These days it’s almost impossible to find something there isn’t an app for. Whether you’re looking for take-out, a new outfit, or have a car come pick you up, it’s all just a tap or two away. In the bustling downtown area there are always a plethora of places to go – but how can you be sure that you have found the best one for exactly what you’re looking for?
Whether you’re just visiting downtown and want to be sure to find the spot where us locals go, or you’re tired of ending up at the same old place and scrolling through endless reviews to find a new one, the new app HEAT might be able to help you.
Similar to apps such as Yelp and Foursquare, the HEAT app provides hip and trending places over everything from the perfect brunch spot to the night club for a long and fun night out, but instead of star ratings and reviews the app combines location based services and real time location systems to identify trending places in real time, showing you where other users are hanging out at this very moment, and also gives you information on which days of the week and at what time the places are most popular.
Now there’s no excuse for staying in on tonight or not knowing where to grab brunch tomorrow to cure a rough week and maybe a drink or two too many the night before. Finding the right places to go has never been easier. Though there is always the hardship of choosing which one. In the bustling downtown area, chances are more than just one place is heating up on both weekdays and weekends, but this app gives you an easy overlook over when and where the people around you will be enjoying all of the spots this city has to offer.
It’s a tale as old as time. New York City streets have always been known for their bumper-to-bumper traffic, yellow taxis, and horrible parking. When New York drivers finally arrive at their destinations, it’s nearly impossible to find a free spot to park their cars.
Recent real estate listings tell the whole story: parking spots listed for a cool $1 million. Granted, those are for high-end condo complexes, but the average parking spot is $325,000 to purchase. That’s like paying 10 to 15 times more for your parking stall than for your car.
Fortunately, Luxe — an on-demand valet parking and car service app — has taken New York by storm to solve the parking dilemma. The company has transformed a New Yorker’s usual experience of finding parking from frustrating, costly and time-consuming, to simple, convenient, and affordable.
White Glove Service at the Touch of a Button
Here’s how it works: once users request service through the app, Luxe dispatches a valet to meet the driver at their destination, then parks the car in one of Luxe’s secure parking garages. The service eliminates circling the block or trying to find an open spot in a parking garage, a process that takes the majority of New Yorkers more than 10 minutes each time.
Parking isn’t the only time-consuming factor of car ownership. Clients can save even more time by requesting gas fill-ups, car washes, or oil changes when they park their car with Luxe.
The time savings in a week translate into hours — not minutes — for New York City residents. They can use the time saved to finally get a workout in at the local SoulCycle, take a trip with the family to the New York Botanical Gardens, or grab a hotdog and crackerjacks at a couple Yankees games.
High Cost of Parking
Most New Yorkers don’t own a parking spot but rather pay monthly, weekly, or daily. On average, parking costs are $50 per day in New York City or $250 weekly. And those who park their cars in a less-than-legal way can expect a parking ticket of $116 on average.
The price comparisons are astounding. A round-trip flight from JFK International Airport to Paris costs less than a month of parking. The cost of one parking ticket is the same as dinner and drinks at Del Posto.
Luxe Comes to the Rescue
First launched in San Francisco in 2014, Luxe has become the go-to parking solution for many urbanites. Luxe quickly expanded into New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Austin. Customers have the option to use Luxe’s valet parking services on an hourly, daily, or monthly basis.
In addition to convenience, Luxe offers substantial value over New York’s traditional parking solutions. While residential parking can run around $1,000 per month, Luxe’s monthly residential parking subscriptions start at just $399. There’s no more circling the block for 10 minutes to find an available place to park, or trying to comprehend confusing street parking signs.
For New Yorkers who feel the pain of parking, Luxe is the key to hassle-free city car ownership. For a limited time, new monthly Luxe customers who download the Luxe app receive $100 off their first month.
Pooja Dhargalkar is the General Manager at Luxe in New York and is responsible for running the business’s day-to-day operations, sales and strategy. After earning her MBA from Wharton, she spent two years at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) focused on digital strategy, brand strategy, organizational design and e-commerce projects for companies across the United States and Europe. Prior to BCG, Pooja worked at Citi’s Latin America capital markets desk. Pooja graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business with honors.
As discussed in earlier editions of this column, the word “busy” is entirely relative and subject to interpretation. Some people call themselves “busy” because they have brunch plans and a full DVR of reality shows to catch up on. Other people are “busy” because their career demands them to be on-call and alert at all times. But however you choose to define the word “busy,” within the context of this column, it is intended to imply that a person is keeping occupied while doing things that many people ought to find interesting.
In the case of Adam May, editor-in-chief of Blockfeed, he may only have one job, but that job keeps his eyes and ears very active. Blockfeed is a New York City-centric app that tailors news stories to a user’s current location. In holding down this post, Adam processes hundreds of news stories every day. In turn, I wanted to know what it is like to be responsible for all of the news that a reader may ingest. Fortunately, Adam provided honest and direct insight during our chat about what it’s like to stay so current yet also so local.
Blockfeed, as it turns out, is aiming to expand beyond New York City as far as its geolocation-based news service. Adam went into more depth about that within our Q&A, but fortunately he was also open about the work he did with the IDF. Long story short, there’s lots to learn from both Adam May and Blockfeed.
It’s known that you manage the content streams and process over 600 stories a day. How do you usually find your content? Are there particular sources you rely on most?
Adam May: When we first decided to launch in NYC, we did a giant deep dive as a team, researching all the different sources of news in NYC: newspapers, magazines, local blogs, social media channels (including Downtown!). As we’ve been operating in NYC, we’ve stumbled upon more and more amazing resources. The best sources are often the local blogs. Maintaining a local blog is super-tough and rarely profitable — it’s always a passion project. And that passion translates into really excellent and dedicated journalism, even if it’s on a small scope. They usually manage to break all the coolest stories and viral occurrences in the City, you just may not hear about it unless Gothamist picks up the same story.
In reading so much content on a daily basis, have you become a speedreader?
A: Luckily, I was a pretty quick reader before all this began, but I’ve definitely gotten faster. Got to get those 10,000 hours in.
When you want to know what’s going on outside of work, which are the sites that you rely on most?
A: It’s kind of hard to separate, to be honest. I used to be a big magazine reader, I still have huge stacks of The Atlantic and GQ in my room. But these days, I try to keep up on the way that people continue to consume news. I try out new apps, new aggregators, try to keep my Twitter feed interesting. The way news is reported and disseminated is changing so quickly, makes it hard to stick to one publication. All that being said, I still get the New York Times delivered every morning.
Reading and work aside, what do you like to do with yourself?
A: My first paid writing job was about food, so I always loved cooking and eating far too much food. There was a day when I used to act and play guitar, but these days I kind of just smoke cigarettes and hang out with my dog.
Prior to Blockfeed, you worked as a journalist, director, social media director at a start-up, and as an editor for the IDF’s website. When someone asks you what you do for a living, how do you usually respond?
A: Great question. Honestly, it’s different for every circumstance. I mostly stick with “journalist” because it’s the easiest to explain, and sounds a lot less painfully millennial than “social media director.” Though it’s hard to miss a chance to shamelessly plug Blockfeed, so it usually finds its way in.
Did you always intend on following a career path that was uneasy to define in a few words? Or is that something that happened organically?
A: As organic as it gets. I actually always wanted something solid and stable that I could really devote myself to and turn into a career. But turns out I’m really restless, I just kept jumping from thing to thing.
Is there a field you haven’t yet worked in which you hope to?
A: I always wanted to be a scientist, astrophysics specifically. I have a mostly healthy obsession with science journals and have been known to go on long rants about the multiverse. Time might be running out for me though, I’m quickly approaching the age when most physicists burn out.
Having worked with them, what do you think the biggest misconception is about the IDF?
A: I think the biggest thing people don’t realize is how much of it is really run by kids. People who in this country are busy busting down Natty Lights and playing beer pong, in Israel the same kids are out in the field commanding troops, making huge decision that can occasionally have real geopolitical ramifications.
The IDF also makes an active effort to make a positive impact both in and out of Israel. There are units of the army dedicated to teaching underprivileged kids in poor areas, or to advocating for Palestinian civilians, or even an entire unit of reservists that’s on-call to respond to natural disasters around the world. I know some of it may seem like PR stunts, but it definitely isn’t for the people in those units, or the people they help. They really care.
Which of your prior positions trained you the best for your work with Blockfeed?
A: Definitely the IDF. It was the hardest, fastest-pace, most independent thing I’ve ever done with my life until now.
As Blockfeed is primarily New York-oriented at the moment, does Blockfeed have plans to expand to other cities?
A: Absolutely, we want to be in every major American city, one city at a time. But first, we’re going to start with nearby medium to large cities that have a vibrant culture and most importantly, a healthy local journalism scene. Think Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, and eventually we will tackle cities like L.A. and San Francisco.
How would a publication or organization go about getting added to Blockfeed?
A: There is a way to sign up on our website, www.blockfeed.com, or you can just email us at contact@blockfeed.com. We’re always happy to hear from local journalists. At the end of the day, we want Blockfeed to help them since there’s a symbiotic relationship there — the better local news is doing, the better Blockfeed is doing.
When it comes to productivity, are there any tools or apps you primarily rely on to stay on-task and meet deadlines?
A: This is probably the most low-tech area of my life. I’ve tried god-knows-how-many “productivity apps,” but they never stick. I still just use a notepad and pen. The most high-tech I get is a Google Cal to make sure I don’t miss my appointments. It’s shameful.
Switching off from productivity, when you are aiming to be creative as a routine, do you have a routine? A place you go to or an album you listen to most?
A: Music is always the best way I can change my headspace. I am a huge fan of This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem, it’s good for just about everything but writing. For writing I always resort to something wordless, Idle Moments by Grant Green or The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place by Explosions In The Sky.
Finally, Adam, any last words for the kids?
A: Learn how to drive before self-driving cars take over the world. It’s damn fun.
It’s a Friday night, and you and your friends are looking for something to do. You don’t want to go to the same old bar two blocks away that you always go to. You’re looking for something new and exciting, whether it be a hot rooftop party, or a show at a dive bar featuring an up-and-coming band. Wouldn’t it be convenient to have all of those options in one place? Look no further than Fever, one of the hottest up-and-coming apps that shows you events going on around the city that are tailored to fit your interests.
Started first in Spain by founder and CEO Pep Gomez, Fever became a breakout success and soon expanded to New York. Part of its success is due to the fact that it introduces a new, fresh approach to coordinating events based on your personal interests. As you keep using the app, Fever learns from your behaviors and evolves, keeping your list of premium events as tailored to fit your needs as possible.
It is also super convenient, with the ability to make reservations and purchase tickets to events with two clicks through the app. All tickets, event instructions, and event details are then stored in your phone. Along with using the app, the Fever team also introduces special perks to its users. After making a reservation or RSVPing, users can enjoy complimentary drink deals, VIP access, and more!
Downtown has recently started using the app, and we could not be more thrilled about such a convenient and unique way to “be in the know” about things going on around the city, especially right at your finger tips! We have started using it regularly, and have plans to attend more events that are coming up.
Be sure to download the app today, and start taking on the city, one Fever event at a time.
