Midtown

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.
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March 8, 2024

Midtown South rezoning plan could create 4,000 new homes

The city released new details for its plan to create thousands of new homes in a predominantly commercial area of Midtown. The Department of City Planning on Friday released the Midtown South draft zoning plan, which details a 42-block rezoning to allow for high-density, mixed-use districts with 4,000 new homes, up to 1,110 of which would be income-restricted. The zoning changes would permit new housing in areas previously designated solely for commercial and manufacturing uses.
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February 6, 2024

Aman New York condo sells for $61.58M

An apartment on Fifth Avenue has sold for $61.58 million, according to city records. Terence Chan, chair of Hong Kong-based private equity firm Bay Area Capital Partners, closed on the four-bedroom apartment at Aman New York, an ultra-luxe hotel-condo with 83 hotel rooms and 22 residences inside the iconic Crown Building, Crain's reported.
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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.
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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.
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December 6, 2023

Fifth Avenue’s sparkling snowflake is brighter than ever

Fifth Avenue's famous snowflake, a cherished New York City holiday fixture for 40 years, is back and brighter than ever. The Fifth Avenue Association and the Stonbely Family Foundation on Sunday celebrated the lighting of the refurbished snowflake, which features 16,500 sparkling crystals and new high-intensity full-color LED lights. The twinkling 30-foot-wide snowflake is suspended 50 feet above Fifth Avenue and 57th Street from four buildings: the Aman Hotel, Bergdorf Goodman, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co.
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December 4, 2023

Stay in a ‘Wonka’ inspired suite at NYC’s Park Lane New York hotel

Booking.com is giving candy lovers the chance to travel to a world of pure imagination with a stay in a Willy Wonka-themed hotel suite. Inspired by the release of Warner Bros. Pictures' film "Wonka" this month, the exclusive offer includes a two-night stay at the Park Lane New York in Midtown in a room transformed into a sugary wonderland. Booking at the sweet-filled suite opens on December 13 for a two-day stay on December 15-16, priced at $12.15 in honor of the film's release date.
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December 1, 2023

30 Rock opens new rooftop ride ‘The Beam’ recreating iconic construction photo

The observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza is taking visitors to new heights. On Friday, the Top of the Rock debuted The Beam, a new rooftop ride on the 69th floor that recreates the iconic 1932 photo of ironworkers eating lunch on a beam during the construction of the building. During the experience, visitors sit on a beam and are lifted 12 feet above the platform then rotated 180 degrees to face Central Park. Tickets to The Beam cost $25 per person as an add-on for Top of the Rock general admission and come with a digital photo.
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November 16, 2023

NYC completes restoration of national medallions along Avenue of the Americas

The city's Department of Transportation completed the full restoration of the national medallions found along the Avenue of the Americas. The medallions, which were originally installed in 1959, had fallen into disrepair, with only 18 of the original medallions remaining in early 2023. The medallions depict the emblems of 43 nations and territories across the Western Hemisphere and are now on display atop lampposts along Sixth Avenue between Canal and 59th Streets.
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November 15, 2023

Fifth Avenue to transform into car-free holiday wonderland

Attention revelers: the streets of Midtown will soon be filled with fun, pedestrian-friendly cheer. As part of a special holiday open street, Fifth Avenue will close to cars and transform into a winter wonderland on three Sundays in December. The Fifth Avenue Association on Tuesday revealed the "Gift of Fifth" campaign that will turn the historic corridor from 49th Street to 59th Street into a holiday destination, with jolly decor, festive food and beverages, photo-ops, store giveaways, and more.
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November 10, 2023

What to know about NYC’s 2023 Veterans Day Parade

The country's largest Veterans Day commemoration takes place in New York City this Saturday. On November 11, the 104th annual Veterans Day Parade kicks off with 20,000 marchers and 150+ vehicles traveling up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in honor of the military. This year's parade starts at 9:30 a.m. from 26th Street and Fifth Avenue and moves north until ending at 47th Street. The Army is this year’s featured service.
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November 9, 2023

Empire State Building receives ‘Elf’ takeover for movie’s 20th anniversary

The Empire State Building is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the holiday classic "Elf" with new festive decorations and screenings of the movie in the skyscraper's 80th-floor observatory. Visitors will be able to snap photos with a life-sized cutout of Buddy the Elf, view ground-floor window displays featuring Elf-themed merchandise for purchase, and more.
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November 7, 2023

NYC holiday open streets return to Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center

Visiting Midtown during the holidays will be more festive and less stressful this year. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced plans to fully pedestrianize Fifth Avenue from 48th and 59th Streets on three Sundays in December, expanding the open street by three blocks to reach Central Park. Plus, certain streets around Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall will be closed to cars every day throughout the holiday season, reducing crowds and making it safer for the hundreds of thousands of people visiting the iconic Christmas Tree, holiday window displays, and the Rockettes.
Details Here
November 1, 2023

A first look at this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has officially been selected. The 80-foot-tall Norway Spruce comes from Vestal, a suburb of Binghamton, and will be cut down next Thursday and arrive at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, November 11. After the world-famous tree is decorated with thousands of sparkling lights and crowned with its Swarovski star, the annual tree lighting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 29.
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October 31, 2023

Beautiful ‘ofrenda’ on display at Rockefeller Center for Day of the Dead celebration

Mexico Week has returned to Rockefeller Center for the third year in a row, giving New Yorkers an opportunity to honor Mexican heritage and Día de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, over the course of a week-long celebration. As part of the annual celebration, guests can experience Mexican art, food, music, and culture across the Rockefeller Center campus through a series of free events. Mexico Week runs through November 2.
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October 12, 2023

Last year’s holiday open streets in Midtown drove $3M in spending at local businesses

Banning cars on blocks around holiday hotspots in Midtown last year led to an additional $3 million in spending at businesses on the pedestrianized streets, according to a new report. Mayor Eric Adams this week announced the 2022 holiday-specific Open Street program, which opened 11 blocks to pedestrians during the busiest time of the year, created more foot traffic and led to an increase of 13.9 percent in transactions at local businesses along open streets. The study conducted by Mastercard found merchants on pedestrianized streets saw an average of $90,000 in additional spending per day. The success of the car-free holiday streets program laid the groundwork for a permanent redesign of Fifth Avenue, said Adams, who has selected a team for the design process.
READ MORE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF FIFTH AVE
October 6, 2023

High-end Korean restaurant now open in the Herald Square subway station

Midtown's latest fine dining establishment has opened inside the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station. Located in what was a former barbershop and newsstand at the 32nd Street entrance of the station, Nōksu is a 13-seat Korean tasting counter with a carefully crafted 12-course tasting menu served in a sleek dining room. Nōksu is owned by Bobby Kwak and Joseph Ko and run by Chef Dae Kim.
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September 26, 2023

NYPL photo exhibition captures quirkiness of NYC subway in the 1970s

A new photo exhibition at the New York Public Library captures the everyday interactions of New Yorkers taking the subway in the late 1970s. Located in the Print Gallery of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, "New York Subways 1977: Alen MacWeeney" features 42 diptychs created by Irish-American photographer Alen MacWeeney that show New Yorkers on crowded and graffiti-filled subway cars. The free exhibition is on display now through January 7, 2024.
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September 25, 2023

NYPD ‘robocop’ now patrols Times Square subway station

Late-night commuters fear not! A 420-pound, 5-foot-2-inch-tall robot is now patrolling the Times Square subway station overnight. During a press conference held at the 42nd Street subway station last Friday, Mayor Eric Adams announced a two-month pilot program to test the robocop, officially known as the Knightscope K5 Autonomous Security Robot. The robot will patrol the 42nd Street station from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., recording video to be viewed in case of an emergency or crime, according to the mayor.
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September 18, 2023

Central Park Tower penthouse gets $55M price cut

The highest residence in the world just got a lower price tag. The triplex penthouse at Central Park Tower was listed for $250 million last September, considered the most expensive home in the country if it found a buyer. But after a year on the market, the apartment is now asking $195 million, a price cut of $55 million, or 22 percent, as Bloomberg first reported. The discounted ask means the penthouse is no longer in the running for the priciest home sale in the United States.
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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.
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September 13, 2023

Robert Indiana’s ‘LOVE’ sculpture installed at Rockefeller Center

Robert Indiana's iconic "Love" sculpture has returned to New York City with a fresh paint job. Starting Wednesday, the 12-foot-high sculpture with its distinct slanted "O" will sit at the head of the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center for six weeks. The sculpture is one part of a larger installation featuring Indiana's work now on view, including his "One Through Zero" sculpture series on Center Plaza and images from his Peace Painting series on the 193 flags surrounding the Rink. The works will be on display through October 23.
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September 13, 2023

See Amazon’s new NYC office at historic Lord & Taylor building

A historic Fifth Avenue department store is now a modern office building. Amazon this week debuted its new digs at the former Lord & Taylor store in Midtown, which was built in 1914 and served as its flagship location for more than a century. After purchasing the building in March 2020 for nearly $1 billion, Amazon hired WRNS Studio to design the landmark as a 21st-century workplace that embraces its fashionable roots. Three years later, in the midst of Midtown's recovery from the pandemic, the renovated building is now home to 2,000 employees.
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August 30, 2023

$92M condo at 432 Park enters contract, priciest deal of 2023 so far

A $92 million condo at 432 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan has entered contract, the biggest deal of the year in New York City so far. The five-bedroom apartment on the skyscraper's 79th floor first hit the market in September 2021 for $135 million but underwent a significant price cut this spring, according to CityRealty.
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August 29, 2023

Times Square water main break leads to major subway delays

A water main installed in 1896 broke in Times Square on Tuesday morning, stopping train service on several subway lines during morning rush hour. Due to water flooding the subway tracks, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended or rerouted service on the 1, 2, and 3 lines, which also affected the 4 and 5 lines. The area between 39th and 42nd Streets along Seventh Avenue was shut down due to flooding and is expected to remain closed for the rest of the day.
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