Events & Things To Do

Photographer Jaka Vinsek Captures the Desolate Streets of New York During Last Night’s Blizzard
January 27, 2015

Photographer Jaka Vinsek Captures the Desolate Streets of New York During Last Night’s Blizzard

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While the rest of us were bundled up indoors last night in anticipation of Snor'easter Juno, Brooklyn photographer Jaka Vinsek set out on a journey to capture New York's streets covered in snow. "I started at 10pm and got home at 7am," he says. "I walked on foot around nine miles." With transit shuttered at 7pm Monday, and a city-wide ban on vehicles (except emergency) beginning at 11pm, what Vinsek captures on camera is a desolate but eerily beautiful city. His photos feature unlikely scenes, including a completely empty Grand Central, as well as some wonderful moments of lone souls roaming amidst the city's dedicated workers pounding the pavement. Vinsek's photos show another, more peaceful side to our city that we often forget exists.
See more of the photos here
Stay at the Dreamy White Pine Camp President Calvin Coolidge Once Called His Secret Retreat
January 25, 2015

Stay at the Dreamy White Pine Camp President Calvin Coolidge Once Called His Secret Retreat

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If you need a few days out of the city to disconnect from the world and reconnect with nature, we can recommend a gorgeous spot in the most magical of pine-scented locales. Situated right in the heart of the Adirondacks and immersed in a forest of majestic trees, the White Pine Camp is a lovingly restored, historic accommodation built by the rich and powerful of the Gilded Age. Featuring a number of cozy cabins and cottages for rent, this rustically grandiose retreat also once served as the secret summer house of President Calvin Coolidge.
Learn more about this pine-scented spot in the Adirondacks
Take a Private Tour of the Long Island City Elevator Historical Society Museum This Weekend
January 23, 2015

Take a Private Tour of the Long Island City Elevator Historical Society Museum This Weekend

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Even true New York City culture buffs may have never heard of the Elevator Historical Society Museum (or known that such a society exists), so if you really want to impress a crowd with your knowledge of little-known urban trivia, be sure to sign up for tomorrow's tour of the Long Island City museum. The private tour, hosted by the New York Adventure Club, is being led by the museum's founder and curator Patrick Carrajat, who has collected more than 2,000 pieces of elevator ephemera like manuals, metal identification plates, pop culture paraphernalia, and obscure mechanical parts from the early days of vertical travel.
More on the museum and tour here
Photo Series Captures Three Years of NYC Subway Cars Being Dumped in the Atlantic Ocean
January 20, 2015

Photo Series Captures Three Years of NYC Subway Cars Being Dumped in the Atlantic Ocean

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Who knew that the graveyard for decommissioned NYC subway cars was at the bottom of the ocean? If this is news to you, then you don't want to miss this photo series by Stephen Mallon, who documented the train cars being dumped into the Atlantic from Delaware to South Carolina over three years. But before you call 311 about this seeming act of pollution, let us tell you that it's actually an environmental effort to create artificial reef habitats for fostering sea life along the eastern seabed, which was started over ten years ago.
More photos and info right this way
Take a Peek Inside Hundreds of Brooklyn Homes in the 1970s, Including Where Basquiat Grew Up

Mother and daughter in Flatbush

January 19, 2015

Take a Peek Inside Hundreds of Brooklyn Homes in the 1970s, Including Where Basquiat Grew Up

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An online gallery from the New York Public Library provides a stunning glimpse into domestic life in Brooklyn in the 1970s, courtesy of photographer Dinanda Nooney, who traveled through the borough from January 1978 to April 1979, capturing locals in their homes and asking them to then suggest other subjects. The black-and-white photos range from everyday scenes of Brooklynites to the residence of a local celebrity biker to the childhood home of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Take a look at Dinanda Nooney's photos here
REVEALED: HWKN Will Bring a Shiny and Shingled YOTEL Hotel/Condo to Williamsburg
January 15, 2015

REVEALED: HWKN Will Bring a Shiny and Shingled YOTEL Hotel/Condo to Williamsburg

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One of our favorite New York architects will soon be making their mark in Williamsburg. HWKN has just revealed new renderings for a brand new 14-story YOTEL coming to Brooklyn at 646 Lorimer Street. The images, which give us a taste of the exterior, are right on the mark with the YOTEL style and the rapidly changing neighborhood—and the design is what exactly you'd expect from HWKN: an eye-catching form with lots of greenspace.
Find out more here
5Pointz Artists Petition Against Developer Using Iconic Name for New Residential Towers

5Pointz before being demolished via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr

January 13, 2015

5Pointz Artists Petition Against Developer Using Iconic Name for New Residential Towers

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Back in November we first got wind of G&M Realty's plan to trademark the 5Pointz name and use it for their new residential towers at the site; now artists connected to the Long Island City graffiti mecca are fighting back. Father-son developers Jerry and David Wolkoff had their trademark application denied twice, most recently on January 6th, for being too similar to a California real estate company. Before their third go, artist Jonathan Cohen (aka MeresOne), who ran 5Pointz for ten years, has started an online campaign advocating to protect the storied name. So far the petition has 2,050 signatures, with a goal of 3,000.
More details on the 5Pointz feud
EVENT: Is the Vanderbilt Corridor the Future of East Midtown?
January 12, 2015

EVENT: Is the Vanderbilt Corridor the Future of East Midtown?

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The proposed East Midtown Rezoning has been a hotly debated issue over the past few years. First introduced by Mayor Bloomberg, and backed by Mayor de Blasio, the rezoning would allow developers to build larger and taller than the current Grand Central Terminal district zoning allows in exchange for financial contributions to the area's infrastructure needs. The Department of City Planning feels the rezoning would ensure that the area maintains its spot as a global business center, but others think it would forever ruin the historic nature of the neighborhood. One of the most major components of the project is One Vanderbilt, a 68-story, 1,514-foot zigzag tower that will stand adjacent to Grand Central. Along with the building comes a reconfiguration of the Vanderbilt Corridor, the streetscape around the Terminal. A panel discussion at the Museum of the City of New York on January 20th will examine both the tower and the corridor and what they mean for Midtown East.
More about the event here
New Public Art Piece Will Have All of Times Square Yawning at Once
January 12, 2015

New Public Art Piece Will Have All of Times Square Yawning at Once

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And not out of boredom. Sebastian Errazuriz has created a new public art piece for Times Square that is the antithesis of the high-energy, fast-paced neighborhood. It's a close-up, black-and-white, three-minute video of the artist looking around and yawning that plays on 50 digital billboards throughout Times Square, which triggers a domino effect of sleepy, open mouthed gaping, since we all know yawns are contagious. Errazuriz's idea was to instill "a pause in the city that never goes to sleep," which informs the title of the work. The yawn-athon takes place every night through January 17th at 11:47pm from 42nd to 47th Streets between Broadway and 7th Avenue.
More (yawn) details ahead
Manhattan Bed and Breakfasts Are Forced to Close in the Wake of the Airbnb Battle

Image of a B&B Mike Miley via photopin cc

December 24, 2014

Manhattan Bed and Breakfasts Are Forced to Close in the Wake of the Airbnb Battle

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We've already taken a close look at how controversial room-sharing startup Airbnb is accused of depleting the already-scarce affordable housing stock in the city, but a new type of fallout is also underway. Thanks to legislation enforced in 2011 that sought to eliminate short-term rentals and illegal hotels in residential or SRO buildings, many legal bed and breakfast owners are being forced to shut their doors.
Read about the issue here
Skating Through Time: A Look Back at NYC’s Ice Rinks
December 24, 2014

Skating Through Time: A Look Back at NYC’s Ice Rinks

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One of the most festive holiday activities doesn't end at New Year's, but rather lasts through the winter. Ice skating in NYC is a hot activity, with lines easily wrapping around the block at the Bryant Park Winter Village and Rockefeller Center's ice rink. But this isn't a new trend. Ice skating has long been a popular social pastime for New Yorkers, whether on a frozen pond in Central Park or at the Biltmore Ice Garden at the Biltmore Hotel. Plenty of historic photographs exist, documenting the transformation of the New York ice skater; so we've put together a timeline of this winter activity.
All the photos ahead
Check Out the NYC Holiday Window Displays with Google Maps

One of the holiday windows at Saks, via Google Maps

December 23, 2014

Check Out the NYC Holiday Window Displays with Google Maps

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We're starting to think Google wants us to never leave our apartments again. Not only can we tour the elite Gramercy Park without a key and explore NYC in 3D, but now we can even check out the department store holiday window displays with Google Maps, welcome news for those of us who want to get in the holiday spirit without battling the crowds. The Observer reports that the feature is available in London and New York, the latter showcasing those windows at Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, and Bloomingdale's. It's part of Google Maps' new Business View feature, which makes it possible to virtually go inside businesses and provides special offerings like a 360-degree tour of the Colbert Report set.
Take a look at this year's holiday windows
New Yorker Spotlight: All Aboard the NY Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show with Karen Daubmann
December 19, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: All Aboard the NY Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show with Karen Daubmann

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Every year, the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show gives visitors the chance to marvel at iconic New York landmarks and model trains. Now in its 23rd year, the show features more than 20 locomotives traveling on almost a quarter mile of tracks, which are laid out amongst the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Radio City Music Hall, and more than 150 other replicas made from bark, pine cones, pistachio shells, and other plant materials. Like any train, the Holiday Train Show requires a team of conductors to guide it, and Karen Daubmann is on board as the Associate Vice President of Exhibitions and Public Engagement, responsible for overseeing a wide range of current and future exhibitions. For this show, Karen works closely with Applied Imagination, the visionaries and builders behind these structures, to ensure the show runs smoothly and on time. We recently visited the show and spoke with Karen--standing near the Brooklyn Bridge and Yankee Stadium--to learn more about this annual production.
Read our full interview here
Hilarious Architecture-Inspired Holiday Cards to Hand Out This Season

© Juan Martinez Gonzalez

December 19, 2014

Hilarious Architecture-Inspired Holiday Cards to Hand Out This Season

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Giving and getting holiday cards is always fun, but every so often you'll receive one that really gets you giggling. This year, be the person handing off clever cards to your friends and family. ArchDaily has just announced their 2014 Holiday Card Contest winners, and for all of you design-minded folks and architecture nerds, they've got plenty of punny—and just downright cool—cards to choose from.
get the cards here
Can PS109 Affordable Artists’ Housing Slow the Gentrification of East Harlem?
December 17, 2014

Can PS109 Affordable Artists’ Housing Slow the Gentrification of East Harlem?

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We all know the typical gentrification pattern–artists move in to a neighborhood and make it hip; they're followed by trendy coffee shops and cool vintage stores; rents rise; the artists move on to the next frontier. But what if the influx of artists to a neighborhood slowed gentrification? It sounds like an impossible premise, but it just might be taking shape in East Harlem. Fast Co. EXIST takes a look at El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, the project which has transformed an abandoned public school building in East Harlem into 89 units of affordable live/work housing for artists and their families and 10,000 square feet of complementary space for arts organizations. A whopping 53,000 creatives applied to live in the building, where studios will rent for as low as $494/month and two-bedroom units will go for $1,022/month. But isn't Artspace’s goal to break the gentrification cycle—"to preserve the cultural fabric of a small corner of Manhattan that’s starting to change quickly" by preserving its affordable housing?
Read more ahead
1100 Architect Transforms a Boring Midtown Loft into Their Client’s Pop Art Dream Home
December 17, 2014

1100 Architect Transforms a Boring Midtown Loft into Their Client’s Pop Art Dream Home

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This home, which was previously your average-fair Midtown penthouse, was transformed by 1100 Architect to represent the playful and vibrant Pop art sensibility of the artists their clients admire most. With an art collection boasting names like Warhol, Riley, Lichtenstein and others, this penthouse renovation could be a mini-MoMA. The interior furnishings reflect the Pop style's infamous geometric forms and hard-polished surfaces like marble agglomerate floors, lacquer, stainless steel, glass, and plastic.
Tour this bright pad here
6sqft Gift Guide: A Minimal, Politically Correct Nativity Set by Émilie Voirin
December 17, 2014

6sqft Gift Guide: A Minimal, Politically Correct Nativity Set by Émilie Voirin

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If Jesus is your homeboy, you can share a bit of religious flair this holiday season without offending any Christian on your list. The Minimal Nativity Set is a contemporary take on the bible-based scene, employing beech wood or brass blocks inscribed with each scene member's name (Donkey, Joseph, Baby Jesus, etc.) to stand in for the traditional figurines. Created by French artist and designer Émilie Voirin, the blocks still represent the story and take place around the crib, but the characters have no skin color or features, leaving it up to people's imagination and personal beliefs.
More on the Minimal Nativity Set
Ways You Can Give Gifts and Volunteer in NYC This Holiday Season
December 16, 2014

Ways You Can Give Gifts and Volunteer in NYC This Holiday Season

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The holiday season is synonymous with gift-giving and sharing with others who may be less fortunate than you. This act of kindness can take on many forms; one might volunteer to serve hot food in a soup kitchen, another might donate warm clothing or kids' toys. Whatever your preferred mode of giving, there are ample opportunities in and around the city to share your holiday spirit with others. We've searched around and put together this list of the standard holiday do-gooding plus some other opportunities that could be considered a little more out-of-the-box.
Ways to give back here
Times Square Is Getting a Heart-Beating Urban Drum for Valentine’s Day
December 16, 2014

Times Square Is Getting a Heart-Beating Urban Drum for Valentine’s Day

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As New Yorkers, we don't really think of Times Square as a romantic location, but for Valentine's Day 2015 we might just stand corrected. Brooklyn-based architecture firm Stereotank was announced as the winner of the annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design contest, a public art competition held for the past seven years by the Times Square Alliance and the Architectural League of New York. Stereotank's HEARTBEAT installation is an interactive, heart-beating, glowing urban drum.
More on HEARTBEAT ahead
EVENT: Here’s Your Chance to Check Out Billionaire Peter Brant’s Converted Con Ed Station
December 15, 2014

EVENT: Here’s Your Chance to Check Out Billionaire Peter Brant’s Converted Con Ed Station

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Now's your chance to get a look into one of the city's coolest spaces. EV Grieve tells us that from now through Sunday, the curious yellow brick building located at 421 East 6th Street will open its doors to the public for its first art show featuring Dan Colen. The former Con Ed substation was recently purchased for $27 million by billionaire Peter Brant from the estate of the late Walter de Maria, the famed sculptor who converted the 16,402-square-foot structure into an incredible home and studio back in the '80s. The event is sure to delight, if not for the artist's work (which ARTnews dubs "deeply mediocre"), then at least for the chance to get a first glimpse into the extraordinary space. Nondescript and gritty on the outside, the building’s cavernous interior spaces boast ceilings as high as 32 feet, and plenty of the near-century-old substation's original details remain intact.
Find out more here
New Yorker Spotlight: Tony Muia Brings Us a Slice of NYC’s Largest Holiday Light Display in Dyker Heights
December 12, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: Tony Muia Brings Us a Slice of NYC’s Largest Holiday Light Display in Dyker Heights

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Each December, New York transforms itself into a metropolitan holiday wonderland. From window displays to the Rockefeller Center tree to the Rockettes, the city is brimming with cheer. But there's one thing missing. Aside from the occasional decorated townhouse, New York lacks the light displays and decked-out front yards that are typically associated with the suburbs. But there is one place where New Yorkers can get their fill of small-town nostalgia, and it's just a quick trip away in Dyker Heights thanks to Tony Muia's bus tour of the "undisputed capital of Christmas pageantry." Inspired by the hospitality he experienced traveling abroad, Tony started giving guided pizza tours of Brooklyn in 2005. He later expanded A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours to include neighborhood tours and his famous Christmas Lights & Cannoli Tour, which was featured in a PBS documentary and on TLC. We recently spoke with Tony, the ultimate Brooklynite, about his passion for the borough, A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours, and the magic of Dyker Heights.
Read our full interview with Tony
Family Fun: Where to Find the Best Winter Wonderlands and Santa-Centric Events in NY
December 11, 2014

Family Fun: Where to Find the Best Winter Wonderlands and Santa-Centric Events in NY

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Anyone with kids knows that there’s no such thing as too much when it comes to the sensory wonders of the holiday season. We've rounded up some Santa-centric events—from lap-climbing photo-ops to full-on wonderland to brunch with the holiday's most famous man—that aim to satisfy endless appetites for holiday cheer. We've even got a couple for your pets!
This way to the North Pole...
Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Reopens This Week After a Three-Year High-Tech Renovation
December 10, 2014

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Reopens This Week After a Three-Year High-Tech Renovation

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It's been three years since the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum was first cloaked in scaffolding, but the $91 million, LEED-certified renovation has finally come to a close. The museum, located in Andrew Carnegie's former Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue, is set to reopen this Friday, December 12th. It now boasts 60% more exhibition space and a slew of new high-tech interactive features including downloadable 3D designs, multi-touch surfaces as large as pool tables and an interactive projection that allows guests to view 500 digital images of wallpaper right on the gallery walls.
More details on the revamped museum
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