Archive for November, 2005
Posted by admin
November 30, 2005 at 1:31 am · Filed under Real Estate
From the Dream-on-You-Frustrated-Renter Dept.:
Diane writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “On my block (6th Ave. btw 10th-11th St.) there is a vacant house that’s been there at least as long as I have (17 yrs.) … there are massive holes in the roof … Last year someone walking on the rooftop - drunk - fell through the roof into the vacant building. Luckily, he had a cell phone and was able to call for help.”
“… what I am wondering is, can the city condemn the building and have it torn down?”
“I know people have tried without success to purchase the property. The story is that the original owner — now deceased — left money in his will to pay the taxes in perpetuity, but also instructed his heirs never to sell — some kind of revenge thing with a neighbor, who of course is no longer there.”
PICTURED: A different eyesore in Park Slope, right off 7th Ave.
Posted by admin
November 28, 2005 at 9:41 pm · Filed under Apartments for Rent
Via Daily Slope Electronic Mail: “Mr. Livanos peeping down into tenants apartment after collapsing her ceiling in the dark giving no appologies. His mantra to Ms. Tortorella’s complaints were ‘this is not a pizza parlor, this is construction’ ”
See below for the full unexpurgated (and un-spellchecked) version of “CITY AGENCIES IGNORE ILLEGAL ACTIONS DESIGNED TO FORCE TENATS FROM THEIR RENT STABELIZED APARTMENT IN PRESTEGIOUS PARK SLOPE”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by admin
November 28, 2005 at 1:33 pm · Filed under Random
Photo: Andrea Mohin/The New York Times
John Freeman Gill writes in the New York Times: “New Yorkers … are not known for their tolerance of things that protrude, dangle, leak or waft from a neighbor’s yard into theirs. But on Sixth Street near Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, there stands - looms, really - a notable exception: a gargantuan weeping willow tree whose canopy cloaks four full yards and tickles the airspace of a fifth.”
“By a peculiar coincidence, this giant among trees is owned by a giant among men, a 6-foot-5 former University of Michigan basketball player named John Morgan. When Mr. Morgan bought the house 16 years ago with his wife, Linda, the dwelling was hideous, but the willow already had an otherworldly quality. ‘The only thing attractive about the house was the tree,’ Mr. Morgan said. ‘It was magical, and I said, ‘I just can’t not have this.’ ”
Link: Under the Spreading Willow Tree [New York Times]
Discuss: Park Slope Message Boards
Posted by admin
November 28, 2005 at 9:05 am · Filed under Apartments for Rent
chitownguy01 writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “My wife and I are moving to NYC in a couple months. We’re strongly considering renting in Park Slope. Has anyone used a broker to find their apartment? Any good ones you can recommend? Any ones to stay away from?”
“I bought a book a couple months ago that listed the following brokers:”
-Aguayo and Huebener
-William B. Mary
-Berman Realty
-Rita Knox Realty
-Gurl Realty
Posted by admin
November 21, 2005 at 8:57 pm · Filed under Cars vs People
Jennifer White Karp in the New York Times:
“At 12:30 a.m. one recent Thursday, a car horn outside our window wakes us. The offender leans on the horn for a good 10 seconds, only to pause and honk again and again…”
“In the age of the cellphone, this is outrageous! Why honk? Especially at this hour, when the residents of Eighth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, are seemingly tucked in bed.”
“‘Can you actually reach the car with the flashlight?’”
Read more…
Posted by admin
November 16, 2005 at 11:34 pm · Filed under Real Estate
travisruse writes to Daily Slope: “South Park Slope has won its downzoning battle.”
“It’s official!! As of 2:40pm, Wednesday the 16th of November 2005, South Park Slope and Greenwood Heights have been downzoned. Another mindless R6 district has bitten the dust…”
“And so what happens to the numerous sites that were racing to be the clock? Namely the two Isaac Katan 12-story monsters on 15th and 16th streets. And also the Robert Scarano building which was going to block the view from Minerva to the Statue of Liberty. Well it looks like it might be a clean sweep in favor of the community… it looks like none have completed foundations… Read more…
Posted by admin
November 16, 2005 at 2:17 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Drew wrote: “the other day i was in the mall and stores were playing christmas music. they were all on the overhead speakers like “christmas time is here! christmas! christmas time!” this is just blatantly not true. christmas time does not start until after thanksgiving.”
Photo: colorstalker documents holiday cheer in Park Slope.
Posted by admin
November 16, 2005 at 9:47 am · Filed under Random
From the New York Times: “A bear with a prominent grease spot on his little beige nose spends his days wedged behind the bumper guard of an ironworker’s pickup in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn. A fuzzy rabbit and a clown, garroted by a bungee cord, slump from the front of a Dodge van in Park Slope. Stewie, the evil baby from “Family Guy,” scowls from the grille of a Pepperidge Farm delivery truck in Brooklyn Heights, mold occasionally sprouting from his forehead…”
[Pictured: Stuffed toys strapped onto a van in Park Slope, Brooklyn. David F. Gallagher for NYT]
Posted by admin
November 16, 2005 at 9:42 am · Filed under Coffee Shops
1. Laptop-free coffee shop. Like a smoke-free zone.
2. A space that caters to “laptop army,” and specificallly the 10 million freelancers in the neighborhood who are looking to get away from their home offices/get some work done outside of the client office. Coffee, workstations, free secure wireless internet, maybe some music at a very low background level. A spot like the Microchip Cafe would be perfect, but (with all respect to the extremely nice people who own it and work there…) in its current form, that place not only has zero atmosphere, it has negative atmosphere. I’ve been in a few times and couldn’t wait to leave.
Posted by admin
November 15, 2005 at 5:34 pm · Filed under Restaurants
Today on Gothamist:
Favorite bar or restaurant?
Hunan Delight in Park Slope has great chicken with mixed vegetables and soft tofu with mixed vegetables. Oddly, they also have a flashy Flash-based website. I’m going to tell them that I mentioned them in this interview, and hopefully they’ll print it out and put it in the window, so that way, whenever I walk in, I’ll see myself recommending them and won’t have second thoughts. Also, Russ and Daughters–great herring.
Posted by admin
November 15, 2005 at 9:32 am · Filed under Groceries/Bodegas
The Park Slope Food Co-op is quite a high-profile target these days. On Gothamist, Phoebe Maltz claims that it is “taboo to insult the Park Slope Food Co-op. Even if you are not a member, you are supposed to understand that joining is both a good deal and—more importantly—a progressive act.”
“I happen to believe it is neither, and have already made this semi-public by writing about it on my semi-read blog. If revealing this to a larger audience means I will be banished to, say, a townhouse in the West Village, so be it.” Read more…
Posted by admin
November 15, 2005 at 9:26 am · Filed under Kids and Parents
Sarah from the Slope writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “Below is the email from the PSP moderators about the resolution of their legal problems. They got a kick-ass lawyer who set the record straight right quick…”
“Dear PSP Members,
“The PSP Message Archives are Back!
“THANK YOU Park Slope parents community for your outpouring of support… We now feel it is time to discuss what happened…”
“A question was posted about a month ago about Midwood Montessori School. Two positive messages were posted, along with a negative post on the list regarding its principal…”
More… Check it out, here.
Posted by admin
November 10, 2005 at 8:21 am · Filed under Recycling/Garbage
Are the wire public garbage baskets slowly disappearing?
Posted by admin
November 9, 2005 at 10:13 am · Filed under Kids and Parents
Looks like somebody has threatened the moderators of the Park Slope Parents Yahoo Group with a lawsuit related to something that a member posted.
They have shut down the Message Archives until further notice, and are seeking an “expert in Internet law” to help:
“The PSP Moderators and Advisory Committee have already spent hundreds of hours trying to resolve this situation. It is important that we resolve this quickly and with integrity — if we do not, the entire PSP list may be in jeopardy and may have to be closed down entirely…”
Discuss: Park Slope Message Boards
Posted by admin
November 8, 2005 at 8:09 pm · Filed under Pets
See a pair of Brooklyn bunnies, live, on your computer.
Welcome to the future!
Discuss Bunny Cuteness: Check the Message Boards
Posted by admin
November 7, 2005 at 12:03 am · Filed under Crime, Mischief, and Tomfoolery
A remarkably large number of New Yorkers have finished the New York Marathon. There’s a good chance you’ve done it once. Almost everyone knows somebody who’s crossed the finish line.
Yet it’s still regarded as an accomplishment of almost heroic proportions, which may explain why there is a disconnect between certain aspects of Marathon behavior and what we normally consider acceptable. On any other day, peeing in a public place is normally an offense that can get you a fine, if not a trip to the precinct house. Yet for some reason, it seems totally acceptable to us. You could be guilty of violating public urination laws while running in the New York City Marathon, and yet you’ve never thought twice about it.
There could be a good question in here somewhere for Randy Cohen, ethicist on call to NPR and the New York Times.
How could this disconnect exist? Does advertising play a role? Corporate marketing has clearly shaped our perception of what the Marathon is all about. As noted, tens of thousands of runners finish marathons each year, yet this particular road race has been transformed into a Celebration of Personal Achievement, mainly in the service of selling products, including sport shoes, socks and shirts, sugary “performance” foods, painkillers, and a wide variety of investment products. Are we cutting these heros too much slack? There are urinals strategically located all along the marathon route–is public urination really a necessity, or an attempt to shave a few minutes off the the finish time?
This ethical dilemma becomes very real just after the 7-mile mark in the ING New York City Marathon, as noted on Chubsucker.com: “…Runners passing through Park Slope, Brooklyn, on 4th Ave. are treated to a Poland Spring-sponsored water station … a vacant lot perfect for a quick piss is just one block away. This impromptu public urinal served many runners well today.”
The author continues: “Incidentally, I got into a mild argument with another spectator who scoffed my photographing this spectacle. He said it was disrespectful of me to take photos of their private moment. I asked if it was any more disrespectful than pissing on the side of someone’s house. And what makes this such a private moment?” Read more…
Posted by admin
November 4, 2005 at 10:57 am · Filed under Restaurants
… has its own blog.
Jessica Berthold writes in The (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call: “The site chronicles the journey of Allentown native Farid Ali as he opens a Latin restaurant with a friend in trendy Park Slope, Brooklyn. It takes the reader from the beginning steps of procuring loans, through hiring (and firing) staff, all the way to September’s grand opening party and beyond.”
The article quotes Ali: “… Now I’m looking at it as a way to record some stories about my experiences in the restaurant, as well as a marketing tool. People come into the restaurant and joke and say ”Will I be on the blog?’ because I like to take photos of customers. I think they kind of dig it.”
“I didn’t anticipate lifting boxes at the age of 40, hauling meat and fish over my shoulders. Also, quite often your employees make more money than you. The dishwasher makes more than me right now.” Read more…
Posted by admin
November 4, 2005 at 8:30 am · Filed under Real Estate
It’s more expensive than ever to buy in Park Slope.
Median house prices in Park Slope (actually Park Slope/BoCoCa/Brooklyn Heights combined) jumped from $900,000 to $1,250,000 from First Half 2004 to First Half 2005, according to a report from Halstead that was reported on Curbed.
Average price is up from $1.09 million to $1.38 million over than same time period.
Posted by admin
November 1, 2005 at 11:10 pm · Filed under Real Estate
From the Daily News: “Peeling paint. No heat. An overwhelming stench of sewage in the halls… Welcome to life at 152 Fourth Ave. - one of five ‘buildings from hell’ in Park Slope where a landlord is trying to drive tenants from their rent-stabilized homes, housing advocates charge…”
“Organizers from the Fifth Avenue Committee charge landlord Gustav Rodriguez has refused to provide heat or make necessary repairs to the buildings as a way to harass tenants into leaving.”
DOES IT WORK? “Guerra said last year the 40 apartments in the buildings were full. Now only eight are occupied.”
LANDLORD REBUTTAL: “Rodriguez insisted Friday he has done nothing wrong: ‘Everything that the court told me to do I did.’”
Ah ha ha… a tenant’s dream: the landlord who does everything… everything that he is forced to do by a court of law!
Posted by admin
November 1, 2005 at 9:32 pm · Filed under Random
ic96 writes in the Park Slope Message Boards: “How is the marathon watching in Park Slope on 4th Ave? I’ve normally gone to the Upper East Side bars/restaurants to hang out for marathon watching. How is it in the Slope?”
Discuss: Park Slope Message Boards:
Posted by admin
November 1, 2005 at 9:28 pm · Filed under Kids and Parents
Carpathian Kitten Loss reports: “Last night was the Halloween Parade. No, not the hedonistic one the cool kids go to in the Village… the Park Slope Halloween Parade…”
“One of the nice things about Park Slope is while yes it’s choc a bloc full of parents, these often are young cool parents. And these parents make awesome costumes for their three year olds who have no clue what’s going on.”
