All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

April 7, 2023

This art installation makes it look like visitors are climbing a four-story NYC brownstone

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Jersey City's Liberty Science Center is launching one of its most ambitious exhibitions yet. The center is kicking off its Big Art initiative, a new art program with two inaugural installations by Argentine conceptual artist Leandro Erlich and Brooklyn-based artist and Pioneer Works founder Dustin Yellin. Titled The Building, Erlich's interactive installation features a model of a New York City brownstone on the ground, allowing visitors to climb across its facade and pretend to hang from the fire escapes. A giant mirror reflects the scene, creating an optical illusion.
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April 7, 2023

What you need to know about the 2023 Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in NYC

A procession of marchers wearing vibrantly over-the-top bonnets will take over Fifth Avenue on Sunday.  Hosted by the Fifth Avenue Association, New York City's annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival takes place on April 9 between East 49th to East 57th Street. New Yorkers are invited to watch as revelers march up Fifth Avenue while showing off their most intricate bonnets and outfits. Here is everything you need to know about one of NYC's age-old traditions, the Easter Parade.
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April 6, 2023

Daniel Libeskind’s affordable Bed-Stuy rental opens lottery for 99 senior apartments

Applications are now being accepted for 99 apartments at a unique senior housing development in Brooklyn designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. Located at 57 Marcus Garvey Boulevard, the Atrium at Sumner is an 11-story, Passive House-certified building with 190 affordable units and 7,500 square feet of community space. Applicants must have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older, qualifies for Section 8 benefits, and earns no more than $60,050 annually. Eligible New Yorkers will pay 30 percent of their income for the available studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
April 6, 2023

Beach closures scheduled in the Rockaways this summer, but boardwalk will fully open

Beach closures at the Rockaways are scheduled once again this summer, but city officials say the shutdown won't be as disruptive as last year. Starting on Memorial Day weekend, 10 to 15 blocks of the beach will temporarily close on a rolling basis throughout the summer, the city's Parks Department announced this week. Closures, necessary for continued work on the Atlantic Shorefront Resiliency Project, will shift as necessary, moving west from Beach 116th Street and east from Beach 143rd Street, according to the agency. The Rockway boardwalk and its concessions will remain fully open.
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April 6, 2023

Rockefeller Center unveils 193 new flags inspired by NYC food

Normally representing the 193 nations recognized by the United Nations, the flags around the plaza at Rockefeller Center will look a little different this month. Rockefeller Center collaborated with City Harvest, the city's largest food rescue organization, on its fourth annual Flag Project, an art installation that transforms the flags around the Rink at Rockefeller Center with designs submitted by the public. This year's theme celebrates the global food culture of New York City, with new flags displaying iconic scenes of neighborhood bodegas, food markets, favorite restaurants, and iconic city grub like hot dogs and pizza.
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April 5, 2023

NYC to host largest-ever car-free Earth Day celebration

New York City is marking Earth Day with its largest car-free celebration yet. The city's Department of Transportation's annual Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day event connects 100 open streets across the city, 22 plazas, and over 1,000 miles of the five borough's bike network to promote environmental activism and sustainable forms of transportation. This year's celebration will be held on Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and include seven separate signature event locations and 23 community-produced locations featuring live performances, fitness instruction, giveaways, and educational programming.
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April 5, 2023

City designates these NYC neighborhoods as ‘rat mitigation zones’

New York City this week named eight rat-prone neighborhoods as part of Mayor Eric Adams' quest to control the rodent population. According to a notice posted by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Monday, the "rat mitigation zones," which are areas with "high levels of rat activity," include Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, Grand Concourse in the Bronx, and Chinatown, the East Village, the Lower East Side, and Harlem in Manhattan. As Crain's reported, these identified zones will be the focus of a multiagency effort to address the rats and the conditions that cause them, according to the city.
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April 4, 2023

Three NYC buildings with significant ties to the history of jazz may become city landmarks

Just in time for Jazz Appreciation Month, the city may landmark three properties connected to the history of jazz. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the legendary Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, the one-time Queens home of Dizzy Gillespie, and an apartment building in Hamilton Heights where jazz pioneers Duke Ellington and Noble Lee Sissle once lived.
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April 4, 2023

Papaya King finds new home on the Upper East Side

Papaya King, the Upper West Side's iconic hot dog and fruit juice institution, has found a new home after years of narrowly avoiding permanent closure, as first reported by Upper East Site. The renowned frankfurter establishment will move across the street from its original location at 179 East 86th Street to a new storefront at 1535 Third Avenue, which could open as early as next week.
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April 3, 2023

What New Yorkers should know about Trump’s arraignment in NYC

For the first time in history, a president of the United States has been charged with a crime. After arriving in Manhattan on Monday night, former President Donald Trump will travel from Trump Tower in Midtown to the office of the Manhattan district attorney to surrender to authorities and be arraigned at a Lower Manhattan courthouse. Swarms of media personnel and protestors are expected to line up to witness the historic event. Here's what New Yorkers should know about how New York City has prepared for Tuesday, including possible street closures and other security plans.
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April 3, 2023

Apply for 38 mixed-income units in Clinton Hill, from $1,576/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 38 mixed-income apartments at a new residential development in Brooklyn. Located at 963 Atlantic Avenue in Clinton Hill, the nine-story building contains 124 units and an assortment of amenities for tenants, including an open-air roof deck. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income, or between $58,115 annually for a single person and $187,330 for a household of five, can apply for the units, priced between $1,576/month for studios and $2,850/month for two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
April 3, 2023

Now complete, NYC’s largest office-to-condo conversion One Wall Street shows off latest home

New York City's largest office-to-residential conversion is flaunting its latest luxury residence. Construction has officially wrapped up at the Art Deco landmark One Wall Street, formerly the headquarters for the Irving Trust Company and now a 566-unit residential tower. Following that milestone, new images were released last week of one of the building's most impressive apartments, Residence 3404. The home represents a unique collaboration between interior designer Guillaume Coutheillas of frenchCalifornia and One Wall Street developer Harry Macklowe, who hand-picked all of the art seen in the three-bedroom apartment.
Take a look
March 31, 2023

See the waterfront food hall opening at Hudson River Park’s Pier 57

New York City's newest food hall will open to the public at Pier 57 this weekend. Located within Hudson River Park, Market 57 includes 15 food vendors run by chefs and entrepreneurs who have been historically underrepresented in the industry. Curated by the James Beard Foundation (JBF) with developer Jamestown, the market aims to be an incubator for new culinary talent. The food hall and community spaces open on April 1.
More here
March 31, 2023

A Queens-themed photo installation is now on view at JFK Airport

A new digital art installation in JFK Airport's Terminal 4 explores what "home" means to New Yorkers. The T4 Arts & Culture program partnered with the Museum of the City of New York to bring New York Now: Home, the first installation of an ongoing photography series at the museum that debuted this month, to the terminal. The 15 images now on display throughout Terminal 4 were either created by an artist with a connection to Queens or who make the borough the subject of their work.
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March 30, 2023

NYC to launch new hybrid ferry to Governors Island

New York City's first-ever public hybrid-electric ferry will set sail next summer. Revealed on Wednesday by Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust for Governors Island, the new vessel uses a hybrid propulsion system that drastically reduces air pollution, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 600 tons per year, according to a press release. The ferry will start carrying passengers between Lower Manhattan and Governors Island in the summer of 2024.
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March 30, 2023

Coney Island opens for the season this weekend

Coney Island's beachfront amusement parks are opening for the 2023 season this weekend. Starting on March 31, Luna Park, home to the famous Cyclone rollercoaster, is hosting its traditional opening weekend ceremonies, which include the egg-cream christening and first ride of the Cyclone. To celebrate the iconic rollercoaster's 96th birthday, the first 96 riders get a free ride and an egg cream. And Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park will celebrate its 103rd birthday with its annual "Blessing of the Rides" and free rides on its historic Ferris wheel on Sunday, April 2.
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March 29, 2023

Flatiron Building future uncertain as buyer fails to pay deposit

After placing a winning bid of $190 million for the Flatiron Building during a live auction last week, Jacob Garlick of Abraham Trust missed the deadline to make the down payment, as first reported by NY1. After placing the winning bid, Garlick was required to pay a 10 percent deposit of $19 million by Friday but has yet to do so. This could mean another auction will be set for the iconic property.
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March 29, 2023

Brooklyn’s tallest tower launches lottery for 120 middle-income apartments, from $2,630/month

Here's a chance to live in Brooklyn's tallest tower for (slightly) less. The 93-story Brooklyn Tower launched a housing lottery this week for 120 middle-income apartments. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $90,172 annually for a single person and $215,150 for a household of seven, can apply for the units, priced between $2,630/month for studios and $3,872/month for three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 28, 2023

108 apartments for low-income seniors available in Brownsville

A housing lottery opened this week for 108 apartments at a new senior housing development in Brooklyn. Located at 381-401 Chester Street in Brownsville, Simba Simbi Seniors is an eight-story apartment building offering senior residents comfortable homes and a wide variety of amenities. Applicants must have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older, qualifies for Section 8 benefits, and earns no more than $60,050 annually. Eligible New Yorkers will pay 30 percent of their income for the available studio and one-bedroom apartments.
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March 28, 2023

Macy’s Flower Show returns for a dream-like 48th year

The 48th annual Macy's Flower Show returned to Midtown on Sunday, once again transforming Macy's Herald Square flagship store into a dream-like, floral landscape that beckons in the spring. As part of the yearly exhibition, thousands of live flowers, plants, and trees adorn the window displays, countertops, and sprout from the architecture across the famed department store's main floor. The Macy's Flower Show is free and open to the public at the Herald Square store through April 10.
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March 27, 2023

Adams proposes NYC’s first composting mandate

For the first time ever, New York City residents will be required to separate their organic waste from their other garbage or face fines. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday proposed NYC's first composting mandate, a new policy that will require New Yorkers with yards to separate yard waste, which are biodegradable materials like leaves, flowers, twigs, and grass clippings, into a separate bin for pickup by the NYC Department of Sanitation. Residents who fail to do so will have to pay fines similar to the penalties for failing to recycle properly.
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March 27, 2023

MTA to install dedicated stroller spaces on over 1,000 NYC buses across 57 routes

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week announced it would begin the second phase of its Open Stroller Pilot, expanding its dedicated stroller spaces to over 1,000 buses on 57 routes across the five boroughs. The program will equip all local and select buses operating out of six bus depots with dedicated stroller spaces by the fall of 2023.
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March 24, 2023

72 middle-income units available at Hamilton Heights tower next to the Hudson River, from $2,350/month

Applications are now being accepted for 72 middle-income units at a new residential development in Upper Manhattan. Located at 620 West 153rd Street in Hamilton Heights, Sunrose Tower Apartments contains 238 apartments and a wide variety of amenities, including a rooftop terrace with panoramic skyline views. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $80,572 annually for a single person and $187,330 annually for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $2,350/month studios to $3,550/month two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 24, 2023

Brooklyn’s refugee-run restaurant Emma’s Torch opening at Citi Field this season

Emma's Torch, the Brooklyn restaurant-nonprofit that provides refugees with culinary training, will operate at Citi Field this season. The Carroll Gardens-based eatery will be one of the newest vendors at the New York Mets home stadium this season, offering sliders, black-eyed pea hummus wraps, and tamarind barbecue wings.
Details here
March 23, 2023

Take a journey through space at Tribeca’s Hall des Lumières

Interactive art museum Hall des Lumières promises to take visitors out of this world. Produced by Culturespaces in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Center for Space Studies, the exhibition, dubbed, Destination Cosmos: The Immersive Space Experience, transports guests through the universe with 13 visual sequences and a prologue that starts on Earth and brings viewers over Martian canyons, into the heart of Jupiter, across the rings of Saturn, and more. Destination Cosmos will be open at Tribeca's Hall des Lumières on April 7 and run through June 4.
Book a ticket