With Food Emporium Gone, The New Grocery Store Scenario

NY1 reports:

New York’s annual block party will return this summer with even more Saturday morning activities for participants.

The Department of Transportation will host the Fifth Annual Summer Streets event on August 4, 11 and 18.

The Summer Streets route runs from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to 72nd Street along Park Avenue and connecting streets. The seven miles of city streets will be blocked off for activities ranging from yoga to dance classes.

DOT officials also fit thousands of people for free bicycle helmets during Summer Streets as part of its Bike Smart program.

“The streets are for everyone and it’s a great way for New Yorkers to get out and enjoy and see the city in a different way and engage in some really fun, healthy, terrific activities,” said DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.

One of the highlights this year will likely be a 160-foot zip line at Union Square Park.

On Tuesday morning, the zip line was set up by Fantasy World Entertainment in Union Square for passersby to try out.

“For your first time [it’s scary], after that, you’ll come right back in line,” said Greg Korzeniowski of Fantasy World Entertainment.

“It’s a great idea for a bit of a good rush in the morning, great way to wake you up. I don’t have to have a coffee this morning, I’ve done this,” said one zip line user.

“It was fun. When you jump off, I was a little nervous, but then it was like fun,” said another.

Even NY1’s Roger Clark tried out the zip line. As he stood 30 feet about Union Square, the operators assured him that he would be caught by workers at the end of the 160-feet line.

Clark did have a safe landing, and then wanted to use the zip line again. He wasn’t the only one.

“As soon as I finished I was like, can I go again? I didn’t think he would let me, but he did, so it was fun,” said a zip line user.

The original branch of Crunch Fitness on East 13th St., which closed three years ago and has been vacant since, will become a new branch of Revolve Fitness, a spinning studio.

The New School, has picked up 34-42 West 14th St, a five-story, 180,000 square foot building, for $153 million.

The seller was Samson Associates and the sale closed on Jan. 10, according to the Commercial Observer. Samson had owned the property since 1985. The building’s tenants will remain and pay rent to the school until their leases expire but those leases won’t be renewed. The school will take over space over time and convert it to academic uses. The building has about 25k SF of ground-floor retail space and comes with additional air rights.

Note that price: $153 million.

Garden of Eden is gone and missed. In its place will come Atherea, a more organic, health-food focused market and cafe. Does that mean $$$$? Probably. Here’s what they say:

If there was any doubt about the national momentum on legalized marijuana use in America, consider this. There will be a medicinal marijuana dispensary off Union Square come January 2016. The dispensary on 14th Street between Second and Third Avenues will be run by Columbia Care, a New York City-based company that was awarded one of the state’s five licenses to open a medicinal marijuana shop. The selections were made in July, and companies are moving forward on grand openings.