By David Gibbons

That the financial crisis is over and our economy is in full recovery is old news—at least from the viewpoint of several high-profile real estate insiders, all experts on the downtown market.
“The word ‘recession’ is not even used in the last six to nine months,” said Andrew Barrocas, CEO of MNS, a real estate brokerage firm specializing in residential properties. “We’re far out of that.”

For the fourth quarter of 2012, the MNS report on new development sales showed solid overall gains on a quarterly and yearly basis. While the Upper West Side topped closings (65), two downtown neighborhoods, Battery Park City (48) and Chelsea (46), were strong contenders. All other areas south of 34th Street showed lively activity, with rents still high and sales prices exceeding pre-crisis levels.

“Downtown is mimicking the rest of the market,” said Lori Ordover, CEO/founder of the Ordover Group. “The big issue is a lack of inventory.”

According to The Corcoran Report, total available listings in Manhattan reached their lowest number in more than seven years during the past quarter.

Residential development stalled in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers (September, 2008); significant numbers of new properties are not expected to crop up for several years.

“It’s a very tight market,” said Gary Malin, president of Citi Habitats, a leader in NYC sales and rentals.

The crux of the matter is liquidity: Larger institutions, such as banks involved in real estate, have been slower to rebound and remain cautious about lending. The purse strings are still tight, both for developers seeking to obtain financing and potential buyers hoping to secure mortgages. The days of huge luxury condo towers selling out to eager buyers based on nothing more than a floor plan, a virtual tour and a dream are over. Nevertheless, the brokers are optimistic.

“The overall big picture for downtown Manhattan is very positive,” said Ariel Cohen, exclusive agent for 75 Wall Street, a 346-unit luxury condo high-rise on the market since 2009. Given his stake in the area, Cohen is understandably bullish.

“Lower Manhattan has been an ongoing, emerging category since 2004,” he said. “Chelsea and Tribeca have already emerged. Battery Park City is a very mature market. Now, in the Financial District, we are heavily emerging.”

“I live in Tribeca, and every day I get seven or eight postcards from brokers saying, ‘I could sell your apartment.’ I know that, but I don’t want to move,” Ordover said. “I love living downtown. I think it’s the most vibrant part of the city.”

Cohen said that sales at 75 Wall Street picked up “dramatically” in the second quarter of 2012; the building is now more than to 60 percent sold. At an average of $1,220 per square foot, its remaining units compare well: “A husband will call me and say, ‘My wife wants to live in Tribeca, but please tell me what you have in the Financial District.’” Even on the fringes of Tribeca, Cohen points out, prices are in the $2,000 range. Both Barrocas and Malin agree, comparing the Financial District favorably to Greenwich Village for value—and adding the Lower East Side.

Another strong indicator for downtown is its preponderance of first-time buyers and young families, many from other parts of Manhattan. Ordover marvels at the stroller gridlock on West Broadway and stiff competition for exercycles at her favorite spinning class. “They’re starting to call the Financial District the Diaper District,” Cohen joked. “Our buyers run a big gamut,” he said. “It’s not just your Wall Street-driven clientele.” Both note many positive signs for the community, including good new schools opening; Condé Nast’s impending move to the new World Trade Center tower; and plans for a downtown performing arts center.

For “affordable” new development downtown—i.e., in the range of $1,500 to $2,000 per square foot—Barrocas looks east from the Bowery to the river. “Obviously, the development process takes time,” he said. “Two, three, four years out, I can only predict numbers being stronger than they are today.” He noted the Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project for nine city-owned lots along Delancey Street, approved last September, as a potential game-changer in the area.

How would you like a tall, elegant, black-glazed ceramic mug with an outsized curvy handle for only two bucks? Pretty darn good deal, eh? How about if I told you the mug had “CPW Dentistry,” along with the business’s phone number imprinted in white? Would that be a deal-breaker—or up the ante for you?

Whether you’re a fan of the ironic, the kitschy, the camp, the scarce—or just can’t resist a bargain—you will want to get your fine self to a Housing Works Thrift Shop, where I just spotted the above. And if you’re within the sound of my voice, or at least within the geographic parameters of this newspaper, be assured there is an HW near you: from the Upper West Side (Broadway and 96th) to Chelsea (143 W. 17th St.), with pit stops between. If you dare to cross our southern border, be advised you needn’t pack a sandwich in case you get lost: The HW bookstore café at 126 Crosby St. has snacks and suds.

Has it really been two decades since the original HW shop opened on West 17th? Indeed it has, and while there are now various outposts, know that shopping at whichever locale you choose helps the same worthy cause: ending the often twinned crises of HIV and homelessness.

Speaking of homelessness, many of us lucky enough to have roofs over our head have entered the nesting stage of winter: post-holidays, we’re tired and broke and weather-whipped. Ah, here’s the fix: a steaming mug of cocoa in, say, that “CPW Dentistry” mug we were smart enough to snag!
What could be more cheering than serendipitously scoring when sorting through often one-of-a-kind wares being sold for a song? Not that it need be said—though here I go saying it, anyway—in any venue with many singular pieces and high turnover, please take examples cited here as simply, though accurately, representative of the kinds of finds you can expect; you may well discover even better stuff.

That said, there’s often a good selection of small, novel kitchenware, and if you’re looking for a new mug, or want to add to an existing collection of quirky cups, consider such additional examples as the one reading “Howe Caverns” with a colorful, if hard to figure out, depiction of the natural attraction ($2); and “YOGA BADASS” followed by “deal with it” (um, should a yoga devotee be this truculent?). The latter cup, perhaps to make up for its bad attitude, had a $1 sticker.
Perhaps most predictably, what you should find at these thrifts are lots of blue jeans at OMG prices. I spotted men’s classic five-pocket Gap Boot Fit jeans tagged at $10, the same price I recall seeing on denims at HW maybe 10 years ago. A dusky blue-and-black-checked Calvin Klein Jeans casual men’s shirt in irresistibly soft cotton was going for $15.

There often seems to be a plethora of black separates for women (well, this is New York); in black skirts alone, I spotted velvets, faux suedes and real leathers. Loved a humble black corduroy—label missing, but who cares—tailored skirt for $15. Paired with a fitted blazer, such as the Grace Elements paisley brocade tagged at $25: knockout.

“Oooh, a Slinky!” a grown-up near me suddenly exclaimed, as she reached over for the “famous walking spring toy,” selling for $2. “I haven’t seen one of these in a long time,” she wistfully added, as she played with the toy that, as its box declares, “moves without motors!”

See—serendipity: What’d I tell you?

We asked the state senators and assembly members from our neighborhoods to respond to Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State address

Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered his annual State of the State speech, addressing a population that had recently been shaken by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the unthinkable violence of the school shooting in nearby Newton, Conn. The governor proposed a bevy of sweeping legislative changes to bolster the state’s economy, strengthen the public education system, and crack down on guns and assault weapons. We spoke to state legislators from Manhattan to find out how the governor’s proposals might affect New York City residents and how these leaders plan to follow through on these important issues.

Sen. Liz Krueger, Upper East Side

“I was thrilled to see Gov. Cuomo commit to moving key items in my own legislative agenda, especially a comprehensive women’s equality package including several key measures I’ve sponsored or supported.

“Fair pay, workplace fairness, reproductive health, preventing domestic violence—these are priorities I’ve fought for since I joined the Senate, and I welcome Gov. Cuomo’s leadership and hope he can help us break through the deadlock in Albany that has prevented real action on too many of these issues.

“I was happy to see Gov. Cuomo continue his commitment to passing a comprehensive gun control package including a stronger assault-weapons ban.”

Assembly Member Micah Kellner, Upper East Side

“Gov. Cuomo put forward a progressive agenda to make New York a model for equality, innovation, education and technology. I look forward to working with him and his administration to implement the toughest assault weapons ban in the nation, enact meaningful campaign finance reform, provide equality for women and raise the minimum wage for working New Yorkers.

“Encouraging new businesses to thrive in New York City is something I have long promoted as the sponsor of an Angel Investor Tax Credit, which provides tax incentives to individuals who invest in startups so that companies that develop in New York remain in New York. The governor’s proposed “innovation hot spots”—tax free zones to ensure new technologies developed in New York are commercialized here—is an exciting idea, which could not come at a better time as the new Cornell-Technion campus breaks ground on Roosevelt Island.”

Assembly Member Dan Quart, Upper East Side

“I support the governor’s broad thinking on education issues. The governor’s competitive grant program will allow public schools the opportunity to reimagine their school days with more instructional time. Families who are looking for a longer school day or year will be able to find a public school that can provide those things.

“I applaud the governor for taking a strong stand against gun violence in New York. I support a policy of using the state’s buying power to curb the sale of semi-automatic machine guns. As the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to contacts for firearms for the New York State Police, Gov. Cuomo can and should leverage the state’s buying power against gun manufacturers who have prioritized profits over the safety of New Yorkers.”

Sen. Adriano Espaillat, Upper West Side, Manhattan Valley, Washington Heights

“As the sponsor of legislation to raise the minimum wage, I was heartened to hear Gov. Cuomo express his support for this initiative, which will help millions of New Yorkers rise out of poverty and be able to better make ends meet.

“I commend the governor for his commitment to enacting swift gun reform legislation. As the sponsor of legislation to restrict gun sales and strengthen our gun laws, I am pleased to join the governor in calling for strong reform to gun laws that will make New York’s the toughest in the nation.

“I applaud Gov. Cuomo for his decision to direct $1 billion toward the production and preservation of affordable housing in New York City.

“Additionally, I strongly support the governor’s call for a Women’s Equality Act, ensuring that all women have true equality regardless of gender.

“Finally, I also commend Gov. Cuomo for his call to invest in the future, by educating our youth, including a plan for fully funded pre-K.”

Sen. Brad Hoylman, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, Upper West Side, Midtown/East Midtown, the East Village and Lower East Side

“I am heartened by the governor’s renewed call for an assault weapons ban and other measures to fix New York’s porous gun laws, especially in light of the tragedy at Sandy Hook and the spate of gun violence across New York City last summer. The governor’s Women’s Equality Act, which includes support for pay equity, is a bold effort to end discrimination and inequality based on gender, and I appreciate his strong call for passage of the Reproductive Health Act to protect women’s right to choose. I was also pleased to hear his plan to lessen the harm caused by the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy by decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana and advance campaign finance reform through the public financing of elections.

“The creation of a $1 billion affordable housing fund appears promising, although we also need measures to strengthen rent regulation laws, which have been bottled up by special interests for many years. And while I’m pleased to hear of the governor’s support for increasing the minimum wage to help address the growing gap between the rich and poor in our state, working families will not see a lasting benefit if we fail to index any increase to inflation.”

Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, Upper West Side

“I was pleased to hear Gov. Cuomo outline an aggressively progressive platform for New York state. While it should not have taken the tragedy of Sandy Hook to begin the long-overdue conversation on guns that we are currently having, I am glad that New York state, which already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, will act to make them tougher. I am eager to cast my vote in the affirmative on a comprehensive package of common-sense gun laws.

“During these tough economic times, it is critical that we raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation to help build ladders to the middle class by guaranteeing that hard-working families are paid a fair wage for a day’s work. Recognizing the role that gender-based discrimination plays in economic security for women and their families, I was pleased to hear the governor focus on achieving real pay equity in New York state. I am the prime sponsor of legislation that would equalize the pay gap that still exists for women employed in stereotypically female-dominated fields, and look forward to working with the governor to pass this and a number of other reforms to end gender-based discrimination and also violence against women and girls. In addition to pay equity, I am excited that the governor will be seeking passage of the Reproductive Health Act as part of a broader Women’s Equality Act, which would focus on protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual harassment and human trafficking.”

Assembly Member Deborah Glick, Greenwich Village and Tribeca

“I’m very excited about the governor’s strong position on women’s equality. I will be working with a broad coalition to ensure that his agenda on women is passed in the Assembly. In addition, measures to increase the minimum wage and close gun loopholes are crucial.”

Sen. Daniel Squadron, Lower Manhattan

“New Yorkers are crying out for the common sense protections that will help keep our streets and our families safe from gun violence. I’ve long supported legislation that would close major gaps in our assault weapons ban—including the weapon used in Newtown and Webster. There is simply no reason for civilians to carry these military-style weapons. I applaud the governor for making a tougher assault weapons ban part of his proposal.

“In addition, I stand with Senate Democrats, the Assembly and the governor in support of microstamping. Blocking the bill means depriving police of a vital, cost-effective tool to connect shell casings with their guns. It’s simply mind-boggling that Senate Republicans would continue to block microstamping and let hundreds of murder and gun violence cases go unsolved each year.
“I also applaud the governor for highlighting the in-plain-view marijuana possession statute and the inconsistent way it’s enforced. In large parts of our city, entire communities feel like suspects targeted by law enforcement rather than citizens protected by it. The governor’s proposal to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in public view would be a critical step toward ending these inequities.”

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Lower East Side

“As our Lower Manhattan community continues to recover from Hurricane Sandy, I commend the governor’s call for strengthening our infrastructure, such as subways, and I will continue to join my fellow elected officials to demand that Congress end its delays and release the aid that our residents so desperately need. I was also very pleased that the governor said he would join the Assembly in enacting serious and meaningful gun safety legislation. We in the Assembly have passed comprehensive gun reforms year after year, including bills to strengthen our state’s assault weapons ban, require the micro-stamping of shell casings to help police track guns used in crimes, keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill and many other common sense measures. As one of our state’s leading advocates for universal pre-K, I commend the governor for joining our effort to make greater investments in our children, especially here in New York City.”

Chinatown: Stop letting the other ’hoods use me. If they don’t want to meet for dim sum during the day, then they can take their club beats elsewhere at night. And tell Nolita to quit invading my space.Photo by Christopher Schoenbohm

Look at you, New York! I hardly recognize this group of non-smoking, exercising, healthy-eating and organized individuals. What happened? You used to be fun. Interesting, at least.

The truth is, if everyone in New York sticks to their resolutions, it could throw off the balance of this entire city, country and world at large. Grocery stores will sell out of fresh produce, and SeamlessWeb will go under faster than it can send a confirmation email. Gyms will become so overcrowded that citywide riots will break out in a moment of elliptical desperation. Cigarette companies will—er, bad example.

Countless livelihoods depend on your laziness, unhealthy habits and destructive behaviors. Think of the artisan baker who relies on your sweet tooth to pay the bills. Don’t you believe in supporting small businesses? Don’t you want to stimulate the economy? Or how about the bartender who depends on your liquored-up generosity to support his true passion? Thanks to your selfish resolution to drink less, you may be robbing the world of his future Oscar-winning documentary exposing the slaughter of bonobos in the Congo. Maybe that film would have started a worldwide movement to save the bonobos from extinction. Perhaps even inspired an end to the Congo’s years of devastating warfare in the process. Don’t you want to end violence in the Congo? Don’t you think bonobos are cute?

So go ahead and smoke your first cigarette of 2013. Bite that hangnail. Fall so hard off the donut wagon that you might have broken something if not for their—and your—pillowy softness to cushion the landing. It’s the least you can do.

Our neighborhoods, however, are another story. They could use a few resolutions, and from the look of things, they have their work cut out for them in 2013:

Meatpacking: Drink lesssss [hiccup]. And learn Italian.

Chelsea: Stop making fun of MiMa. He didn’t make it up.

West Village: Start growing vegetables on the roofs of my restaurants. Oh wait, that was last year’s.

Midtown: Separate my work from my social life. Leave my Blackberry at—sorry, gotta take this … What? Now? I’m just finishing a scorpion bowl with my boys at BroJim’s. I’ll be at the office in 10.

East Village: Keep my beard clean.

Tribeca: Stop letting myself be defined by my friends. Tell De Niro I need some space. Again.

Nolita: Stop giving all the other neighborhoods adorably personalized gifts from my shops. When did anyone ever give me a necklace made of gilded flower petals in the shape of my name?

Little Italy: Go gluten-free.

Murray Hill (hers): Stop wearing my Kappa Delta Phi butt pants to unlimited champagne brunch.

Murray Hill (his): Stop hitting on girls wearing Kappa Delta Phi butt pants at unlimited champagne brunch.

Times Square: Meditate more. Like, all the time.

Photo Courtesy of Fotopedia

By Alissa Fleck

The New York Times recently published an article asking “What Is Going on With Contemporary Art?” The newspaper reported last week Christie’s auction house “sold 67 works… for $412.2 million, the highest total ever achieved in the [contemporary art] field.”

The priciest piece was Andy Warhol’s 1962 “Statue of Liberty” for $43.76 million, noted the Times. Christie’s was not the only auction house to make history that day — four auction houses in total made record-breaking sales. The paper reports a particular rise in interest in the work of Franz Kline, of the New York School, who died also in 1962. Lichtensteins and Rothkos were among other top-selling pieces.

Why the sudden surge of interest in spending record amounts of money on contemporary art — wasn’t the hurting economy the crux of the presidential election for so many Americans? Arguably, those shelling out the big bucks for Koons and Basquiats are not spending too much time lamenting their stake in the economy. Perhaps, counter-intuitively, times of economic strife are when reminders of aesthetic beauty become most crucial, the very abstractness of these works reassuringly reflecting back the turmoil of the times.

The Times hypothesizes a combination of improved art marketing and skill on the part of Christie’s are at play.

Jon Garrey, a client services representative for Artnet in New York City, a group he claims has “practically a monopoly on online auctions, art pricing, and gallery sales, reaching 9.5 million page views per month,” exemplifying this improved marketing hypothesis, says several factors contribute to the significant sums being doled out for these big names.

For one, it’s the fact that they are big names. “There’s the artists themselves,” he explains. “We are not dealing with the masterworks of an emerging artist here; these contemporary maestros have been building their brand for years, some even posthumously…It just so happens that these new prices are breaking records.”

Garrey adds: “For artists who have died, collectors will pay handsomely to scoop up what remains of their works.”

Garrey also points to the unstable economy, and the fact that, while art values fluctuate, they tend to remain generally the same. “Owning expensive art earns you a tax break for a reason,” he says.

He even believes the recent super-storm could have played a role, as it caused severe damage to several important art galleries in the Chelsea area.

There are also simpler explanations — it is the end of the fall art auction house season and there’s currently a huge influx of foreign interest in buying art.

What are these buyers looking for exactly? Beyond the big names, Garrey, who works with hundreds of clients, many in New York, says some buyers see it merely as an investment, hoping for larger returns later. Others are interested in the progressiveness of contemporary art — they are lured in by the controversial, the grotesque, the mind-bending.

“With the name ‘contemporary art,’ it makes sense,” says Garrey, presumably indicating the strange times in which we live.

By David Gibbons

Photo By Bess Adler

To say that Avenues is a grand scheme with the potential for revolutionizing education as we know it would be akin to calling the Empire State a tall building.

Students at this brand-new, for-profit private school will experience language immersion in Mandarin and Spanish from age 3. During their 15 years at the school, they’ll study history and culture in a multi-year survey called the World Course; they’ll be required to concentrate in a personal area of interest—academic, artistic or athletic—through a college-major-like program called Avenues Mastery. They’ll take multiple trips abroad and benefit from local institutional partnerships as well as integration of advanced learning technologies.

There’s much more—all of it spelled out on the website, www.avenues.org, which reads like a detailed blueprint for the global school of the future—part practical handbook, part idealistic manifesto.

The brains behind Avenues is Chris Whittle, the bow-tied media mogul famous for reviving a moribund Esquire magazine in the 1980s then founding Channel One News, which offered free TV (with ads) to schools. Whittle reinvented himself as an educational entrepreneur, starting Edison Schools in 1992 along with former Yale president Benno C. Schmidt Jr., who also heads the team at Avenues. Edison may have fallen short of Whittle’s most optimistic projections, but it is acknowledged as the pioneer of the charter school movement.

For his next start-up, Whittle amassed $75 million from private equity and his own pocket, introducing Avenues in 2011 as an “idea whose time had come.” The school’s flagship location, a beautifully renovated former warehouse on 10th Avenue in Chelsea, bordering on the Highline Park, will eventually house 1,600 students, from preschool through 12th grade. A second campus will open in Beijing in 2014, a third in São Paulo in 2015 and so on, with the ultimate goal of 20 campuses worldwide within a decade.

“We are up to speed to the degree we planned it,” says Gardner Dunnan, academic dean and head of the Upper School. Dunnan, a former headmaster of the Dalton School, was instrumental in developing and implementing Whittle’s plan as well as recruiting a best-and-brightest roster that includes Co-Heads of School Ty Tingley and Skip Mattoon, who ran Exeter and Hotchkiss, respectively.

“The leadership team all came here because it’s a new school of thought,” says Dunnan. “It isn’t like going to run another school; we’ve all done that. This is something entirely different.

“We’re looking at current best practices and transferring some of that, but we’re also inventing new methods and approaches on our own. Chris Whittle is a brilliant entrepreneur, and he works harder than anyone I know. But the key is his rare capacity to entertain a really good vision, to pay strict attention to the details and yet not be a micromanager, and to really elicit all of the talents of his team.”

Word got out quickly in the pedagogical world; Avenues received more than 4,500 applications for 125 initial teaching positions. The school will also share its riches through professional development workshops. And, after a one-year test run, the World Course, along with its invaluable database, will be made available to all takers at no cost.

Representatives from the Department of Education (DOE), the Community Education Council District 2 (CEC) and community members convened on Oct. 9 to discuss a proposed school district rezoning for Greenwich Village/Chelsea and Midtown East.

The proposed Greenwich Village/Chelsea rezoning map, available on the CEC’s website, impacts current PS zones 3, 11, 41 and 130. The Midtown East rezoning splits current PS 116 zone vertically to allow for the new school building being built in the area, and rearranges current zones 267, 59 and 40.

A member of the PTA from PS 116’s zone said of the redistricting: “We need to get it done right, not just get it done.” The PTA member said the proposal, which cuts her zone in half, would ultimately hurt school funding.

“The superior status of our school needs to be maintained,” she said.

John Keller, representing PS 59, said his school’s zone was also disproportionately reduced by the plan and “families look for zoning lines that are consistent and reliable.”
This sentiment was echoed by community members and parents who spoke of buying homes based on careful consideration of school districts.

One father, who lives in current zone 59, said people, like his own family, spend a great deal of money moving to places based on the school in their zone or district. “We put a lot of money on the line,” he said, becoming emotional. “We thought this would be our zone forever.”

“The DOE said the most important thing is sustainability,” he said. “Redrawing the lines every year is not sustainability.”

A spokesperson from the CEC explained that endless rezoning battles, such as this one, are merely a fact of life as student populations grow rapidly in the city.
“It’s impossible to plan anything far enough in advance,” he said. “The population of kids is going up faster than we can build to keep up.”

He also emphasized the importance of schools having set zones when they are built, saying that in the process of alleviating overcrowding, trade-offs will inevitably take place. These trade-offs include families being shifted to new school districts.

The CEC spokesperson conceded that in a perfect world the desired balance and aesthetic of school zones would be attainable, but the new school being constructed needs a defined zone for the 2014-2015 school year.

In response to the complaint that this proposal was presented too abruptly, the spokesperson said it would indeed have been ideal to start the process further in advance to give families more time to acclimate to the changes.

A representative from Community Board 5 expressed concern East Side schools will all be at or over capacity in the next five years.

“Why are schools not built to fully address capacity problems?” she asked DOE members.

Ella, the mother of a 4-year-old, told community members she believes there is an agenda by the DOE and CEC and “[they] need to get an independent consulting firm onboard,” a suggestion met with applause and agreement by community members.

Other parents and community members also expressed concern about how new school district areas would reflect the racial and socioeconomic diversity of schools. Community members who spoke called, overwhelmingly, for the process to be put on hold while numbers and issues of diversity were more accurately addressed and factored into the equation.

To this, DOE and CEC representatives reiterated the crucial importance of giving students a school zone to call their own from day one, despite perceived issues linked to school diversity.

“Every school deserves an identified community,” said the CEC spokesperson.

The next meeting to discuss the Greenwich Village/Chelsea and East Side proposals will take place Oct. 24 at PS 3.

Photo Courtesy of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

The City Planning Commission voted today to approve an amended proposition by Jamestown Properties to upzone Chelsea Market. This plan allows for new structures to be built atop the 9th and 10th Ave ends of the complex, a modification zoning regulations currently prohibit, according to a statement by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP).

The next step is for City Council to vote on the decision—the Council has 50 days to hold hearings. The Council’s approval would be the final step in ratifying the plan.

In 2007 the GVSHP got Chelsea Market listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. GVSHP claims the renovations would ruin this important landmark—the former NABISCO headquarters where the Oreo cookie was founded. GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman said the expansion would introduce more traffic and congestion to an area already “bursting at the seams.”

GVSHP is urging City residents to contact Speaker Christine Quinn and express their disapproval for the plan, which will be voted on by the Council in coming months.

—Alissa Fleck

Photo Courtesy of Alissa Fleck

By Alissa Fleck

What do dogs need in order to thrive while their human companions are away? Opinions may vary on the subject—between minimalists and pet pamperers—but D Pet Hotels, soon to arrive in Chelsea, has luxury down. They can guarantee your pet won’t miss you too much while you’re away.

The luxury pet hotel recently opened a location in Scottsdale, Arizona after its initial success in Hollywood. Now the chain is taking on New York City, and New Yorkers love their dogs, so the hotel’s lavish amenities will likely come as a shock to no one.

D Pet Hotels caters exclusively to dogs, and the New York edition will feature 10,000 square feet of pooch paradise. The hotel’s rooms offer full-size beds and flat-screen TVs, while the hotel itself boasts a doggie gym, lounge, spa, boutique and chauffeur service, reports the Daily News. (Once your dog gets a taste of the human bed experience, he may be reluctant to come back home.)

Dog parks at D Pet Hotels are air-conditioned, chauffeur cars are Lamborghinis and Porsches and the boutique carries only the classiest, organic dog treats and plushest beds.

According to the News, “The spa menu includes ‘pawdicures’ and oil treatments for dry coats. The fitness service offers a private fitness trainer and a chef-made meal including brown rice with vegetables, lamb or chicken.”

The News also reports luxury dog hotels like D Pet Hotels are becoming increasingly popular, perhaps a surprising trend considering the economic recession and, particularly, New York human living space becoming ever tinier.

It’s not exclusively an American trend though—the arrival of D Pet Hotels in Chelsea also comes on the heels of the eight-story doggie love hotel being built in Brazil.

Meanwhile, a pet hotel in Melbourne, Australia is perhaps the most decked out yet—it features “push button sliding glass doors and personal automatic fresh water drinkers…and under-floor heating,” reports the News.

Of course, many will argue economic downturn or not, it should have no bearing on how we pamper our cuddly, furry companions.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

The end of the summer’s nearly upon us New Yorkers, and you don’t want to be caught at home on the couch, or futon, or…seat cushion on the floor. Don’t forget the City’s beaches close after Labor Day, so you might just want to take this time off from the rat race to relax and soak up a little Labor Day weekend sunshine. If you’re looking for a little more action though, check out a couple of these exciting Labor Day festivities going down around New York City:

-Labor Day 5k and 10k On Roosevelt Island

If you want to get moving this Labor Day, in a different kind of race, NYCRUNS will be hosting a 5k and 10k race on Roosevelt Island, complete with post-race breakfast. The action begins Monday morning at 10 a.m, and pre-registration is available on the NYCRUNS website.

-Unicycle Festival on Governor’s Island

Yes, you heard that right. Unicyclists will unite this Labor Day weekend on Governor’s Island to show of their wheel(s). All sorts of spectacles guaranteed to transpire. Helmets are strongly encouraged.

-Electric Zoo Festival

The Electric Zoo music festival is happening all Labor Day weekend in Randall’s Island Park. Featured acts include David Guetta, Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Knife Party, the Bloody Beetroots and tons more. Electric Zoo is an all-ages electronica festival, guaranteed to get you dancing so hard you’ll need Monday just to recuperate.

-Wasabassco Burlesque

On Friday, The Bell House in Brooklyn is celebrating Labor Day with “Take This Job & Shove It,” which includes “work-related burlesque and go-go.” Admission is $12, but the show is free if you dress all in white. There will be pickleback drink specials and burgers on the grill. We’re thinking this sounds too good to pass up!

-Improv Show Ft. 30 Rock Comedians 

Scott Adsit and John Lutz, of 30 Rock fame, are going to combine their improv chops for the first time ever this coming Labor Day. It’s going down at the Upright Citizens Brigade  comedy club in Chelsea. Head over to the UCB to get your laugh on before/after checking out…

-Food & Drink Specials All Around Town 

NY Mag has provided an extensive list of food and drink specials around the City, including everything from Oyster eating competitions to deep fried Oreos. They’re even making it easy and giving you a map, in case you’re stumbling around in a food coma come Labor Day weekend.  Check it out here.

Summer’s wrapping up, so don’t miss this exciting action! Let’s face it, New Yorkers, we could all use it.

—Compiled by Alissa Fleck