By Devin Gannon, Tue, August 4, 2020 Rendering courtesy of Vornado Realty Trust
Facebook has signed a lease for 730,000 square feet at the former James A. Farley Post Office, a Midtown landmark currently being converted into a mixed-use building, Vornado Realty Trust announced Monday. Reports of the deal first surfaced last December, but the coronavirus pandemic put into question the need for massive office space with thousands of workers. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the deal shows New York’s resilience as the city recovers from the crisis. “Vornado’s and Facebook’s investment in New York and commitment to further putting down roots here – even in the midst of a global pandemic – is a signal to the world that our brightest days are still ahead and we are open for business,” Cuomo said in a statement. “This public-private partnership fortifies New York as an international center of innovation.”
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By Devin Gannon, Wed, July 22, 2020 Since Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out the open restaurants program last month, allowing eateries to serve diners on sidewalks and in adjacent parking spots, over 9,000 eateries have reopened for outdoor dining. Offering another lifeline to the struggling industry, especially now that indoor dining has been postponed indefinitely, the city has also closed more than 40 blocks to traffic for its weekend-only open streets dining program, overseen by community organizations and neighborhood Business Improvement Districts. With so many al fresco dining options available, we’re rounding up the most iconic New York City streets and establishments now open for outdoor dining, from the most photographed block in Brooklyn and New York’s oldest bar in Queens to open-air plazas with views of city landmarks.
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By Dana Schulz, Fri, July 17, 2020 When it comes to reopenings, we’re starting to see some plans surfacing. In some cases, it’s positive news–the Met will reopen on August 29th, the Yankees and the Mets have started training at their home fields. In other cases, reopening is further off–Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Met Opera have all cancelled their fall seasons. We’re also seeing events, like the U.S. Open, taking on a new life, while others, like the NYC Marathon, will have to wait until next year. But whatever the case, 6sqft has put together a list of reopenings, postponements, and cancellations for New York City’s many museums, performance venues, outdoor spaces, and events.
The full list here
By Dana Schulz, Wed, June 24, 2020 Photo by Victor He on Unsplash
In early May, Governor Cuomo revealed that businesses across New York would reopen in four phases. He divided the state into 10 regions and created seven metrics that would determine when a region could begin the process. As of Monday, New York City finally entered phase two, which permits outdoor dining, in-store retail, hair salons, playgrounds, and more. To help make all the transitions a bit easier, we’ve put together a guide that breaks down what exactly is being monitored to determine reopening, what businesses are allowed to reopen in each phase, and other important info like transportation and testing.
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By 6sqft, Wed, June 24, 2020 Outdoor dining being set up on Columbus Avenue between 72nd and 73rd Streets. Photo by 6sqft
With New York City officially in its second phase of reopening, restaurants were allowed to open for outdoor dining on Monday. This includes not only sidewalk and patio seating, but it lets establishments set up tables in adjacent parking spots. And come next month, certain open streets will be open, too. To help you decide where to eat first, we’ve begun compiling a list of restaurants offering outdoor dining, neighborhood by neighborhood. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so we hope that you, our readers, will share more restaurants with us that we can add to this list.
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