The Staten Island Ferry provides service for commuters traveling between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan, but visitors who want to see New York City’s working waterfront (& the Statue of Liberty) will enjoy the free ride across the New York Harbor!
Riding the Ferry
The ferry operates between the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island and the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan. The trip is about 25 minutes long. Passengers using wheelchairs are encouraged to use lower-level boarding at both the Whitehall and St. George Terminals. All passengers are required to comply with applicable U.S. Coast Guard Security Regulations regardless of which level they board from. No pets are allowed on the ferry with the exception of pets in cages and service animals.
Ferry Schedule
The ferry runs around the clock every day of the year. Generally, it runs every fifteen minutes during rush hour and every half hour or hour during nights and weekends. During periods of reduced visibility or heavy weather the schedule may be adjusted.
The ferry operates on a holiday schedule on New Year’s Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. On these days, service will be provided every 30 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Parking
In addition to privately operated lots, there are two DOT Municipal parking lots at St. George Ferry Terminal. The daily parking rate is $8.00, quarterly permits are $300. Parking in the nearby municipal garage and lot at St. George Courthouse Garage costs $55 per month.
The upper South Lobby Kiss & Ride at the St. George Ferry Terminal is open for passenger pick-ups and drop-offs. Passengers should take the South Lobby elevator on the main concourse level to the 3rd floor. Drivers can access this area by taking the bus ramp from Richmond Terrace, using the outermost right lane.
How the Ferry Assisted in the 9/11 Attack
After the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the Staten Island Ferry transported tens of thousands of people out of lower Manhattan to safety on Staten Island. The captains docked the ferries under zero visibility as the smoke and debris from the collapses filled the sky. The following days passengers were not allowed on the ferries. The fleet was being used to transport emergency personnel and equipment to and from lower Manhattan. In addition to the emergency personnel and equipment the ferries were also being used to transport military personnel and equipment to Governors Island and lower Manhattan included in this were U.S. Army tanks. Since that day, the Staten Island Ferry no longer carries cars.
Price: Free
Ferry Addresses
- Manhattan:
Whitehall and Water St
New York, NY 10006 (Map)
- Staten Island: 1 Bay St.
Staten Island, NY 10301
Nearest Subways In Manhattan, J/Z to Broad Street; 1 to South Ferry; 4/5 to Bowling Green. In Staten Island, Staten Island Railway to St. George.
Phone: 718-815-BOAT
Website: http://www.siferry.com/
Nolita is a beautiful neighborhood in Manhattan that is full of Italian charm. Short for “North of Little Italy”, the area is bordered by Houston Street on the north, Broome Street on the south, Bowery on the east, and Lafayette Street on the west. While it borrows its Italian character from its neighbor Little Italy, it is decidedly quieter, less touristy and more residential.
About Nolita
Nolita was long considered a part of Little Italy, but developed into its own distinct district in the mid 1990s. It boasts a terrific central location and charming streets, but avoids being too crowded or noisy due to the absence of through-traffic. The only busy major streets that cut through the neighborhood are on Houston Street and the Bowery.
Many Italian immigrants once populated the neighborhood, although many of them have since moved out of Manhattan to other boroughs. Nonetheless, the neighborhood still retains its Italian atmosphere and has a residential population that is a mix of older Italian families and young professionals. The district is still the home of the Feast of San Gennaro, an annual festival held every year just after Labor Day that celebrates Saint Januarius, the “Pope of Naples”.
Nolita Points of Interest
Nolita contains its fair share of historically and culturally significant sites, including:
- St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral – This cathedral, at the intersection of Mulberry, Mott and Prince Streets, was opened in 1815 and rebuilt in 1868 after a fire. The cornerstone of the building was laid in 1809 and for many years the building served as the city’s Roman Catholic cathedral until the new St. Patrick’s Cathedral was opened in midtown on Fifth Avenue. The cathedral is now a parish church and is known as The Basilica at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.
- Puck Building – The Puck Building is a neighborhood landmark that was built in 1885. It is an ornate building that is on the corner of Houston and Lafayette Streets. It was once the home of the now-defunct Puck Magazine, from which it derives its name.
Nolita Real Estate
Most of Nolita consists of 5-6 story walk-up buildings that are both turn-of-the-century and new. The neighborhood contains no high-rises. Some of the residential buildings in the area include:
- 20-22 Prince Street – low-rise walk-up building
- 221 Mott Street – low-rise walk-up building
- 250 Mott Street – low-rise walk-up building
- 260-268 Elizabeth Street – five building complex
- 50 Prince Street – modern low-rise elevator building
- 211 Elizabeth Street – seven story brick building with seven foot high black wood windows
- 225 Lafayette – pre-war mid-rise concierge condo building originally constructed to house the East River Savings Bank
- One Kenmare Square – two adjacent buildings designed by H. Thomas O’Hara
- 145 Mulberry Street – low-rise elevator condo building
Nolita Dining
Nolita features some terrific restaurants that run the gamut from casual to fine dining and offer a wide range of cuisines. Some of the more notable eateries in the neighborhood include:
- L’asso – Italian cuisine and pizza
- Café Habana – Cuban and Mexican cuisine
- Delicatessen – New American cuisine
Hudson River park is a stretch of waterfront park along the Hudson River that extends from Battery Park to 59th Street. The park is known and loved for its plentiful flowers, benches, piers and views of the river as well as its public programs for adults and kids alike. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy at Hudson River Park.
About Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is home to many bicycle and pedestrian paths that run from north to south, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. The park also contains tennis and soccer fields, a children’s playground, a dog run for your furry friends, batting cages, recreational piers and much more.
The Hudson River Park connects many of Manhattan’s most popular tourist destinations and points of interest including:
- Battery Park
- Battery Park City
- The World Trade Center site
- The World Financial Center/Winter Garden
- Chelsea Piers
- Pier 57
- Pier 63 (home of historic ships Frying Pan and the John J. Harney)
- The Intrepid Air and Space Museum
- Riverside Park
The park connects many Manhattan neighborhoods as well, including:
- Lower Manhattan
- Battery Park City
- TriBeCa
- Greenwich Village
- Gansevoort Market (The Meatpacking District)
- Chelsea
- Midtown West
- Hell’s Kitchen
Fun on the Water
More than 400 acres of the park’s 550 total acres are actually located in the Hudson River, and there are many wonderful recreational activities that visitors can enjoy. There are currently three non-motorized boathouses on the river, with a fourth under construction in TriBeCa. Visitors can partake in a range of water sports including paddle-boarding, kayaking, sailing, rowing, swimming and boat building.
Sports and Recreation
For those that enjoy land-based activities, Hudson River Park also provides many sports and recreation activities for both adults and kids to enjoy. Some of these include:
- Baseball at Pier 40 in Greenwich Village
- Basketball in multiple locations
- Batting cages at Chelsea Piers
- Beach volleyball at Pier 25 in TriBeCa
- Bicycling along the five mile bike path
- Bowling at Chelsea Piers
- Carousel rides at Pier 62 in Chelsea
- Field sports in multiple locations
- Golf at Chelsea Piers
- Ice Skating at Chelsea Piers
- Mini Golf at Pier 25 in TriBeCa
- Rock Climbing at Chelsea Piers
- Running along the pedestrian paths
- Skate parks in multiple locations
- Sunbathing throughout the park
- Tennis in Greenwich Village
- Trapeze at Pier 40 in Greenwich Village
- Walking tour at Pier 40 in Greenwich Village
Art in the Park
Hudson River Park is also known for its outstanding examples of public art, found throughout the park. Some of the pieces on display include:
- The Apple at Pier 46 in Greenwich Village
- Long Time at Pier 66 in Chelsea
- Holland-America Line Mural at Pier 40 in Greenwich Village
- Serpentine Structures at Watts St. in TriBeCa
- Two Too Large Tables at W. 26th St. in Chelsea
- AIDS Memorial at W. 11th St. in Greenwich Village
More Information
For more information about events, programs, food and shopping in Hudson River Park, call the Hudson River Park Trust at 212-627-2020 or visit http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/.
If you’re in the market for a home, navigating the range of home loans to find the one that’s best for you can be difficult, particularly if it’s the first time. To make things easier, the federal government and most states offer home loans tailored to first-time buyers. These loans have an array of attractive benefits that can make the home buying experience less costly and not as restrictive. However, these loans don’t suit every first-time home buyer. As such, you should look into the benefits and drawbacks before signing on the dotted line.
What is a First-time Home Buyer Loan?
A first-time home buyer loan is a mortgage uniquely tailored to people buying their first home. While definitions vary for what is a first-time home buyer, it is usually someone who has never been listed on a deed as the owner of real estate (you would need to confirm this with the loan provider when looking to obtain such a loan).
First-time home buyer loans often require a low down payment (if any), reduced interest, limited fees and the possibility of deferring payments. These types of loans are offered at a federal level by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and by most states. In addition, FHA first-time home buyer loan programs offer easier qualifying guidelines than many other loan types, such as allowing for higher debt ratios, lower credit scores (even if your score is under 700), limited down payments (usually 3.5 percent of the purchase price) and reduced closing costs and fees.
Pros of First-time Home Buyer Loans
The comparatively lower restrictions on these loans make them ideal for first-time home buyers, particularly if you do not have a significant amount of money saved for a down payment, you have a limited ability to meet high interest payments and fees, or your credit score is not high enough to qualify for other loan types. Even if you do have funds saved for a large down payment, the low interest rates on first-time home buyer loans are often too good to pass up.
The aim of these loans is to bring the American dream of home ownership within the reach of as many citizens as possible, and they have been a great success in helping families who would otherwise not have been able to buy a home.
Cons of First-time Home Buyer Loans
These loans may not be the best option for all first-time home buyers. In particular, most loan programs for first-time home buyers impose a limit on the cost of the property you’re looking to buy. Often, the loan limit may only be 60 to 75 percent of what you could receive with a conventional loan. This means that your chances of using one of these loans to buy a more expensive property are limited. If, for example, you are hoping to buy a large family home in a middle- to upper-class metropolitan neighborhood, you can probably forget about finding a first-time home buyer loan program that will be willing to lend you the amount of money you need.
The other major drawback with many of these loans is that the home you buy has to become your primary place of residence. If your intention is to buy the property as an investment to rent out, you probably would not be accepted for a loan.
Micro apartments usually range between 180 to 300 square feet, and these are surely becoming more popular among the bachelors and bachelorettes and even for some retirees. These people seek affordable places to live in the state’s most expensive cities.
The Micro Apartment Trends Spreading Across Cities
The mirco trend is hottest in Seattle. More than 40 micro apartment developments have been constructed in the city for the past three years. Most of these apartment buildings come with shared patios, roof decks and communal kitchens. Other places with emerging micro apartment trends are in San Francisco, Boston, Providence, R.I., New York, Portland and many more.
The key selling point for micro apartments is affordability. In Seattle, one can rent a 250-square-foot apartment for less than $800 a month, which is almost half the average $1,400 cost people pay for newly built studios measuring 400 square feet.
In San Francisco, a person can get 295-square-foot apartment for $1,600 month, which is about a third less than the current average rate for studios in the area.
But of course, living in tiny spaces like what a micro apartment offers requires huge lifestyle adjustments. It can be quite shocking at first. Your old closet can be bigger than the whole micro apartment. It may cause you to go out more often and do things. Most people living in such kind of apartments spend less time within the walls of their home. This is actually a perk since you can walk to your office, or spend evenings with friends that live within your neighborhood and more.
New York and its Micro Apartments
New York has long been known for the shoebox-sized apartments. The Mayor wants to add to the pile of small apartments. He recently sponsored a micro apartment design competition, which is aimed to fight the city’s shortage on affordable homes for one- to two-person households. In a number of Manhattan neighborhoods, 70 percent of the households consist of singles and couples. This can be a great initiative for other cities as well.
The said city recently awarded a firm a contract to build a complex with 55 micro apartments, ranging from 250 to 370 square feet homes. It is projected to open in the year 2015 and it will be the very first micro apartment complex built in Manhattan since the year 1955. The building will be offering communal living areas, dens, a fitness room, as well as a rooftop garden.
Micro Apartments Today
Most modern micro apartments have innovative and efficient designs with flexible features. The dining room tables can often turn into beds. The excess vertical spaces hold shelves. The banquette lids may open for additional storage space. The kitchen may have refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves, but no conventional ovens.
The Target Market
As previously stated, most people that come looking for micro apartments are singles and couples. But surprisingly, a great number of seniors have moved into these micro apartments. They seek to downsize their full-sized homes, looking for a more affordable and less high maintenance choice. No matter how old or how young you are, micro apartments can take some getting used to.
The Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit is a twice-yearly event that takes place in the heart of Greenwich Village. Now in its 83rd year, the next festival is scheduled to take place Labor Day Weekend on August 31, September 1-2, and September 7-8. The event showcases fine artists and artisans from New York and around the world and draws an eclectic crowd of art lovers, tourists, teachers and students. Spend the day browsing a huge variety of some of the best art in the city, and meet some of today’s best and most promising artists.
About the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit
The event began in 1931 when Jackson Pollock and his friend and fellow Village artist Willem DeKooning took several of their paintings and set them up on the sidewalk near Washington Square Park in a desperate attempt to raise money to pay their rent. Some art world luminaries such as Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (founder of the Whitney Museum of Art) and Alfred H. Barr, Jr., (Director of the Museum of Modern Art) soon took notice. They ran with the idea and organized an art show that eventually evolved into the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, happening every Memorial Day Weekend and the following weekend, and every Labor Day Weekend and the following weekend.
Some early exhibitors at the event included Alice Neel, Saul Berman, Ilya Bolotowski, and Beauford Delaney. It has become a showcase for artists from the region and is attended by art lovers from all over the world. Artists are now chosen by a juried selection process and cash prizes are awarded in various categories based on selection by artist-judges.
Exhibit hours are noon to 6pm on every show day. Exhibit categories include:
- Graphics
- Mixed media
- Oils and acrylic
- Watercolor
- Photography
- Sculpture
- Crafts
- Jewelry
- Metal work
- Ceramics
- Glass mixed media
- Fiber
- Wood
Over 100 artists will be exhibiting their work. The show has its venue on University Place. It will start at East 12th Street and extend south along the east side of Washington Square Park and end at West 3rd Street. The southern end of the show encompasses Schwartz Plaza (aka Bobkin Lane), between NYU’s Shimkin Hall and Bobst Library.
Exhibitor Information
Interested in becoming an exhibitor? The event welcomes both veteran and up-and-coming artists and craft artisans. The show awards thousands of dollars in prizes for various fine arts and fine crafts categories, all donated by private companies and organizations. Artists can participate in just one weekend, or up to all four. Fees are as follows:
- First show weekend (3 days): $380
- Second show weekend (2 days): $285
- Both shows (5 days): $485.
There is also a jury fee of $20. Fees can be paid online by credit card or through PayPal.
More Information about Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit
Contact information for the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, Inc, is as follows:
East End Avenue is not the kind of community that casual visitors to New York are likely to stumble across while searching for clubs, restaurants or theaters. You would have to be searching for it. Hugging the edge of the Upper East Side, the area spans only 13 blocks or so. Most of the streets run east-west and end in cul-de-sacs, giving the neighborhood an almost gated feel to it. As such, cars are not likely to pass through on their way to somewhere else. But this is what makes East End so appealing.
By walking five blocks from the Lexington Avenue subway on East 86th, you’ll be rewarded: the street leads into plush Carl Schurz Park, merging into its bluestone-lined path. From there, a climb of only a few steps delivers a spectacular front-seat view of the boat, barge and tug parade that is the East River. In recent years, families have surged into the community, which is home to numerous schools and is considered “the suburbia of the Upper East Side” to many.
There is also a quaint historic district in East End, located on Henderson Place. It’s an enclave within an enclave, with an assortment of Queen Anne-style apartments, with slate roofs, brownstone stoops and delicate metalwork.
What You’ll Pay
In mid-June there were approximately 105 condominiums and co-ops for sale, at an average of $1.86 million. At the high end was a five-bedroom duplex penthouse located at 10 Gracie Square, an Art Deco co-op, going for $23 million. At the lower end of the spectrum, a studio with hardwood floors at an East 88th Street co-op was listed at $235,000. Even though the real estate industry has struggled to rebound since the recession, local realtors say that the market is slowly but surely gaining in strength.
Activities in the Area
One of two retail strips run from 81st to 82nd, offering a Gristedes market and a new deli — an offshoot of Yura, a Madison Avenue mainstay — that opened this spring. There is also a large indoor pool at Asphalt Green that offers swim lessons for infants as well as training sessions for adult triathletes. The Carl Schurz Park is also home to Gracie Mansion, which hosts official city events but can also be rented for parties.
The Commute
The 4, 5 and 6 trains stop at East 86th Street, which is about a 20-minute walk. Mario’s Transportation is also available, a private service that runs vans every 15 minutes during rush hour from York Avenue and 85th Street to various locales in the financial district. One-way fares are $6. Buses include the M31 and M86, which go as far east as York, and the M79, which loops down East End.
In a city like Manhattan where only sellers’ brokers have exclusive contracts, representing the buyer can be a pretty tough job. And during these times, it can be tougher than ever, thanks to the ongoing inventory shortage affecting New York City residential real estate market. With only few new properties for sale, the buyers’ brokers are finding it very difficult to look for apartments to show their clients. Most apartments have already been snapped up even before these go to the online list. Whenever there is a new property in the market, the brokers said that they are immediately bombarded with requests for showings and new offers, which basically means that they have to pick and choose which brokers to work with.
On the other hand, there are already several tech-savvy buyers, especially those who are quite frustrated by losing one apartment after the other, that don’t hesitate to contact the listing broker directly, without getting assistance from the buyers’ broker. Today’s market is already full with qualified buyers who are also familiar with how the real estate works over the Internet, they may or may not have their own broker with them. Aside from that, working with a buyers’ broker may bring about many disadvantages. Listing agents often want to do direct deals, with no one to split the commission with. Though this is against the rules of the Real Estate Board of New York, some sellers already purposefully don’t return the phone calls from the buyers’ brokers.
A Totally Different Atmosphere
Currently, apartments are selling quickly. It takes an average of 4.6 months to sell a Manhattan apartment in the second quarter of the year, from from 7.9 months in the same time frame last year. The combo of low inventory and speedy sales has made a frantic climate within the real estate market. Buyers’ brokers said that they are struggling to show apartments to clients before these get snapped up by a different buyer.
According to traditional rules, a broker has about 24 hours after signing an exclusive sales contract to distribute the property information to other brokers. However, in the tight market of today, brokers get many offers even before the listing hits RLS. This can be done by simply emailing their contacts.
At the time the broker sees the listing online and calls for a showing, the seller might already have a deal in place. Even if a circumstance wherein the apartment is still available, busy listing brokers don’t always return calls promptly. Because of this, they are forced to show their listings only to veteran agents, whom they assume will be better qualified compared to newcomers.
Times Have Changed
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a sad reality, but this is something that we have to deal with. Some of the agents prioritize well qualified clients and some of them even purposely avoid co-broking to maximize a bigger chunk of the commission. By that, they are already violating a number of rules.
It seems that the long wait is over — the Schinasi Mansion at 351 Riverside St. has finally found a buyer. Of course, it took a long time (particularly seven long years) for it to be bought. And then there was the matter of price. Its original figure was $31 million, which was drastically cut to a paltry $13.5 million in the end. The reason: expensive renovations are needed for the house. Many of its woodwork pieces were distorted, and its ceilings were also crumbling.
Despite these setbacks, anyone will tell you that it was all worth it (especially for the buyer). The 12,000 square foot Schinasi Mansion is a fully-detached single-family residence in Manhattan designed in neo French-Renaissance style. It was designed by William Tuthill, the same architect who also did the Carnegie Hall.
This elegant house is situated on the west side of Manhattan, which is sits directly across Riverside Park. The surrounding neighborhood is filled with residential townhouses and apartment buildings, and if you go north, you’ll find Columbia University. You can also find the historic rowhouses and townhouses built between 1889 and 1902.
The house was commissioned by Morris Schinasi, a poor, Turkish immigrant who borrowed $25,000 from a friend to get to the U.S. He brought with him a cigarette-rolling machine he designed, which he later presented at the 1883 Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. This was a novel idea, because until this point, cigarettes were hand-rolled individually.
Soon after, his brother joined him in New York, and they created the Schinasi Brothers Company. His success led him to select William Tuthill to design the mansion. However, rumor has it that they didn’t see eye-to-eye on many things. In the end, Schinasi was not happy with the work and never paid Tuthill for his services. Tuthill will later sue Schinasi for a sum of $5655.65.
When Schinasi died at the age of 71, his heirs sold the house to Semple Realty Corporation for $200,000. It served as a finishing school for rich young ladies, and was run by Mr. Semple. Columbia University bought the mansion when Mrs. Semple died in 1956, and was turned into a daycare center known as “The Children’s Mansion.” Columbia then sold the mansion in 1979 to Law Professor Hans Smit and his wife for $325,000, and the couple later initiated an interior restoration that took 20 years to finish.
This mysterious, yet highly independent mansion showcases Egyptian carved maple, hand-carved woods, white marbles, and painted frescoes. You can also find unique pineapple motifs repeated throughout the house’s design, which are symbols of hospitality. If you’re into curious oddballs, then the house boasts of an original tunnel that leads underground to the Hudson River. No one knows exactly why it was included in the house.
One unusual feature of the mansion is that it’s totally offset from all four sides, which makes it fully detached from other neighboring structures. It is the biggest single-family residence alongside Riverside Drive, taking up two typical New York City lots. All four facades of the building are have different treatments, making it look different in various angles.
The Schinasi Mansion is considered a New York City landmark. According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, it had special character and aesthetic interest that makes it a part of New York City’s cultural heritage.
Carlos Peralta have made it to the Forbes’ 2003 billionaires list, who happened to mention his interest in hydroponic tomato-growing process and baseball. And this guy also has a good eye for a plush real estate.
Home Features
According to city records, a high-floor apartment at Trump Tower is on the list for $13.5 million. The said property belongs to the Mexican TeleCommunication mogul. The listing’s photos show a place with a lot of yellows, glass, and pillows where you can see 10 sitting on one couch. The walls are also padded, which provides a cozy feel to those who check out the place. All in all, the said house gives off a nice, comfortable, and warm feeling.
One of the important highlights for this particular home is of course the Jacuzzi that is placed in the Master’s bedroom. Unfortunately, there is no picture available for the said feature of the home. A lot of people interested for the home’s design are South Americans, Mexicans, Russians, and Eastern Europeans. These people love gold finishes, huge Jacuzzi in the bedroom, quilted walls, carpets and other similar items.
The said place was decorated during the late 90s, by Francois Zuretti, a yacht designer. Mr. Peralta is known for owning one of the largest yachts on the globe. He told one magazine that it took him two years ind dreaming and another three years in building. The name of his yacth is Pricess Mariana, a Swarovzki-crystal-coated yatch. It comes with six decks, six bars, 1,600 movies, 16,000 pre-programmed songs, three amazing chefs, a cellar which houses around 2,000 bottles of wines and 1,000 bottles of tequila, a laundry room, a wall that opens to turn a bedroom into a terrace and more.
Well, enough of the yacth. His Trump Tower listing provides views to the Catskill Mountains. It is not exactly snow-capped peaks. It’s the hills that start up early in the region. The listing of the apartment came on this August, however, the house’s broker has been showing the place to people since June. Nonetheless, the $13.5 million price is quite high. Comparing it to other units at Trump Tower, there is actually a two-unit apartment on the same floor, with 2,065 square feet, asking only around $7.5 million. If calculated per square foot, that is $2,446 per sq. ft.
Why is Mr. Peralta Selling His Trump Tower Home?
Mr. Peralta is basically not there for more than five or six days a year. There were times in the past when he was there more often, but now, he’s not. But do interested buyers really need a reason why the man wants to sell a beautiful and expensive Trump Tower unit? Not really.
On recent news, the Trump Tower residential unit is already listed at $14.3 million.
