Events &amp; Things To Do

The patriotic party-planners behind the Macy's Fourth of July live fireworks extravaganza happening next Wednesday evening have made sure to provide their usual thorough and handy guide suggesting prime spots for experiencing the world-famous pyrotechnics show. Get the 411 on official viewing points and use the interactive neighborhood finder to make sure you're well-situated when things go boom.
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PHOTOS: NYC’s first LGBTQ monument opens in Greenwich Village

Photo by Tia Richards for 6sqft

June 25, 2018

PHOTOS: NYC’s first LGBTQ monument opens in Greenwich Village

New York's first public monument to the LGBTQ community opened Sunday in the Greenwich Village, a historically significant neighborhood for the gay rights movement. Located in Hudson River Park and designed by local artist Anthony Goicolea, the monument honors the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, as well as all victims of hate and violence. "This memorial saddens us, when we think about the Orlando 49 senseless deaths, but it also enlightens us, and it also inspires us," Cuomo said on Sunday. "It inspires New Yorkers to do what New Yorkers have always done - what Anthony was referring to: to push forward, to keep going forward on that journey until we reach the destination that the Statue of Liberty promised in the first place."
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June 25, 2018

Get a first look at the amenities at Bjarke Ingels’ High Line towers

By Dana Schulz

Less than two weeks after HFZ Capital revealed the marble-clad interior renderings for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line-facing XI condo/hotel project at 76 Eleventh Avenue, they've now launched the official website. First spotted by Curbed, the site gives us our first view of the amenities such as the huge, glass-enclosed pool, as well as an up-close look at the "Bridge Lounge," the swanky amenity space located within the development's skybridge. The double-height podium bridge, which connects the asymmetrical, twisting towers, will have a retractable movie screen, private wine tasting room, bar, and library.
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Portrait banners from Ai Weiwei’s NYC ‘Fences’ project available for sale to benefit refugee charities

Ai Weiwei banner 2, outside trump tower; Photo Timothy Schenk, courtesy Public Art Fund, NY

June 22, 2018

Portrait banners from Ai Weiwei’s NYC ‘Fences’ project available for sale to benefit refugee charities

Nearly a year ago, artist Ai Weiwei's project, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” commissioned by the Public Art Fund, covered New York City with installations and banners in reference to the current international refugee crisis. Though the works are no longer on display, their message remains even more pressing. In commemoration of World Refugee Day on June 20, the Public Art Fund and eBay for Charity put Ai’s project back into public reach with the sale of limited-edition original portrait banners drawn from those made by the artist (h/t Surface). There are six banners in all, and sales benefit USA for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Fund’s mission to promote accessible art.
How much are they, and how do I get one?

Events & Things To Do

Construction well underway for interactive LGBTQ monument in Greenwich Village

Rendering by Anthony Goicolea via Gov. Cuomo’s office

June 21, 2018

Construction well underway for interactive LGBTQ monument in Greenwich Village

A monument to the LGBTQ community is taking shape in Hudson River Park along the Greenwich Village waterfront. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo chose Brooklyn-based artist Anthony Goicolea to design the monument, aimed at honoring both the LGBT rights movement and the victims of the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Although the Hudson River Park Trust told 6sqft an opening date of the installation isn't known yet, Urban Omnibus reported the monument is expected to be completed this month, coinciding with Pride Month.
More here

Details revealed for the Whitney Museum’s upcoming Warhol exhibit

Image: Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” at MoMA, via Brando/Flickr

June 20, 2018

Details revealed for the Whitney Museum’s upcoming Warhol exhibit

“To humanize Warhol and get people to actually look at what he made is not as easy as it might sound.” Donna De Salvo, deputy director and senior curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art had this to say to the New York Times among other newly-released details on what to expect in “Andy Warhol — From A to B and Back Again,” opening on November 12th. The show will be the first Warhol retrospective offered by a United States museum since 1989. De Salvo is referring to the myth of Warhol, in his lifetime and even more so after it.
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Events & Things To Do

June 18, 2018

Yayoi Kusama is bringing 1,500 mirrored spheres to the Rockaways this summer

Yayoi Kusama at the 1966 Venice Biennale; via MOMA PS1 Yayoi is coming back to New York. From July 1 through September 3, MoMA PS1 will present "Rockaway!" featuring "Narcissus Garden," a site-specific installation made up of 1,500 mirrored stainless steel spheres by the uber-talented, polka dot-obsessed Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama. This is MOMA’s third iteration of Rockaway!, a free public art festival dedicated to the ongoing recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy. The exhibit will be on view at the Gateway National Recreation Area, a former train garage at Fort Tilden, which once was an active U.S. military base. Kusama’s mirrored metal spheres reflect the industrial surroundings of the abandoned building and highlight Fort Tilden’s history. According to MoMA, the metal directs attention to the damage inflicted by Sandy in 2012 on the surrounding area.
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Events & Things To Do

The intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street in Flushing. Image: Wikimedia Commons

June 14, 2018

Take an insider’s tour of Flushing’s ethnic food at the Flushing’s World Fair this weekend

Flushing, Queens is a dining destination for serious foodies and fans of any of a cornucopia of authentic Asian and Indian delights; from June 15-17, you can sample the international cuisine with discounts and a tour to help you with the highlights; the Flushing's World Fair is a three-day expo that brings together the businesses, cultural institutions and historic landmarks of the diverse and dynamic community.
Find out more about the food tour

June 13, 2018

Zaha Hadid Architects designed a hat inspired by the firm’s curvy High Line condo

Photo by Luke Hayes On Thursday, Friends of the High Line are hosting their "first-ever High Line Hat Party, a raucous, downtown party for the creative and bold." What better to don for this party than a swooping, sinuous lined hat inspired by one of the most prominent High Line building's iconic curves? Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) director Patrik Schumacher designed the gorgeous, 3D printed, 520 West 28th-inspired hat for the party’s fashion show (h/t dezeen). Just as the building's beautiful swirls of glass are intersected with dark steel bands, this hat replicates that aesthetic.
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17-foot stacked, bronze rhino sculpture finds new home in Downtown Brooklyn

Photo via Goodbye Rhinos project The iconic stacked rhino sculpture is switching boroughs. Designed by artists, Gillie and Marc Schattner, The Last Three is a 17-foot-tall, bronze sculpture depicting the last three Northern White Rhinos Najin, Fatu and Sudan, and represents a protest of rhino horn sales. The artists announced on Tuesday that the sculpture will move from its current home at Astor Place and be permanently installed at Forest City New York’s MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn. The first public viewing will start Wednesday at 6 pm.
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Events & Things To Do

June 12, 2018

New marble-clad interior renderings revealed for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line-facing XI

Renderings via Dbox for HFZ Capital Group Back in April, 6sqft brought you a new batch of renderings showing Bjarke Ingels and developer HFZ Capital's XI (or the Eleventh) at 76 Eleventh Avenue ahead of a May 7 sales launch. The West Chelsea hotel-condo project is notable not only for being Ingels’ first NYC condo project but for its asymmetrical, twisting silhouette. Those renderings showcased the pair of towers and their sky-bridge, along with, for the first time, the central courtyard and an apartment interior. Now, as Curbed learned, we get a preview of the project's interiors, clad in several different flavors of dramatically-veined creamy beige and white statement marble and pale chevron flooring with wood accents–and stunning NYC and river views in every direction.
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Ride six different vintage trains in Brighton Beach this weekend to celebrate Father’s Day

Image via New York Transit Museum

June 12, 2018

Ride six different vintage trains in Brighton Beach this weekend to celebrate Father’s Day

Is there anything more dad-approved than trains and tattoos to celebrate Father’s Day? Not much! This weekend, celebrate with pop at the New York Transit Museum’s 4th Annual Parade of Trains. Hop on and off six different types of vintage train cars, including the oldest train cars in the Transit Museum fleet, dating from 1904. Visitors can also stop by the museum’s membership station to get a super cool, Father’s Day temporary transit tattoo while learning more about the New York Transit Museum's ongoing exhibits. The event takes place Saturday (6/16) and Sunday (6/17) from 11 am to 4 pm at the Brighton Beach (B/Q) station. The Parade of Trains shuttle rides are free with the swipe of a MetroCard and will run continuously to and from the Brighton Beach station B/Q platforms.
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June 7, 2018

Lincoln Square’s grand finale: From slum clearance to a new master plan

Lincoln Square, a part of the Upper West Side, is a literal square of approximately 50 blocks that runs east-west from Central Park West to the West Side Drive and north-south from 59th to 72nd Streets. The neighborhood, which is bisected by Broadway and contains the Lincoln Center “superblock,” has an enormous amount of culture, loads of prestigious schools, tons of old-school luxury residences lining the park, and a massive, five-acre, four-building new development called Waterline Square, finalizing a decades-long master plan for the neighborhood. Ahead, we take a look at the neighborhood's history, from its Dutch roots to Robert Moses' slum clearance, modern residential development, and all the amenities that make this area more fun than one may think.
Your guide to Lincoln Square

Events & Things To Do

June 7, 2018

Anti-bigotry ‘service’ posters hit NYC subway stations for Pride Month

The normally drab service posters found across the city's subway stations got a burst of color this month. Instead of detailing changes to late-night train service, these rainbow-adorned signs remind commuters that no "bigotry, hatred or prejudice" is allowed at any time, as Pride Month, a celebration of LGBTQ love, kicks off. Originally created by School of Visual Arts faculty member Thomas Shim and alumni Ezequiel Consoli and Jack Welles (Kyle Harrison was added to the core team this year), the posters will remain fastened to the station walls throughout the month of June.
More details here

June 6, 2018

All the places in NYC to watch free outdoor movies this summer

After a winter like ours, who wants to go inside again? Thankfully, there are tons of opportunities in New York City to stay outside all day, even to see movies. And what's better than enjoying the warm weather by scoping out your place on the lawn, picnicking, sipping your favorite summer drink, and enjoying a film under the city lights. (Best of all, they’re free!) Ahead, we've rounded up 16 of the best outdoor movie screenings, from spots up and down the Hudson to cool rooftops to unique locales like the plaza outside the Oculus and the Intrepid's flight deck.
Check out the whole list

Events & Things To Do

51 stunning ‘Sing for Hope’ pianos will hit the streets of NYC this summer

Sing for Hope Pianos via Sing for Hope

June 5, 2018

51 stunning ‘Sing for Hope’ pianos will hit the streets of NYC this summer

Starting this week, 51 beautifully painted pianos will pop up across New York City, available to anyone interested in striking a few keys. As part of its seventh annual event, Sing for Hope is setting up the pianos in parks, public spaces and other high-traffic outside locations in the city from June 4 to June 24. Following this summer stint, the pianos will get permanent homes in 50 public schools. The brightly colored and funkily patterned pianos were painted by artists from around the world, with each instrument featuring its own theme.
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Events & Things To Do

Why is Woodlawn Cemetery carving its trees into animals?

Photos courtesy of William Christ

June 4, 2018

Why is Woodlawn Cemetery carving its trees into animals?

By Stephanie Hoina

Opened in 1863, and long known as the final resting place of some of history’s most notable figures-- Irving Berlin, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Robert Moses, F.W. Woolworth, and Herman Melville, to name a few--the Bronx’s Woodlawn Cemetery and Conservatory is also home to many treasures of the living variety. When one of Woodlawn's trees (of which there are a whopping 140 different species!) meets its ultimate fate, the cemetery doesn't merely bury it but rather celebrates its life by carving it into an animal that can be found on the grounds.
Find out the meaning behind this tradition

6sqft guide: How to find a child-friendly apartment in NYC

Photo via Pexels

June 4, 2018

6sqft guide: How to find a child-friendly apartment in NYC

By Cait Etherington

Everyone loves kids, right? While this may be true in most cases, when it comes to renting and buying apartments, kids can be a deal breaker. To be clear, in NYC, owners cannot discriminate against renters with children, but there are a few exceptions. For example, co-ops, which are free to come up with their own selection criteria so long as it doesn’t overtly discriminate, can privilege quiet tenants over potentially loud tenants. If you have a couple of toddlers or even teens who look like they might be prone to hosting all-night parties or jam sessions in your living room, you might find yourself looking for housing elsewhere. But don’t be discouraged. After all, New York is home to more kids than any other U.S. city. As of 2016, over 21% of New York City residents were under 18 and more than 6.6% were under five. With roughly 1.8 million infants, toddlers, kids, tweens, and teens living here, most city buildings are home to children and adolescents. The challenge facing parents is finding a building that is not only tolerant of kids but has the facilities, location, and support needed to make one’s childrearing experience easier rather than harder. This 6sqft Guide offers tips for prospective and new parents, as well as those who are not new to parenting but are new to the city, who are looking to rent or buy in a child-friendly building and neighborhood.
Our full guide to finding a child-friendly home in NYC

May 31, 2018

New 9/11 Memorial monument honors first responders exposed to Ground Zero toxins

By Dana Schulz

Sixteen years ago as of yesterday, the rescue and recovery effort for the September 11th attacks ended. It's estimated that 400,000 people were exposed to life-threatening toxins, and since then, nearly 70,000 first responders and more than 14,000 survivors have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Yesterday, former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart and 9/11 Memorial & Museum president Alice Greenwald revealed the official design for Memorial Glade, a monument to all those who have lost their lives or are sick due to these related illnesses. In addition to increasing awareness about the health crisis, the memorial will also "recognize the tremendous capacity of the human spirit, as exemplified during the rescue, recovery and relief efforts following the 9/11 attacks."
Learn about the design

May 31, 2018

Get a taste of Hell’s Kitchen with a food festival at the Intrepid this summer

By NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project

Photo via MrTMan on Flickr There is no shortage of food halls, food markets and food trucks in New York City to satisfy your every craving. However, none of these eating events take place next to an aircraft carrier on the Hudson River. Until now. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum announced this week that it will host a food festival at Pier 86, featuring more than 20 local vendors from the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. The waterfront food fest, WestsideEATS, runs from 10 am to 6 pm on June 9 and June 10 (h/t TimeOut).
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May 30, 2018

8 things you didn’t know about LGBT history in NYC

This Saturday, 6sqft is excited to sponsor "The Hunt: NYC LGBT Sites." Put on by our friends at Urban Archive and the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, the three-hour historic scavenger hunt will mark Pride Week by focusing on the history of the LGBT community in NYC. To give 6sqft readers an idea of what to expect, the Historic Sites Project has put together eight things you probably don't know about LGBT history in New York, from the four remaining lesbian bars in the city to the first LGBT activist organization.
All this and more history!

May 30, 2018

10 glorious glamping sites near New York City

Glamour camping--combining luxury with minimalism--is all the rage. While you might have to get yourself a bit outside the big city to enjoy such a getaway, there are plenty of spots not too far afield. And whether they are fully off-the-grid or just feel like it, they'll restore your mind and spirit as you return to nature but don't have to give up your high thread count sheets, wifi or working showers. From a mobile tiny house to a geodesic dome to a horse farm tipi, we've rounded up 10 of the best glamping resorts near NYC.
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May 30, 2018

Controversial expansion of the Frick Collection hits another road block

All renderings courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle and Selldorf Architects The planned expansion of the Frick Collection is delayed again after the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided Tuesday to not vote on the project, following hours of public testimony. Dozens of neighborhood advocates, preservationists and museum goers attended the hearing to discuss the Beyer Blinder Belle and Selldorf Architects-designed expansion, which would include 60,000 square feet of repurposed space and 27,000 square feet of new construction. The plan would expand the existing Upper East Side building's second level, add two set-back stories above the music room and an addition behind the Frick Art Reference Library. According to Curbed NY, critics of the expansion said the additions would be too large and block the design of the existing library. Despite a presentation from head architect Annabelle Selldorf, no decision was made about whether to grant the $160 million project its certificate of appropriateness.
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From sacred conches to the world’s oldest piano, you can now listen to 2,000 years of music at the Met

Photo via The Metropolitan Museum of Art

May 29, 2018

From sacred conches to the world’s oldest piano, you can now listen to 2,000 years of music at the Met