The U.S. Open tennis tournament, New York Fall Fashion Week and the U.N. General Assembly meetings, which together attract nearly one million attendees and make every September an economic windfall for New York City, will be unrecognizable this year. The three high-profile September events have been dramatically scaled back, with limited in-person attendance and much of the activity set to be hosted online. Their dwarfed presence comes as New York City’s long-thriving, multibillion-dollar...

U.S. Real estate markets dropped into a deep freeze this spring as the coronavirus pandemic swept through the world. Now, with major markets reopened—at least for the moment—and in-person showings occurring regularly, if cautiously, buyers have demonstrated a voracious appetite to move, whether spreading out in the suburbs or making a long-term city investment. However, since many sellers pulled their listings in March and haven’t yet decided to jump back in, some buyers have been driven into...

Sweeping municipal shutdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic brought real estate activity to a grinding halt in March throughout most of North America and Europe. The timing coincided with the beginning of the spring selling season, which is typically prime time for high-end real estate markets such as New York and London. As lockdowns are gradually being lifted, summer is shaping up to look like the busy 2020 spring that we didn’t experience. Agents and sales directors in the U.S.,...

Ahead of reopening, New York City’s small businesses consider new safety protocols As New York’s elected officials turn more of their focus to staggering an economic reopening after May 15, when New York’s “on pause” order ends, New York City’s myriad small businesses are starting to strategize what a new normal will look like. First and foremost, that will include reducing the number of customers in any venue at one time. Basic cleaning routines will be stepped up, with doorknobs and other...

Delbert “Pete” Erickson was an avid outdoorsman who moved with his wife from Washington state to Petersburg, Alaska, in the 1960s in search of adventure and opportunity. The young couple’s journey north led to them becoming part of the fabric of Petersburg, a small island fishing community with Norwegian roots. Erickson, who’d dropped out of high school in his native Washington state, arrived in Alaska as a 23-year-old apprentice carpenter and went on to build many of his neighbors’ homes. In...