Even long after the end of COVID-19, New Yorkers may still find it tricky to mix and mingle in real life — even with their apartment neighbors.
Now, the hottest amenity offering at luxury rentals around town sees residents leaving their buildings to meet new friends. Called excursions, field trips and resident events, these off-property experiences are shaping up to be the latest benefit of residing in an upscale building. They invite residents to partake in wine tasting, apple picking, sailing and even restaurant hopping — all with their building mates in tow.
The Brodsky Organization, a developer with more than 50 residential buildings in New York, is just one local name offering these treks.
The Brodsky Organization is just one developer offering residents these perks, with services available at projects including Brooklyn Crossing. VMI
Brodsky has offered tours of Pennings Orchard upstate to ring in autumn. Courtesy of the Brodsky OrganizationIt debuted these getaways last fall in a partnership with the outdoor activity company Sourced Adventures. The kickoff was a day-long jaunt to Pennings Orchard in upstate Warwick to pick apples and pumpkins.
Joe Porritt, Brodsky’s director of leasing and marketing, says the developer arranged round-trip transportation in coach buses at two different pickup points in the city. The cost was $70 a person — a substantial discount from Sourced Adventure’s listed price of more than $115.
Porritt says the excursion sold out almost immediately. Since then, Brodsky has offered two more: A tour of the North Fork over the summer that visited three wineries, including lunch and more than 10 tastings. There was also another trip to Pennings Orchard this past fall. Both were also sellouts.
“The point of these trips is to create a community for our residents that you don’t get as much of a sense of with in-building amenities,” Porritt told The Post. “The residents on these trips are there because they want to be social.”
Case in point: Fannie Santana, a teacher who lives in Brodsky’s Brooklyn Crossing development, signed up for the winery outing to connect with her neighbors.
The scene from a Brodsky trip to a Raphael Vineyard in Peconic in early June. Courtesy of the Brodsky Organization“I live in a diverse building with neighbors of different backgrounds, and I wanted to get to know them,” she said. “Everyone in New York can be heads down. The trip was perfect because I had been wanting to visit the wineries anyway.”
Santana also went on the Pennings Orchard trip with her daughter and says it fostered a sense of belonging, which could be easily lost in her 51-floor building.
“I would definitely do it again,” she said.
Gotham Organization offers sailing trips around the city, such as for residents of The Suffolk. Courtesy of the Gotham Organization
The Suffolk’s sailing trip offers views of Manhattan’s Financial District skyline. Courtesy of the Gotham Organization
Residents of Gotham West got to experience a wine tasting on the North Fork during the warmer months. Courtesy of the Gotham Organization
Renters at The Ashland also got a North Fork tour — and got to meet each other in the process. Courtesy of the Gotham Organization
Meanwhile, residents of Gotham Point visited the Brooklyn Grange. Courtesy of the Gotham OrganizationRXR’s One Park Point in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace neighborhood, and its Maven in Mott Haven in the South Bronx, are other properties that host these adult field trips.
For its residents, Gotham Organization hosts sailboat rides around Manhattan, rooftop concerts and tubing on the Delaware River — an adventure capped off by a riverside lunch and brewery visit.
Gotham Organization’s marketing director, Natasha Mazeau, says that the off-property forays are tailored to each building — and are always at capacity.
“They’ve become a cornerstone for us,” she said.
Dianette Caraballo, who rents in Gotham’s The Suffolk on the Lower East Side and works as a data analyst, attended the sailing option, and also took a walking historical tour of her neighborhood. Given the opportunity, she said that she would “definitely” sign up for more.
“The tour was awesome,” she said. “It made me appreciate how rich the neighborhood is.”
The Suffolk certainly boasts a chic outdoor lounge, but residents also want more active ways of meeting other residents. Chris Cooper
There are also history tours of the Lower East Side, where The Suffolk stands, available to renters. Chris Cooper
Maven in The Bronx offers culinary-focused treks for residents. RXR
Building tenants get free access to “Taste of Mott Haven,” a trek through the area that hits three restaurants, with an appetizer and cocktail provided at each by the developer. Taste of Mott Haven
The next event will take place on Nov. 12. Taste of Mott HavenOne Park Point, located directly along Prospect Park, partners with Prospect Park Stables to organize building-wide horseback rides through the park’s trails. Bobby Dweck, a principal at Focus Property Group, the building’s developer, says that the excursions have been so well received that it’s planning to expand them in the new year to encompass scavenger hunts, sleigh rides, and a running club for adults and teenagers.
Food was the focus at Maven in The Bronx for “Taste of Mott Haven,” a culinary adventure through the neighborhood. The occasional event invites residents to hit three restaurants in a night and enjoy an appetizer and cocktail at each paid for by developer RXR. The next one is on Nov. 20.
Deepti Mittal of Douglas Elliman attributes the recent surge of these field trips to the high cost of rentals, which continues to rise. In September, the median asking rent in New York City hit $3,419, according to MLS data, a 2.7% climb year-over-year.
“Excursions are a feel-good perk to living in a building,” she said. “Given how expensive rentals are, people are shopping around more than they usually would before deciding. Rather than dropping the price, developers are trying to stay competitive by giving you more of a benefit.”
