Happy Friday. There’s a bright and sunny day ahead to finish the week and our friends at New York Metro Weather tell us that in 10 days “sunset in NYC will be at 7pm.” Woot woot!
From the ashes of New York’s legendary Hotel Pennsylvania comes a new, not-at-all-parody-worthy building named PENN15, appropriately shaped like…well, please enjoy these newly released renderings. When you’ve browsed the images please take (and share) our Twitter poll on whether you love or hate this addition to the city’s skyline!

Vaccination checks for many indoor spaces end next week, but lots of restaurants, bars, theaters, museums, and concert venues will continue to require proof of two doses (and maybe a booster) for entry. And with the New York State’s Excelsior Pass set to expire on June 30, now’s a good time to think about upgrading to the expiration-free Excelsior Pass Plus. Read more…

What we’ve been reading
Where’s home for Russia’s mega rich in Manhattan? (New York Post)
Have your nightlife costs been going up? (New York Times)
Moving from Australia to the west side. (Brick Underground)
Terrible conditions reported at 16,000 scattered-site supportive housing units across the city. (City Limits)
Britain’s red phone boxes are hitting the streets of New York. (PIX11)
Freeze Frame

In New York, everyone has an opinion and a point of view. As glass and steel rose around her Hell’s Kitchen studio, Gwyneth Leech started to document on oil and canvas the construction of skyscrapers in midtown west. Yesterday, she introduced one of her collectors to his commissioned painting for the first time at her studio. “I was excited to unveil the canvas I have been working on since last Fall. This is an oil painting, 5 feet tall x 4 feet wide depicting the Manhattan West towers on 9th Avenue in midtown, with emphasis on the steel being erected on the south tower. The painting was commissioned by Walter Koppelaar for his company which fabricated the steel used to build both towers,” she said on Instagram. “I am delighted that the collector is pleased with the results. The canvas will ship to Ontario in April.”
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