We are coming on a year since the de Blasio administration first pledged to stop the abuse of mechanical voids, floors of nearly empty space that developers use to inflate the heights and market value of luxury buildings. Soon, the New York City Council will vote on exactly what to do about them.
It has been over a month since Gavin McInnes spoke at the Metropolitan Republican Club and since the latest arrest of a Proud Boys member involved in the street brawl that followed. In the time that’s passed, what has been said about the fight – details on who started it, who ended it and determining exactly who did either of those things – belies the blows to political discourse we have endured since 2016. If there is a willing blindness in the political class, the Metropolitan Club’s choice to receive McInness is a good example – another instance of how startlingly close the mainstream has moved to its fringe elements.
In a ringing defeat for neighborhoods, the Department of Buildings recently dismissed a challenge to a blatant zoning ruse at 62nd and Second Avenue – building luxury megatowers using floors of near-empty space. Cashing in on the use of these “stilts” or mechanical voids to boost building heights is a new trend in New York City development, maybe most notably flaunted at 432 Park Avenue (yes, that one). But after a near year-long fight, the decision has set off a fever pitch of alarm for preservationists and elected officials worried about whether the city has rubber-stamped a loophole.
The next time you find yourself walking along Third Avenue and 92nd Street, take note. You might be stepping along with the next primary dancer at the New York City Ballet.
Parts of the East Side of Manhattan can be so congested, there’s often not space on the sidewalks to walk. At times, crossing the street, even in the crosswalk with the “walk” sign lit, can seem a stressful neck exercise as our eyes scout every possible direction. But our neighborhoods are amazingly safe for the pedestrian, if recent city statistics are to be believed.
Glaser’s Bake Shop is a special place – ask anyone passing by on 1st Avenue these last frenetic few days. But on Sunday, after more than a century in business, Glaser’s is finally shutting its doors to a neighborhood and city not quite ready to mourn the loss.
It’s almost Memorial Day, the unofficial start to summer. That means it’s time for the annual question – How can we get that beach body? After all, everyone wants to comfortably flaunt a bathing suit while enjoying lazy afternoons at the beach. So, we spoke with two personal trainers about how to start.
The southern swath of Midtown East owes much of its elegance to ornate hotels that stand alone or peek from between the austere corporate towers. From late-19th century structures to chic modern residences, the hotels evoke globalist New York at its best.
Photo at top: President John F. Kennedy arriving at The Carlyle.
“I need to get out of the city.” We’ve all heard it and we’ve all said it. Every day in the greatest city in the world wears you down in a predictable way, like reaching the last stretch of a marathon and finding every step dragging the pavement. But New York City always has more runway after the first finish line.
