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January 29, 2019

The history and future of the East Village’s Punjabi Deli; Wear socks inspired by subway tiles

Images: Via Flickr cc (L); Via Wiki Commons (R) These $15 socks were inspired by the Carroll Street subway stop’s “lawn green” and “hunter green” wall tiles. [NYP] Target’s small-format store in Kips Bay is hiring 80 employees ahead of its April 7th opening. [NBC] The East Village’s Punjabi Deli has served as a hangout, rest […]

January 24, 2019

Gracie Mansion’s new exhibit is all about females; Park in a bus lane and get towed

As any good New Yorker knows, roaches don’t die. So to show your sweetie how much you love them this Valentine’s Day, name one of the Bronx Zoo’s Madagascar hissing cockroaches after them. [Bronx Zoo] The Essex Street Market is seeking artists to design a mural for their forthcoming Essex Crossing headquarters. [Bowery Boogie] Gracie Mansion’s […]

January 17, 2019

Campaign to save Westsider Books raises $27,000 in just one day

Editor's Note 1/22/19: Westsider Books has been saved after over 800 people contributed to the campaign, raising more than $52,000 in just four days. The campaign's organizer, Bobby Panza, told 6sqft: "It's beautiful to see the community, at large, come together like this. Sometimes you don't know what you have until the precipice of losing it. Most times you can't go back and do anything, but here we could. And we did. Thank you to everyone involved. I hope we cherish the great things we love, like Westsider Books and patronize them to keep them in business." News broke earlier this week that the beloved Westsider Books, the Upper West Side's last used book store, would be shutting its doors next month after 35 years at its home on Broadway between 80th and 81st Streets. Co-owner Dorian Thornley had told UWS blog West Side Rag that he would consider staying open if he could raise $50,000. And now a group of locals are trying to do just that, starting a Go Fund Me campaign and raising more than $27,000 in just one day! A tipster tells 6sqft that after hearing the news, a stunned Dorian said, "This renews my faith in humanity."
Get the whole scoop
January 15, 2019

Upper West Side’s last used bookstore will close after 35 years

The age of Amazon is now more in-your-face than ever for local bookstores. And though the Lower East Side's McNally Jackson and Midtown's Drama Book Shop were recently saved, it looks like the Upper West Side's beloved Westsider Books will not be so lucky. West Side Rag reports that the shop, which opened on Broadway between 80th and 81st Streets 35 years ago, will close next month amid decreasing sales.
What happened?
January 8, 2019

Navy Yard Wegman’s readying for fall 2019 debut; City’s new $100M plan provides health care for all

The city’s first “package-free” grocery store has opened in Bushwick. [Grub Street] In more grocery store news, the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s forthcoming Wegman’s is hiring for its fall 2019 opening. [Bklyner] An Andy Warhol-themed bar called The Factory 380 has opened in Murray Hill. [WSJ] Mayor de Blasio announced a new $100 million program that will […]

January 8, 2019

Lin-Manuel Miranda and NYC team up to save Theater District’s 100-year-old Drama Book Shop

One of New York City's go-to spots for thespians and Broadway lovers will remain open after all, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Lin-Manuel Miranda and three "Hamilton" associates, along with the city, have purchased the Drama Book Shop, saving it from impending closure. The independent bookseller announced in October it would have to close its doors due to rising rents in the Times Square neighborhood. But with investment from Miranda and his team, and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), the Drama Book Shop will reopen this fall at a new location within the theater district.
More here
January 2, 2019

42-story condo will rise at Morningside Heights seminary; NYC traffic deaths hit lowest in a century

Rendering via Robert A.M. Stern Architects (L); Via Pexels (R) Did you know the oldest surviving mosque in the country is in Williamsburg? [Bedford + Bowery] This unemployed, 21-year-old Bronx man monitors frustrated Tweets to the MTA all day every day. [NYDN] See the 42-story condo tower planned for the Union Theological Seminary’s campus in Morningside […]

December 31, 2018

6SQFT’S TOP STORIES OF 2018!

As we wrap up 2018, 6sqft is taking a look back at the top stories of the past 12 months in topics like apartment tours, new developments, real estate trends, and history. From a behind-the-scenes tour of Williamsburg's abandoned oil tanks to a sneak peek at Amazon's new Long Island City home to a look back at how Native American ironworkers built the NYC skyline, these are the stories that readers couldn't get enough of.
See the full list here
December 31, 2018

Thousands sign online petition to rename stretch of Fifth Ave in front of Trump Tower after Obama

Over 3,800 people have signed a petition to rename the block in front of Trump Tower after President Barack Obama. Without specifically mentioning the Midtown building developed by President Donald Trump, the MoveOn.org appeal requests the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio rename the part of Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Street "President Barack H. Obama Avenue."
Get the details
December 29, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

The Alyn’s High-End Luxury Rentals Debut at 152 East 87th Street in Carnegie Hill [LINK] Embankment House: Premier No Fee Apartments in Jersey City from $2,025/Month [LINK] Rental Leasing Launches at 906 Lorimer Street in Greenpoint; 1 Bedrooms for $3,450/Month [LINK] Spacious No-Fee Three-Bedrooms in Harlem Listed from $2,200/Month [LINK] SEE MORE RENTAL NEWS AND OFFERS […]

December 24, 2018

Own a piece of the Panorama; Emma and Liam are NYC’s top baby names

Just how rampant is subway fare evasion? At Times Square, one rider a minute sneaks in. [NYT] A judge has temporarily blocked the state’s congestion pricing surcharge on taxi and for-hire vehicles. [abc7] For just $100, you can “buy” some NYC real estate at the Queens Museum’s Panorama of the City of New York. [Untapped Cities] […]

December 20, 2018

NYC added 20+ miles of protected bike lanes this year; Guggenheim nominated as World Heritage Site

The city added more than 20 miles of protected bike lanes in 2018, bringing the total to 1,217 miles. [NYC Mayor’s Office] Eight Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, including the Guggenheim, have been nominated to be World Heritage Sites. [Curbed] Get a tour of Amy Sedaris’ quirky, theatrical Greenwich Village apartment. [The Cut] Ever hear of […]

December 11, 2018

Cuomo gets involved in L train shutdown plans; Jean-Georges will bring fine dining to the TWA Hotel

This Thursday night, Governor Cuomo will tour the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel and “personally” vet the L Train shutdown plans. [amNY] Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will run a restaurant and a lounge inside the TWA Hotel, which will bring back some classic dishes from in-flight TWA menus from the 1950s and ’60s. [NYT] Is Manhattan West trying to compete with […]

December 10, 2018

Scraps from ill-fated New York Wheel will go up for auction next month

The project to build the would-be world's tallest Ferris wheel in Staten Island was called off in October, after nearly a decade of delays and $450 million in investment. While the proposed 630-foot New York Wheel is officially dead, parts of the ill-fated attraction will go up for auction next month, the New York Post reported. Items up for sale include the wheel's legs, valued at $9.2 million, and drive towers, for $3.3 million.
Get your hands on the wheel
December 7, 2018

Columbus Circle monument gets historic designation; Amy Poehler opens Park Slope wine shop

Despite calls to remove it, the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [NYP] Visit the last chess shop in NYC. [The Atlantic] Amy Poehler has opened a wine store in Park Slope. [Eater] How Staten Island is keeping brick-and-mortar retail alive and repurposing its shopping malls. [CO] […]

December 6, 2018

Central Park releases access map for people with limited mobility

A new map from the Central Park Conservancy includes lots of new information about the park's playgrounds, trails, restrooms, entertainment areas and other spaces that decodes the park for people with disabilities and/or limited mobility. Helpful information includes information on park terrain, letting visitors know how steep various trails are, and where there are stairs or other potential obstacles.
Full map, this way
December 3, 2018

Ikea’s first Manhattan store will open this spring on East 59th Street

After teasing us last week with news that they were in the "preliminary" planning stages of opening a city-center store in New York City, Ikea has today announced, that they will, in fact, open their first Manhattan store in spring 2019. The IKEA Planning Studio--a delivery-only store concept that focuses on "smart solutions for urban living and small spaces"--will open at 999 Third Avenue, right across the street from Bloomingdales at 59th Street and just over the Queensboro Bridge from Long Island City where Amazon is readying to bring 25,000 employees.
All the details
November 27, 2018

Frida Khalo exhibit coming to Brooklyn Museum; Iconic East Village bar Continental sets closing date

Frida Kahlo self portrait via Wiki Commmons (L); Google Street View of Continental Bar (R) Check out this year’s holiday window displays. [Untapped Cities] Meet the man who provides picture-perfect avocados to 120+ NYC restaurants. [Eater] A huge Frida Kahlo exhibit will open at the Brooklyn Museum in February. [WSJ] And a retrospective on New Yorker cartoonist […]

November 25, 2018

Rental Offers: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Newly-Built Rentals at The Lewis Leasing Serene Midtown West Rentals from $2,825/Month=[LINK] The Rollins at Essex Crossing: New Lower East Side Rentals Leasing with Special Offers[LINK] Carnegie Hill Luxury Rentals from $2,995/Month at 1510 Lexington Avenue[LINK] Newly-Constructed, No Fee Rentals at 46 Cook Street in Williamsburg; 2-Beds for $2,999/Month[LINK] SEE MORE RENTAL NEWS AND OFFERS […]

November 17, 2018

Rental Offers: Money to Burn? Greenwich Village apartments on Houston Street from $14,995/mo

High-End Greenwich Village Rentals Available at Newly Constructed 136 West Houston Street=[LINK] 223 Fourth Avenue Offers Luxury Park Slope Rentals from $2,452/Month [LINK] Newly-Renovated Lower East Side Rentals at 10 Rutgers Street; No Fee + 1 Month Free[LINK] Halo LIC: Industrial-Inspired No-Fee Rentals with 1 Month Free in the Heart of Long Island City [LINK] […]

November 16, 2018

FAO Schwarz’s new Rockefeller Center flagship is now open

To mark the return of the iconic FAO Schwarz toy emporium to NYC in the form of a new 2.5-story, 20,000-square-foot-plus flagship at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the store hosted a celebrity-studded VIP preview Thursday night ahead of Friday's opening. Guests included Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Whoopi Goldberg, Bethenny Frankel, Morena Baccarin, Carrie Berk, and Disney's Mia Sinclair Jenness. Doors opened today at 10:30 a.m., kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. With a nod to the brand's magical history as part of New York City lore, the new store uses the Art Deco architecture of its new home to amplify memories of FAO experiences from years past; a look toward the future begins with FAO Schwarz toy soldiers flanking the store's 49th street entrance sporting new uniforms designed by supermodel Gigi Hadid.
Welcome back to our world of toys
November 15, 2018

Björk is coming to the Shed; Will Ikea bring a mixed-use development to NYC?

Björk will premiere her “most elaborate stage concert yet’ during the inaugural season of Hudson Yards’ performance venue the Shed. [Gothamist] Ikea is looking to open six mixed-use developments in the next two years, and NYC is on their list. [CO] At $61,000 per Amazon job, New York pays twice what Virginia does. [Business Insider] Get a look […]

November 12, 2018

This map shows the diversity of NYC’s veterans in every neighborhood

The New York City greater metropolitan area is home to over a million service members, veterans and their families. To provide an idea of just how many veterans call the city home–and how diverse a community they are– the New York City Department of Veterans' Services has compiled a set of maps using the most recently available data from the American Community Survey and the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Maps and more info, this way
October 31, 2018

City plans to invest $180M in Long Island City infrastructure

Yesterday the de Blasio Administration released the Long Island City Investment Strategy, an effort by the city to support sustainable growth in the waterfront neighborhood. Following an upzoning in 2001, the area has seen incredible transformation in the form of thousands of new apartments and waterfront towers. The city admits that the reason behind its strategy is such rapid development, which has strained neighborhood resources and the quality of life of residents. $180 million is designated for the area, which is on top of $2.2 billion the city says its already invested over the years. "We are investing $180 million in Long Island City to address the needs of today while preparing for a more sustainable future." Mayor de Blasio stated in a press release.
Where will the money go?