NEW YORK, A WONDERFUL PLACE TO CALL HOME!
Don’t spend your sunny summer days inside! Enjoy the fresh air at free outdoor shows and movie screenings, public pools, and beautiful beaches. It’s a good month to be a New Yorker.
Upcoming Events Around Town
Summergarden at MoMA (Sundays July 5 – 26)
End your weekends this month with free concerts from some of the city’s most talented jazz and classical musicians. Titled New Music for New York, this series features contemporary music from up-and-coming jazz groups as well as members of The New Juilliard Ensemble. Concerts begin at 8PM (doors open at 7PM) and seating is first-come, first-served. The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, 11 West 53rd Street
HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival (Mondays through August 24)
Grab a blanket and some snacks and head to Bryant Park on Monday nights to enjoy outdoor screenings of cinema classics like Ghost busters, Footloose, and Back to the Future. Claim your spot when the lawn opens at 5PM—films start rolling 30 minutes after sunset for prime viewing. Free movies + a beautiful New York backdrop = a perfect summer night.
Bryant Park (between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
NYC Restaurant Week (July 20 – August 14)
The end of this month marks the start of a bi-annual event heavily anticipated by New Yorkers: Restaurant Week. For two weeks, over 300 eateries across the five boroughs will be serving up three course meals at discounted rates ($25 for lunch and $38 for dinner). Make your reservations when they open on July 13, as many of the trendiest places book up fast.
Hit the Beach This Summer in NYC
Looking to relax on the beach and get a little tanning in? This city is full of great beaches that only require a swipe of the metro card. Just don’t forget your sunblock.
Coney Island, Brooklyn – This popular beach is sure to keep you busy, with its roller coaster, famous hot dogs, and iconic boardwalk.
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn – This favorite among locals is known as “Little Odessa,” lined with restaurants and stores boasting Ukrainian delicacies.
Cedar Grove Beach, Staten Island – A converted bungalow colony, this tranquil beach boasts clear views of the Manhattan Bridge.
Rockaway Beach, Queens – The only city beach that allows surfing, Rockaway offers beach goers delicious concessions and outdoor activities.
Orchard Beach, Bronx – Built by Robert Moses from sand taken from beaches in Queens and New Jersey, this beach has seen improvements to its playgrounds and facilities.
Noteworthy Dates
July 4 •Independence Day
July 14 •Bastille Day
Neighborhood Spotlight: Greenpoint
The northernmost neighborhood in Brooklyn, Greenpoint is bordered by Williamsburg on the southwest, the BQE and East Williamsburg on the southeast, Newton Creek and Long Island City on the north, and by the East River on the west.
• Greenpoint—along with Williamsburg—was purchased in 1638 by the Dutch, and got its name because it was covered in trees.
• The streets perpendicular to the East River are named alphabetically—many of them bearing industrial references to the neighborhood’s history of manufacturing (e.g. Ash, Box, Clay).
• Greenpoint became the unofficial “Little Poland” of New York City, due to immigration during World War II.
• This neighborhood has become the center for the “five black arts:” glass and pottery making, printing, refining, and manufacturing cast iron.
Market Snapshot – May 2015
Rental Market
• Year-over-year, average rents were up overall. For studios, rents were again up 5%, while they increased 7% since May 2014 for one-bedroom homes. Rents for two- and three-bedroom apartments remained stable, with minimal pricing changes.
• In May 2015, the borough-wide vacancy fell to 1.07% from April’s rate of 1.37%, and is the lowest Manhattan vacancy rate we have seen since June 2012, when the rate was 1.01%.
Sales Market – Manhattan
• Co-op median price was 19% higher than a year ago, a significant increase. With co-ops representing a relative bargain to condos, demand is high, driving pricing upward and inventory down.
• Prices continue to grow in the condo market with high priced deals drawing average price up but leaving the median relatively stable.
Sales Market – Brooklyn
• Brooklyn average sale price increased 3% compared to last year, while median sale price increased 9% year-over year, the 28th and 9th consecutive months of growth, respectively.
• Total available inventory in Brooklyn increased 28%, year-over-year, to 5,476.
Loida Edwards
CITI HABITATS
250 Park Avenue South
11th Floor
New York, NY 10003
ledwards@citihabitats.com
C: 646-208-4630
