Midtown Crossing

by Jeffrey Zeldman

Next week marks the fifth anniversary of Midtown Crossing.  In celebration and recognition, net week will witness the launch of  ‘Spreading Our Roots: A Community Art Celebration.’  The Tress of Midtown will also be featured as a pledge to work on the renewal of Turner Park, one tree at a time.

At the celebration, guests will be able to get a firsthand glimpse of the artists working on their trees.  There will also be acoustic musicians and specials at eateries, as well as a Farnam Street sidewalk sale. Those in the market for property purchasing can enjoy an apartment and condo tour at the same time.


This is a great way to truly mark the Midtown Crossing anniversary.

Mad Men Statue

Kristin Dos Santos

‘Mad Men’ show is about to be immortalized in Manhattan. Well, at least for the summer.  A statute of the show was just unveiled outside the Time Life building at 1271 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan.

The building currently houses Time Inc. magazines.  In the show the offices move to Manhattan from Madison Avenue.

The sculpture has been designed by Pentagram and fabricated by DCL.

Britain Braces Midtown

Britain has for many years, earned itself a reputation of making extraordinarily bad food.  Indeed, historically British cuisine has been the butt of many jokes among their American friends.

Well Manhattan may start seeing the end to this myth since Zuma opened its doors in midtown last week. The restaurant – that originated in London and has been the recipient of various cuisine-related awards – incorporates food from three different kitchens via its izakaya style. The spicy beef is a must have and the whole lobster – while not cheap – is definitely worth the money.

In addition, the ambiance – enhanced by the interior design with booths that look like private huts – makes Zuma a true out-of-this-world experience and negates any ideas that British food should be avoided at all costs.

Renewal of High Line Park

Although it has been in decline since the 1930s, today the High Line is a popular park attracting some five million people annually.  This has resulted in a total transformation of the area.  Thus the owners of Terminal Stores are trying to benefit from this, becoming an office-restaurant hub like nearby Chelsea market.

According to Watefront NY managing partner (that owns Terminal Stores in conjunction with GreenOak Real Estate investment firm) Coleman P. Burke believes, “everybody loves this neighborhood, and it’s just going to become more spectacular each year.”  Potential future tenants include: Uber (app firm for hailing rides) and Danny Meyer restauranteur.  This is known as a “hip” location.

Last year GreenOak purchased a 49 percent stake in Terminal Stores, valued at $300 million.

GreenOak has a wealth of experience in properties in America and around the world.  For example, just last year, together with Grupo Lar, the firm agreed to acquire a portfolio of Spanish shopping centers from Vastned Retail N.V. This comprises seven shopping centers and one retail park. 

Rentals at the High Line area will be $50 a square foot, as compared to greater Chelsea where prices were $59 a square foot at the end of 2014.

Snowstorn Juno: More Like a No Shnow

There was so much hype about the upcoming snowstorm, they even gave it a name.  But in the end, Snowstorm Juno didn't really have much of an impact.  At a mere 8 centimeters of snow, it didn’t really warrant a name. 

People in midtown and around New York were gearing up for the storm.  But in the end it just affected the northeast, specifically people in Boston where residents were stuck with two feet of snow.  Midtown did not exactly encounter the snow storm its name intended.

But the one thing that the “snowstorm” in Manhattan was good for, was the reuniting of Burt – a dog who had gone missing back in August 2014 – with his owner Lauren Piccolo, who said:

"I am tremendously grateful for the efforts of the FDNY to recover Burt. Burt had been running loose in the city for more than five months and managed to evade capture by friends, family and many Good Samaritans. While Burt is a resilient dog, I don't think he would have survived such a fierce storm. The FDNY's efforts were incredible and timely! Burt is resting at home and is expected to make a full recovery." 

Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum

Since the hip-hop culture was born in New York City, it makes sense that a museum should open up in the same area.  In about three years’ time, that is exactly what is going to happen. Midtown Manhattan and Harlem will open its doors in 2017 to the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame Museum.

Featuring artifacts donated from Run-DMC, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Salt-N-Pepa, Common, Afrika Bambaataa, Eminem and Young Jeezy, according to JT Thompson (BET’s Hip Hop Hall of Fame Awards show presenter), “this will be the home of hip hop history.  People need to understand the importance of hip hop, the elements, the DJs, the B-boys and B-girls and the graffiti writers.”

The Harlem location will cover 12,000 square feet and also feature a juice and coffee bar, stores and a television studio.  In addition, it will have an educational element, enrolling 50 kids annually in a youth media program. The Midtown Manhattan address will be even larger, spanning 50,000 square feet.  It will offer fans an hour-and-a-half tour, an interactive exhibit and more.

Hopefully it will be a nice complimentary museum to Manhattan’s current National Museum of Hip Hop, located at Fifth Avenue.

Beyler Eyubov and Monday Melodies

by Gareth Simpson

Brooklyn Jazz lovers such as Beyler Eyubov might want to make a trip over to Midtown Manhattan in the near future for some dining entertainment with a difference.

It seems that some top quality Midtown eateries have been thinking outside the box.  One example has been the addition of melodious Monday nights.  For example, the Lounge at the Wayfarer recently began hosting live jazz nights in their upstairs area on Monday nights from 7 30 to 10 30 p.m.  This features – on alternate weeks – Andromeda Torre and the Wayfarers and Julia Hatigan and the Wayfarers.

In addition to the jazz customers can now enjoy on Monday nights, there is of course the quality restaurant’s delectable menu.  For those from midtown Manhattan (or Brooklyners like Eyubov making the trip for the music) who don’t know already, there is a both a lounge bar menu with cocktails and finger foods and then a full dining menu in the dining room for those who want to make a night out of it.

But the restaurant should not get too excited about potential success; there is competition.  Just round the corner, located at 8 West 58^th Street – Beautique – has also just started its Monday jazz nights.  And for those looking to spot some talent at the same time, that might be the place to go, given that the eatery has had some sightings of celebrities such as Joaquin Phoenix and Kevin Spacey.