(Sung to the Sound of Music) 

The Streets of New York are Alive with peopleeeeee and music and tourists and and and and sooo much energy!  

I missed this so much - the energy is just incredible and you know where else you can find this.... nowhere! I'm incredibly biased but I am right, Ha! Honestly, over the past few weeks, I finish appointments, and all I want to do is walk the city and feel the city all around me.  This very palpable energy is what makes NYC this incredible place we all love.  Half of city residents have received at least one vaccine dose. Mask guidance for vaccinated folks has loosened considerably, and subways are running around the clock again. 

If there's anywhere that's apparent, it's in the gangbusters real estate market! A rush of pent-up demand coupled with a last-ditch effort to find once-in-a-lifetime deals has propelled listing volume to levels we haven't seen in five years.

Are you ready to make your post-pandemic move? A pace like this won't last forever. This month's newsletter is a bit less wordy than usual (you... as I know you are all gearing up for the holiday weekend. Have a great one! 

If your real estate friends look especially haggard lately, it's because the market is going crazy! The spring months are typically busy in New York City real estate, but this is a truly unprecedented (are we allowed to reclaim that word yet?) level of activity. Sellers are ready to list, and buyers are eager to take advantage of low interest rates, relatively low price-per-square-foot figures and the undeniable attraction of an almost fully reopened city.

In Manhattan, there were approximately 730 contracts signed in the two-week period from April 9 to April 22. That's up 7 percent from the prior two weeks and up 95 percent over last year's figures. A wide selection of inventory is helping to attract buyers. The number of new listings in that period increased 13 percent from 918 to 1,040. That's the highest bi-weekly volume of new listings since May 2016 and the second-highest since 2008, according to UrbanDigs.

With only about a month of "spring" market remaining, the old adage of striking while the iron's hot applies. And, iron this hot never lasts forever.

For five years, we've watched as 132 tulip-like structures rose above the Hudson River like some sort of gigantic flower garden. Last week, the gates were finally swung open to reveal the long-awaited Little Island — a $260 million dollar public park funded by a private individual, billionaire Barry Diller - thanks Barry. 

Situated off West 13th and 14th streets, where Pier 55 used to be, this unusual enclave comprises undulating swaths of grass and gardens connected by winding pathways and rock staircases. It is the work of architect Thomas Heatherwick, who also designed The Vessel at nearby Hudson Yards. 

Little Island is connected to the Hudson River Greenway by two wide boardwalks. From the southern entrance, visitors pass under a dramatic archway formed by the iconic pilings to discover rolling lawns and terraced gardens that snake up a gentle hillside. The Play Ground is Little Island's central gathering spot, a large paved area featuring tables and chairs and food vendors. Ahead, you'll find The Amphitheater, which can accommodate more the 700 visitors on river-facing benches. Closer to shore, a separate lawn area accessed via a trellis wound in white roses is dubbed The Glade. 

The diversity of plantings throughout Little Island is astounding. More than 66,000 bulbs were planted at the park, and you'll find 65 species of shrubs, 290 varieties of grasses, vines and perennials, plus more than 100 trees. Live entertainment, much of it affordably priced or free, is prioritized throughout Little Island, including the Amphitheater, the Play Ground and a second small stage at The Glade. Performances will be overseen by four artists in residence. 

While controversy has surrounded the project, particular regarding a wealthy individual enjoying relatively free rein over the use of public land, Diller not only covered the vast majority of the park's construction costs, but he also committed $120 million to fund Little Island's maintenance for the next 20 years. New York city and state contributed $21 million to the construction and maintenance costs. 

From this new and unique vantage point off Manhattan's western flank, views span from the high-rises of Hudson Yards to One World Trade – underscoring just how much the city has evolved in just the last decade.