All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

June 9, 2025

52-story Downtown Brooklyn rental opens lottery for 178 apartments, from $1,793/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 178 mixed-income apartments in a new residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn. Rising 52 stories at 589 Fulton Street, The Brook is one of the tallest buildings in the borough, offering apartments with views in every direction. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the affordable units, priced from $1,793/month studios to $4,250/month two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
June 9, 2025

Flatbush Avenue overhaul includes center-running bus lanes and pedestrian islands

New York City has proposed new center-running bus lanes along parts of Flatbush Avenue to improve safety and speed up service on one of the city’s most dangerous corridors. Unveiled Friday by the Department of Transportation (DOT), the project would convert two center car lanes into bus lanes from Livingston Street to Grand Army Plaza, better serving the nearly 70,000 daily bus riders who currently face average speeds of under 4 miles per hour—about the same speed as walking. The plan also includes pedestrian islands with covered public seating, shorter crossing times, and updated curb regulations to support local businesses.
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June 6, 2025

Christie’s opens free exhibition of Maurice Sendak’s personal collection ahead of auction

Christie’s is presenting a free exhibition and special auction featuring the personal collection of beloved children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. On view at 20 Rockefeller Plaza through June 10, the exhibition includes Sendak’s drawings, works by other children’s book artists, first printings of books by William Blake, Disney memorabilia, and more. The auction will be held in person and online on June 10, what would have been Sendak’s 97th birthday, and will feature art, rare books, and artifacts that inspired him, with proceeds supporting the Sendak Fellowship to nurture the next generation of children’s book artists.
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June 6, 2025

City unveils new public art on medians, sidewalks, and streets across NYC

New York City has commissioned five vibrant pieces of art, one in each borough, to enliven public spaces. On Wednesday, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced plans for temporary, site-specific pieces through the agency’s Community Commissions initiative. The projects range from sculptures to asphalt murals, including "Public Access" on Staten Island, "Aunties" in Manhattan, "Limes" in Brooklyn, "Weaving the Future: A Vessel of Water, Roots, and Community" in the Bronx, and "About a Living Culture" in Queens.
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June 6, 2025

Hop on and off vintage NYC subway trains in Brooklyn this weekend

The New York Transit Museum’s beloved Parade of Trains returns this weekend, giving New Yorkers a rare chance to ride the rails in vintage style. Rolling out on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8, the event features three iconic trains from the museum’s collection, offering a glimpse into what it was like to ride the New York City subway more than a century ago. The vintage trains will run from Brighton Beach’s B and Q platforms and the Manhattan-bound B and Q platform at Kings Highway, operating from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Admission is free with subway fare.
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June 5, 2025

Adams proposes 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes

Mayor Eric Adams wants electric bike riders to slow down. The mayor is proposing a 15 miles per hour speed limit for e-bikes, which currently can travel between 20 and 25 miles per hour. Adams announced the new rule on Thursday to renew pressure on the City Council to act on legislation he introduced last year that would create a Department of Sustainable Delivery to regulate delivery apps. The Council has yet to introduce the bill.
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June 5, 2025

New public space and skateboarding section open as part of revitalized Brooklyn Banks

Two more acres of public open space have opened beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in Chinatown, as part of the revitalization of skateboarding mecca Brooklyn Banks. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced the expansion of "The Arches," along with an additional $50 million in funding to further enhance the park with new amenities, including public seating, plantings, lighting, and other upgrades. The new section includes a refurbished "Big Banks," which has been closed to skateboarders since 2010. The city began revitalizing and gradually reopening it as a public space in May 2023.
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June 4, 2025

143 apartments available at FiDi office tower-turned-luxury rental, from $912/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 143 mixed-income apartments at the former Financial District headquarters of Goldman Sachs. Redesigned by CetraRuddy and developed by Metro Loft and Silverstein Properties, 55 Broad Street is an office-to-rental conversion with 571 apartments and 25,000 square feet of amenities, including a rooftop pool. New Yorkers earning 40, 80, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $912/month studios to $3,522/month three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
June 4, 2025

Fifth Avenue Blooms celebrates the corridor’s 200th anniversary with a custom rose variety and floral displays

Fifth Avenue will soon bloom with thousands of vibrant roses, including a unique new variety created to celebrate the iconic retail corridor’s 200th anniversary. On June 11, the Fifth Avenue Association will kick off Fifth Avenue Blooms, a month-long floral makeover of the avenue between 51st and 58th Streets, running through July 6. The display will feature 16 planters with 400 rose plants, totaling roughly 2,500 to 4,000 individual stems, including the one-of-a-kind variety created specifically for the avenue’s birthday, all beautifying the streetscape and providing a perfect backdrop for photos.
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June 4, 2025

Macy’s 4th of July fireworks back to the Brooklyn Bridge and East River this year

After lighting up the Hudson River last year for the first time in over a decade, Macy's 4th of July Fireworks will return to the East River. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced the 49th annual show will launch from four barges surrounding the Brooklyn Bridge, near the South Street Seaport, lighting up the night sky with a spectacular display of thousands of fireworks. Prime viewing spots will be in parts of Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, with the city expected to launch a lottery for free public viewing tickets in the coming weeks.
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June 3, 2025

Andy Cohen’s colorful West Village penthouse finds a buyer

Andy Cohen’s vibrant West Village penthouse found a buyer, and it's an Emmy Award-winning playwright. As first reported by the New York Post, actor and writer Danny Strong, known for his writing on "Empire" and "Dopesick" and roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Mad Men," bought the apartment at 2 Horatio Street with his partner Caitlin Mehner. The home, which is a combination of four units, first hit the market in September for $14 million and was relisted for $12 million earlier this year. The final sales price has not been made public yet.
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June 3, 2025

Brooklyn Heights’ iconic Hotel Bossert sells for $100M, to become apartments

A historic Brooklyn Heights hotel once dubbed the "Waldorf-Astoria of Brooklyn" has sold for $100 million, with plans to convert the storied property into residences. The iconic Hotel Bossert, located at 98 Montague Street, was acquired by real estate investment and development firm SomeraRoad, according to city records registered Wednesday and first reported by Crain's. In a statement to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the firm said it "plans to honor the property’s rich history and to restore and reopen the building as residences."
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June 3, 2025

Artist Isolina Minjeong’s Downtown Brooklyn ground murals feel like ‘quiet blessings’

Downtown Brooklyn just got brighter and safer, thanks to a colorful new public art installation. In the ground murals titled "Fear No Frontier," New York City-based artist Isolina Minjeong channels her Korean and Peruvian heritage with a bold design depicting powerful creatures, like tigers and dragons, a tribute to the resilience of New Yorkers. The vibrant piece measures roughly 10,700 square feet across the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Shared Streets and the area surrounding the Jay Street busway. Ahead, learn more about the murals and hear from Minjeong, who said she wanted the artwork to feel like "quiet blessings."
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June 2, 2025

The Rubin’s Tibetan shrine room finds new home at the Brooklyn Museum

After closing its Chelsea home last fall, where it had operated for 20 years, the Rubin Museum is relocating one of its most beloved installations to the Brooklyn Museum. Opening on June 11 in a custom-designed space within the museum’s Arts of Asia galleries, the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room features over 100 artworks and ritual objects from the Rubin's collection, presented as they would be in a private household shrine. The installation will be on view for six years, with rotating objects highlighting different Tibetan traditions.
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June 2, 2025

West Harlem becomes first neighborhood in North America to fully containerize trash

Residents of West Harlem can expect cleaner sidewalks and fewer rats as it officially becomes the first neighborhood in New York City (and North America) to containerize 100 percent of its trash. On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Javier Lojan announced the first day of full service of the European-style on-street trash containers, dubbed Empire Bins, in Manhattan Community Board 9, which includes Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, and Hamilton Heights. As part of the pilot program, all residential buildings in the district are required to put trash in containers; buildings with 31 or more units will be required to use the Empire Bins.
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May 30, 2025

NYC starts expansion of Harlem River Greenway in the Bronx

New York City has kicked off the expansion of the Harlem River Greenway in the Bronx. City officials announced Wednesday that more than four lane miles of on-street protected bike lanes will be installed along the corridor in 2025. The project aims to create a seven-mile greenway from Van Cortlandt Park to Randall’s Island Park, better connecting Bronx residents to their waterfront with new open space and bike routes.
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May 30, 2025

East River Park section reopens with new passive lawn, picnic areas, and courts

City officials on Thursday celebrated the opening of new public spaces in East River Park, just in time for summer. Closed since 2021 as part of the project to protect the Lower East Side from rising sea levels, the south end of the park's new amenities include picnic and barbecue areas, six tennis courts, two basketball courts, a passive lawn, a nature exploration area, and a multi-use area. These areas are currently only accessible via the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge.
plan your park visit
May 29, 2025

Construction begins on new $10B Port Authority Bus Terminal

Construction began on the first phase of the new $10 billion Port Authority Bus Terminal on Thursday, marking an important milestone for the long-awaited project. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Gov. Phil Murphy joined the Port Authority in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Dyer Avenue deck-overs, which will be used for staging buses during construction and will eventually become a public green space when the new terminal opens. The first phase deck-overs, along with new ramps and a bus storage facility, are expected to be completed by 2028, with the full terminal opening in 2032.
details here
May 29, 2025

4, 5, and G subway lines to get expanded cell service

More subway riders will soon no longer have to wait until their train reaches the next station to get cell service. During the MTA’s monthly committee meetings on Wednesday, CEO and Chair Janno Lieber announced that 5G coverage will be added to the 4 and 5 train tunnels between Bowling Green in Manhattan and Borough Hall. Expanded service is also planned for the G line between Court Square and Hoyt-Schermerhorn. Both projects are expected to be completed within one to two years, according to Lieber.
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May 29, 2025

4,600 new homes coming to Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights after NYC Council approves Atlantic Ave rezoning

Thousands of new homes will be built along a largely industrial stretch of Atlantic Avenue in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights. The New York City Council on Wednesday voted to approve the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, which rezones 21 blocks to allow for 4,600 apartments, including 1,900 permanently affordable units, more affordable housing than has been constructed in the area over the last decade. The plan also comes with $235 million in community investments, park renovations, and infrastructure upgrades.
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May 29, 2025

Brooklyn Public Library to release special New York Liberty library cards

Reigning WNBA champions the New York Liberty are teaming up with the Brooklyn Public Library for a new special edition library card. Starting on Monday, June 2, all BPL branches will begin issuing 100,000 limited-edition cards featuring the 2024 champs and the team’s beloved mascot, Ellie the Elephant. The partnership will continue through the summer as the Liberty and BPL team up through Brooklyn Basketball to support the library’s summer reading program.
how to get yours
May 28, 2025

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from ending congestion pricing

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has scored a legal win against the Trump administration as the battle over congestion pricing continues. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday blocking the administration from withholding federal funding for New York transit projects, which it had threatened if the MTA didn’t end the program by May 28. Liman ruled that the federal government cannot withhold any funding until the MTA’s lawsuit over the toll program is resolved.
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May 28, 2025

Silverstein unveils new wavy design for 785-foot-tall casino complex across from Javits Center

Silverstein Properties this week unveiled a new design for its casino project proposed for an empty lot across from the Javits Center. The Avenir would rise 785 feet at 41st Street and 11th Avenue and include a 1,000-room luxury hotel, restaurants, a food hall, and a gaming facility, if the developer secures one of the three downstate casino licenses expected to be awarded this year. Designed by CetraRuddy Architecture and Steelman Partners, the project includes a podium with a facade of "gentle harmonious waves" topped by a sculpted 45-story tower. The design revises the original proposal, which called for two 46-story towers, following community feedback.
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May 28, 2025

NYC wants to turn vacant lots into public parks and playgrounds

Vacant lots across New York City could soon become lush green spaces. Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced plans to transform underutilized and abandoned lots into parks, playgrounds, and green space in neighborhoods lacking open public space. The $30 million proposal includes going through the city's uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) to allow for multiple locations in a neighborhood to be reviewed in one application. Earlier this month, the Parks Department submitted applications for 44 sites in the first two community districts identified, Brooklyn Community District 5 and Queens Community District 3.
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May 27, 2025

How to celebrate Pride Month in NYC

Every June, people around the world honor the vibrant contributions and lasting impact of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. In a year marked by mounting political attacks and harmful rhetoric, Pride is more vital than ever. And in the United States, nowhere celebrates Pride quite like New York City. From the iconic Pride March to high-energy parties, performances, and cultural events, here's your guide to celebrating Pride Month across the five boroughs.
Find ways to show your pride, ahead