Tyra Banks' Enormous Duplex On The Market For $17.5M

Two years ago, Tyra Banks put her gigantic Battery Park City pad on the rental market for $50,000 a month, but the Times now reports that she’s decided to part ways with it completely, listing the 7,000-square-foot Riverhouse duplex for $17.5 million. Banks, who welcomed her first child last year, is spending most of her time at her homes in Los Angeles and Northern California since her new makeup line is headquartered in LA and both of her hosting gigs–for “America’s Got Talent” and “America’s Next Top Model”–also film there. She did, however, tell the Times that she’ll miss “the feeling of having a home in the sky.”

The condo was was originally four separate units on the 22nd and 23rd floors, which Banks bought in 2009 for $10.3 million. She then embarked on a massive renovation, which didn’t sit so well with her neighbors due to “ear-rattling drilling” and paint fumes. She outfitted the home with “rich fabrics, textured wall coverings, exotic wood details and ornate light fixtures” to make it feel like less of an apartment and more like “a single-family home with finishes and an experience like one would have in the Hamptons or even in an estate in Los Angeles,” she told the Times in an email. She also made sure to configure the apartment for “maximum privacy” with various wings to accommodate staff, business associates, and family.

The new owner (or renter–the home is still available for $50,000/month) will get five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, several kitchens and kitchenettes, a gym, hair salon, and amazing Hudson River and Statue of Liberty views. Other details include oak panel flooring, a banquet table that Banks said was designed to look like “a booth at a Michelin-starred restaurant,” and a mirrored dressing room.

They’ll also have access to the all the amenities (a yoga studio, fitness center, and saltwater lap pool, to name a few) at the eco-friendly Riverhouse, where Leonardo DiCaprio is also a resident. Though, Tyra did divulge that she’s never run into Leo in the building: “He was always that elusive spirit that so many people talked about. I’ll miss my houseguests trying to spot you in our building.”

The Monthly Update - April 2017

So, where is the market headed?

This is the question on the mind of every buyer and seller in the market today. On the one hand, there are plenty of encouraging signs from all over the media and blogosphere. The broker-coveted Oshlan Luxury Market Report, for example, noted last week that 330 contracts at the $4 million-plus price point were signed in the first quarter, a 33 percent increase over the same period in 2016. But (and there always seems to be a "but" in this market), the average days on market is over 390 days with a 7 percent drop from the original asking price. Sellers were probably willing to negotiate even further given the average days the properties spent on the market in this price point.

Where the high end market goes the rest will follow, right? Not necessarily. We are finding our higher end listings, while popular with appointments, are a bit slower to receive offers given the amount of inventory, again, that's borne out by Oshlan reported average days on market. This is in stark contrast to our "affordable" inventory, which can see as many as 18-20 buyers at each open house and offers within the first or second week. Even though we saw the Fed vote to raise interest rates last month, there was actually a slight dip in rates at the consumer level, which is a likely a contributing factor for the strong response for the more affordably priced homes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Well, that and the fact that inventory in that sector is limited and not likely to grow any time soon.

Whether high-end or affordable, there is no real answer to the question, "So, where is the market headed?" But — and I’ve harped on this a thousand times before — the current market is so price sensitive that the placement of your asking price relative to other listings in the area can be the difference of selling in 3 days or 300 days.

Looking Back At What Closed...

The 2,649 total closings in the first quarter was down 11% year-over-year. This decrease was related to weak contract activity in 4Q16 (down 12% Y-o-Y), which was attributable to high asking prices and the uncertainty regarding the U.S. presidential election. New development closings continued to decline this quarter (down 20% Y-o-Y), though it should be noted that they are not indicative of the current market due to their delayed and often clustered closing schedules. The median closing price of condos decreased 6% year-over-year to $1.7M but the median closing price of co-ops increased slightly by 1% to $778K.

Download Full Report Here

Press Bulletin

Compass Launches The Pinterest Of Real Estate
Forbes |  Read Full Article

Modernizing R.E. Through Tech
Bloomberg TV | Video  (starts at 38.56)

Introducing Collections — real estate’s only visual workspace. Built by Compass, this new tool streamlines your property hunt. Check it out HERE or contact us today for a collection of hand-selected properties!

Hoffman Team Active Listings

Discovery’s ‘Cash Cab’ Trivia Show Is Coming Back

The Discovery Channel hasn’t debuted new episodes of “Cash Cab” since 2012, but that is now planned to change later this year.

The Hollywood Reporter just exclusively reported that Discovery is working on new episodes that will feature guest hosts from “the worlds of comedy, film and TV” as the drivers. Original host and driver Ben Bailey will apparently not be returning. The network has yet to announce a main host for the show.

Comedian David Steinberg (who has directed episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and produced various comedy specials) will executive produce.

For those unfamiliar with the original series, “Cash Cab” is a game show from 2005 where passengers in a taxi try to answer trivia questions before they reach their destination. Contestants could earn hundreds of dollars by answering these prompts correctly.

The original show had a bit of controversy when former contestants came forward to reveal the premise was faked. Rather than the cash cab randomly picking up unsuspecting passengers as the show implies, producers would cast contestants beforehand. The money exchange between the contestants and host at the end of their rides was also apparently staged, as the show would mail the contestants checks afterward.

These are certainly not egregious falsehoods, but the magic of hoping you could be picked up by the cash cab at any moment in New York was gone.

At least a couple of the original producers from All3 Media’s Lion USA, Tony Tackaberry and Allison Corn, are back to executive produce again.

It remains unclear if the new “Cash Cab” will be formatted similarly to the original or if there will be changes to the game show’s model. 

The Cost Of Exporting Trash From NYC Is Going To Soar

As the population of New York City continues to rise, so does the amount of garbage lining its sidewalks. But getting all this trash out of sight is not an insignificant expense. As the Post reports, a new study by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO) has found that the price of exporting trash is swelling and there appears to be little remedy in sight.

The report, released last week, found that the annual bill for waste export rose to $316 million in 2015, from around $300 million from 2010-2014. In 2021, two more marine transfer stations will open (of four total; one is open is Queens), and that figure will turn into $421 million annually.

Moreover, the IBO found that long-term waste contracts that use marine transfer stations to process trash and ship it away from the city have become more expensive per ton than short-term contracts that use local landfill space. Under long-term contracts, exporting trash to landfills increased from $63.39 in 2007 to $129.81 in 2016. Long-term contracts were initially employed to save money and protect against the price fluctuations of short-term contracts—they were also the main driver for building additional marine transfer stations.

The report does say that per-ton-costs for the marine transfer station contracts are likely to stabilize or decline as they process more trash, but it’s also noted that “Over the next few years, however, as the remaining stations begin to operate, the city’s per-ton waste export costs will likely continue to be higher than the existing short-term contracts they replace.”

In response to this uptick, Mayor de Blasio has included additional funding for the Department of Sanitation in his preliminary four-year budget. In all, about $89 million will be added to the sanitation department’s budget from 2018-2021. The mayor, however, added no new funding for 2017.

Despite rising costs, the city continues to make clean streets a priority. As 6sqft previously covered, the city’s sanitation department spent $58.2 million last year to keep the streets clean, an increase from the $49.5 million spent the previous year. The budget included expanded routes, the addition of more workers to empty sidewalk trash cans, and added Sunday service. Last year, Staten Island got its first street sweeper.

First Look Waterline Square’s Trio Of Towers

Last month, we announced that construction of GID Development Group’s three-building master plan along the Upper West Side waterfront is on the rise. Named Waterline Square, the ambitious-in-design megaproject enlists three high-profile architecture firms for each of the buildings: Rafael Viñoly Architects, Richard Meier & Partners and Kohn Pedersen Fox. Now the development team has unveiled the trio of designers that will shape the interiors: Champalimaud, Yabu Pushelberg and Groves & Co.

One Waterline Square is being designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier and will rise 36 stories tall from the superblock’s southwest corner at West 59th. International-designer Champalimaud is in charge of the 288-unit building’s interiors. Per the press release, “Champalimaud sought to marry the precision of Meier’s exterior with great warmth.” The two finish palettes: white and a natural toned selection, celebrate the individual character of each home and showcase high ceilings, enormous windows, and a rich selection of handpicked materials from around the world. The studio’s other local works include the condominiums at the Kent, the Chamberlain and 12 East 88th Street.

Two Waterline Square is being designed the internationally-prolific firm of Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). The cascading two-towered building will be the master plan’s largest and hold 696 residential units along its 38 floors. Acclaimed boutique hotel and hospitality duo, Yabu Pushelberg are refining the buildings’ spaces. Two modern finish palettes are offered for the homes, either light or dark, with each enhancing the refined sense within the light-filled residences. Yabu Pushelberg is best known in the city for their cozy and comforting interiors at One57’s Park Hyatt New York.

Three Waterline Square is being designed by 432 Park Avenue-designer Rafael Vinoly Architects. The 34-story building’s sculpted crystalline form will be surrounded by green space and accommodate 244 units. Interiors designed by Groves & Co showcase dramatic views of the park, river and city. Like its two peers, buyers can choose between two finish palettes: oak or ash. Positioned near the center of the master plan, the building will

Sales at Waterline Square are officially planned to launch in the coming months and delivery is projected in 2019. Waterline Square is the ambitious culmination of the 77-acre Riverside South Master Plan that has been more than 50 years in the making. Waterline Square’s towers will provide 1,132 high-end condo and rental homes in a variety of configurations and finished. The residences will be benefitted by gracious views of the Manhattan skyline and Hudson River along with 100,000 square feet of "sports, leisure and lifestyle" amenity spaces. Buffering the towers will be a three-acre park designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects that will contain groves of trees, walking paths, a great lawn, a playground and water features.

‘Fearless Girl’ Statue Will Remain On Wall Street For Another Year

The drumbeat for making the statue of Fearless Girl a permanent fixture in Lower Manhattan continues. Over the weekend, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the bronze statue of the little girl staring down the Wall Street bull, which had been installed to celebrate International Women’s Day, will remain through February 2018. But that hasn’t satisfied several female elected officials, who have continued to insist the empowering symbol should remain forever.

Bioswales Face Backlash From City Residents

While you may have never heard of the term “bioswale,” you have probably seen these curbside gardens throughout the city. A bioswale, or rain garden, is a pit dug into the sidewalk that’s been filled with rocky soil and shrubbery. These gardens absorb polluted stormwater and prevent runoff that could seep into waterways through the sewer system. Despite being an effective solution to water pollution, the New York Times reports that some city residents are crying out against find bioswales, calling them unattractive, messy, and hotbeds for trash and pests.

As storms become more frequent because of climate change, and especially in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection has recognized the need for even more bioswales. The city’s sewer system is combined, meaning when a storm comes, rainfall mixes with raw sewage water flowing from homes and buildings. If it rains a lot, the waste overflows untreated into local waterways, like the Bronx River, Flushing Bay, Gowanus Canal, Jamaica Bay and Newtown Creek. Each bioswale costs about $26,000 to build, and as part of the city’s $1.5 billion investment in green infrastructure, over 3,000 bioswales have been created in parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. The city is considering placing some in Manhattan.

Critics of the bioswales say not only are they an eyesore in the neighborhood, but they create mud pits perfect for mosquito breeding (the city, however, says the pits drain within 48 hours). Even city official Tony Avella, a Democratic state senator, has voiced his opposition to bioswales. Avella, who represents Queens, has held a couple of anti-bioswale rallies, criticizing the city’s lack of communication with community groups. Last summer, he filed a petition to opt-out of bioswales, and in January of this year, Avella said he wanted to fully opt-out of the program, foregoing soil testing completely.

“I understand the logic,” Avella said. “But that doesn’t mean that anytime you think you have a good idea, you have the right to roll over everybody and do it. This is a democracy, not a dictatorship.”

The city plans to continue constructing bioswales, but resistance from locals has led to some changes. Now, residents can choose between swales that either look like lawn grass or ones hidden under concrete. Plus, the city is in the process of hiring more than two dozen workers to maintain the bioswales and dispose of any garbage.

Eric A. Goldstein, the New York City Environment Director for the Natural Defense Council told the Times: “New Yorkers often object to changes in their neighborhoods. But rebelling against the city paying to green up local streets, is really something else.”

Ellen DeGeneres Lists California Estate For $45M

Ellen DeGeneres may be best known for her talk show and her role in “Finding Dory” and “Finding Nemo,” but the comedian really should be known for her house flipping.

After selling her Hollywood Hills home (for the second time) for $10 million in August, and listing her home near the Los Angeles Country Club for $7 million in October, she and her wife Portia de Rossi are now listing their grandest property yet; a 17-acre estate in Montecito, Santa Barbara for $45 million.

The couple bought the house in 2013 for $26.5 million, according to the Wall Street Journal, and put a lot of money into renovating it (including buying the two adjacent properties). They used stone excavated from the property to build an entertaining pavilion, which comes with a sun room, dining room and outdoor kitchen with a pizza kitchen.

Perched in the hills Santa Barbara, the main house is 10,500 square feet, and has six bedrooms, six bathrooms and two half bathrooms. There are nine fireplaces, 18-century tiles, rustic beams, many libraries, two swimming pools and a tennis court

Artist Who Created Wall Street’s ‘Charging Bull’ Angered By ‘Fearless Girl’ Statue

The creator of the iconic Wall Street “Charging Bull” is snorting mad over the appearance of the bull’s new companion, artist Kristen Visbal’s bronze “Fearless Girl” statue. 76-year-old Arturo di Modica, the artist who made the iconic sculpture that, like its young challenger, was installed in the wee hours, says the girl is “an advertising trick,” reports MarketWatch.

Di Modica sculpted the 7,100-pound bronze bull and installed it without permission as a gift to the city in 1989, intending for it to symbolize virilty after the 1987 stock-market crash had robbed the Street of some of its thunder. The defiant young girl in high tops was installed by international asset management company State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) just ahead of International Women’s Day on March 7 to bring attention to the need for more women on corporate boards–and for more female business leaders in general, as 6sqft previously reported.

The septuagenarian Sicilian immigrant said “Women, girls, that’s great, but that’s not what that (my sculpture) is. I put it there for art. My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength.” Though Di Modica has profited from the licensing (he owns the copyright) of New York’s second most-popular sculptural attraction after the Statue of Liberty, he feels it’s not fair to compare his artistic contribution to the finance company’s “corporate marketing effort.” Di Modica’s main point is that the 50-inch girl changes the context of the bull, recasting it as an oppressor.

The new statue’s temporary permit expires on April 2, but there is a movement afoot to make it permanent; online petitions and local elected officials are at work on a campaign to keep the “Fearless Girl,” which now has its own Twitter page and hashtag, in place.

Swale Floating Park Returns This Spring

With spring officially here, it’s the perfect time to visit your favorite park. While there are plenty to choose from, there’s only one that floats on water. As reported by Time Out, Swale, the collaborative “floating food forest,” which let visitors pick free produce last summer, is back with an updated design: a floating apple orchard and perennial garden. In a collaboration with Strongbow, the newly designed barge will set sail throughout Manhattan waters, hitting Hudson River Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Concrete Plant Park.

Last summer’s Swale was built on a 130- by 40-foot floating platform and contained an edible garden. Its goal was to function as both a sculpture and a way of providing free healthy food to NYC residents. The artist behind Swale, Mary Mattingly, works in sculpture and photography that focuses on environmental, economic, and political change. In 2014, Mary created a partially-submerged houseboat on the Delaware river called WetLand that served as artists’ residences.

The new floating apple orchard and perennial garden begins its tour at Hudson River Park, Pier 25 from April 20 through June 15. Next, it will hit Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 6 from June 15 through August 1, and finally, it will conclude at Concrete Plant Park in the Bronx from August 1 through November 15.

30 Contracts Signed At $4M And Up

The city’s luxury residential market in 2017 still looks to be in pretty decent shape, with 30 contracts signed in the over-$4 million market last week.

The total sales volume for the week was $201.4 million, according to the weekly report from Olshan Realty.

Out of the 37 contracts signed, 23 were for condominiums (with an average asking price of $6.6 million). Six contracts were on co-ops ($7 million) and one contract was signed for a townhouse asking $9.5 million. The average discount from original ask to last asking price was 7 percent.

Last week, the top contract was on unit 11 at Anbau Enterprises’ 207 West 79th Street. The five-bedroom apartment was last asking $12.5 million. It spans 4,205 square feet and features a south-facing “great room” with seven casement-style windows that offer “classic Upper West Side Views.” Anbau’s development was approved by the New York State Attorney General’s Office in November, and the developer is shooting for a $142.8 million sellout.

The no. 2 contract was on a co-op at 19A at Emory Roth-designed 875 Fifth Avenue, asking $11 million — down from the original price of $13.2 million when it was first listed in July 2014. The unit is a combination of two apartments, and features two bedrooms, four bathrooms and a 44-foot terrace, the listing shows.

According to Olshan, the median asking price was $5.9 million and average days on market was 306. In the third week of March last year, 24 contracts were signed with a median asking price of $5.7 million.

Recent figures from city brokerages show a boost in the city’s luxury market. A report from Stribling & Associates last week found the number of contracts signed on properties priced over $5 million so far in 2017 jumped 29 percent year-over-year.  [Olshan] — Miriam Hall

100 West 12th Street, Unit 4J

100 West 12th Street, Unit 4J

WEST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN

1.5 Bed  |  1 Bath  |  Co-op

Offered At $1,039,000

Maintenance:  $1,892 / mo.  |   Part-Time Doorman 

 

Welcome home to a renovated, oversized one-bedroom in the perfect Greenwich Village location! Situated on quiet and quaint West 12th street, the apartment features large living spaces, great storage and modern updates.

No detail has been spared in this home's careful renovation. The large windowed kitchen is the perfect combination of country style and downtown chic with great cabinetry, Caesarstone countertops and a striking glass-tiled backsplash surrounding full-size stainless steel appliances. The large living room and dining area offer plenty of room for entertaining and relaxing, with a portion of the living room currently configured with French doors to accommodate a nursery. The original layout can easily be restored at the owner’s expense.

The extra-large bedroom features big windows facing north and west, a wall of closets and plenty of room for a king bed and furniture, while the sleek renovated bathroom includes spa-like tile and fixtures and a sunny window. Storage and organization will never be an issue in this well-planned abode with a total of five closets designed by California Closets completing the floor plan.

The Mark Twain is a well-run, intimate co-op offering a part-time doorman, full-time maintenance staff, laundry room, bike and residents' storage, plus brand-new hallways and lobby. The pet-friendly building allows co-purchasing and subletting but pied-à-terres are not permitted. Ideally situated at the crossroads of Greenwich Village, West Village, Chelsea and Union Square, the location simply cannot be beat. Some of the best restaurants, shopping and gourmet food stores are just a short stroll away and access to transportation is unbelievable with B/D/F/M, L, 1/2/3, A/C/E, 4/5/6, N/Q/R/W and PATH trains all nearby.

Massive Target store coming to Midtown

Big-box retailer Target is continuing its increasing expansion throughout the five boroughs with another smaller-format store, this time in a huge location: According to the New York Post, the chain is planning a 43,000-square-foot outpost on 34th Street, right across from the Macy’s flagship store.

In just the past few months alone, Target has announced plans for three new stores in the city—in Midwood, Hell’s Kitchen, and the East Village—along with opening its “flexible-format” (i.e. smaller and aimed at city dwellers) store in Brooklyn’s City Point megaproject. The Midtown store will be smaller than that Brooklyn location, and will share space with a Foot Locker and a Sephora.

Given the location—in one of the city’s most tourist-filled areas, and close to Penn Station—it’s unsurprising that Target wants to target out-of-towners with this particular outpost. (One way they’ll do that: grab-and-go food options will be located near an entrance on 33rd Street, closer to where people would enter Penn Station.) The bi-level store will sell the usual things you’d expect from Target—clothes, inexpensive housewares, beauty products, etc.—and will also have a CVS pharmacy.

It’s not like there isn’t competition for Target in this particular area: there’s a Kmart just a block away (and right next to one of Penn’s many entrances), along with retailers like Jack’s, a discount store on 33rd Street. But it doesn’t seem like the company is worried: “It speaks to the strength of the location because today in New York City, if the retailers can’t make money, they won’t take the location,” Anthony Malkin, the CEO of Empire Realty Trust (which brokered the deal), told the Post.

Assuming all goes according to plan, the store will open in October of this year.

ICYMI MetroCard Fare Hike Started Sunday

In case you missed it because you've been blissfully ignoring it, the latest MTA fare hike goes into effect this Sunday, with increases coming to weekly and monthly MetroCards. For now, the price of a single ride ticket will remain at $2.75.

Under the new plan, which was approved by the agency in January, a 7-day pass will cost $32, up from $31, while the 7-day express bus and unlimited subway pass will increase to $59.50 from $57.50. Additionally, the unlimited monthly pass will increase from $116.50 to $121—up nearly 4 percent.

Following the vote, MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast noted that the decision to keep single-rides unchanged "benefits riders who pay cash on the bus or load less than a round trip on a MetroCard, and are more likely to be low-income riders." Other board members argued that the freeze on the base fare only seemed desirable, and that the plan to increase the cost of a single ride to $3.00 would actually benefit riders through a higher bonus.

In any case, the cost of taking the train will increase on Sunday, a biannual tradition like congressional elections or torrential flooding. Meanwhile, subway conditions are deteriorating, and Governor Cuomo's proposed executive budget includes a $65 million cut in state contributions to the MTA (despite his promise five years ago that he wouldn't do this, in exchange for cutting one of the MTA's primary revenue streams).

Is it sustainable to continue taking away funding streams from the cash-strapped MTA while sticking riders with the bill? Probably not, according to at least one MTA board member.

"If you take [these] fare hikes to their eventual conclusions, at some point there will be a $10 fare and $50 tolls," said board member Andrew Albert, a Transit Riders Council appointee, back in January.

Until then, here's a nifty little calculator that'll help you get an even number of rides on your MetroCard under the new rates. 

11 Cool Online Stores For Home Decor

In the age of Amazon, shopping for great design online has never been easier. Here, we've rounded up a handful of our favorite sites offering something special when it comes to home decor and design. From handcrafted artisanal chairs to sleek ceramic objects 3D printed on-demand, the eclectic wares in these online stores are worth a look (or at least an open tab).

Unison

Specializing in bright and bold textiles, Unison teams up with independent designers and artists for unique prints. Their excellent selection of bedding even extends to playful, modern designs for kids.

Ollie Box

This micro-apartment spin-off takes the guesswork out of mixing and matching housewares. The company's curated sets of tableware and home goods are the main draw, but the site also offers single items and chic removable wallpaper.

Bulletin

An online and brick-and-mortar marketplace for independent designers, Bulletin sells everything from high-design quilts to art prints, furniture, and soap. The curated selection and simple site design make perusing the store a pleasure.

The Citizenry

Traveling all over the world, The Citizenry partners with local makers to create items of high-quality modern design -- including furniture, textiles, lamps, and decor -- that are far from generic. Everything in the store is a handcrafted limited edition.

Kwambio

Kwambio offers high-end decor and jewelry items created by emerging designers and 3D-printed on-demand. But if you're thinking cheap plastic trinkets, you're wrong. The chic and playful objects sold on the site are made of ceramic or a variety of metals.

Coming Soon

This New York-based design store has an online component almost as compelling as visiting their brick-and-mortar location. The store mixes vintage finds with new designs, but all their items have a colorful quirkiness with an undeniable pull.

Collyer's Mansion

Based in Brooklyn, Collyer's Mansion offers a collection of eco-friendly and sustainably made wares with a global flair. Selling everything from furniture to art and accessories, the eclectic online store is worth checking out.

A+R

A+R

Chock full of playful modern furniture from designers all over the globe, A+R is a great place to branch out from your typical design classics. The store prides itself on showcasing new work from top designers with a strong aesthetic.

Momosan Shop

This curated collection of finely crafted housewares is hand selected by Momosan founder Momoko Mizutani. Each object’s simplicity and quality workmanship evokes a traditional Japanese aesthetic with modern flair.

Maison Numen

Every object in Maison Numen’s collection was chosen for the story it tells, from the production process or object's cultural origin to the tale of its creator. The inaugural collection features sustainable, fair-trade, and handmade housewares from Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and Colombia.

Beklina

This color-loving, California-based shop has everything from housewares to jewelry and clothes. The selection of Moroccan rugs and eclectic decor is particularly look-worthy.

108 East 66th Street, Unit 3B

108 East 66th Street, Unit 3B

Upper East Side, MANHATTAN

1 Bed  |  1 Bath  |  Co-op

Offered At $859,000

Maintenance: $1,251/ mo.

 

This rarely available, endlessly charming pre-war one-bedroom, just two blocks from Central Park and tucked a short 300 feet in from Iconic Park Avenue is the perfect city home in the heart of Lenox Hill. 
This quiet and serene newly renovated apartment is the ideal escape after a busy day in the city. Enter through the gracious foyer to be greeted by an open kitchen, dining area and wide open living room. Everything in this apartment has been carefully and beautifully renovated from top to bottom with new doors, and crafted crown molding. The kitchen is well-stocked with a stainless steel Liebherr refrigerator, a Bertazzoni gas stove with Miele vented hood, and GE Profile dishwasher. The bedroom has sunny windows facing south, wall to wall custom built in closets and a newly renovated en suite bathroom. As an added bonus, washer dryers are permitted in the apartment with board approval. From the moment you walk into the pristine lobby, you will want to call this lovely building your home or Pied-à-terre.

Built in 1926, 108 East 66th Street is a handsome brick building located within the Upper East Side Historic District. The self-managed co-op features just two apartments per floor and offers laundry, virtual doorman and a part-time superintendent. Set in prime Lenox Hill, you're surrounded by one of the best neighborhood's in the world. The historic Seventh Regiment Armory offers a full calendar of events and exhibits directly across the street, while the renowned boutiques of Madison Avenue and beautiful Park Avenue vistas are within blocks. Central Park is minutes away, putting the Central Park Zoo and Wollman Rink just beyond your doorstep The nearby 6 train and cross town bus offers excellent access to the rest of the city. ** Furniture also being sold if interested**

255 Years Ago, The First Recorded St. Patrick’s Day Parade Was Held In NYC

Sure, New York has plenty of interesting history, but who would have thought the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade was held not in Ireland, but in our fair city? It was on March 17, 1762, 255 years ago and 14 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, that Irish soldiers serving in the British army marched to honor the Catholic feast day of St. Patrick, their country’s patron saint. With Irish immigrants flocking to the United States, and in large numbers to New York, in the mid-19th century, the parade became an annual tradition and spread elsewhere in the country.

The parade in 1904 at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street via NYPL

Though the parade itself and sources like the History Channel cite 1762 as the first parade, other outlets note the following year. Bowery Boogie, for example, writes:

Many books and archived newspaper articles cite March 17, 1763 as the first St. Patrick’s Day celebration–claiming it was held not as a parade, but as a breakfast meeting at the Crown and Thistle Inn on Whitehall Street. Then in 1779, the annual breakfast turned into a staged parade where “400 Irish volunteers marched behind a British band from Lower Broadway to a tavern on the Bowery.”

I guess we can’t be 100% certain on the parade’s founding date, but we are sure that it’s the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade and the oldest civilian parade in the world.

February 2017: Most Popular Sales Listings On Streeteasy

Most Popular Sales Listings: February 2017

You’ve got good taste! Every month, we highlight the five most popular listings as selected by you, our StreetEasy users. This month includes a one-bedroom in the East Village, a historic duplex in Fort Greene and a 2-bedroom triplex in the Meatpacking District for $1,500,000.

The best part? Some are still on the market – take a look!

331 West 14th Street, PHA

SPACE: 1 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms
PRICE: $875,000
NEIGHBORHOOD: Chelsea
HIGHLIGHTS: Co-op with 18-ft ceilings, central air, a laundry room & en suite bathroom. Check, check and check.

155 West 15th Street, #1E

SPACE: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
PRICE: $1,500,000
NEIGHBORHOOD: Chelsea
HIGHLIGHTS: The real star of this home is the private patio that opens right off the living room. The walk-in closet, renovated kitchen, and “spa-like” bathroom don’t hurt either.

147 Lafayette Ave, #B

SPACE: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,324 sq ft
PRICE: $1,295,000
NEIGHBORHOOD: Fort Greene
HIGHLIGHTS: A magnolia tulip tree grows in Brooklyn! This landmarked duplex townhouse features a “manicured English” garden and row of skylights that always let the sunlight in.

633 East 11th Street, #19

SPACE: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
PRICE: $489,000
NEIGHBORHOOD: East Village
HIGHLIGHTS: While a real one-bedroom for under $500,000 may be alluring enough, this home also includes a resident garden, eat-in kitchen and washer/dryer combo.

303 East 57 Street, #14K

SPACE: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 750 sq ft
PRICE: $450,000
NEIGHBORHOOD: Sutton Place
HIGHLIGHTS: This apartment’s building features a doorman, concierge, and elevator operator. It also has a gym, spa and saltwater pool. And if you have a car for some reason, there is a 24-hour garage.

17 Ridiculous 'SMART' Gadgets That Really Do Exist

Every day, there's a new connected home gadget claiming to make life easier.

Some of these gadgets are easy sources of skepticism, but others can be worth buying. The Amazon Echo has genuine, if simple, uses. Roombas, smart lights, and WeMo switches have their virtues as well.

With some other products, it’s harder to see the mass appeal.

The past few years have brought a wave of self-proclaimed smart devices that take the “things” part of “Internet of Things” very seriously. Sometimes, these go past the point of utility and into the land of cynicism. They're often overpriced. And few companies ever seem to care about keeping them secure. (Sometimes, to disastrous effect.)

To illustrate just how far the tech world is willing to go to make anything and everything connected, let’s look at a few of the more out-there smart gadgets we've seen recently: 

Quirky Egg Minder

The Quirky Egg Minder solves a question as old as time itself: “Why can’t I connect my egg tray to the internet?”

Made in partnership with GE, this thing syncs with your smartphone and sends you push notifications when you’re on the verge of being eggless. LED lights on the tray itself tell you which of its 14 eggs nearing their expiration date.

It’s only $13 on Amazon at the moment, which isn’t so bad compared to some of the other gadgets here, though its user reviews have been pretty brutal thus far.

Hidrate Spark

The Hidrate Spark is one of a few “smart water bottles” that’ve popped up in recent years, most of which do the same thing: pair with a companion app over Bluetooth, then walk you through staying properly hydrated.

To be fair, the 24-ounce Spark does look nice, and the fact that it glows when you hit your thirst-quenching goals is cute. But paying $55 to be reminded to drink water might be a bit much, especially when you can already log this stuff with one of several free fitness apps.

Brita Infinity WiFi Connected Pitcher

Tech companies are all in on this water thing, apparently. The $45 Brita Infinity bills itself as “the future of hydration” — it works like any other Brita you’ve seen, only it can sense when its current purification filter has outlived its usefulness.

When it does, it’ll automatically order a new $6 filter from Amazon. (Brita teamed with Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service for this one, if that wasn’t clear.)

As a neglectful Brita owner, I could see this being somewhat useful. It’s certainly good business for Amazon, too. Still, it’s hard not to find the idea of automated commerce being particularly, let’s say, thirsty.

Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad

Yep, there’s smart baby stuff too. Putting an infant on the Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad lets you keep tabs on their weight, diaper changes, food intake, and so on, all of which goes back to a companion app. If needed, you can share that data with a pediatrician.

This isn’t unhelpful, especially if your kid is dealing with allergies or other early health concerns. As CNET notes, though, the app does most of the heavy lifting here; the $250 pad isn’t much more than a comfortable scale on its own.

Onvi Prophix

Again, the Onvi Prophix isn’t the only “smart toothbrush” in existence, but it's likely the oddest. It connects to your phone, naturally, but it uses its app to show you photos and live video of the inside of your mouth. It can do that because there’s a 10-megapixel camera built into the brush itself.

If you have serious dental concerns, maybe you could get something out of the $400 necessary to jump on the bandwagon here. For most others, a bathroom mirror should do the trick.

Flosstime

In related “dental hygiene in the 21st century” news, there’s Flosstime, a smart floss dispenser that mounts to a bathroom mirror and churns out 18 inches of tooth rope when tapped. The idea is to get you in the habit of flossing regularly, which seems feasible given that you’ll have a white floss shooting machine staring you in the face whenever you go the bathroom.

If nothing else, Flosstime realizes the kid-friendly potential here, as the company sells a handful of cutesy covers to snap over the device. If you’re a floss-conscious adult with no discipline, though, the dispenser goes for $30.

Kuvée Bottle

Kuvée is like a Keurig for wine. Its WiFi-connected, touchscreen-enabled wine bottle sleeve — which raised $6 million in funding last year — works with a select number of wine “cartridges.” Slot one in, and you can scroll through various tidbits about what you’re drinking.

When you’re done, you can buy a replacement on the bottle itself, because of course you can. If you’re not turned off by paying $150 for a wine dispenser you have to periodically recharge, Kuvée does claim those cartridges will stay fresh for up to 30 days.

Juicero

The Juicero is a $399 connected “juicing system” that won’t make juice if your WiFi is down. While that slice of modernity may sound frightening, it's not the most expensive a juicer has been (the Juicero itself debuted at $700), and the whole thing does appear to be a simple, effective way of making healthy drinks.

The company recently installed a former Coca-Coca exec (with a great name) as its CEO, and says it's slowly rolling out across California, Nevada, and Arizona before expanding further later in the year. It's also setting up shop in some Whole Foods stores. So for all the Silicon Valley hype and subsequent backlash it's received, it seems to be sorting things out. 

Flatev

The Flatev brings Keurig-ization to tortillas. You stuff a Flatev-approved pod of dough into the grey toaster-like box, press a button, and watch it go. Flatev hopes to ship the device this summer. It’ll retail for more than $400, with an 8-pack of pods going for about $6. That’s a lot!

Still, there’s been interest — the company’s raised millions in funding, and it earned more than $136,000 through Kickstarter last year. Its creators say they want to make the device work with other types of flatbreads, too, for what that's worth. 

Chip Smart Cookie Oven

So it turns out people are pretty fond of that Keurig business model. The Chip is a little WiFi-connected oven that works like the Juicero and Flatev, only with cookies. You buy a set of proprietary “cookie pods,” pop them in, and let the oven do the work. There’s an app, of course, that notifies you when your batch is done and lets you order new pods as you wish.

All this comes from SideChef, which does run a relatively established cooking app. It raised more than $100,000 on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo last year, and is set to ship by October. The oven itself will cost $249 when it becomes available, with cookie pods going for $1-2 depending on your dough or $14 a month through a monthly subscription.

While it’s hard to call anything that facilitates cookie-making bad, it’s not like baking cookies is a terribly involved process as it is. If nothing else, it’s definitely more affordable. SideChef says the Chip takes about 10 minutes to bake its batches, too, which isn’t that much faster than usual, and the oven only appears to make four cookies at a time.

Still, the Chip is more or less an Easy-Bake Oven for adults, so if you're a cookie fiend with money to burn and no desire to actually make your snack of choice, maybe keep an eye out. 

June Intelligent Oven

The June is a smart countertop oven that uses internal cameras, an Nvidia Tegra chipset, and artificial intelligence to recognize different foods you place within it, then cook them automatically. It was made by former Apple engineers, and it’s actually available to purchase today. Various reviews suggest that, when it works, it works very well.

Plus, unlike some other items on this list, the June oven is actually getting at a good idea. You might not need an oven that can send messages to your phone, but plenty of people have no idea what they’re doing in the kitchen, and the idea of coming home after a long day and having your oven bake a perfect salmon with no effort has appeal. If people aren’t willing to learn the “finer things” of cooking and just use Seamless anyway, why not encourage more home-cooked meals?

The problem is that the June costs $1,500, and it still lacks the nuance to recognize anything you throw at it. For now, it’s still a bit ridiculous, and still a bit of an emblem of Silicon Valley excess. But if it gets better (and cheaper), there’s potential.

HapiFork

The HapiFork is a Bluetooth-enabled “smart fork” that vibrates when it senses you’re eating too fast. As goofy as it sounds, it aims to solve a genuine problem in some form or another. Whether or not you need to pay $65 and subject yourself to a Pavlovian experiment to solve that problem, however...

Oombrella

I’ve left umbrellas at bars and restaurants across the country, so I’m not totally opposed to a connected model like the Oombrella, which can send its last known location to your phone. That it can send weather alerts to your phone isn't the worst thing, either, although weather apps (and human eyes) exist for a reason.

Putting your $80 toward umbrella stats, though, may be a bridge too far. The device also seems to have run into manufacturing issues — not uncommon for these kind of things — so exactly when you'll be able to buy one isn't yet clear.

Belty Good Vibes

The Belty Good Vibes is the second “smart belt” from French startup Emiota, and serves as a sort of leather, waist-worn fitness tracker. It pairs with a companion app and vibrates when it senses you sitting too long, not standing up straight, drinking too little water, and so on. Emiota planned to launch it by last December for a hefty $395, but as of this writing it isn't yet available for purchase. Again, we're talking strange IoT gadgets here. C'est la vie.

In any case, it's not the only group getting in on the smart belt idea: A Samsung spin-off is working on a similar concept named the Welt that aims to tell you when you've eaten too much and reportedly started shipping to its Kickstarter backers earlier this month. 

i.Con Smart Condom Ring

The iCon is a sex wearable currently up for pre-registration by British retailer British Condoms for about $74. It’s picked up steam in the press as a “smart condom,” but that’s not accurate: Instead, it’s an adjustable, waterproof ring that goes around a guy’s base and is said to track his “thrust velocity,” skin temperature, calories burned, and other stats during intercourse. You’ll then be able to share those stats with other iCon users, because what even is privacy anymore. (Though you can keep everything anonymous if desired.)

The iCon doesn’t have a set release date other than sometime later this year. The whole thing feels like a goof, so it's best to treat it as such. Moving on!

Furbo

There are other connected home cameras aimed at monitoring pets remotely, but the Furbo’s “ridiculous” bit comes from how you can shoot dog treats out of it via your smartphone. It has a two-way radio that ostensibly lets you talk to your pet, too, and sends notifications when it senses barking. It's essentially a Nest Cam, just for dogs.

Apparently people want that: The device raised nearly $500,000 through an Indiegogo campaign last summer. It's now available for $242. 

Bruno

The Bruno is another gadget that's faced repeated manufacturing troubles, and though it's not the only smart trash gadget out there, it has at least some promise. Yes, it’s a $129 trash can that needs to be recharged every month and requires proprietary bags to work. (There's also a $179 model that can alert you when those bags are running low and when it's trash day.) All of that is a bit dystopian.

At the bottom of the can, though, is a small vacuum cutout that will suck up whatever crumbs, hairs, or general crud is manifested on your floor. That means no more dustpans. It’s a slightly dehumanizing device aimed squarely at a first-world problem — but at this point, that should be a given. 

At $31B, Airbnb Now Second Most Valued Company Behind Uber

Airbnb has raised an additional $1 billion, expanding its war chest at a time of increased investor interest in fast-growing businesses.

The company, which disclosed the funding in a securities filing on Thursday, raised the money in a financing round that began last summer and that valued the business at $30 billion. The filing did not name the investors.

Over the years, Airbnb, a short-term lodging rental company founded in 2008, has raised more than $3 billion, and secured a $1 billion line of credit, according to the research firm CB Insights. Airbnb, based in San Francisco, is the No. 2 most valuable private company in the United States behind Uber, the ride-hailing business, according to CB Insights.

CNBC earlier reported that Airbnb had closed the funding round. An Airbnb spokesman declined to comment further on the filing.

The completion of the funding round follows the initial public offering this month of Snap, the maker of the ephemeral messaging application Snapchat, which was also one of the most highly valued private companies before its debut. Snap’s I.P.O. has raised questions about which other private tech companies may go public this year.

Airbnb has long been mentioned as an I.P.O. candidate. Unlike other prominent technology start-ups that are backed by venture capital, the company is not burning through investor money to pay for its operations. Airbnb is profitable, according to two people briefed on its finances who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the financial statements are private.

Still, Brian Chesky, the chief executive of Airbnb, said in an interview in November that, although he was not opposed to a public offering, the company had no immediate plans for one.

“I think companies should go public when it’s the best thing for the mission, but we don’t have those immediate needs,” Mr. Chesky said.

Airbnb, which matches travelers with people who want to rent their homes on a short-term basis, says it has three million listings in more than 190 countries. The company is expanding by buying and investing in new business lines, such as payments, property management and restaurant reservations.

This year, Airbnb confirmed two acquisitions: Tilt, a payments start-up that allows people to more easily split bills; and Luxury Retreats, a company that manages vacation homes. It also announced an investment in Resy, a restaurant reservation app.

The hotel industry is trying to hem in Airbnb, according to the notes from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s board meeting in January.

The association plans to “counter Airbnb’s ‘we’re just helping the middle-class make ends meet’ narrative with a wave of personal testimonials of consumer harm,” and to work with Congress and state attorneys general to rein in and encourage enforcement actions against companies like Airbnb, notes of the meeting said.

The association did not respond to requests for comment. It includes representatives of 70 hotel, travel and hospitality groups.

Your new home awaits.