The worst of the recession—big-time failures of investment banks and mortgage companies, huge banks in trouble, companies laying people off in the thousands—may be over. There are some signs of hope, and residential buildings that were …
As we city dwellers go about our busy lives, we often forget about the plain facts of life here on this spinning globe: gravity creates an unceasing tension in the materials we assemble into buildings and other structures. Whether or n…
Media room, game room, common room, party room—regardless of what you call them, the purpose of these shared spaces in co-ops and condos is to give residents a place to gather; to hold an in-house meeting, throw a graduation party or sc…
With the price of gasoline rising, daily traffic snarls, a desire to live a healthier life and the responsibility to lessen the effect of one's carbon footprint, there are many reasons to own a bike. Buying the bike is just the beginni…
Anyone who lives in a city that is a popular tourist destination has likely played host to a procession of family, friends, friends-of-family, and other assorted houseguests over the years. It's something of a running joke in places li…
With interest rates at historic lows, never rising too far above 4% these days, boards are looking at refinancing their co-op's underlying mortgage to build up their reserves as a viable alternative to raising maintenance fees or levyin…
New York City is known for having some of the very best urban opportunities in the world—among the best colleges and schools, museums and libraries, as well as some of the finest parks, the most interesting architecture, the most intrig…
Concern over health, the environment, and an evolving legal landscape has prompted a number of condo and co-op boards in communities across New York City’s five boroughs to ban cigarette smoking not only in common outdoor areas but in i…
In a city as crowded and fast-paced as New York, parking is a big deal—it’s hard to find it when you need it, and when you do find it, it’s usually very expensive. Since parking spaces in the city are such a hot commodity, it’s not surpr…
When you speak of Hell’s Kitchen and the far west side of Manhattan, the stories that come to mind are of longshoremen, the notorious Westies and dark deserted urban streets, but now, thanks to a the 7 Subway Line extension, a massive p…