Mitchell Hall, Associate Broker, New York, NY

New York City is asking companies to come up with clean energy ideas, including wind power to fuel NYC. The city, released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) that will call for innovative ideas to help New York City develop sources of renewable energy.

In New York, we're determined to do what no other city has ever even attempted: Keep our energy usage at or near its current level even as our population grows. As an example to the private sector, I hope to embarrass the Federal government - if that's possible - our Administration has mapped out a plan to reduce our own energy consumption by our own City agencies 30 percent by the year 2017.

"We'll do that by investing heavily in making our schools, hospitals, police and fire stations - all of our City facilities - more energy-efficient. We estimate that all the City's conservation investments will take an estimated 220-megawatt bite out of New York's peak power demand. And within five years, they'll have paid for themselves. After that, they'll be money-makers".

(Photo Credit: Edward Reed)

Mayor Bloomberg, Billy Joel, Clive Davis, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum announced that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will open an annex in New York City in the heart of SoHo.

When the 25,000 square foot annex opens in November, it will be the first location outside the Museum's home in Cleveland. The announcement took place at 76 Mercer Street, the future site of the annex.

The state-of-the-art facility will focus on the defining moments in rock and roll history and will be designed to resonate with both the casual music fan and the seasoned rock enthusiast. It will feature an array of exhibitions, including a permanent "New York Rocks" gallery that will highlight key locations around New York City that have musical significance.

The annex will also showcase selected relics from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's vast collection, including Bruce Springsteen's 1957 Chevy, John Lennon's Record Plant Piano, Elvis Presley's motorcycle jacket, a handwritten poem by Jim Morrison and more.

Some highlights:

• New York Rocks will feature an oversized interactive map to highlight key locations around New York City that have musical significance, including Studio 54 and The Chelsea Hotel, and will showcase items such as the notebook in which Billy Joel wrote all the lyrics for "The Stranger" album;
• Cleveland Gallery, which will include special exhibits and displays that give visitors a taste of the larger experience at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland; and, Special Rotating Exhibit, which will feature one select artist or band, with special attention to their time spent in New York City, rotating every six to nine months.

The annex will open in November, but advance tickets will be available through http://www.rockannex.com/ beginning in October.

Press Release

http://www.rockhall.com/

Courtesy of: Mitchell J Hall

The Upper West Side:

The Upper West Side boundaries are 59th Street to the South, 110th Street to the North, Central Park West to the East and the Hudson River to the West.

The Upper West Side neighborhood has a different spirit and outlook than the Upper East Side. The Upper West Side is known for its individuality, creativity, diversity and cultural pursuits.

The Upper West Side is home to some extraordinary buildings. Landmarks of Art Deco, Beaux Arts, or Gothic Revival architecture, the great celebrity apartment buildings of Central Park West.

The Dakota, El Dorado, The San Remo Apartments, The Ansonia, The Oliver Cromwell, The Langham, The Kenilworth, Hotel Des Artistes, The Beresford and The Ardsley.

Central Park West, Riverside Drive and West End Avenue have always been known for their grand large apartments. The Upper West Side is a diversified neighborhood attractive to every demographic and lifestyle.

The Lincoln Center complex is home to the Metropolitan Opera and Julliard School of Music, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the New York City Ballet and the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

The American Museum of Natural History is located on a stretch of Central Park West and Columbus Avenue between 77th and 81st Streets.

The museum's new Hayden Planetarium is a galactic spectacular and is well worth the invested time.

It is a true pleasure to walk along the Upper West Side and take advantage of the well established blocks, boutiques, and restaurants. The Upper West side is known for it's food emporiums.

My favorites are: Fairway, Zabars, Citarella and the famous H&H Bagels all located on upper Broadway.

©Mitchell Hall 2006-2008

Riverside Park stretches over four miles along the Hudson River from 62nd to 158th Streets, the 330 acres of Riverside Park provide recreation and relaxation for a uniquely diverse population.

Riverside Park is widely regarded as Manhattan's most spectacular waterfront park. As one of only 10 officially designated scenic landmarks in the City of New York, it has a long and storied history.

Rugged bluffs and rocky outcroppings created through prehistoric glacial deposits once descended directly to the Hudson River shore. They were densely wooded until 1846, when the Hudson River Railroad cut through the forested hillside.

Today it is enjoyed by all through it's many playgrounds, bike paths and dog runs.

In 1865 a scenic drive and park was built on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The development of the park encouraged the construction of mansions along the drive. Monuments placed along the drive during this era included Grant's Tomb (1897), Soldiers and Sailors Memorial (1902), Firemen's Memorial (1913), and Joan of Arc (1915).

In 2000, seven acres of land stretching from 68th to 72nd Streets was added to Riverside Park, called Riverside Park South. This section of the park now known as the Joe DiMaggio Highway, and Trump/New World (the site's developers).

Riverside Park South includes a soccer field, three basketball courts, and a public pier extending 750 feet into the Hudson River.

At 79th Street is The Boat Basin and The Rotunda a hidden Manhattan treasure that many New Yorkers enjoy once they discover the hidden treasure below the west side highway.

Recreational facilities include a range of sports courts and fields, a skate park, a large portion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway (for bicycles), and the 110-slip public marina at 79th street, The 79th street Boat basin an important part of New York State's Water Trail.

For more information events and schedules NYC Parks and Recreation

Courtesy of: Mitchell Hall

©Mitchell Hall 2006-2008

Photo courtesy NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The Otis Elevator Building, built in 1911-1912

Comprising 30 Buildings, District Recognized for Its Distinctive Architecture and Role
as a Major Center of Manufacturing, Warehousing and Freight Handling.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the designation of the West Chelsea Historic District, a collection of 30 architecturally distinctive buildings that recall New York City's standing as the leading manufacturing center in the United States during the last half of the 19th
century.

Several of the nation's most prestigious manufacturers had a presence in West Chelsea at the end of the 19th century and during the first decades of the 20th century including the famed Otis Elevator Company the John Williams Ornamental Brass and Iron Works -- and the Reynolds Metal Company (521-537 W. 25th St.), a maker of tin foil wrappers and bottle caps that was founded by the nephew of tobacco maker R.J. Reynolds.

The West Chelsea Historic District is one of the few remaining industrial areas associated with Manhattan's once-thriving port and waterfront. The three large properties between 11th and 12th Avenues are directly tied to waterfront business, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company Freight Warehouse, the Starrett-Lehigh Building, and the New York Terminal Warehouse Company's Central Stores.

The long blocks of West 26th and West 27th Streets between 11th and 12th Avenues form one of the city's most impressive industrial streetscapes. The remaining structures centered around the presence of rail facilities. The R. C. Williams building, for example retains a second-floor loading dock opening directly onto the High Line.

Several buildings were constructed for companies that had a notable impact on the city's development: the Otis Elevator Company, the Cornell Iron Works and the Reynolds Metal Company. Ranging in date from 1885 to 1930, most of the structures are brick-faced with stone trim and intended for manufacturing or storage.

Styles include classical revival, Beaux Arts, Moderne and modern. Many of the buildings are designed by significant architects including Cass Gilbert, Clinton & Russell, Cory & Cory, Schickel & Ditmars, and the noted industrial architect, William Higginson.

This district joins the High Line in preserving industrial architecture and infrastructure. West Chelsea is New York City's 92nd Historic District.

From the LPC Press Release