Events & Things To Do

November 26, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: Behind the Magic of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Creative Director Wesley Whatley

For one day each year, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade transforms the streets of New York City into the ultimate stage for marching bands, dancers, floats, and of course, giant balloons. As we can all imagine, putting on a parade of this magnitude is no small task. And that's where Wesley Whatley, the Parade's creative director, comes in. Wesley is responsible for overseeing, developing and bringing the creative side of the event to life. His role requires vision, organization and a deep understanding of the parade's history and its importance to both the city and America. Along with his team, he ensures it's a magical event for spectators and television viewers. In anticipation of tomorrow's parade, we spoke with Wesley about selecting marching bands and performers, the logistics of organizing such a large event, and, on a personal note, what parades mean to him.
read the interview with Wesley here

November 26, 2014

POLL: Are You Eating Turkey for Thanksgiving?

By Dana Schulz

On Monday, we spotlighted Zaid Kurdieh, Greenmarket farmer of Norwich Meadows Farm and talked to him about how he’s preparing for the Thanksgiving turkey rush. There’s a lot more that goes into it than you might think, especially since the farm’s animals are raised halal and humanely. But we were surprised when Zaid mentioned that this […]

Events & Things To Do

November 26, 2014

QUIZ: Which Thanksgiving Parade Balloon Belongs in Which NYC Neighborhood?

By Alyssa Alimurung

You may not wake up early enough tomorrow to catch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but we bet you know these balloon characters anyway. 10 of those famous helium-filled stars were matched up with “their” NYC neighborhood. Guess which character belongs in each neighborhood in this fun Buzzfeed quiz! TAKE THE QUIZ HERE…

Events & Things To Do

November 25, 2014

NYC Volunteer Opportunities: Giving Thanks and Giving Back

By Michelle Cohen

The season of good cheer–and good food–has begun, but there are many who are left out in the cold. Share the abundance; volunteer your time, your food, or your funds (or all of the above) to help spread real warmth to all New Yorkers. We've rounded up Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities around the city to make it even simpler for you to give back.
Check out our list of ways to get involved

November 24, 2014

Float Is an Exquisite Coffee Table That Looks Like a Lotus Pond

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Float is a unique coffee table designed as an exquisite optical illusion for the home. Created by London's Central Saint Martins graduate Olivia Lee, it appears as a levitating lotus pond supported by a trio of intertwining stems. In addition to providing tranquility for the eye, it creates some surprising visual effects when objects are placed on it.
Learn more about this charming lotus table

November 21, 2014

Happy 112th Birthday to the Algonquin Hotel, A NYC Literary Landmark

By Bonnie Clark

In a town overrun with fancy hotels, the Algonquin–which turns 112 tomorrow–has true staying power, proving that history and heritage are every bit as important as plush bedding and sweet-smelling bath products. Designed by Goldwin Starrett in a Renaissance limestone and red brick façade, the 12-story Algonquin Hotel, at 42 West 42nd Street, opened on November 22, 1902, initially operating as an apartment hotel with year-long leases but switching to a hotel after the owner failed to find enough renters. Today, the Algonquin–both a literary landmark and a New York City Historic Landmark–remains one of New York’s most cherished institutions, drawing a mix of artists, tourists and cultural elites.
Read the full history of the storied Algonquin

November 20, 2014

Finalists Announced for 2015 Governors Island City of Dreams Pavilion

By Dana Schulz

Governors Island is one of those magical NYC places that comes to life in the spring after a long winter hibernation. And part of its reawakening will be the revealing of the City of Dreams Pavilion, a futuristic-looking art installation where visitors can gather. For the fifth consecutive year, FIGMENT has teamed with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects NY Chapter (AIANY) and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) to host a competition for the pavilion. Entrants were asked to design a temporary architectural structure to hold 50+ people, provide shade and rain cover, using sustainable materials. And just this week the five finalists were announced.
Take a look at the final five designs here

November 14, 2014

Mianne de Vries’s Photosensitive Vase Lets You Capture Your Own Image on Its Skin

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

This year's winner of the Volvo Design Awards is a tangible object that lets you capture a special experience. Known as the Capture Vase, this unique customizable container comes with a photosensitive skin that lets you print your own photograph on it, completing the design. Envisioned by Dutch designer Mianne de Vries, this stunning vessel is both functional and magical.
Learn more about the Capture Vase

<b>Home and Away: Is Airbnb a Threat to the Affordable Housing Market?</b>

Photo courtesy of Airbnb via Facebook.

November 10, 2014

Home and Away: Is Airbnb a Threat to the Affordable Housing Market?

By Michelle Cohen

Controversial room-sharing startup Airbnb, one of the most visible players in what is being called the “sharing economy,” has recently awakened the innovation vs. regulation argument in all the usual ways–and a few new ones, including the accusation that these short-term rentals are depleting the already-scarce affordable housing stock in pricey metro areas like San Francisco and New York City.
What the latest data reveals–and what's being done about it

November 7, 2014

Tenement Talks: Learn About Lowline’s Past and the Underground Park That May One Day Fill It

By Diane Pham

Ever since architects James Ramsey and Dan Barasch announced their plan to turn a forgotten trolley terminal below Delancey Street into an underground park, design enthusiasts, urban planners, locals, celebs, and, well, just about everyone who’s caught wind of it has been waiting in anticipation for what’s to come. The push to make this cool concept […]

New York Festival of Light Is Illuminating DUMBO Starting Tomorrow Night

By Dana Schulz

There's never a shortage of artsy events taking place in Brooklyn, but the New York Festival of Light (NYFOL) is a first-timer on the block. The curated collection of lighting installations will take over DUMBO from the night of November 6th to the 8th, and is being put on in partnership with the DUMBO Improvement District. Free and open to the public, the event will take place in and around the archway under the Manhattan Bridge, spilling out onto the surrounding plaza. The array of multi-sensory installations created by more than a dozen artists includes projection mapping, laser lighting, video art, illuminated sculptures, and wearable light technologies.
More details on NYFOL here

Events & Things To Do

5Pointz Developer Wants to Use Iconic Name for New Residential Towers

A photo capturing the 5Pointz demolition via changsterdam via photopin

November 4, 2014

5Pointz Developer Wants to Use Iconic Name for New Residential Towers

By Dana Schulz

The whitewashing and subsequent demolition of Long Island City graffiti mecca 5Pointz was painful enough for the arts community, but now G&M Realty, the developer responsible for the loss, wants to trademark the 5Pointz name and use it for their new residential towers at the site. And artists are not happy, saying the developer is trying to bank off their name. G&M is planning two towers for the site, at 41 and 47 stories, that together will hold 1,000 rental units. The developer submitted an application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in March to trademark "5Pointz," but it was initially rejected in June for being too similar to another registrant. G&M now has six months to respond to the decision.
More on the story here

November 4, 2014

See How Top Architects Build Sculptures from 100,000 Cans of Food to Help the Hungry

By Diane Pham

Food drives and can collections are not uncommon as we approach the holidays. And with Thanksgiving right around the corner, Canstruction is back again for its 22nd year with a brand new exhibit that invites New Yorkers to not only think about food in a whole new way, but to take part in a good cause. This year's event has invited 32 teams made up of NYC's top architecture and engineering design firms to turn 100,000 cans of food into spectacular sculptures at Brookfield Place. To give you a taste of what's to come when the exhibit opens this Thursday, some of last year's participants included big names like Skanska, Perkins Eastman, CetraRuddy, Ennead Architects, Arup, and Dattner Architects. Yes, these are more than just a bunch of stacked cans.
More on the new exhibit

New Yorker Spotlight: Behind the Scenes and Screams with Clinton Hill’s Halloween Queen, Janna Kennedy Hyten

Photo by Chris Franko

October 31, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: Behind the Scenes and Screams with Clinton Hill’s Halloween Queen, Janna Kennedy Hyten

By Susan Cohen

When Janna Kennedy Hyten was growing up in rural Florida, she probably never envisioned the crowds that would one day gather outside her Brooklyn home for Halloween 313. At the time, Janna's physical world was small, but her imagination was large and primed to create the wonder, joy, and gore necessary to captivate thousands of children each Halloween. Halloween 313 began 20 years ago when Janna opened her home at 313 Clinton Avenue to Clinton Hill's children. Over the last two decades, what began as elaborate Halloween decorations on the home's exterior, developed into an annual, full-fledged, front yard production with fun names and storylines like "Grimm Scary Tale," "Pirates of the Scarebbean, The Curse of the White Pearl," and "20,000 Screams Under the Sea." We recently spoke with Janna to find out more about the woman and home behind Halloween 313.
Read the interview here

Grave Concerns: Do Cemeteries Affect Real Estate Prices in New York?

Photo via Plowboylifestyle/CC

October 31, 2014

Grave Concerns: Do Cemeteries Affect Real Estate Prices in New York?

By Lauren Price

Not so surprisingly, Manhattan has a slew of cemeteries, graveyards and built-over potter’s fields (for unclaimed bodies). Madison Square Park was originally used as a potter’s field, as was Bryant Park. And though these swaths of land served many purposes over the years, it took an eternity before they were lovely public parks. From the late 1600s, burial grounds were generally confined to what would now be just south of City Hall, but more began popping up further uptown during the 1800s as the city’s population grew in leaps and bounds. With Halloween upon us, tis’ the season for checking out if living near one might give a buyer a bit of a ghostly scare or whether it takes an eternity to sell when the living room window overlooks tombstones marking coffins buried six feet under. Hear what experts say, and then learn about the city's most notable graveyards.
Do homes near cemeteries sell at a discount in NYC?

October 31, 2014

Visit This Quirky Museum Hidden in a Chinatown Elevator Shaft

By Dana Schulz

Looking for something off-the-beaten-path to do this Halloweekend? Mmuseumm might be right up your alley. And speaking of alleys, it's located on Cortland Alley in Chinatown within a single, abandoned elevator shaft. The 60-square-foot Mmuseumm is a modern natural history museum that exhibits contemporary artifacts, illustrating "the complexities of the modern world." Its eclectic collection of everyday items includes toothpaste tubes from around the world and papers left behind in copy machines. It even manages to fit a gift shop and café in its tiny footprint.
More info on the museum here

Events & Things To Do

October 30, 2014

Tour the Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead and Cemetery, Queens’ Oldest Private Residence

By Dana Schulz

In a world where you can virtually tour real estate listings, it's nice to know that the good, old-fashioned house tour hasn't gone out of style. And this Saturday, one of the oldest homes in Queens is opening its doors for a tour of its refurbished interior, exceptional gardens, and historic cemetery. The Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead in East Elmhurst was built circa 1656 by Abraham Riker, an early settler of New Amsterdam. Its current owner Marion Duckworth Smith still lives in the home, which makes the property the oldest private residence in the borough. She and her late husband Michael Smith began restoring the home in 1980, and since then Smith has offered the occasional tour, giving guests a glimpse into the Riker burial ground, which holds the remains of 132 descendants, the interior living areas, and the picturesque gardens, which include a gazebo and workshop designed to look like a gingerbread house.
More on the house's history and the upcoming tour

October 28, 2014

I-Beam Design’s Pixelated Chelsea Renovation is Made From 20,000 LEGO Bricks

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

We all love and played with LEGO when we were kids, and this New York loft apartment is just another great example of how versatile the colorful Danish bricks are. The story begins when the son of Melissa Marks and Vicente Caride got too old not to have a door on his bedroom, so his parents decided to renovate their Chelsea loft in an innovative and playful way. I-Beam Design was called to do the job, and together with LEGO artist Sean Kenney they created an amazing pixelated new stair railing and wall using 20,000 LEGO bricks.
Learn more about this pixelated home

October 27, 2014

Gramercy Park Hotel Hits the Market and Could Fetch $260M

By Diane Pham

Get ready for another blockbuster sale. Following in the footsteps of Hilton who just sold off the Waldorf Astoria Hotel to Chinese Insurance Company Anbang for $1.95 billion, Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs have put their prized Gramercy Park Hotel on the market. Crain‘s reports that the 186-room, 18-story hotel located at 2 Lexington Avenue […]

Events & Things To Do

October 27, 2014

Philippe Is a Skeletal Lamp by Zia Priven Sure to Be the Backbone of Any Room

By Dana Schulz

No, it's not a Halloween decoration. Philippe is a year-round floor lamp that's sure to spice up any room with its eerily glamorous appeal. Created by the lighting designers at Zia Priven, this lamp resembles a skeleton you might find at the doctor's office. The only difference is it's topped with lamp shade and comes finished in silver, bronze, or a natural-looking bone white.
More details on Philippe here

October 23, 2014

Event Round Up: The Best Halloween Activities in NYC

By Dana Schulz

It's official--fall is here. And one of the greatest things about this time of year is the plethora of seasonal activities that come with it. We've rounded up some of the best that New York City has to offer this fall, from corn mazes for kids to funeral reenactments for adults.
Check out our full list

Events & Things To Do

October 21, 2014

Learn About Three Urban Projects That Could Transform the City at MAS’ Jane Jacobs Forum

By Dana Schulz

As part of the Municipal Art Society's (MAS) 2014 Summit for NYC, the Jane Jacobs Forum: Projects That Ignite will showcase three unique urban interventions with the potential to positively impact the city. This free session, taking place on Thursday, October 23, was inspired by Jacobs' passion for livable cities and the ability of all people to change them. The three projects that will be highlighted are: Startup Box, a social enterprise and tech incubator prototype designed to increase opportunities for South Bronx community members; 9×18, a proposal that considers the city's parking lots as opportunities to help with the affordable housing crisis; and the Boogie Down Booth, a vibrant public space in a previously forlorn area under the low and loud 2 and 5 trains in the South Bronx.
More on the projects and the event here

October 14, 2014

Robert Kolenik’s Stylish Aquarium is Actually a Kitchen Island

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

If you like keeping aquariums filled with fish in your home, you might as well turn the tank into a stylish and useful feature. Designed by Robert Kolenik, this eye-catching kitchen island doubles as a stunning bluish aquarium. The crazy idea comes from the Netherlands and is called Ocean Kitchen.
Learn more about this fishy design

October 13, 2014

Holiday Field Trip: Where to Find Christopher Columbus in NYC

By Dana Schulz

It's easy to forget that Columbus Day is more than just a day off from work (which we're not complaining about), but rather a holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1942. But if you need reminding, look no further than these memorials scattered around New York City.
Take a tour of where to find Christopher Columbus monuments in NYC

October 13, 2014

Studio Swine Makes Extraordinary Objects from Human Hair

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Anglo-Japanese designer Studio Swine makes luxurious objects and furniture that sit at the intersection of culture and the future of resources. Their latest project is a collection of extraordinary objects inspired by the 1930s Shanghai-deco style translated into all sorts of objects, including boxes, vases, mirrors, screens and hair combs. But there's something in particular that makes them stand out. Called Hair Highway, their weirdly enchanting aesthetic can be attributed to the use of resin and human hair!
Learn more about these hairy designs

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