Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Lacy Land, Stevie Remsberg, Millie von Platen, Stephen Kent Johnson
At the end of every year, we at Curbed like to take a close look at which stories our readers spent the most time with. Luxury Schadenfreude, glimpses into elite enclaves, and in-the-know hacks for thriving in the city were some of the recurring themes. This year, we answered burning questions you might not have known you had: What’s it like to live in an empty Brooklyn supertall? What ever happened to the upstate ex-urbanites who moved hours away but now need to come to the office five days a week? And what exactly are people gossiping about — and suing one another over — in the Hamptons? This was also a year of firsts; readers wanted to know what, if anything, came of the first 100 days of congestion pricing. They wanted to read about the ways design is important, too: Out of all the stories we published about this year’s historic, heated mayoral race, the one about Zohran Mamdani’s bodega-inspired campaign logo rose to the top. There was (as ever) a lot of curiosity about scammers, like the young man living it up in a senior-housing complex on the Upper East Side, as well as about mysterious side characters like Robert Durst’s wife, Debbie Charatan, the real-estate broker turned investor, who’s locked in an estate battle with the family of his previous spouse. As always, our readers shared our collective obsession with the ways people really live, whether it was Amy Sedaris’s guest apartment with its all-gingham bedroom or the Forest Hills rental where a couple moved in their five children and a new boyfriend instead of splitting up. And we grappled with our big feelings: Downtown Brooklyn, is this really the best you can do?
Below, you’ll find our list of the 20 most-read articles we published this year. It’s just a small sample of the work Curbed puts out alongside New York’s print edition and its other five digital sites — Intelligencer, The Cut, Vulture, Grub Street, and the Strategist — and a growing portfolio of newsletters. For more of all of it, be sure to sign up for Curbed’s daily newsletter (along with our Design Hunting and Listings Edit newsletters) and subscribe. If you haven’t already, download the New York app and read it all in one place.
By Melissa Dahl
Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos Getty Images
For some solo runners in New York, the rise of group jogging has sparked hot rage. Read the story …
By Christopher Bonanos
Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photo: Getty
One-hundred days in, honking is down; bus speeds are up. Read the story …
By Robert Khederian
Photo: Durston Saylor/Architectural Digest/Condé Nast
A recently unearthed floor plan reveals the first new details about 666 Park Avenue in 24 years. Its last owners were Arthur Sackler and his wife, Jillian Sackler. Read the story …
By Wendy Goodman
Photo: Stephen Kent Johnson
Amy Sedaris’s guest apartment, a floor above her own, has a “full-tilt gingham” bedroom and a surprise in the fireplace. Read the story …
By Matthew Sedacca
Photo: Audley C Bullock/Shutterstock
Residents paying up to $10,000 a month at Greenpoint’s Eagle + West say life there is not very luxurious. Read the story …
By Bridget Read
Photo: Ben Berkes
“I do get some weird calls and emails asking for autographs and things like that,” Corcoran agent Nicole Flender says. “One guy called me to sell a very nice apartment on 53rd Street. I said, ‘How did you find me?,’ and he said, ‘I like your son’s movies.’” Read the story …
By Kim Velsey
Photo: Tania Barricklo/Courtesy of Daily Freeman
Called back to the office, upstate buyers are moving 45 minutes closer rather than giving up on small-town life. Read the story …
By Brock Colyar
Photo: Mark Peterson/Redux for New York Magazine
The guests at Swifty’s — the historic hotel in East Hampton owned by popular Florida hoteliers — sensed a creeping culture shift this season. Read the story …
By Matthew Sedacca
Photo: Compass
John Carley Jr. had an enviable setup: a cheap one-bedroom on the Upper East Side. The only problem was that the James Lenox House is meant for affordable senior housing, and Carley wasn’t a senior. Read the story …
By Matthew Sedacca
Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Getty
It has been a rocky couple of years at Brooklyn’s first supertall. As Silverstein prepares to relaunch sales, residents say there are perks to living in a ghost town. Read the story …
By Nick Tabor
Photo: Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office
Debbie Charatan stood by Durst through his murder trials. Now she could inherit his wealth — unless the courts stop her. Read the story …
By Christopher Bonanos
Photo: Jonah Rosenberg/The New York Times
Nobody would credit Mamdani’s campaign graphics for his win, but they were, as was his campaign, like nothing else in politics. Read the story …
By Kayla Levy
When Sara and Billy Jack Brawner’s marriage ended, their family only expanded. Read the story …
By Andrew Rice
Photo: Mark Peterson//Redux
Forget golf — the real local pastime is spending millions of dollars to win zoning wars. Read the story …
By Kim Velsey
Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Getty
After the January wildfires, brokers said they were hearing from clients in Los Angeles who wanted to move to New York. For some, it was temporary; others were ready for permanent relocation. Read the story …
By Wendy Goodman
Photo: Ilana Panich-Linsman/Netflix
Jeremiah Brent on joining Queer Eye and decorating on a $40,000 budget. Read the story …
By Justin Davidson
Photo: Karsten Moran/The New York Times/Redux
Twenty years after it was upzoned, it’s become a showcase of millennial architectural mediocrity. Read the story …
By Stephanie Krikorian
Photo-Illustration: New York Magazine. Map by Remie Geoffroi.
Here’s the general lay of the land from West to East. Read the story …
By the Editors, with interviews and additional reporting by Abby Schreiber and Jack Denton
Illustration: Millie von Platen
The right way to get into the Met, what to order at Keens, and other tips, tricks, and hacks. Read the story …
By Ian Frisch
Photo: Stevie Remsberg for New York Magazine
Tabatha Pope thought she’d finally found an affordable place to live. It was the beginning of a nightmare. Read the story …