Looking for a more intimate home within the crowded city? Look no further than 32 East 1st Street in the East Village. At this new condominium, residents enjoy cozy, intimate apartments in one of the best neighborhoods in Downtown Manhattan.

For years, the lot at 211 East 13th Street sat unused, prompting the “East Village Mystery Lot” nickname, but today, everything appears to be moving along just fine. The Jefferson--denominated as such for the site’s vaudeville history as the Jefferson Theatre--has updated its teaser page to a fully operational website complete with pricing, floor plans, and several renderings for the upcoming East Village condo.

Hurricane Sandy has come and gone and the Tri-State area is slowly picking itself back up. Only one question really remains at this point: will New York City be prepared for the next Hurricane Sandy? Initial reports are not necessarily good, especially with the current state of affairs in New York City. So far, there are 85 dead and counting, over $60 billion in damages, a subway system that is still not fully operational a week after it shut down, and raging fires in Queens. To top it all off, a substation belonging to Con Ed vital to keeping the lights on blew up in the East Village during the first few hours of the storm. While the firemen, police officers, and emergency workers deserve enormous amounts of respect for their service, all of this still begs the question, will New York be ready for the next Hurricane Sandy?

As the scorching summer rages on, New Yorkers find themselves searching for the sweet, serene relief that goes hand in hand with swimming. Recently, however, it has become increasingly difficult to find Manhattan apartment listings offering on-site pool facilities. Even more rare are the highly coveted rooftop, outdoor pools. It is more likely, if a building has a pool at all, that it is an indoor unit, a trend that has become increasingly more prevalent.

According to the New York Times, outdoor pools have become a rarity in NYC. In fact, while there are nearly 150 condominiums with pools as an amenity, only about 15 of them are outdoors and several are privately owned townhouses. Those offering outdoor swimming facilities see it as a source of pride -- and therefore use it as a selling point. But as the number of outdoor pools dwindle, the demand for them is rising, and Manhattan new construction buildings are innovating their pool amenities.