Midtown West

As Penn Station continues its much-needed makeover, a beloved mainstay from its past is returning. Tracks Raw Bar & Grill will reopen at the Long Island Rail Road Concourse in Penn Station, five years after its iconic underground location closed to make way for a new entrance to the station. Expected to open by the end of the year, Tracks will occupy a 3,150-square-foot space that will recreate the restaurant's original "train-themed" decor and celebrate the history of the Long Island Rail Road with vintage prints and murals.
get the details

Roberta’s Pizza opens next to Penn Station

Photo courtesy of Vornado

July 9, 2024

Roberta’s Pizza opens next to Penn Station

Roberta's Pizza has opened its first standalone location in Manhattan. The renowned restaurant, which opened in Bushwick in 2008 and quickly became a foodie favorite for its wood-fired Neapolitan-style pies, can be found between 33rd Street and 7th Avenue, next to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, within Vornado's mixed-use Penn District campus. The two-story restaurant combines a ground-floor to-go slice shop, a full-service restaurant, and a roof deck with a Tiki bar, the latter of which will open later this month.
find out more

Food & Dining

Central Park Tower penthouse closes for $115M

Image courtesy of Extell

June 17, 2024

Central Park Tower penthouse closes for $115M

A penthouse at Central Park Tower closed for $115 million, becoming New York City's fourth priciest apartment sale on record. Taking up the 107th and 108th floors of the tallest tower in the Western Hemisphere, the duplex condo on Billionaires' Row was first listed for $175 million last March and entered contract early this year.
READ MORE

Real Estate Trends

The High Line celebrates 15 years as a public park

All photos by Rowa Lee unless otherwise noted

June 13, 2024

The High Line celebrates 15 years as a public park

Fifteen years have passed since the High Line opened to the public, transforming a crumbling rail line into an urban oasis. Since opening in June 2009, more than 75 million people have visited the elevated public park. Its construction has generated over $2 billion in private investment and economic activity, creating a booming neighborhood with new residential and cultural developments centered around the park. To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the High Line will host new public art installations, 15 free special events through the summer and fall, and temporarily reopen the interim walkway at the Western Rail Yards for the first time since 2022. The Western Rail Yards segment, the last of the original High Line structure to be rehabilitated, offers stunning 360-degree views of the Hudson River and cityscape.
happy birthday high line

Events & Things To Do

Jessica Chastain’s lavish Osborne co-op lists for $7.45M

Photo credit: Evan Joseph / Sotheby’s International Realty

May 30, 2024

Jessica Chastain’s lavish Osborne co-op lists for $7.45M

In 2015, actress Jessica Chastain made celebrity real estate news when she purchased a sprawling, opulent home in the venerable Osborne building at 205 West 57th Street for just over $5 million. Since then, the stunning four-bedroom, 3,200-square-foot home that once belonged to Leonard Bernstein has been impressively renovated and is back on the market, asking $7.45 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The iconic Midtown apartment has been featured in Architectural Digest and other design publications; historic architectural details like Tiffany glass and oak parquet floors have stood the test of time to frame a thoroughly star-worthy home.
take the tour

Distinctive Homes

This $5M co-op at The Osborne has old-world glamour, Tiffany glass, and a bonus studio

Photo credit: REPN for Sotheby’s International Realty

May 22, 2024

This $5M co-op at The Osborne has old-world glamour, Tiffany glass, and a bonus studio

This beautifully preserved co-op in The Osborne at 205 West 57th Street is a prime example of Billionaires' Row the way it used to be. Gilded Age grandeur is present in architectural details like carved mahogany moldings, leaded-glass windows, and Tiffany glass transoms, and rooms are large and gracious, with plenty of built-in storage. Asking $4,950,000, the three-bedroom property has the unique option of an adjacent studio unit, perfect for office space, guest or staff quarters, or to add to the main space as an additional bedroom.
osborne elegance, this way

Distinctive Homes

A giant, confetti-shooting hot dog is now on view in Times Square

All photos © 6sqft

May 8, 2024

A giant, confetti-shooting hot dog is now on view in Times Square

A confetti-shooting, 65-foot-long hot dog now sits in the heart of Times Square. Created by artists Jen Carton and Paul Outlaw, the animatronic sausage sculpture "Hot Dog in the City" seeks to celebrate the American hot dog while delving into the interconnected themes of consumption, capitalism, class, and culture within the context of the iconic New York City fast food. Located in Duffy Square, the installation, accompanied by programs and talks, is on view to the public through June 13.
find out more

Events & Things To Do

Fifth Avenue’s tallest residential tower launches sales, from $1.7M

Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studios

April 10, 2024

Fifth Avenue’s tallest residential tower launches sales, from $1.7M

Sales launched this week at 520 Fifth Avenue, the tallest residential tower on Fifth Avenue. Developed by Rabina and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 88-story skyscraper soars 1,000 feet above Midtown and features boutique office floors on the lower levels, a luxury members-only hospitality club, and 100 condos starting on the 42nd floor. Residences range from one to four bedrooms, with prices starting at $1.7 million.
learn more

New Developments

William Kentridge’s video animation of historical figures on view at Moynihan Train Hall

Images courtesy of Amtrak

March 18, 2024

William Kentridge’s video animation of historical figures on view at Moynihan Train Hall

A cast of historical figures is watching travelers as they bustle through the waiting area of Moynihan Train Hall. Created by South African artist William Kentridge, "We Will Make Shoes from the Sky" is a multi-panel video animation featuring characters based on famous people from history, including several Black leaders like James Baldwin, Josephine Baker, and Aimé and Suzanne Césaire. The installation is currently on view on the digital screens in the main waiting area of Moynihan Train Hall.
discover more

Focus on 57th Street: Manhattan real estate insiders Leslie Hirsch and Howard Morrel chart the rise of Billionaires’ Row

Photo by Martti Salmi on Unsplash

March 13, 2024

Focus on 57th Street: Manhattan real estate insiders Leslie Hirsch and Howard Morrel chart the rise of Billionaires’ Row

New York City’s most successful real estate agents make it their business to know the city’s highlights, hot spots, secrets, and specialties; many are NYC natives or longtime residents whose love for the city’s streets and avenues adds indisputable value to their career of choice. We’ve asked a few top agents to tell us about their favorite neighborhoods and share their views on what the city's future may hold. Read on for insights from Leslie Hirsch, an insider with an enviable view from Billionaires' Row.
find out more

$450K Hell’s Kitchen studio is a cozy refuge in the middle of Manhattan

Photo credit: Kate Norberg, Russ Ross Photography

March 6, 2024

$450K Hell’s Kitchen studio is a cozy refuge in the middle of Manhattan

In Midtown's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, where the vibe is decidedly urban but firmly residential, this classic co-op at 514 West 50th Street would make a great landing pad from which to experience the city. Asking $450,000, the cozy space is framed by wood floors, painted brick, and a decorative fireplace.
Step inside

Distinctive Homes

Lottery opens for 83 mixed-income luxury apartments near Times Square, from $934/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

February 21, 2024

Lottery opens for 83 mixed-income luxury apartments near Times Square, from $934/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 83 mixed-income apartments at a new rental in Midtown West. Located at 312 West 43rd Street on the border of Times Square and Hell's Kitchen, the 33-story building offers 330 luxury apartments with high-end finishes, state-of-the-art amenities, and a central location. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 120 percent of the area median income, or between $32,023 for a single person and $183,000 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $934/month studios to $3,813/month two bedrooms.
see more

Affordable Housing

Vornado floats temporary outdoor event space at site of demolished Hotel Pennsylvania

All renderings are conceptual. Courtesy of Vornado

February 16, 2024

Vornado floats temporary outdoor event space at site of demolished Hotel Pennsylvania

Vornado Realty Trust may bring an outdoor event space to the site of the former Hotel Pennsylvania as it delays constructing a 56-story office tower there. As first reported by Crain's, the developer has floated the idea of "Penn Platform," an 80,000-square-foot space for U.S. Open tennis matches, New York Fashion Week shows, concerts, soccer matches, and other events, in addition to giant billboards, as seen in conceptual renderings published in a marketing brochure. Located on 7th Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets, the site sits across from Penn Station and was once home to a 100-year-old hotel, which was demolished last year.
find out more

Architecture And Design

Port Authority unveils revised design for $10B Midtown bus terminal

Renderings courtesy of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

February 2, 2024

Port Authority unveils revised design for $10B Midtown bus terminal

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Thursday unveiled an updated design for the project to build a new modern Midtown bus terminal and announced the publication of the draft environmental impact statement. Plans to replace the rundown 73-year-old bus terminal--the world's busiest--originated over 10 years ago to accommodate expected ridership growth. The terminal will cost $10 billion and take eight years to build, with construction potentially starting as early as this year.
FIND OUT MORE

Transit

Major mixed-use development Manhattan West is officially complete

Photo © Tayler Crothers of CTC Studio / Courtesy of Brookfield Properties

January 31, 2024

Major mixed-use development Manhattan West is officially complete

After several decades in the making, the mixed-use campus Manhattan West is officially complete. Brookfield Properties and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) on Tuesday announced the opening of Two Manhattan West, a 58-story skyscraper with two million square feet of office space. Located on the corner of Ninth Avenue and West 31st Street, Two Manhattan West is the final piece of the seven-million-square-foot Manhattan West, marking the completion of the new neighborhood.
get more details

Architecture And Design

Rico Gatson’s colorful geometric art brings sense of peace to Penn Station

Photos by David Plakke courtesy of Amtrak

January 29, 2024

Rico Gatson’s colorful geometric art brings sense of peace to Penn Station

Penn Station's Amtrak concourse has been transformed with colorful geometric designs. Created by New York City-based artist Rico Gatson, the installation "Untitled (Collective Light Transfer)" covers the Amtrak concourse at New York Penn Station with captivating geometric compositions that fill the otherwise bland space with a "pulsating energy," representing the rhythm of constant movement as travelers bustle through the station. The art installation will be on view in the upper-level rotunda between the 8th Avenue Amtrak departure concourse and the 7th Avenue NJ Transit concourse through the summer.
see more

Roberta’s new location next to Penn Station will open this spring

Photos © 6sqft

January 26, 2024

Roberta’s new location next to Penn Station will open this spring

Roberta's, one of New York's most well-known pizzerias, will finally open its new location next to Madison Square Garden this year. As first reported by Eater New York, the Bushwick-born restaurant signed a lease in November 2022 for a 5,200-square-foot space within the Vornado Realty Trust-developed Penn District, a new mixed-use campus around Penn Station, with plans to open last fall. New signage on the building, located at Penn 1 East between 33rd and 34th Streets says Roberta's will now open this spring.
see more

Food & Dining

Central Park Tower penthouse last listed for $149.5M finds buyer

Image courtesy of Extell

January 18, 2024

Central Park Tower penthouse last listed for $149.5M finds buyer

Only two weeks into 2024 and New York City is already seeing record real estate deals. A 12,557-square-foot penthouse in Central Park Tower at 217 West 57th Street has entered contract, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The duplex condo at the Billionaires’ Row tower, considered the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere, was first listed in March for $175 million and most recently asked $149.5 million, according to CityRealty. The final deal turned out to be closer to $115 million, according to the Journal. The buyer has not been named.
details this way

Real Estate Trends

What to know about the 2024 Times Square ball drop this New Year’s Eve

Image courtesy of Kohei Kanno on Flickr

December 28, 2023

What to know about the 2024 Times Square ball drop this New Year’s Eve

New York City's world-famous New Year's Eve celebration returns to the Big Apple on Sunday. Revelers will camp out for the best spots to view the 11,875-pound crystal ball as it descends from One Times Square to ring in 2024. Ahead, find everything you need to know about the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop, from the best in-person viewing spots to how to watch the event from home.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

The ‘2024’ numerals have arrived in Times Square ahead of New Year’s Eve

All images courtesy of the Times Square Alliance

December 21, 2023

The ‘2024’ numerals have arrived in Times Square ahead of New Year’s Eve

It's nearly time to kiss 2023 goodbye. The iconic, seven-foot-tall numerals that sit under the New Year's Eve crystal ball arrived in Times Square on Wednesday after a cross-country trip. The towering digits are on view at Broadway Plaza between 46th and 47th Streets through Friday, December 22 when they are placed atop One Times Square ahead of the ball drop on the 31st.
get the details

Events & Things To Do

Revamped One Times Square, home to the New Year’s Eve ball drop, tops out

Image courtesy of Jamestown

December 8, 2023

Revamped One Times Square, home to the New Year’s Eve ball drop, tops out

The $500 million redevelopment of One Times Square, home of the New Year's Eve ball drop, is moving closer to completion. Developer Jamestown on Thursday celebrated the topping out of the project, which is transforming one of the world's most famous buildings into a year-round entertainment hub with a new visitor center, a viewing deck overlooking Times Square, a museum, and lots of advertisements. Located at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, One Times Square is expected to reopen to the public in 2025.
see more

New Developments

Penn Station opens new accessible entrance with glass canopy at 7th Ave and 32nd Street

All images courtesy of Fernando Sandoval/MW

November 20, 2023

Penn Station opens new accessible entrance with glass canopy at 7th Ave and 32nd Street

Travelers will now have a much easier time entering Penn Station. The transit hub's busiest entrance at 7th Avenue and 32nd Street reopened on Sunday following a renovation led by Amtrak and Vornado Realty Trust. The passageway is now fully ADA-accessible, with a 50 percent wider entrance, a new elevator, two new escalators, and a new glass canopy designed by Norman Foster's Foster + Partners that replaces the original concrete overhang.
take a look

An illuminated steel whale has surfaced on Broadway

Photos courtesy of Alexandre Ayer / @DiversityPics for the Garment District Alliance

September 18, 2023

An illuminated steel whale has surfaced on Broadway

A massive, illuminated steel whale has arrived on the streets of the Garment District. Located on the Broadway pedestrian plazas between 38th and 39th Streets, "Echoes – A Voice from Unchartered Waters" is a 55-foot-long interactive art and sound installation meant to inspire deeper thought about the ways our daily routines affect the environment. Created by artist, designer, and researcher Mathias Gmachl, "Echoes" is free and open to the public through November 13. The installation is the latest public artwork sponsored by the Garment District Alliance.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SCULPTURE

Events & Things To Do

NYC Council approves five-year permit for Madison Square Garden

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

August 29, 2023

NYC Council approves five-year permit for Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden will remain above Penn Station, but for not as long as its owners want. Two New York City Council committees on Monday voted to renew the arena's special permit for five years, which would be the shortest operating permit given to the Garden if approved by the full Council next month. MSG owner James Dolan had hoped to secure a permanent extension of the operating permit which expired earlier this year.
details here

4 NYC seafood spots that will make you feel like you’re on vacation

Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Crab

August 16, 2023

4 NYC seafood spots that will make you feel like you’re on vacation

By Lidia Ryan

Nothing says summer in the Northeast like sitting by the water with fresh seafood and a cold drink. Lobster rolls, oysters, and steamers on the coast probably conjure up images of weekends in the Hamptons, Cape Cod, or Maine, but there are some hidden gems right here in New York City that will make you feel like you’re on a summer getaway — and you don’t even have to battle that weekend traffic. Here are four spots to check out while summer is still in full swing.
see the spots

$28M Midtown duplex has epic private terrace and 5-star hotel perks

All photos courtesy of DDreps

August 8, 2023

$28M Midtown duplex has epic private terrace and 5-star hotel perks