Now Open: Penny Farthing

The upscaling of 14th St. continues just three doors down, where Le Petit Belge has opened. Stop in for a Belgian waffle. $3.50 is a bit pricey for what’s essentially a zeppole, but they are pretty good, and who would have ever thought we’d have a takeout place on our block that features not one but six crystal chandeliers? New York magazine says: “When the waffles-to-go kiosk that Belgian expats Maor Livni and Greg Galel had planned for Logan Airport was nixed by a security-crazed fire marshal, the partners transplanted the business to Manhattan, where they’ve converted the former Tavalon tea shop into Le Petit Belge. A shrine of sorts to all things Belgian—or at least to Liège waffles, various imported chocolates, and paper cones full of mini-pancakes they call “poffys”—the shop takes a cannily ecumenical approach to New York snack food. That’s why it also serves frozen yogurt, provided by Berrywild, and rugalach made with Callebaut chocolate. And tea drinkers will still find the Tavalon line, in hot, frozen, and bubble varieties.”

New to the ‘hood: Ichiba Ramen, at the site of the former Jamba Juice, University Place right near 14th St.

Next week (August 20 to August 24), Material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors. Curtain wall installation on upper floors will continue and lower levels will continue on 13th st. with the aid of a small crane. The crane will remain on 13th st. for the purpose of curtain wall installation.

The following week (August 27 to August 31) Material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors. Curtain wall installation will continue on all floors. Work on 13th st should be complete by the end of this week and will be moved to 5th ave. to continue wrapping the building.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, August 25th for superstructure related activities and curtain wall installation between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. The crane on 13th st. will not be used during the weekend. Con Ed is on site working on the building but is not in any of the streets.

Additionally over the holiday weekend the site will be open on Saturday, September 1st but will be closed on Monday, the 3rd.

The retail retreat continues, with the departure of American Eagle from Union Square West.

Looking ahead to the upcoming holidays, the New School construction site will be closed on Saturdays, December 24 and December 31st, also on Mondays, December 26th and January 2nd. Next week (December 26 to December 30), Superstructure and concrete work will continue at 2nd and 3rd floor levels. Sidewalk sheds will continue being erected around the perimeter of the site. The roof protection at USC Condo courtyard is finished.The following week (January 2 to January 6), we will continue superstructure concrete and slabs on 2nd and 3rd floor levels.

According to transit data from MTA and Citi Bike, Union Square continues to be one of the City’s top destinations for employees, residents and visitors alike. While subway ridership remains low across the system, currently 20% of normal use, turnstile activity at the Union Square-14th Street station has tripled since April.

Similarly, bus ridership on the M14A/D busway is gaining momentum as average daily bus ridership has tripled since its low point in late March, reaching nearly 60% of pre-COVID daily ridership levels. For those visiting the district by Citi Bike, Broadway and 17th Street remains one of the City’s top 10 destination stations and ridership is up 45% since April. Another popular end station, Broadway and East 14th Street has experienced a 57% increase in use since April.

Other indicators are up too. Union Square’s public Wi-Fi use is up to 42% from 15% at the start of the pandemic, signaling an uptick in outdoor activity. The district’s active public realm can be attributed to the draw of the Greenmarket, the expansion of outdoor dining activating sidewalks and roadways, and the reopening of local business that attracts steady foot traffic across the district.

Union Square’s zip codes (10003, 10010 and 10011) make up 16% of Open Restaurants applications in Manhattan with the City’s highest number of applications located in 10003! Within Union Square-14th Street, nearly two thirds of businesses are conducting storefront activity and this number continues to grow as additional businesses and cultural institutions are making exciting plans to open their doors with events and programming as soon as it is safe to do so.