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From Harlem to Williamsburg to Hudson Yards, NYC has been listing some pretty incredible affordable housing lotteries, and considering us city dwellers are paying 164% more in rent than the average American, we’ll take all the affordable housing we can get! And we have some good news: a Gowanus Affordable Housing Lottery has just opened!

Being called the 420 Carroll Street Apartments, the lottery is actually comprised of two buildings located along the Gowanus canal, so beyond stunning luxury units residents will also have access to a beautiful waterfront promenade. The latest housing gem has 90 affordable units available, and New Yorkers making an income between $31,200 and $181,740 are eligible.

The pet-friendly building (with large dogs allowed!) is designed for comfort and convenience and offers an amazing array of amenities–and way more amenities than we’re used to seeing! They include, but aren’t limited to:

• Garages & covered parking
• Bike storage lockers
• In-unit washers & dryers
• In-unit dishwashers
• Patio or balcony
• Gymnasium
• Yoga/dance studio
• Media room
• Party room
• Doorman
• Elevator

Of the 90 available units 12 are studios starting at $784, 50 are one bedrooms starting at $828, 21 are two bedrooms starting at $967, and 7 are three bedrooms starting at $1,093.

And considering apartments.com notes that the average monthly rent for a studio in NYC is $3,133, and less than 5% of rents are affordable for New York City dwellers making the city’s average salary, you definitely won’t want to miss this lottery!

Interested residents have until October 28, 2024 to apply to the Gowanus affordable housing lottery. The lottery doesn’t require deposits or application fees and, in addition to rent, selected tenants will be responsible for electricity, electric stove, and electric heat. 20% of the building’s units are preferred to go to Brooklyn Community Board 6 residents, 5% of the units are preferred for NYC employees, while 2% is for vision/hearing and 5% for mobility. Apply here.

And, to help your chances at snagging a unit, be sure to read these five secret tips to win an NYC housing lottery straight from the pros.

424 Carroll Street & 436 Carroll Street, Brooklyn

Deadline to apply: October 28, 2024

The post Units Below $800 Are Available In This Gowanus Affordable Housing Lottery appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

As the New York Mets take on the Philadelphia Phillies in what has been an amazing series so far, fans are eager to pack Citi Field to take on their division rivals. Mets playoff tickets have been on the rise, as this will be the first-ever postseason meeting between the two, making it an event that New Yorkers won’t want to miss.

If you’re new to baseball but excited to support the Mets live at Citi Field, here’s everything you need to know about securing your tickets and attending the game.

Mets playoff tickets: How much do they cost?

If you’re looking for Mets playoff tickets, there are still a few left, but they’re selling fast! Prices for Game 3 on October 8 start at $197, and for Game 4 on October 9, tickets begin at $175.

These prices are for seats at Citi Field in Queens, where the Mets host their home games. Prices may change due to demand, so grab your tickets quickly if you want to be part of the OMG Movement!

You can purchase tickets for the Mets-Phillies NLDS through the Mets’ official website. If you’re wondering, “Where can I buy last-minute Mets playoff tickets?” or “How much do the cheapest Mets playoff tickets cost?”—tickets for the Citi Field games are still available starting at $175, but prices may rise as the game dates approach.

Game 3: Tuesday, October 8 – Citi Field, New York
Game 4: Wednesday, October 9 – Citi Field, New York
Game 5: Friday, October 11 (if necessary) – Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia

Both Game 3 and Game 4 will be played at Citi Field, giving Mets fans the chance to see their team fight for a spot in the NLCS. Be sure to check game times, as they may vary.

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What to expect from the Mets?

Citi Field offers a wide range of seating options for fans, from premium seats to more affordable options, even the famous Grimace seat is available. Whether you’re a seasoned baseball fan or a first-timer, the energy in the stadium will be electric as the Mets compete for a spot in the NLCS.

The post Last Chance For Mets-Phillies Playoff Tickets: Don’t Miss Out appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

The cheapest Rolls-Royce on the market right now, the Rolls-Royce Ghost, would set you back a cool $354,750. Alas, we live in a city of grotesque extremes, so, for some, that sum is little more than pocket change. The luxury brand knows that, which is probably why it is upping the ante to please the richest of the rich. 

Rolls-Royce just opened up its first “Private Office” in the U.S., a design studio that will customize luxury cars for the one percent of the one percent. 

RECOMMENDED: An affordable housing lottery just opened in Gowanus

The new showroom is part of the brand’s strategy of growing sales by creating more expensive customized vehicles, instead of simply producing more cars, according to CNBC. In the new VIP showroom, clients will be able to select a car from the dealer and work with a designer to choose what materials and colors they like. Through that process, the customer ends up with a totally customized, one-of-a-kind vehicle. 

 “They may want the exterior of their Rolls-Royce to match the color of their dog’s eyes,” Rolls-Royce CEO Chris Brownridge told CNBC. “They may want to have interior panels in the car with the mother-of-pearl from their private collection. We can bring those sorts of requests to life through having direct access to the team. And the possibilities really are endless.”

The showroom, which is located in the Meatpacking District, doesn’t contain any actual cars and is more of a high-end lounge with vinyls, fancy furniture and shelves displaying sample paint colors, leathers, threads and more, per CNBC. 

Going off the photos, the vibe is airport lounge meets billionaire’s club, with floor-to-ceiling windows and chic, low-laying couches. Sounds… super luxe and awesome?

Some customized cars will sell for up to $1 million after all the customizations are applied. 

The private Rolls-Royce showroom is the third in the world, joining two other Rolls-Royce VIP showrooms in Dubai and Shanghai. The company plans on opening another one in Seoul soon.

* This article was originally published here

Everybody in New York City wants to be the best of the best, and our trees are no exception.

NYC Parks just updated a comprehensive list of the city’s most significant trees for the first time in 40 years, a ranking that was determined by using measurements including historical, cultural and botanical significance—yes, that’s a thing in the tree community. 

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The 61 trees were chosen out of a pool of more than 270 that were submitted by the public. The final selection was made by a panel of experts and leaders from different industries, including historians, authors, professors and more. In the end, it was clear that not all trees had what it took to be considered New York City’s best. 

Some species that did make the cut include the American elm in the Bronx’s Mapes Park, a huge elm that the neighborhood’s residents rallied around to preserve; the Ginkgo tree on MacDonough Street in Bed-Stuy, which stands next to the mansion of the United Order of Tent’s, a Black women’s fraternal order that is more than 150 years old; the Osage orange tree in Marcus Garvey Park in Manhattan, which boasts a shape that inspired works of art; and the Tulip tree in Alley Pond Park, Queens, which is an impressive 350 years old and has been alive for most of the city’s history. 

New Yorkers have always loved their trees—to us, living near a park is one of the most coveted status symbols. The ranking really feels like a celebration of greenery as an essential part of our ecosystem and city character.

”New York City’s trees represent a critical part of the cultural and historical fabric of our neighborhoods and communities, and it is a joy to release the final product of hundreds of proud and engaged New Yorkers submitting their nominations for the trees they love,” said Sue Donoghue, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation commissioner, in an official statement. ”When the original list was produced in 1985, New Yorkers could hardly imagine the changes we would see in our city, and through those many years our trees have served as neighborhood touchstones, historical reminders, and unique symbols of our diverse urban forest. We are so thankful to the New Yorkers who submitted nominees, and for the time of our expert panel who reviewed the nominations and made the selections for this historic new collection.

The 61 new additions have joined a cohort of 59 existing entries that were selected in 1985, bringing the list of significant trees to 120. That might seem like a lot—until you realize that there are over 666,000 trees sprawled across the city, according to some estimates.

To check out the full map of the city’s significant trees, along with descriptions regarding their significance, visit NYC Park’s website.  

* This article was originally published here

Unsuspecting 7 train riders on this beautiful Tuesday have come face to face with the one and only Grimace, the purple cartoonish mascot that McDonald’s introduced to the masses back in 1971.

It turns out that Grimace rode the city’s subway system (in a Grimace-wrapped train) departing Hudson Yards towards Citi Field ahead of the Mets’ game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

What’s the connection between the sports team and the fast food chain’s mascot? Clearly, you are not on social media: the character threw the first pitch at Citi Field during a June 12 Mets game that the team ended up winning. 

What’s more, the fortuitous pitch kicked off a Mets seven-win streak that not only helped Grimace go viral but convinced officials to install a purple seat at Citi Field in September. It is, indeed, Grimace’s New York and we’re all just living in it. 

“We saw so much social conversation where people were photoshopping Grimace’s face decal on the purple 7 subway train line,” said Amanda Mulligan, director of social media and influencer at McDonald’s, to the New York Times. “And so it felt perfect that we could bring some of that Grimace flavor into the commute for all of the Mets fans, knowing that everyone’s going to be riding the 7 train up to Citi Field. There might even be a surprise appearance from Grimace himself on the subway.”

Without further ado, here is the best video we found on the Internet today—courtesy of Grimace and his fans:

We are, of course, obsessed with this whole story and are just about to rush to the next 7 train hoping to meet the icon in person. The only thing better than this would be a Mr. Met x Grimace crossover. Stay tuned!

* This article was originally published here

For the Brooklyn Museum, it’s nothing new to spotlight artists from the borough. But the museum’s new Brooklyn Artists Exhibition will be the largest showcase of Brooklyn artists in the museum’s two centuries of history.

The newly opened exhibition, which coincides with the renowned museum’s 200th birthday, features more than 200 artists reflecting the range of creativity in the borough. From a documentary photograph of the Brooklyn waterfront by Tracie Dawn Williams to a stunning sculpture by Richard Haining made of reclaimed wood from the city’s water towers, the show is a celebration of the borough and the artists who make Brooklyn a place unlike any other.

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Across seven galleries, plus a video room and two entrance spaces, the sprawling exhibit highlights artists at all stages of their careers working across the full range of disciplines—from drawing, painting, collage, and photography to sculpture, video, and performance. To be eligible for inclusion, artists had to have lived in or maintained a studio in Brooklyn during the last five years (2019–2024). While some works pay homage to the borough, that was certainly not a requirement.

“The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition honors the borough’s dynamic present, storied past, and bright future,” museum officials said. “Their creations tackle themes that resonate on both local and global levels—migration and memory, identity and history, uncertainty and turbulence, healing and joy. Together these works capture the vibrancy of both Brooklyn and its artists, who are bound by deep-rooted connections and a shared love of this singular place.” 

To curate the exhibit, the museum’s team first held and open call for artists which garnered nearly 4,000 applications. Featured artists were selected by a committee led by esteemed artists Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli, who drew upon the open call as well as by inviting artists by invitation.   

These artists create a portrait of what makes Brooklyn uniquely ‘Brooklyn.’

“The works presented here examine collective care, healing, joy, solidarity, uncertainty, and turbulence, often incorporating experimentation with various materials,” the museum said. “Together, these artists create a portrait of what makes Brooklyn uniquely ‘Brooklyn’: a vastly diverse community pulsing with energy, resilience, inventiveness, and innovation and connected by mutual love and respect as collaborators, neighbors, friends, and family.”

Other pieces in the exhibit include a textile sculpture of a cow carcass by Tamara Kostianovsky; a bronze sculpture of a hand by E.V. Day titled Digital Bondage; an oil painting of a typewriter by Sam Messer; and a mixed media piece titled The Brooklyn Follies made up of materials collected in Brooklyn by artist Damien Olsen Berdichevsky. See all the pieces here.

The museum’s support of Brooklyn’s artists stretches back decades, from the Fence Art Show in 1966, which spotlighted 66 amateur and professional Brooklyn-based artists, to the Working in Brooklyn exhibition series that showcased the works of hundreds of Brooklyn artists from 1980 to 2004, and many more. But this exhibition is the largest of all; it’s on view through January 26, 2025. 

Also as part of the museum’s birthday celebrations, an exhibit called Solid Gold will open in November. This show will explore the majesty of gold through 6,000 years of artwork, fashion, and design. In 2025, the ongoing bicentennial lineup includes Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200, a show with three chapters showcasing longtime favorites plus brand-new gifts. Here’s the full lineup of birthday events. 

* This article was originally published here

A new celebration of cuisine found across the African diaspora is heading to NYC.

EatOkra, an app that connects people with Black-owned restaurants across the U.S. and currently features over 18,000 restaurants around the country, is hosting a conference to celebrate Black cuisine, community and commerce for the very first time.

Coming this Sunday, October 13, the inaugural Culinary Creatives Conference is hosted by James Beard Award winner KJ Kearney of Black Food Fridays. The day-long festival will include informative fireside chats with top industry leaders, including a panel discussion led by award-winning chef and restaurateur, Melba Wilson of Melba’s.

“Over the past four years, we’ve collaborated with our partners to provide grants, enhance access to capital, and supply vital resources that fortify these businesses. The Culinary Creatives Conference (3C) synthesizes these efforts, bringing a tangible, real-world dimension to our digital endeavors and creating a comprehensive platform for growth and innovation,” said Janique Edwards, EatOkra Co-Founder and COO in a press release.

And it wouldn’t be a culinary conference without food, now would it? Over 75 food and beverage vendors from across the tri-state area will be in attendance, including The Crabby Shack, Sweet Catch BK and The Spice Theory. Meanwhile, The Black Bar will be Black AF, naturally, featuring beers, wines and spirits from a variety of Black-owned brands. The bar will also be home to its own line up of live demos, including a class hosted by Jackie Summers of Sorel Liqueur, moderated by Will Coleman.

The Culinary Creatives Conference will be held on Sunday, October 13, from 9am to 6pm at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Buy your tickets here.

* This article was originally published here

Ariel Arce, Aaron Lirette and Kenneth Crum have perfected the art of the dinner party, and then some. The West Village’s Tokyo Record Bar is a subterranean supper club set to a vinyl soundtrack. The now closed but beloved Niche Niche threw casual dinner fêtes curated around wine, while the downstairs basement bar, Special Club, was all about keeping it social. Arce was also behind the effort to bring the iconic Roman restaurant, Roscioli, to the States for the first time. This month, the group will transform a three-story carriage house in Soho into an experiential dining hub and destination. 

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Heroes and cocktail bar Pearl Box are set to open their doors on October 21. Approaching the three-story concept, each level tells a different story with its own vision and color theory. Depending on if you’d rather a drink before or after dinner may change your starting line. 

If a cocktail is calling, a visit must start on the third floor, which can be accessed inside the restaurant or through its own separate door. As you climb upward, you’ll know you are onto something special, thanks to the wall-to-wall mirrors leading up the stairs. Once you hit the top of the red staircase, you’ll be greeted by the gem that is Pearl Box. Taking riffs from 1970s-era Playboy After Dark, the lounge throws it back with wood paneling, black chairs and velvet loveseats made for getting close and personal. Soon, servers with trolleys will be rolling around the dining room, serving high and low offerings like caviar with milk bread and foie gras to fried chicken. 

As you make your way back downstairs, don’t forget to peek in on the second floor. With a large marble counter and fridges that glow with bottles of wine, the Tiffany-blue room will soon be home to private dinners, wine tastings and more.

Making your way back down to the bottom floor, Heroes pays tribute to everyday heroes the three have been inspired by, you can find a tribute these figures on a mural that hovers above the soft but striking lavender dining room. A bit of a who’s who, the painting from Indianna Hoover features busts of Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder to Olympic medalists, including Simone Biles and Kerri Strugs. Even Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development makes an appearance holding her telltale martini glass. 

As for what’s on the menu, that goes to chef Aaron Lirette. With a resume that includes chef de cuisine of Acadia and chef of Danny Meyer’s Green River, Lirette champions all things seasonal and the usage of the whole animal, stating “the best way to cook a piece of fish, is in its entirety” in a press release. 

This ethos is evident as soon as you walk in the door, as the front of the restaurant features a dry-aged locker, with monkfish, seabass and tuna hanging from hooks. Balancing sea and land, starters include a Scallop in a kombu broth and bacon dashi for a bit of oomph and a Beef Tongue & Sweet Bread Skewer. With a spin on a hero’s banquet, the large plates are priced at $65 per person and include a salad and breads. Dry-aging finds its way here as well, including an aged sea bass with chili butter and a 30-day, bone-in ribeye with a peppercorn jus. 

The heroes theme carries onto the wine offerings. Intentionally listing producers first as opposed to brand or varietal, the wine list, in this way, hopes to shine a light on those who have made a difference in the wine world, be it through sustainability, community or overall impact. Asking the sommelier, you will not only get a walkthrough of the region and the notes of the wine, but you’ll also learn about the person behind the bottle.

There’s that old saying never meet your heroes. But trust us when we say this is the hero you want to meet, again and again. 

* This article was originally published here