Trump Soho Hotel to get Koi Restaurant

Trump Soho Hotel in New York City

via hotelcheckin

Barbara De Lollis reports in her Hotel Check- in column, Koi Group has agreed to open a Koi restaurant on the ground floor of the new downtown hotel.

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9/11 Memorial Worksite Photos

Curbed was down at the World Trade Center site checking on the progress of the "9/11 Memorial" and captured a lot of good photos.

The 10 year anniversary of September 11, 2011 is a few weeks away and workers are nearing completion as quickly as they can, despite a few labor issues with the concrete workers.

Workers had walked away from construction sites all over the city(Madison Square Garden & World Trade Center were two.) Recently they were ordered back to work because of no-strike clauses in their agreements. This should keep construction on schedule.

View some of the work that has taken place...

via curbed

Should "Ground Zero" Remain "Ground Zero"?

With the new phase of reconstruction taking place after the collapse of the World Trade Center should the area continue to be called "Ground Zero"?

I'm sure Wall Street and Manhattan realtors wish it would go away.

via wsj 

New York City's Club Corridor A Victim of Redevelopment

Photo: Barbara Saric

In the recent past, if you were in New York City and wanted to go to an A-list night club, chances are you were headed to West 27th Street or 28th Streets(or any of the near by blocks) between 10th or 11th Avenues - near the Westside Highway.

Those days are slowly becoming a thing of the past.  With continued redevelopment of the area, paired with the closing of once popular night spots like Bungalow 8 and B.E.D., newer and more diverse tenants want in.

Much of this can be attributed to the gentrification of The Highline, the Meatpacking District and the rebuilding of Tribeca after the World Trade Center collapse - the Chelsea had to see some changes.

Read about the future of the old "Club Row" - hotels, restaurants and art galleries...

via wsj

Living Outside of NY and Owning a Vacation Home in NY Could Cost You

New Jersey and New York state Line. Photo:BridgeandTunnelClub.comvia wsj

If you were to live in New Jersey or Connecticut and happen to own a vacation home on Long Island or an apartment, that you use part of the time, in Manhattan, you may have to begin paying taxes on your income to the state of New York.

A recent ruling could allow your out-of-state earnings to be taxed by New York state.

It all boils down to an issue of residency - part-time, full-time, no-time or low-time.

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Rodney Terich Leonard Prefers International Styling In His Harlem Home

  Rodney Terich Leonard.  Photo:Hiroko Masuike

Mr. Leonard's West Harlem/North Manhattan home. Photo:Hiroko Masuike

via nyt

Rodney Terich Leonard is a renaissance man, Harlem resident and citizen of the world. It only takes one look at his home ...and his art collection, to know this.

NYT's Habitats featured him recently and interviewed him about his collection of African art, his love of jazz, his attention to detail and his eye for fine decor.

Mr. Leonard also owns an aesthetic and lifestyle consultancy company, R.T. Leonard Salon.

Read the article here...

Brooklyn Brownstones Remain in Demand as Rentals

South Portland Ave. in Brooklyn. Photo: Piotr Redlinski

via nytimes

Despite the dominance of hi-rise rentals in New York City, in Brooklyn the brownstone rental is king.

Although there are risks associated with renting an apartment in a brownstone - landlord selling the building, no rent control or finding similar apartments renting from $1,250 - $4,000, renters continue to be drawn to the buildings for their character, sense of neighborhood and architectural detail.

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Video: Jimmy McMillan - "The Rent Is Too Damn High"

He got 40,000 votes in his attempt to become Governor of New York... don't sleep.

If you're not familiar with Jimmy Mack watch the video below:

Look Out... Landlords Using Private Investigators

Investigators staking out a building. Photo: Nicole Bengiveno

via theappraisal

Because many landlords don't know a large percentage of their own tenants, many in New York City have taken to using the services of private investigators to help them know who is living in their buildings.

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American Apparel May Close New York City Stores

via crainsny

Sluggish sales, paired with high rents being paid for stores whose leases were entered into during the height of the real estate bubble.

The total number of stores in New York are 20(in manhattan and Brooklyn).

Having warned that they might not have enough cash to make it to the end of the year. Talk of their New York locations closing began to circulate.

Bankruptcy may be a part of the company's near future.

Read more...

Vacation Rentals Slowly Drying Up in U.S.

New York vacation rental in Harlem, near the Hudson River and City College. Photo: NYHabitat

via usatoday

Vacation rentals are becoming scarce as lawmakers in various regions do away with rentals for less than 30 days.

While many vacation rentals have been operating illegally for years, it looks like the law may be catching up.

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Artist's Small NYC Apartment Makes Big Impression

via nbcnewyork

Elle Decor editor-in-chief, Margaret Russell uses artist, JC Garcia-Lavin's apartment to illustrate how a small area can be made to feel spacious.

By accentuating the strong points of his apartment, Garcia-Lavin shifts the guests attention away from the size of his home and focuses it on function and layout.

Spike Lee Selling Original 40 Acres and A Mule Building

Spike Lee is selling the former home of 40 Acres and A Mule. Kinda fly.

via curbedny

This isn't the first time this building has been on the market, but, it's the latest. It is the first time it has been listed at a price of $3.9 million.

Spike Lee has owned the building for 20 years. Considering when he bought it, it has appreciated considerably. Unfortunately, he hasn't seen much interest in the pair of duplex condos.

The original listing price was $6 million, then it got cut to $4.9, the price was later reduced to $4.2 million before being taken off of the market.

It's back!

Let's hope "four" is Spike's lucky number, since this is the fourth time the price has been "adjusted"(read slashed, cut, reduced, lowered).

The famed director, writer, actor and fellow fan of one of the NBA's worst franchises(NY Knicks) could use the good fortune to take his mind off of the Miami Heat acquiring Lebron James.

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Get A Piece of the Hamptons for Only $50 mil

It's actually $49.5 mil, but, what's a few hundred thou when you get a home with it's own night club, DJ booth, two-lane bowling alley, indoor basketball court?

All 31,000-square feet of it set on 11.5 acres in Bridgehampton South.

See the degree of luxury you can rent... or own... in the Hamptons.

New York City Is Ready For Its Close Up - New Solar Photos Being Taken

via nyt

The city of New York is following in the steps of cities like San Francisco by having aerial photos taken with laser technology that surpasses any past technology used.

Multiple flights were taken after midnight using the laser to

From the photos the city will be able to create what is called a "solar map". The solar map will allow the city to create up-to-date maps giving information about areas prone to flooding, which neighborhoods need more trees or where there is too great a concentration of heat - they left out how they will use it to track population shifts.

See the slide show here...

Read the article..