The Prettiest Building In Times Square Has Been Saved
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The Prettiest Building In Times Square Has Been Saved

Last year in September, I wrote an open letter to the new owners of the property at 1552 Broadway in Times Square asking a simple request: that they save a Times Square treasure. Nearly 100 years before it became a decrepit, out-of-business TGIF, 1552 Broadway was the showroom for I. Miller shoes, famous for supplying…

What’s Wrong With These Bronx Townhouses?
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What’s Wrong With These Bronx Townhouses?

One of the worst kept secrets in New York is the phony townhouse at 58 Joralemon Street. Once an actual residence, it now hides a subway ventilator and emergency exit for the subway tunnel running directly below (the blacked-out windows should be your first clue that something odd is going on here). Anyway, last weekend,…

There’s Something Wrong With This Staten Island Church
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There’s Something Wrong With This Staten Island Church

Last weekend, I was scouting some locations on Staten Island, and the last on my list was this church at the southern tip of the island. At first, everything about the 185-foot tall Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne seemed perfectly normal. But as I was taking some angle shots, something started to feel…off….

Hogwarts In Manhattan: The 1,000 Gargoyles & Grotesques of City College
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Hogwarts In Manhattan: The 1,000 Gargoyles & Grotesques of City College

Last week, I took a trip up to 138th Street and Amsterdam to scout a location I’ve been meaning to visit for the longest time: the City College of New York. City College is one of those great places in the city where you step through the gates… …and suddenly feel like you’ve been transported…

The Mystery Ballroom on East 125th Street
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The Mystery Ballroom on East 125th Street

For the past week, I’ve been going into Manhattan via the Triboro, and each time I drive down 125th Street, I’ve wondered about the sign on the building at 26 E 125th Street for the Trowel & Square Ballroom. It’s such a great period sign, with red lettering that looks as though it dates to…

The 8 Best Fake Storefronts & Phony Building Facades In New York City
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The 8 Best Fake Storefronts & Phony Building Facades In New York City

Way way back, when I first started Scouting NY, I did a post about a great tailor shop window I saw in Chinatown, writing “I love this sign lettering that is most definitely not nostalgic/ironic.” Of course, I had been completely fooled. Back then, this was actually Milk & Honey, a super hip, semi-secret, invitation-only…

Why You Should Visit The Times Square Visitor Center (Even If You Live In New York)
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Why You Should Visit The Times Square Visitor Center (Even If You Live In New York)

UPDATE: This is now closed, sadly. OK, I’ll admit it: I was a Times Square Visitor Center snob. From my earliest days as a tourist in NYC, to my years as a student at Columbia, through my career as a scout, right up until…well, right up until last week, I’ve always considered the Times Square…