. Mayor Bill de Blasio this week said the first three performances under the program would take place on Friday, with events in Mott Haven, Williamsburg, and Harlem.
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Baseball is back: New York announces increased capacity for sports venues

Photo by Matt Boulton via Wikimedia Commons

March 18, 2021

Baseball is back: New York announces increased capacity for sports venues

By Dana Schulz

In a press conference this morning, with guest appearances by former Mets and Yankees pitchers Al Leiter and CC Sabathia, Governor Cuomo announced that as of April 1, professional sports leagues that play in large outdoor stadiums can reopen at 20-percent capacity. What does this mean for baseball season? When Yankee Stadium has its home opener on April 1st, it'll be able to accommodate 10,850 fans; on April 8th, Citi Field will have 8,384 fans.
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March 17, 2021

‘Arrivals + Departures’ is a new public memorial in Brooklyn that honors birth, life, and death

By Dana Schulz

Outside the main entrance to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, there's a new public art installation that "offers a meditation on birth, life, and death through the simple, yet powerful act of naming." Created by UK-based social practice artists YARA+DAVINA, the memorial called "Arrivals + Departures" takes the shape of a traditional train station arrivals and departures board, listing the names of those who have been born (“arrived”) or passed (“departed”).
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Shakespeare in the Park will return to NYC this summer

The Delacorte Theater. Photo credit: Joseph Moran

March 16, 2021

Shakespeare in the Park will return to NYC this summer

By Devin Gannon

Bringing some much-needed sunshine on this dreary March day, the Public Theater on Tuesday announced plans to bring back its free Shakespeare in the Park program this summer. As first reported by the New York Times, the Theater is preparing to present just one production at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park for an eight-week run beginning in July. The news comes after Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this month announced live performances and events could resume in New York as early as April 2.
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Events & Things To Do

Rendering courtesy of the Howard Hughes Corporation

March 15, 2021

Play cornhole, bocce, croquet, and more at the South Street Seaport’s new Lawn Club

By Dana Schulz

The Lawn Club is opening this fall at the South Street Seaport District's historic Fulton Market Building. This first-of-its-kind interactive concept features 10,000 square feet of indoor grass transformed into lawn game courts so you can play cornhole, bocce, croquet, and mölkky all year round. And during the warmer months, The Lawn Club will set up additional outdoor courts on the sidewalk surrounding South Street, Fulton Street, and Front Street.
Find out more here

Events & Things To Do

Ruth Bader Ginsburg statue unveiled in Downtown Brooklyn

Rendering courtesy of Gillie and Marc

March 12, 2021

Ruth Bader Ginsburg statue unveiled in Downtown Brooklyn

By Devin Gannon

A statue of late United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was unveiled in Downtown Brooklyn on Friday. Created by artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, the six-foot bronze statue is located inside the Flatbush Avenue entrance of the mixed-use development City Point. Visitors can "Stand with Ruth" and take photos with the statue, but a timed reservation is required to maintain social distancing, according to City Point.
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