New York
Airbnb Turns to Black Leaders in Its Bid to Make a Comeback in New York
In the multiyear fight between the global home-sharing conglomerate Airbnb and a relatively small union representing hotel workers in New York City, Airbnb’s string of losses has iced the company out of the city’s lucrative short-term rental market.
Now, with over a million tourists expected to flood the region for the World Cup tournament, Airbnb, an $84 billion company, has rekindled its fight to gain a foothold in the city. And central to its multipronged strategy are Black church leaders and property owners — a key voting bloc in New York — who say that they deserve the chance to make extra cash.
The company has hosted town halls and listening sessions in Harlem; Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; and Jamaica, Queens — neighborhoods where Black homeowners are a significant force — to bolster support for proposed City Council legislation that would loosen regulations on short-term rentals. It gained the backing of influential Black pastors, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, who met with the City Council speaker, Julie Menin, to argue that allowing more of such rentals would benefit Black homeowners.
“We have always been supportive of the hotel workers’ union, but there is, in this particular case, unintended consequences, and that is Black homeowners,” Mr. Sharpton said in an interview. “Who are we protecting when the hotels are not sold out and people cannot rent rooms in their homes right there in Southeast Queens?”
For years, New York politicians have severely restricted the short-term rental company’s growth through at least four pieces of legislation and local enforcement activity. The union, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, has capitalized on its mighty political influence to keep Airbnb at bay. Under state law, short-term rentals in New York for less than 30 days are illegal, unless the host is present at the time of the rental.
And Airbnb’s nearly $900,000 lobbying effort for more favorable local legislation has failed in the face of politicians who cite the company’s impact on the rental market — but also are more concerned about running afoul of the savvy hotel workers’ union than enjoying the largess of a well-heeled corporation.
Chief among them is New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who fought off Airbnb’s digital ad campaign attacking him during last year’s primary race — even though he was not endorsed by the hotel workers’ union.
Mr. Mamdani, an avid soccer fan, has touted the World Cup’s economic potential for the city. But the mayor declined to heed a request aligned with the company’s goals to roll back short-term rental regulations during the tournament.
His stance — along with the proposal he floated and then backed away from to raise property taxes, which angered some Black homeowners — could exacerbate tensions between him and that Democratic constituency.
In a statement, Joe Calvello, a spokesman for Mr. Mamdani, said that the World Cup should not create an opening for changes to housing policy and that the mayor supports regulating short-term rentals to stave off encroachment from the real estate industry.
“Homes should be for New Yorkers, not investment opportunities for predatory actors looking to cash in,” he said. “The mayor continues to oppose efforts to weaken these laws at the behest of corporate interests.”
To counter Airbnb’s appeal to Black New Yorkers, the hotel workers’ union has also sought out Black pastors to denounce the home-sharing company.
“Short-term rentals are driving up housing costs and contributing to displacement in Black communities that have already endured generations of disinvestment,” the Rev. Robert Waterman, lead pastor of a church in Brooklyn and president of the African American Clergy and Elected Officials organization, said in a statement.
In an interview, he added that he was approached to back Airbnb, but would not until the company or its allies provide more assurances that the company’s presence would not harm Black communities.
Corporations seeking to make political headway have relied on influential Black leaders in the past, as with a 2023 proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and before that, a proposed ban on the sale of fur products. But Airbnb’s fight comes against the backdrop of an enduring debate over how to keep longtime Black New Yorkers economically stable enough to remain in the city as rising prices and gentrification fuel their exodus.
On May 1, a coalition of more than a dozen Black religious leaders penned a letter to Ms. Menin that called reforms to short-term rental properties “a crucial financial lifeline for Black homeowners.” (Ms. Menin won her leadership post with the backing of the hotel workers’ union and remains closely aligned with it. Through a spokesman, she declined to comment on her meeting with Mr. Sharpton.)
Airbnb has further tried to ingratiate itself into the city’s civic scene through marquee events like the Way to Win Gala, which it paid several hundred thousand dollars to co-sponsor last week, according to someone involved in the soiree. A week earlier, it announced plans to give away 1,000 free tickets to the World Cup at an event for young soccer players in Queens. And on Friday, it opened a new soccer pitch in the Bronx.
The City Council bill to loosen short-term rental restrictions has only four sponsors, and in the unlikely event it is passed, it would not take effect for six months — making it irrelevant for any hope Airbnb has of breaking into the New York market in time for the World Cup.
The company is pushing for it anyway, and plans to maintain its presence in the city as the tournament takes place.
Nathan Rotman, Airbnb’s director of policy strategy, said the city will host more large-scale events that lure tourists — and provide more chances to demonstrate the company’s reach.
“There will always be something wonderful happening here,” he said. “And we want to make sure that the homeowners have those opportunities moving forward, whether it’s for events or just at a time of financial need.”
In turn, the union has mobilized its own forces.
It has teamed up with the Legal Aid Society of New York and housing advocates, who have published a raft of opinion pieces raising concerns about Airbnb, and it has held clinics addressing problems voiced by homeowners who support the short-term rental company.
The union has also formed a coalition with other labor groups and advocates ahead of the World Cup to address potential exploitation around housing and workers.
“The affordable housing crisis we face will be solved by creating long lasting affordability and generational homeownership opportunities — not short-term gimmicks that benefit tech billionaires at the expense of already marginalized communities,” the hotel workers’ union president, Rich Maroko, said in a statement.
Despite its relatively small membership, the union has long been revered and feared among New York politicians. It routinely turns out big rallies and spends big money for candidates it supports, while working ferociously against those it views as opponents.
But some of those efforts have caused blowback. Several of Airbnb’s Black allies also have taken issue with the union’s advertising, pointing to an attack ad that claims Airbnb will not check customers’ criminal history and uses the image of a man with dark skin and a hoodie.
The hotels also raise an economic reason to oppose Airbnb’s efforts: Early data suggests that the World Cup is unlikely to provide the boost hotels were expecting, despite projections that tourists will spend $1.8 billion, according to New York City Tourism and Conventions.
Vijay Dandapani, who runs the Hotel Association of New York City, said that hotels in the city have experienced a 10 percent bump in revenue based on present bookings related to the World Cup. But they expected more. He blamed the slower-than-anticipated World Cup bump on volatile energy prices, high tournament costs, airline troubles and what he called “draconian” federal visa policies.
“The hotel industry is still struggling post-Covid,” Mr. Dandapani said.
Asked why Airbnb would be spending so much time and money trying to win over politicians who are usually beholden to the union, Mr. Dandapani replied, “This is their model; they have a lot of money and they keep at it.”
Nearly two decades have passed since “The Wire” ended, yet Jamie Hector’s haunting turn as the drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield still resonates. Jay-Z recently referred to the character during a freestyle at the Roots Picnic.
“I respect the fact that artists find time to appreciate another artist in that way,” Mr. Hector said. “I consider the work that we do at the highest level with great art. His is literary. His is over a track, making you feel, and mine was visual.”
Mr. Hector, 50, also a director, producer and children’s book author, has devoted much of his life to the arts as one of television’s most compelling, understated figures, currently seen in Apple TV’s “Cape Fear.”
He splits his time between his family, dramatic roles, his own projects and shepherding the next generation of artists. Mr. Hector spent a recent blistering Thursday in Brooklyn with The New York Times.
How can people possibly afford to live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet? It’s a question New Yorkers hear a lot, often delivered with a mix of awe, pity and confusion.
We surveyed hundreds of New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save. We found that many people — rich, poor or somewhere in between — live life as a series of small calculations that add up to one big question: What makes living in New York worth it?
Ryan Compton knows a thing or two about gigs. To make it in New York, he has worked as a retail associate inside the Museum of Modern Art’s gift store, a cashier for a downtown taqueria and a paint mixer for Takashi Murakami. He has experienced the paradox of a city both known for its artists and for pricing artists out.
Financial constraints forced Mr. Compton, who is from South Jersey, to move away from New York twice over the course of two decades. He has lived in Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia, but remains convinced the resources and people inside New York are unparalleled.
“You never know who you’re going to run into,” he said. “Everyone’s curious about each other.”
Since moving back in 2022, he has whittled down his source of income to a single gig as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he made $51,000 before taxes last year. It’s his second time at the museum. He first worked there part-time in 2011 before leaving in 2015 to earn his master’s degree in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
“I know I couldn’t afford graduate school and the cost of living in New York at the same time,” he said.
A third try at New York life has forced Mr. Compton, now 46, to confront the sustainability behind a career as both an interdisciplinary artist and a security guard — even inside one of the most famous museums in the world.
Love at First Sight (With New York)
As an undergraduate student at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Mr. Compton looked forward to spending weekends at his friend’s apartment gallery in the East Village in Manhattan.
A combination of showing face and knowing the right person led to his side project at the time — fashioning 3-d printed stuffed animals with skull faces — which were featured in an issue of Vogue Japan. He even sold a few inside a handmade craft store in Tokyo’s Ginza district for about $1,000.
“I was interested in the contrast between fuzzy-shaped animals and skulls,” he said, later adding, “You know, stuff when you’re a 20-something-year-old being kind of edgy.”
The early moment of success propelled Mr. Compton to chase after opportunities to showcase his work. While supporting himself financially through retail and service jobs, he helped write the artist Roman Ondak’s interactive performance piece at MoMA, “Measuring the Universe;” and worked as a collaborator for “No Souls for Sale,” an experimental project temporarily at Dia Chelsea and later, the Tate Modern in London. Both went unpaid.
“The chance to work in modern art before I was 30 is unheard of,” Mr. Compton said. “It only happens in New York.”
A Slower Pace
Tens of thousands of people flock to the Metropolitan on weekends, and it’s Mr. Compton’s job — one he has found increasingly difficult — to make sure the art is untouched. He believes social media has altered the way visitors engage with the museum. Think more selfies and poses leaned against Hellenistic marble.
The one hour work commute from Parkchester in the East Bronx gives him time to prepare for a long day ahead. He splits a two-bedroom with a co-worker for $1,000 a month and pays $50 in utilities. Heat and water are included in his rent, and his roommate covers the cost of Wi-Fi. He pays $90 each month for his phone bill.
The slower pace of the residential neighborhood matches the stage of life he’s in now. In the last few years, Mr. Compton has slowed down as he has come to terms with the expenses behind his art.
He no longer has free access to fabrication laboratories pegged to his university, and he has opted for the more cost-friendly hobbies of zine-making and book binding. He is, however, eyeing a $1,000 3-d printer. For now, he has settled on $20 a month Photoshop subscription.
The largest constraint tempering Mr. Compton’s spending is his $100,000 student loan debt from graduate school. The window for his deferment period closed, and even with some money he inherited after his mother passed, he says he needs a miracle to finish paying off his loans. “I’m not sure what to do anymore,” he said.
Splurging on Plants and Experimental Harsh Noise Records
Mr. Compton may not have any children, but he is a proud “plant dad.”
His apartment houses $1,000 worth of plants sourced through Facebook groups, pop-ups and by following Brooklyn Horticulture online. He typically pays $30-$50 for medium to large sized plants, but he is constantly on the lookout for deals.
When he isn’t at home with his plants, Mr. Compton treks into Manhattan to do his weekly grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. He prefers the prices there to local spots in the Bronx and estimates he spends $70 each week.
A cash guzzler of Mr. Compton’s food budget is the $20 a day — an additional $80 a week — he spends at the Metropolitan’s staff cafeteria for breakfast and lunch. When working 12 hour shifts, “I’m not gonna go home and make something to bring the next day,” he said.
On his days off, he seeks out affordable food deals. He frequents Vanessa’s Dumplings in Chinatown for their $8 dumpling special.
When in the mood to treat himself, Mr. Compton rides the train a few more stops out to Ridgewood, Queens and Bushwick, Brooklyn, to visit his favorite record stores like Fringe Records and Nexus Records. An experimental harsh noise aficionado, he spends no less than $100 each visit.
His biggest and most recent splurge was a 10-day trip to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in Japan in February. He was able to cut his $900 round trip ticket to $700 with credit card points. Add in the cost of hotels, meals and souvenirs, he spent close to $5,000 total.
“I wanted to go because my artwork had been to Japan, but I haven’t been to Japan,” he said.
Looking Ahead
Mr. Compton wants to strike a balance between saving and enjoying the life he dreamed of in New York. To help pay off his loans, he considered applying to be an art handler for the Metropolitan, a job with a slight pay bump. But without his present benefit of overtime pay, he’s afraid he would be making less than he does currently.
Over the years, Mr. Compton has found community among other security guards at the Metropolitan, who, like him, are artists. He has also built inroads with notable names at the museum, one being Sheena Wagstaff, the former chairman of modern and contemporary art, who he said took the time to know Mr. Compton not only as a co-worker, but also as an individual, too.
Because of his connections, he feels like he has nowhere else to go. He considered a quieter lifestyle upstate in Westchester or the Catskills, but believes he will make less money outside of the city. And, of course, he would have to leave the place he’s called home for the majority of his adult years.
“I did four other cities, and they weren’t as good or great as I like New York,” he said. “I always end up here.”
We are talking to New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save.
You made it time. If you want to look a little longer, just scroll back up and press “Continue.”
Look up.
Before you commute home to suburbs like Tarrytown and Larchmont, or race toward the next stop on your tourist map, take a minute.
Look up to see the stars.
One hundred and twenty-five feet above you are 2,500 stars and six signs of the zodiac along the ecliptic, a line that represents the path of the sun across the sky:
The signs are joined by a few others: Orion, Pegasus, Triangulum and, in the center of it all, Musca Borealis (the Northern fly, or sometimes called Apis, the bee). The Milky Way streaks across the ceiling in the opposite direction. The whole thing is ringed by intricate plaster moldings along the clerestory windows. Fifty-nine of the stars twinkle.
Who says there isn’t magic in Midtown?
The original early 1900s plan for the ceiling was to build a massive skylight so commuters could look up at the actual stars:
But time and money were short, so the architects asked the artist Paul Helleu to design a version of the sky on the ceiling instead. Helleu took inspiration from star atlases from the 1600s. His main resource was the Uranometria from 1603, a lushly illustrated volume that was the first detailed cataloging of individual stars, their positions and brightness. See how similar the figures are. This is Aries:
Here’s Taurus, the bull:
A heart balloon — one of several — had floated up the day we took this photograph, nestling between Orion’s club and Taurus’s horn (maybe an earthly sign that this heavenly hunt might finally resolve).
Converting the flat drawings of a spherical sky re-projected onto a semi-cylindrical vaulted ceiling would have been no easy task. The design work was done by a famous scenic designer and muralist, James Monroe Hewlett, and was overseen by the Columbia astronomy professor Harold Jacoby, who in 1910 assured a panicked public that Halley’s comet would not hit Earth.
Dozens of painters got to work. The terminal opened at midnight on Feb. 2, 1913. The New York Central Railroad boasted “that many school children will go to the Grand Central Terminal to study this representation of the heavens.”
Two weeks later, a commuter from New Rochelle (and a hobby astronomer) looked up at the ceiling and realized that west was east and east was west and the sky was not, actually, in a proper arrangement. Only Orion was shown in the “correct” orientation. He wrote a “wrathful” letter to the station. As The New York Times reported in 1913, officials at Grand Central “did not deny the charge that things were a bit mixed, but held that it was a pretty good ceiling for all that.”
How this happened is still a matter of debate, given Professor Jacoby’s astronomical blessing.
Michael Allison, a former NASA planetary scientist at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (and a former adjunct in the Columbia astronomy and astrophysics department), met me last month at the great clock under the ceiling to explain his theory.
“I’ve stared at the ceiling I don’t know how many hours,” he said. “I keep hoping I can discover one more thing.”
The liberties taken, Mr. Allison said, like re-sizing the constellations to fit the space and flipping Orion (in relation to the rest), were carefully done. Ultimately, a good marriage of art and science. He thinks Jacoby was a victim of big project bureaucracy, that it was all a mixup.
Jacoby probably expected the design he approved to be projected overhead, where the result would match the plans if you held them above you. The painters put them on the floor instead. Hence, the flip.
But this “heavenly view” — the stars as if they could be seen from above, looking down — may not be a bad view at all.
“There are just so many bad things happening in the world now that I think the sky offers a perspective that can lift us above that,” Mr. Allison said.
For Deirdre Newman, the great-granddaughter of the muralist Hewlett, who painted the ceiling, the imperfection “is what art is.”
Ms. Newman, it turns out, is also a painter of murals and ceilings. But these days, if she has to flip an image, she just hits a button on the projector.
“Anytime I make a mistake painting, I’m like, this proves that it’s art,” she said. “It is not perfection, and it shouldn’t be — it would be a sad thing if it was.”
The stories that we’ve given to the stars over millenniums, some of the most retold tales in history, are hardly orderly — stories of fate, violence, betrayal, revenge, sex and punishment. Cancer helps Hera in pinching a rival’s foot. Orion, son of Poseidon, is placed in the stars by Zeus, locked in an eternal hunt. The two fish of Pisces (Aphrodite and Eros) are linked together to escape the monster-of-all-monsters, Typhon.
Or the stories are totally different if you were Babylonian or Egyptian, Greek or Roman. Today, the stars mean something else again to a devoted user of the horoscope app Co-Star, seeking reassurance after a breakup. And to a commuter standing in Grand Central, looking up while waiting for the train, the stars might just be a momentary diversion, a decorative way to pass the time. Or more.
Take what you want. Take what you need.
***
By the 1940s, the ceiling had fallen into disrepair, so they painted a whole new one on four-foot-by-eight-foot asbestos sheets over the old one. This is the version that exists today. Eventually that second ceiling, too, grew dark with grime and had to be cleaned from 1996 to 1998. The difference was stark. As you were zooming in, you may have noticed a little dark square by Cancer. They deliberately left one bit of the uncleaned ceiling here:
The best time to take all of it in — the ceiling, and the majesty of the station — might just be coming this weekend. The setting sun will line up with Manhattan’s street grid and should (pending clouds) bathe the terminal in a beautiful golden glow Saturday at 8:19 p.m. and Sunday at 8:20 p.m. I plan to be on the east balcony looking west on Sunday for that moment.
See you there.
How we took the photograph
To generate a high-resolution panorama of the ceiling, The Times captured 232 close-up images. We then used software to stitch these photos into an equirectangular projection, to approximate the curve of the ceiling. We also developed custom computer vision software to ensure consistent color blending across varying lighting conditions. To optimize for display efficiency and clarity during navigation, the image was then re-projected into the shape of a cube. We think it’s still a pretty good picture for all that.
This is an installment in our series of experiments on art and attention. If you liked this one, you may like these past exercises: a finished, unfinished portrait; a sudden rain over a bridge; a unicorn tapestry; some buckets from Home Depot; and a Whistler painting.
Sign up to be notified when new installments are published here. And let us know how this exercise made you feel in the comments.
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