The quirky residences inside the legendary Chelsea Hotel are the subject of a new book. (Getty Images)
Life in this city moves pretty fast! In the words of the immortal Ferris Bueller, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. To keep you up to speed, we’ve compiled a quick roundup of what One Block Over’s editors have been reading, discussing, and buzzing about this week. Here’s what’s happening in NYC real estate:
Inside the Chelsea Hotel’s Last Few Apartments
As reviewed in the New York Times Style Magazine, this week saw the release of a new book about this famous (and infamous) location’s few remaining apartments. “Hotel Chelsea: Living in the Last Bohemian Haven,” by photographer Colin Miller and writer Ray Mock, offers a fascinating glimpse inside the quirky residences, which are inhabited by equally quirky residents who have decked out their homes in all manner of creative decor. (Don’t miss the downright dizzying mirror mosaic on a bathroom ceiling.)
Chelsea 1BRs Under $3,000 Article continues below
Midtown: Hip or Hellish?
Over at Gothamist, Jen Carlson and others made a case for the “Midtownaissance,” a weeklong celebration of all the things to love about Midtown. Some might scoff — it’s certainly unclear to us why a lengthy “review” of the Empire State Building is necessary (spoiler alert: they like it!) — but it’s hard to ignore the charms of the Vanderbilt Tennis Club, a lonely, Wes Anderson–esque tennis court that’s hidden atop the labyrinth of Grand Central Terminal and open to the public (if you can find it!).
LIC Is “Prime” Real Estate, Even Without Amazon
It’s been a year since Amazon announced it would open a new headquarters in Long Island City, causing a flurry of anxious speculation and making this riverside Queens neighborhood the belle of the real-estate ball, seemingly overnight. But since the tech giant backed out of its LIC plan in February, reported the Wall Street Journal, residential real estate in the area has continued to plug along quite nicely, with third-quarter median condo prices up 7.7% and rents up 5.5% year-over-year.
Long Island City 1BRs Under $3000 Article continues below
New Solar-Roof Laws Take Effect
As of November 15, two new climate-change-related laws have gone into effect as part of NYC’s new Climate Mobilization Act. Local Laws 92 and 94 require all buildings in the city that undergo certain types of roof renovations to incorporate either a green-roof system, a solar photovoltaic system, or both. “In New York City, we are not shirking from the challenge of climate change,” Buildings Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca told Real Estate Weekly. “These new laws are a sea change in how we approach new buildings, and help make our city a national leader in reducing emissions.”
Our 2020 Housing Predictions
Finally, StreetEasy’s Senior Economist, Grant Long, released his annual housing-market predictions for the coming year this week. Among his 2020 predictions are price cuts on ultra-expensive luxury condos, which the city is currently inundated with; a continued preference for renting over buying for the time being, while people wait out the uncertain economic and political environment; and a housing boom in neighborhoods like Hudson Square and the Brooklyn Navy Yard, as tech companies swoop in to build new headquarters there.
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