Four smiling people pose in front of a boat with tall masts on a pier.

Between the Lines Scavenger Hunt Recap

May 21, 2026

On Saturday, May 16, nearly 300 New Yorkers took to the streets in search of zoning landmarks, playing Between the Lines: How Zoning Shapes New York, OHNY’s five-borough scavenger hunt.

At 10 AM, the game’s starting line at The 550 Garden—fittingly, a privately-owned public space created under NYC’s 1961 Zoning Resolution—was packed with players eager to get a start on a full day solving clues, crisscrossing the city, and learning about the ways zoning rules (and exceptions) shape its blocks, neighborhoods, and skylines. It was an energetic introduction to our 90 participating teams, who brought their colleagues, friends, and family to play—we met multi-generational teams and players ages 7 to 70+.

Four people pose in front of flamboyantly dressed mannequins in a shop window.

Five people pose in front of a statue of Fiorello La Guardia

Three people pose in front of a High Line access point.

Four people pose in front of the Times Square subway station.

Two people pose in front a of an ornamented skyscraper. They are leaning over the camera so the top of the building can be seen.

Four smiling people pose in front of 120 Broadway

A parent and child pose with zebra toys. They are wearing safari hats and smiling.

Five people pose on the plaza at Lincoln Center.

Between the Lines

Credit: Team Hot Girls for Zoning

From the skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan, with their distinctive setback profiles, to transit-oriented development corridors in Jamaica and Staten Island, players sought out answers to more than 50 clues, submitted 1,408 answers, and traveled to all five boroughs. Clues pointing to recent rezonings led players to the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts to snap photos of new towers and recreational spaces, and many teams earned bonus points by suggesting new NYC Ferry stops to add to their East River routes in social media posts.

Zoning-themed team names were strongly encouraged, and our players did not disappoint! Creative standouts include As Long As ULURP Me, Hide-and-CEQRs, The Setback Street Boys, Results May Variance, Hot Girls for Zoning, and Single Stairway to Heaven. As ever, the enthusiasm, cleverness, and depth of knowledge of our community is truly impressive.

The competition was intense, but ultimately three teams emerged atop the leaderboard and took home prizes: New York Rats, Do ULURP Me?, and The sULURPees. Congratulations to these teams on their impressive accomplishment! Each scored more than 150 points and submitted more than 25 clues. The winners were announced at the closing party at Inspiration Point, an arts center at the heart of The Peninsula development in Hunts Point, The Bronx, where players swapped stories from their journeys and enjoyed refreshments after a marathon of exploration.

Our thanks to our supporters NYC Ferry, our closing party hosts at Inspiration Point, and The Olayan Group for facilitating our kickoff event.