Midtown

November 16, 2022

Starbucks opens three-level Reserve location inside the Empire State Building

Starbucks is opening another of its premium, immersive roasteries within the Empire State Building on Wednesday. Spanning 23,000 square feet across three floors, the new Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store features immersive experiences like hands-on workshops and guided tasting flights, as well as an extensive menu of coffee beverages, craft cocktails, and artisan food only available at the location.
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November 14, 2022

The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has arrived in NYC

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has arrived in Midtown, marking the start of the holiday season in New York City. Donated by a family in Glens Falls, New York, the 82-foot-tall Norway Spruce tree is 50 feet wide and weighs around 14 tons. After its arrival at Rockefeller Center this weekend, the hefty tree was hoisted into position by a crane and set in place, where it will stand throughout the holiday season. The annual tree lighting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 30.
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November 14, 2022

Museum of Broadway opens in Times Square this week

The first-ever permanent museum dedicated to the rich history of Broadway theater is opening in Times Square on Tuesday. Located at 145 West 45th Street, the Museum of Broadway will guide guests through an immersive visual history of Broadway, delving into moments throughout The Great White Way's history and displaying a variety of costumes, props, rare photos, videos, and more.
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November 14, 2022

Newly unveiled interiors mark completion of slender supertall 111 West 57th Street

The second-tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere is officially complete. Last week, JDS Development Group and Property Markets Group unveiled the interiors of 111 West 57th Street, a 1,428-foot-tall building on Billionaires' Row designed by SHoP Architects. New photos show off the tower's interior architecture, including the residences and amenity spaces, all designed by William Sofield's Studio Sofield.
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November 11, 2022

NYC to close Randall’s Island migrant shelter after a month

Only a month after opening, the migrant shelter on Randall's Island will close, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday. The 84,400-square-foot facility, which was designed for adult men and held 500 beds and a recreation center, will be replaced by a new center in Midtown Manhattan, as first reported by City Limits. The Randall's Island facility is set to be shuttered next week, and current occupants of the facility will be provided with transportation to the Watson Hotel on West 57th Street, where 600 rooms will be used to house asylum seekers.
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November 1, 2022

Get a first look at this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has officially been announced, marking the start of New York City's holiday season. The 82-foot-tall Norway Spruce hails from Queensbury, an upstate New York town near Lake George. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree will arrive in Manhattan on Saturday, November 12, and then will be decorated with thousands of lights. The annual tree lighting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 30.
It's that time of year again
October 26, 2022

Mexico Week returns to Rockefeller Center for Day of the Dead

Rockefeller Center is hosting its second annual Mexico Week, a celebration of Mexican heritage and Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Over the course of the weeklong event, New Yorkers can experience Mexican art, food, music, and culture across the campus. Mexico Week kicks off this Thursday and runs through November 2.
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October 13, 2022

Times Square hotel will serve as temporary shelter for migrant families

A four-star Times Square hotel will become an emergency shelter for hundreds of migrant families, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday. Located at 700 8th Avenue in Midtown West, the Row NYC Hotel will house at least 200 families, with the ability to host more in the coming weeks. The hotel, the second intake center/shelter to open for asylum seekers in the city, will offer food, medical care, casework services, and a "range of settlement options," according to a press release.
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October 11, 2022

The Garment District’s iconic button & needle kiosk will be redesigned

The iconic button and needle sculpture and information kiosk that has sat on a Garment District corner since the 1970s is getting a makeover. Located on Seventh Avenue and 39th Street, the new permanent art installation will be 28 feet tall and include a 15-foot diameter aluminum button and a 32-foot brushed stainless steel needle, according to the Garment District Alliance. The sculpture, which will replace the now-vacant kiosk, is set to be completed in December.
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October 6, 2022

Whimsical ‘Wonderland’-inspired art exhibit and bar opens in Midtown

A new interactive art experience is bringing the whimsical world of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Midtown. Created by artist Alexa Meade, the Wonderland Dreams art installation includes more than 20 playfully hand-painted rooms in Meade's signature 3D style. Meade has painted every inch of the 26,000-square-foot space, from floor to ceiling, creating a multi-dimensional work of art inspired by the Lewis Carroll novel. Taking over the old Best Buy at 529 Fifth Avenue, the limited exhibition opens on Friday, October 7 and runs through April 2023. The accompanying wine bar is expected to open later this month.
Get the details
September 28, 2022

Bryant Park’s Winter Village returns for 21st season next month

Bryant Park's famous Bank of America Winter Village is set to return for its 21st season, offering New Yorkers the city's only free admission ice-skating rink, a renowned open-air holiday market, and the cozy rinkside Lodge with its seasonal cocktails and food. The Winter Village will be open daily starting October 28 through March 5.
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September 27, 2022

City Winery’s new Grand Central location will offer wine to go as part of reusable bottle program

Picking up a bottle of wine for dinner on the way home from work will soon get easier. City Winery's newest location in Grand Central Terminal, opening on November 1, will debut a reusable bottle program, allowing guests to take wine to go, return the bottle to be washed, and receive a $5 credit toward the next one. Located on the west end of Vanderbilt Hall, the new City Winery includes three dining concepts: a signature experience with tasting bars, a grab-and-go all-day menu at City Jams, and a high-end restaurant, Cornelius.
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September 20, 2022

New York’s first Singapore-style hawker center opens in Midtown next week

After nearly five years of planning, the city's first Singaporean hawker center is set to open next week. Created by Urbanspace and KF Seetoh, who is the founder of Makansutra and operator of numerous food courts in Singapore, the Urban Hawker food hall will feature 17 vendors offering a diverse variety of cuisines, including 11 Singapore-based vendors. Located at 135 West 50th Street, the market officially opens to the public on Wednesday, September 28, operating daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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September 16, 2022

Triplex penthouse at Central Park Tower asks record $250M

Living atop the world's tallest residential tower won't come cheap. The triplex penthouse at Central Park Tower hit the market on Monday for an astonishing $250 million, set to become the country's most expensive sale ever if the home fetches the asking price. The highest residence in the world sits 1,416 feet above New York City on Billionaires' Row and takes up the building's 129th, 130th, and 131st floors.
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August 24, 2022

Independent bookstore McNally Jackson to open new flagship location at Rockefeller Center

Bookworms will soon have a new reason to visit Rockefeller Center. This December, beloved independent bookstore McNally Jackson will open a new flagship location at the iconic commercial complex in Midtown, Tishman Speyer announced this month. The new bookstore will measure 7,000 square feet and include McNally Jackson's stationary store, Goods For The Study.
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August 5, 2022

Foster + Partners and Epstein to design new $10B Port Authority bus terminal

Plans to replace the dingy Port Authority bus terminal are rolling forward. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Friday announced the selection of two architecture firms to lead the project: Norman Foster's Foster + Partners and Chicago-based engineering and design firm Epstein. Roughly 10 years in the making, the plan involves demolishing the existing station and building a new world-class facility that can better meet passenger demand. The $10 billion project will also help get idling buses off the streets and create new green spaces.
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August 3, 2022

MTA unveils new 18-foot ceilings at Penn Station’s LIRR concourse

Let there be light! The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday unveiled the first section of new 18-foot ceilings at Penn Station's Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) concourse. Installed by Skanska/AECOM, the new soaring ceilings consist of lighted panels supported by an inventive structural framing system that allowed work crews to remove "head knockers," aging structural beams that limited the height of passageways within Penn Station, earlier this year.
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July 8, 2022

$74.34M penthouse at Aman New York is NYC’s biggest sale of the year

A penthouse on New York City's Billionaires' Row has sold for $74.34 million, the highest closed sale of 2022 so far. Taking up the entirety of the 20th floor of the Aman New York, a new hotel and residential project at the iconic Crown Building on Fifth Avenue, the home measures over 6,700 square feet and features a private saltwater swimming pool, cabana, and two terraces. The apartment--dubbed the "Jala Penthouse"--was originally listed for $83.53 million.
Details this way
June 22, 2022

Broadway will drop mask mandate for month of July

Masks will no longer be required at all of Broadway's 41 theaters next month, the Broadway League announced Tuesday. Starting July 1, masks will be optional for audiences at shows. The League said masking protocols for August and beyond will be reviewed on a monthly basis, with an updated decision made in mid-July. While masks will not be required, audience members are still encouraged to wear them.
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June 21, 2022

See inside Central Park Tower’s newly-unveiled 100th floor amenities club

Central Park Tower, the world's tallest residential building, has officially unveiled New York City's most elevated (literally) private club on the condominium tower's 100th floor. Perched more than 1,000 feet above Billionaires’ Row, the high-flying portion of the building's Central Park Club offers residents of the building's 179 condominiums a suite of private dining and entertaining spaces with incomparable views. Extell Development Company's 1,500-plus-foot-tall tower is also home to the Nordstrom flagship retail store located at its base.
Gaze at the city from the 100th floor
June 20, 2022

Radio Park debuts summer garden dining series atop Radio City Music Hall

With the start of summer comes summer dining, and this July will mark the debut of an event that combines the excitement of Rockefeller Center with the experience of dining in a garden oasis high above New York City. Radio Park, the 24,000-square-foot landscaped rooftop that opened last year above Radio City Music Hall, will host "Dine at Radio Park," a new weekend dining series led by two celebrated local chefs.
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June 14, 2022

The Museum of Broadway announces November opening date

The first permanent museum dedicated to Broadway has an official opening date. The Museum of Broadway will open its doors at 145 West 45th Street in Times Square on November 15. Along with an opening date, new renderings of the space were released on Tuesday, showing off the museum's immersive experiences and "behind-the-curtain" look at the history of Broadway.
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May 17, 2022

Nick Cave’s vibrant ‘Soundsuits’ subway station mosaics capture the energy of Times Square

Two new mosaics by the artist Nick Cave were unveiled in Times Square on Monday, completing a permanent artwork and marking the largest mosaic project in New York City's subway system. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's public art program, the artwork, titled "Each One, Every One, Equal All," features Cave's wearable sculpture works "Soundsuits" translated into 4,600 square feet of colorful mosaic. The new artwork is part of a larger revamp of the 42nd Street station, including a new entrance and upgraded mezzanine level.
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May 17, 2022

For $6M, this classic Central Park South co-op has park views, possibilities, and space to spare

On the 12th floor of the iconic copper-topped Hampshire House co-op at 150 Central Park South, this 2,640-square-foot residence has a parkside seat and the views to match. Asking $5,995,000, the three-bedroom (or two bedrooms and a dreamy den) classic seven is a combination of two units for an unusually spacious layout, rooms to spare, and an alternate floor plan in case you need ideas on what to do with all of them. Pre-war bones, a private south-facing balcony, and warm-toned herringbone floors tie it all together.
More park views and big, sunlit rooms, this way
May 12, 2022

NYC announces first-ever parade celebrating Asian American heritage

The city's first-ever parade celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander New Yorkers will take place this weekend, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday. On Sunday, May 15, the AAPI Cultural and Heritage Parade will start in Midtown at 6th Avenue and West 44th Street and head north to West 55th Street. New York City's newest parade comes during AAPI Heritage Month and as the city continues to experience a spike in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
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May 11, 2022

Talea Beer Co. opens outdoor pop-up brewery next to Grand Central

New York City's first and only female-owned and operated production brewery has opened a pop-up outside of Grand Central Terminal. Located at the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and 45th Street, Talea Beer Co.'s pop-up brewery is open daily from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and offers five different beers on tap, as well as canned beers and draft pours to go. Open through September, the brewery also offers cocktails and wine for non-beer drinkers.
Details here
May 6, 2022

$500M One Times Square revamp includes outdoor viewing deck, museum, and even more ads

One of the most valuable advertising locations in the world will cash in on its prime location even further. One Times Square, home of the New Year's Eve ball drop, will undergo a $500 million redevelopment to become a new visitor center with a viewing deck, museum, and 12 floors of interactive "branded" experiences, developer Jamestown announced on Friday. While the 26-story building, located at 42nd Street and 7th Avenue, has been vacant for years, its exterior is covered in giant billboards. As part of the half-a-billion-dollar project, advertisers will be able to reach more consumers through immersive "digital, virtual, and augmented reality integrations" inside One Times Square.
Details here