Select Page
Valentine’s Date Ideas for New Yorkers

Valentine’s Date Ideas for New Yorkers

Looking to do something beyond the usual for this upcoming Valentine’s Day? Luckily for you, NYC has tons to offer couples who have had their fill of candlelit dinners and ice skating trips. Here are a few fun ideas that your sweetheart will remember for years to come.

Take ‘Em to the Top

Even the most jaded New Yorker can appreciate the stunning view from one of the city’s high vistas, and The Top of the Rock above Rockefeller Center stands as a favorite for those in the know. Easier to manage crowds than the Empire State Building (with the advantage of being able to see the Art Deco masterpiece) and shorter waiting time than it’s more famous counterpart make this an underrated destination on any day, let alone the most romantic one of the year. If there was ever a place to make an unforgettable proposal, it’s here with the entire city at your feet.

Cupid’s Undie Run

This now-annual event takes full advantage of the adventurous spirit of many New Yorkers. Specifically, the ones willing to get down to their skivvies for a good cause-raising money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Cupid’s Undie Run takes participants on a mile-long jaunt around Pier 84 (just south of the USS Intrepid) on the Saturday closest to Valentine’s. So you and your partner can get on your favorite underthings and get moving! The after-party is sure to outlast the race itself and should be almost as breathtaking.

Robert Plant

There’s sure to be a “Whole Lotta Love” in the air as the former Led Zeppelin frontman brings his solo act to the Beacon Theater on February 14. Whether you and your date are diehards or casual fans, spending your special day with a rock and roll icon is certainly something that’ll outdo the usual candy-and-roses routine. This is one plant that won’t end up wilting after a week. Tickets are sure to go quicker than restaurant reservations, so hurry up and get your seats.

 

Still not sure where to spend this Valentine’s Day? Read up on some fascinating museum exhibits or unconventional activities that can double as great date ideas!

5 Unmissable Winter Events in 2018

5 Unmissable Winter Events in 2018

Temperatures are dropping, but that won’t give New Yorkers any excuse to stay in this winter. The 2018 calendar is already chock-full of great events and activities and these are just a tantalizing few of what the city has to offer in the coming cold months:

bcb-property-management-bowie

David Bowie is – Brooklyn Museum

He left us behind in 2016, but the Starman’s memory still lives on into 2018 and beyond. Celebrate the artist’s multifaceted legacy at the Brooklyn Museum starting on March 2, when the David Bowie is exhibit returns stateside for its final display after a worldwide tour of 11 countries. The show will last into the summer, but die-hard fans will be bundling up to make the trip down Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn to pay their respects and celebrate a career that touched the outer reaches of the universe.

bcb-property-management-westminster-dog-show

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show – Madison Square Garden

Every year, the floor at the World’s Most Famous Arena is ceded to the most celebrated collection of four-legged competitors this side of the Kentucky Derby. An NYC tradition since 1877, the Dog Show features feats of agility and discipline that put most dogs to shame, with plenty of intrigue and suspense as the awards are handed out. Will terriers continue their reign of dominance over Best in Show? Is this the year we see a Golden Retriever finally grab the crown for the first time? Get your tickets and be the first to find out!

bcb-property-management-lunar-new-year

Madison Street to Madison Avenue Lunar New Year Celebration – Midtown East

January 1 is hardly the end to the fun of ringing in the New Year in NYC. This year’s Lunar New Year falls on February 16, and a week earlier on the 10th in Midtown East, a 20-block cultural celebration will commemorate the occasion, running from 54th to 77th Street. Welcoming the Year of the Dog means revelers are encouraged to bring their (perhaps award-winning?) four-legged friends to enjoy the food and festive performances. Participating retailers will be sharing proceeds from the festivities with The Animal Medical Center of New York, so even those pets who couldn’t make it will enjoy the benefit of this great event.

bcb-property-management-central-park-winter-jam

Winter Jam – Central Park

If you’re looking for something a little more hands-on, head on over to Central Park’s Bandshell Area near the East 72nd Street entrance. That’s where you’ll find Winter Jam, the now-annual celebration of winter sports you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in the Big Apple. An artificial snowfield from the experts at Gore Mountain is the setting for skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, and even arctic golf. Even if you’re not feeling so athletic, expert ice sculptors crafting spectacular works and the Taste NY Winter Market will give guests something to look at, eat, and enjoy without breaking a sweat. The fun happens on January 27th, so have your coat and gloves ready.

bcb-property-management-restaurant-week

Restaurant Week – Citywide

Starting January 22, foodies and casual diners alike will take part in 2018’s first Restaurant Week, where a curated selection of restaurants open their doors for fixed-price 3-course meals that amount to a sumptuous discount over their usual prices. This year features $29 Lunches and $42 Dinners at what promises to be the most tantalizing collection of fine eateries in the country. If previous years are any indication, even the hardest-to-please eaters will leave with stomachs (and wallets) satisfyingly full. Can’t wait to dig into the city’s best eats? Read up on some of the international favorites you’ll find around the five boroughs any time of year in our Food Enclaves series.

Amazing and Unusual Things to do in NYC

Amazing and Unusual Things to do in NYC

If you’re new to New York, you’ve probably heard a laundry list of things you’ve just gotta do once you’re here. Eat at this restaurant, bike across this bridge, shop at this boutique. While the typical hallmarks of NYC are all, of course, worth experiencing, we want to share with you a few of the more unusual activities off the beaten path.

 

Visit a Tropical Rainforest

The “urban jungle” cliche is a little well-worn, so why not step out of it for a minute into a real one (or the best approximation of one you’ll find in a midtown office building)? The twelve-story Ford Foundation Building’s atrium contains a sky-high greenhouse where the public can step out of the city streets and into a lush, tropical mini-forest featuring towering trees, hanging plants, and a serene sitting pond. For New Yorkers in need of a brief getaway, it’s a tropical adventure minus the bug spray.

 

Play a Subway Station Like a Flute

Cost of admission to this offbeat installation is just $2.75-on your Metrocard, that is. Hidden in plain sight on the 34th Street-Herald Square N/R platform are two long, green metal bars that straphangers have easily mistaken for air ducts if they’ve noticed them at all since they were installed in 1995. In fact, they’re a larger-than-life musical instrument, part of an art installation called REACH: New York. To play a variety of preprogrammed musical tones and sound effects, simply reach up and place your hands over the holes, and the sounds will flow from REACH’s speakers.

 

Enjoy a Beautifully Landscaped…Graveyard

If you’re not easily spooked, a train ride into Brooklyn can take you to one of the city’s most underappreciated and aesthetically pleasing green spaces: Green-Wood Cemetery. Established in 1839 when Brooklyn was mostly rural farmland, Green-Wood has become the final resting place for NYC luminaries from Boss Tweed to Jean-Michel Basquiat. If you’re not into searching for famous graves, the cemetery’s picturesque layout and lack of crowds make it an oasis of solitude in the often-frantic city.

 

Stand on the City’s Smallest Private Property

A curiosity underfoot that most passersby won’t even notice, the Hess Triangle on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street is the result of a century-old real estate dispute. Forced out when the city seized property to extend Seventh Avenue, the Hess family refused to give up a 27.5” by 27.5” by 25.5” triangle of land that the city accidentally left out of their plans. The David Hess Estate made good use of the spot, installing a mosaic reading “Property of the Hess Estate which has never been dedicated for public purpose.” Though Hess’ proclamation is still on prominent display, the truth is that the spot is actually owned by adjacent Village Cigars, who bought it in 1938 for a mere $1,000 (that’s $2 per square inch).