City Living

February 12, 2018

How NYC companies use workplace design and perks to affect emotional health and productivity

Modern companies understand that in order to attract and retain the best talent, they have to compete on more than salaries, vacation, and healthcare. Companies like Google, WeWork, Pixar, and Facebook are well known for providing workspaces that inspire creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Clive Wilkinson, the architect of Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters, is quoted as saying, “75 to 80 percent of America is cubicle land. Cubicles are the worst - like chicken farming. They are humiliating, disenfranchising and isolating. So many American corporations still have them." Modern office designs are the opposite of closed off, fluorescent-lit cubicles- they are open with natural light and little, if any, suggestion of hierarchies. In addition to designing workspaces that inspire creativity, these modern companies also providing perks like free food, drink, and recreation to entice employees. So what are some of the best practices in designing offices for people’s emotional health and productivity? And what other perks do companies have to offer to attract the top talent?
Here's what companies are offering up

A glamping retreat will open on Governors Island this summer

Photo courtesy of the Trust for Governors Island

February 7, 2018

A glamping retreat will open on Governors Island this summer

By Devin Gannon

Tired of the bitter cold? Already devising warm-weather activities for the summer? Thankfully, the Trust for Governors Island just made planning a lot easier. The Trust announced on Wednesday its plan to open a temporary glamping retreat to the Island from Collective Hotels & Retreats, a group that brings the accommodations of a five-star hotel to the outdoors. As part of a three-year license, the company will transform six acres of the 172-acre island into an "environmentally-friendly overnight lodging retreat with unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty."
Get the details

INTERVIEW: Flank Development’s Mick Walsdorf on bringing timber construction back to NYC

360 Wythe Avenue, courtesy 320 and 360 Wythe/Flank

January 31, 2018

INTERVIEW: Flank Development’s Mick Walsdorf on bringing timber construction back to NYC

By Emily Nonko

Last November, news broke that Manhattan-based firm Flank Architecture + Development would construct two mid-rise office and retail buildings made of timber in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the first to be built in New York in over a century. Located at 320 and 360 Wythe Avenues, they are currently rising three and five stories, constructed from raw Canadian wood, which will be engineered into nail-laminated timber panels. The timber structure will rise above the concrete foundation, then it'll be covered by a brick facade. Flank co-founder Mick Walsdorf has said the ambitious project "will expand the limits of traditional construction and usher in a new era of sustainability-minded building practices." The firm has grown significantly since Walsdorf and Jon Kully were studying together at Columbia's Graduate School for Architecture, envisioning the possibilities of a joint architecture and development firm. Since then Flank has tackled the development and design of residential and commercial projects across the city, from The Boerum condominium in Brooklyn to the condo conversion at 40 Walker Street in Tribeca. With 6sqft, Mick discusses the history of the firm and the benefits of tackling both the architecture and development side of a project in New York City. He also gets into detail about why Flank decided to take on timber construction, and how construction is expected to unroll this year.
Keep reading for the full interview

A guide to operating a legal home business in New York City

Image via Pexels

January 30, 2018

A guide to operating a legal home business in New York City

By Cait Etherington

Whether you’re baking pies for sale, taking care of children and pets, or setting up an apiary on the roof of your loft with hopes of selling your own honey at a local farmer’s market, running a home business in New York City is a complex affair. There are many circumstances under which home businesses are legal, but don’t take anything for granted. There are myriad city and state regulations to navigate. If you’re caught running an illegal home business or simply a business that is not fully in compliance, you may find yourself without a source of income, facing eviction, and owing high fines.
Everything you need to know about operating a home business in NYC

Thanks to a new start-up, your Uber might be stocked with Skittles and Korean face masks

Photo via Cargo

January 25, 2018

Thanks to a new start-up, your Uber might be stocked with Skittles and Korean face masks

By Devin Gannon

A new start-up wants to convert your Uber or Lyft car into a 7-Eleven on wheels while benefitting drivers in the process. The company, called Cargo, sends drivers a box packed with snacks and amenities, like Pringles, earbuds and Advil to sell to riders. While some goodies are free, others like an iPhone charging cord will cost a few bucks, but passengers can easily pay on their phones, according to Forbes. Each time a passenger uses Cargo, even if it's just for the free samples, drivers can earn money. According to the company, drivers can earn up to $300 per month, with most earning about $100 every month.
Snack on this

Here is what might temporarily close in New York City if the government shuts down

Federal Hall, photo courtesy of Wikimedia

January 19, 2018

Here is what might temporarily close in New York City if the government shuts down

By Devin Gannon

If you're an out-of-towner planning a classic, tourist-attraction-filled trip to New York City soon, you may want to rethink your visit. The U.S. government might be headed toward a shutdown, with its funding set to expire by midnight Friday. Although it's not totally clear yet what will be affected in NYC, the last government shutdown in 2013, which lasted 16 days, temporarily closed national parks and a few federally-funded museums citywide. While there's a chance the national parks and museums might choose to stay open, ahead find which ones might be affected in the event of a government shutdown.
More this way

The Urban Lens: The quest to document every diner in NYC

Metro Diner on Broadway and 100th Street

January 19, 2018

The Urban Lens: The quest to document every diner in NYC

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Riley Arthur documents NYC's vanishing diners. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. "There's no comparison to a New York diner experience," says photographer Riley Arthur, which is what led her to start documenting all of the establishments throughout the five boroughs. Though she recently moved from Astoria to Florida, over the past two-and-a-half years she's photographed roughly 215 diners ("I've lost count," she says), usually hitting 10-12 a day and ordering a matzo ball soup at each! Since she began, at least a dozen diners have closed, usually due to rising rents, but Riley still has about 60 left to photograph. She shares her journey on the popular Instagram account Diners of NYC, where you'll see everything from the faux-stone and shiny metal facades to the greasy bacon and eggs to the massive plastic menus to the neon signs and leather banquettes. Riley shared a set of her snapshots with 6sqft and filled us in on her process and favorite spots.
See Riley's photos here

When it comes to attracting new residents, NYC wins big, but it’s complicated

Photo via WNYC/Flickr

January 19, 2018

When it comes to attracting new residents, NYC wins big, but it’s complicated

By Michelle Cohen

A new data analysis effort from the Washington Post titled "The top 10 places people are moving, and how their choices differ by race" offers some interesting insights into where people are ending up when they come from...elsewhere. Though it's not the article's intent, the first thing we notice is that New York City is number one in attracting sheer masses, huddled and otherwise. And the biggest comparable block of hopeful humanity is coming "from abroad." The attraction factor gets more complex, though, when we adjust for size, looking at the percentage of the overall population the newcomers comprise. In that case, metro areas like Colorado Springs and San Jose move to the top. And what about race? Even more complicated.
Read on

City Living

January 18, 2018

Hamptons mansion from Seinfeld’s ‘shrinkage’ episode sells for $5.7M

By Michelle Cohen

6sqft reported last year that the Amagansett home at 45 Whalers Lane, featured in Seinfeld's unforgettable "ugly baby" episode—also known as "The Hamptons!"—was for sale, asking $8.75 million. Now, according to Curbed, the 4,000- square-foot Hamptons estate with sweeping oceanfront views that helped introduce the term "shrinkage" into modern day vernacular has just sold for a somehow-appropriate $5.725 million–about $3 million less than its original ask.
more views this way

Rental fraud 101: How to keep yourself and your money safe

Photo via Pixabay

January 17, 2018

Rental fraud 101: How to keep yourself and your money safe

By Matt Hutchinson

January is a busy month for renters across the U.S., described by one broker as the "oasis month" in an otherwise dead stretch between October and the spring. People make big life-changing decisions at the New Year, which often means moving – plus there’s the backlog of renters who put off sorting their living situation over the holiday season who are all entering the market at once in the first week of January. New York’s rental market is estimated to be worth over $700 million in rent and over $44 million in deposits in January alone. With so much money changing hands, it means renters are an attractive target for scammers and fraudsters. Thankfully, rental fraud is rare, but a little knowledge goes a long way. So if you’re entering the rental market after the holidays, here are three things you can do to keep yourself (and your money) safe.
READ MORE

The 12 best specialty bookshops in NYC

By Rebecca Fishbein

Independent bookstores are still going strong in NYC, with standouts like BookCulture, WORD Bookstore, McNally Jackson, and, of course, The Strand Bookstore, continuing to provide literary New Yorkers with the written word despite the specter of Amazon. But while the aforementioned shops are great places to find new and used literature, if you’re looking for a more curated collection, look no further than some of the city’s finest specialty bookstores, where mystery fiends, activists, artists, Francophiles, and others can find works tailored to their interests, as well as rub shoulders with like-minded readers. Here are some of our favorites.
NYC's 12 best specialty bookshops

INTERVIEW: Legendary architect Beverly Willis on gender equity in the building and design industry

Photo of Beverly Willis courtesy of BWAF; photo of the San Francisco Ballet Building courtesy of Wikimedia

January 3, 2018

INTERVIEW: Legendary architect Beverly Willis on gender equity in the building and design industry

By Devin Gannon

Throughout her more than 70-year-career, Beverly Willis has made an impact on nearly every aspect of the architecture industry. Willis, who began her professional career as a fresco painter, is credited with pioneering the adaptive reuse construction of historic buildings. She also introduced computerized programming into large-scale land planning and created a permanent prototype for buildings designed exclusively for ballet, with the San Francisco Ballet Building, one of her most iconic and enduring projects. As a woman in the building industry during the middle of the 20th century, and without any formal architectural training, Willis faced barriers that her male co-workers did not. After decades of success, instead of retiring Willis, founded the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF), aimed at shining a light on women architects who were left out of the history books. In 2017, BWAF launched a website, "Pioneering Women of American Architecture," that profiles 50 women who made significant contributions to the field. Ahead, architect Beverly Willis talks with 6sqft about how she became a pioneer in the field, the goals of her foundation and her continued push for gender equity in architecture, and beyond, through education and research.
More this way

For the ninth consecutive year, Dunkin’ Donuts ranks as NYC’s largest national retailer

Dunkin’ Donuts, photo courtesy of Robert S on Flickr

December 28, 2017

For the ninth consecutive year, Dunkin’ Donuts ranks as NYC’s largest national retailer

By Devin Gannon

New Yorkers really do run on Dunkin'. According to a report from the Center for an Urban Future, beloved national coffee and donut chain, Dunkin' Donuts, has the most stores of any chain in New York City, with 612 stores total, a net increase of 16 stores in 2016 and 271 stores since 2008. In their tenth annual ranking, CUF's report found that the number of national retailers in the city increased by 1.8 percent from last year, with food retailers and restaurants showing the strongest growth. New to the list and ranking second is cell-phone store MetroPCS, which now has 445 stores citywide, adding a whopping 119 locations in the past year. Following Dunkin', Subway is the most popular fast-food chain in each of the boroughs, with a total 317 stores.
Find out more

Nuclear fallout shelter signs being removed around the city

Photo via Wiki Commons

December 28, 2017

Nuclear fallout shelter signs being removed around the city

By Emily Nonko

New York City has started taking down the yellow nuclear fallout shelter signs slapped on thousands of buildings across the city in the 1960s. According to AM New York, city officials believe these metal black-and-yellow signs "are misleading Cold War relics that no longer denote functional shelters." But back in the '60s, they were considered emblematic of the era. President John F. Kennedy created a shelter program in 1961 across U.S. cities as anxieties grew high over the nuclear arms race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. By 1963, an estimated 18,000 shelters had been designated across the five boroughs, and the Department of Defense had plans to add another 34,000 shelters citywide. Most were no more than basements marked by an official government sign--and now the remnants of such signs are coming down.
Read more history of New York's fallout shelters

December 20, 2017

IDNYC adds eight new benefits for 2018

By Dana Schulz

Three years ago, IDNYC's benefits included mostly free or discounted membership to museums and cultural institutions, but now that the ID card is entering its fourth year, it's adding some more entertainment-based perks. A press release from the Mayor's office announced that the 1.2 million cardholders (it's the largest local identification program in the nation) will receive benefits from eight new partners in 2018, including Zipcar, Chelsea Piers Golf Club, Entertainment Cruises, and the SculptureCenter.
READ MORE

Everything you need to know about breaking a lease in NYC

Via Pixabay

December 19, 2017

Everything you need to know about breaking a lease in NYC

By Cait Etherington

Whether you’ve just been offered a dream job in Austin or decided to ditch New York City for a farmhouse in New Paltz, if you have a lease, you have problem. Leases are generally a good thing: They give tenants the right to stay in an apartment on a year to year or even bi-annual basis. If you need to vacate early, however, a lease can quickly start to feel like vice grip on your future. Fortunately, tenants, at least those living in rental buildings, do have some legal ways to opt out early. This guide outlines the ins and outs of lease breaking, how to find a qualified tenant, and what to do if you are currently renting in a condominium or co-op where lease breaking is a far more complex process.
Everything you need to know, right here

December 19, 2017

Will New York get a White Christmas this year?

By Devin Gannon

In the United States, if at least one inch of snow falls on the morning of December 25, it gets labeled as a "White Christmas." While some states in the north and Midwest are the most likely to enjoy a snow day on Christmas, the phenomenon is uncommon in New York, but not impossible. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency that provides timely information about climate and weather patterns, created a map that shows the historic probability of there being at least one inch of snow on the ground in 48 states on Christmas. The darkest gray shows places where the probability is less than 10 percent and the white areas show probabilities greater than 90 percent.
Is New York dreaming of a White Christmas?

City Living

Calculate holiday tips for your doorman with this helpful ‘tip-o-meter’

Photo courtesy of Steven Pisano on Flickr

December 15, 2017

Calculate holiday tips for your doorman with this helpful ‘tip-o-meter’

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Not sure how much to tip your doorman this holiday season? Triplemint has released its very own, first-of-its-kind "Holiday Doorman Tip-O-Meter" to dynamically calculate exactly how much tip you should give. With six quick questions (ranging from your building size to how generous a tipper you are), the Tip-O-Meter immediately generates a minimum-maximum tip range suggestion. The program's algorithm is based on data collected from surveys conducted on over 100 NYC doormen in major neighborhoods in Manhattan. NYC doormen were asked: How much do you recommend you give residents this year (based on apartment size Studio, 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom, 3-Bedroom +)? Do you expect More/Same/Less than last year? And what is the size of your building?
Tips on tipping this way

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

December 14, 2017

New Amtrak app helps you navigate through Penn Station’s chaos

By Michelle Cohen

If you've ever found yourself lost in a maze of corridors or trampled in a boarding stampede at Penn Station, help may have arrived in the form of yet another useful mobile app. Beginning this week, Amtrak will offer a free app, FindYourWay, that helps travelers–65,000 of whom pass through the station each day–find their way through the station and avoid the crush of crowds that form around electronic boards announcing train departures, the New York Times reports.
Find out more

December 13, 2017

INTERVIEW: Zoning and land-use attorney Michael Hiller fights to uphold the Landmarks Law

By Penelope Bareau

Michael Hiller is a zoning and land-use attorney who has represented community groups in seemingly impossible quests for about 20 years. His high-profile cases have often been against the Landmarks Preservation Commission, notably Tribeca's iconic Clock Tower Building and new construction along historic Gansevoort Street, both of which are pending appeal by the defendants. As one legal observer commented, "He has become an expert in the nuances of the Landmarks Law from a legal perspective. In court, he is very talented on his feet before a very hot bench, before judges who ask a lot of tough questions." His successes have won him designation as a Super Lawyer every year since 2009 as well as the 2017 Grassroots Award from the Historic Districts Council. 6sqft recently visited Michael at his office to learn more about his work.
Ahead, hear from Michael and learn more about his current cases

MTA to close East River tunnel to speed repairs

Image ©6sqft

December 13, 2017

MTA to close East River tunnel to speed repairs

By Michelle Cohen

As part of an effort to speed up its emergency repair plan, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced plans to close the E and M line tunnels under East River between Manhattan and Queens for five days at the end of this month, the New York Times reports. The shutdown will start early on December 26 and end early on Dec. 31, taking advantage of a rare lull: Almost a million fewer people use the subway during that time than other weeks of the year— five million compared with 5.9 million according to MTA data.
Find out the timing is right for a shutdown

Christmas tree prices rise as competition and soaring expenses threaten small vendors with extinction

A Christmas tree stand at 6th Avenue and 14th Street. Image: 6sqft

December 11, 2017

Christmas tree prices rise as competition and soaring expenses threaten small vendors with extinction

By Michelle Cohen

Each year in December, scores of Christmas tree vendors descend on New York City from as far as Quebec to turn the city's sidewalks into a virtual pop-up forest. What makes this seasonal opportunity so appealing? The “coniferous tree” exception, a City Council law dating from 1938, says vendors can sell and display Christmas trees on a sidewalk in December without a permit as long as they get an ok from adjacent building owners and they don't block the sidewalk. Sellers lobby adjacent storefronts for permission, sometimes paying a fee and often in competition with other sellers. This year, as the New York Times reports, competition from chain stores–and other vendors jockeying for prime spots in parks and other public locations that come with high fees–are chopping into the profits for the army of tree sellers that descends on the city at holiday time. Costs get passed to consumers–and prices are soaring.
Why trees are demanding more green this year

‘I Love New York’ design legend Milton Glaser brings new works to NYC subway stations

Milton Glaser’s new subway posters, L-R “Give Help,”” To Dream Is Human,””It’s Not About Me, It’s About We.” Images © Milton Glaser for SVA.

December 7, 2017

‘I Love New York’ design legend Milton Glaser brings new works to NYC subway stations

By Michelle Cohen

"I Love New York" design legend Milton Glaser will debut three new works this week in places that can always use more love: New York City subway stations. The three posters, according to Glaser, are a direct counterpoint to President Trump's attack on humanity and reflect the designer's commitment to justice using art and design to inspire social engagement. Milton's signs join the School of Visual Arts' enduring "Underground Images" ad campaign which has for the past half-century featured the work of a roster of A-list current and former design faculty including Ivan Chermayeff, Edel Rodriguez, Paula Scher and Tom Geismar in NYC subways. The series has challenged millions of New Yorkers to "think big, take chances and never stop learning. "
Find out more about the new posters and their meanings

Helmut Lang’s throwback “Taxi Project” collection uses real NYC cab drivers as models

Credit: Alex Lee. Image courtesy of Helmut Lang

December 5, 2017

Helmut Lang’s throwback “Taxi Project” collection uses real NYC cab drivers as models

By Michelle Cohen

Iconic fashion brand Helmut Lang has launched a capsule collection called the "Taxi Project," named in celebration of the fact that the eponymous Austrian designer–though he no longer heads the company–was the first designer to advertise on top of the city's yellow cabs starting in 1998. InStyle reports that as part of the project, actual NYC taxi drivers posed for an editorial shoot by Alex Lee, held in a body shop in Queens, in which they're wearing the new hoodies and tee. The brand is having a giveaway of items from the sporty collection–via taxi, of course.
Find out more and win free stuff

This might be an uptown rat sampling a salad Niçoise. Image: Wikipedia.

November 30, 2017

Is that an uptown rat or a downtown rat? Study says there’s a difference.

By Michelle Cohen

Next time you see a rat in Comme des Garçons sneakers, you'll know you're in the West Village. Fordham University graduate student Matthew Combs is what you might call an urban rat scholar. Most recently Combs and his colleagues have been focused on the DNA of Manhattan's brown rats; according to The Atlantic, they've been able to produce the most comprehensive genetic rat population portrait to date. Their study revealed that there are distinctive rat subpopulations within the city's scampering masses: In particular, Manhattan's uptown and downtown rats are genetically distinguishable from one another.
Distinct neighborhoods have their own distinct rats

City Living

City Living

How NYC companies use workplace design and perks to affect emotional health and productivity

A glamping retreat will open on Governors Island this summer

INTERVIEW: Flank Development’s Mick Walsdorf on bringing timber construction back to NYC

A guide to operating a legal home business in New York City

Thanks to a new start-up, your Uber might be stocked with Skittles and Korean face masks

Here is what might temporarily close in New York City if the government shuts down

The Urban Lens: The quest to document every diner in NYC

When it comes to attracting new residents, NYC wins big, but it’s complicated

Hamptons mansion from Seinfeld’s ‘shrinkage’ episode sells for $5.7M

Rental fraud 101: How to keep yourself and your money safe

The 12 best specialty bookshops in NYC

INTERVIEW: Legendary architect Beverly Willis on gender equity in the building and design industry

For the ninth consecutive year, Dunkin’ Donuts ranks as NYC’s largest national retailer

Nuclear fallout shelter signs being removed around the city

IDNYC adds eight new benefits for 2018

For $825K, a sweet South Slope co-op near Prospect Park

Everything you need to know about breaking a lease in NYC

Will New York get a White Christmas this year?

Calculate holiday tips for your doorman with this helpful ‘tip-o-meter’

New Amtrak app helps you navigate through Penn Station’s chaos

INTERVIEW: Zoning and land-use attorney Michael Hiller fights to uphold the Landmarks Law

MTA to close East River tunnel to speed repairs

Christmas tree prices rise as competition and soaring expenses threaten small vendors with extinction

‘I Love New York’ design legend Milton Glaser brings new works to NYC subway stations

Helmut Lang’s throwback “Taxi Project” collection uses real NYC cab drivers as models

Is that an uptown rat or a downtown rat? Study says there’s a difference.

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