Where were you born?

The Bronx, 1931.

But you didn’t live in NY all your life?

My father decided he wanted to move down to Florida when I was 12. I spent most of my teens down there. We moved back when I was 19. I was happier in Florida. I never liked NY because I prefer small towns to big cities. My family had a farm upstate. I was always happy to go there. I could live on a farm.

Are you sure I’m your daughter?

You take after your father. He loves the city.

Where did you go on dates when you were young?

My first date was The Bronx Zoo. A group of us went, not just one couple.

We would go to Coney Island. I remember one time when I wanted to go on The Parachute Jump but my date was too scared. So the guy who ran the ride went with me.

Was The Cyclone as rickety then as it is now?

People were scared of The Parachute, but The Cyclone was the worst. It was rickety, but that was 60 years ago. It’s gotta be worse now. The Steeplechase was really bad! Those horses felt like they were gonna fall apart.

Where did you meet Dad?

It was at the Jamaica Jewish Center. I was waiting for a call from the guy I was going with and my friend asked me to go to the dance. I agreed and while we were standing on the corner waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, this guy says to me as he’s passing “You shouldn’t drink so much.” I told my sister Elaine that I hope he comes back. Sure enough, he was inside and asked me to dance. The other guy never did call. Good thing I didn’t wait.

1st Apartment?

We lived with the in-laws on Maple Street in Crown Heights. Then we moved to our own place on Saratoga near Pitkin. We lived on Utica Avenue (East Flatbush) for a long time. Our apartment was $40 per month. A better apartment came up but we couldn’t afford it. It was $85 per month. Imagine that! Not being able to afford $85! But later on, we got that same apartment.

Any funny stories from that time?

There was a woman who lived on our floor. Her daughter was always out playing in the street and she was never fed or clothed properly. Poor kid. We fed her sometimes. Then we found out why she was neglected. The mother was a hooker. When she put her laundry in the hallway, it meant she was busy. Once she took it in, she was free.

Where were you when Kennedy was shot?

I was with Stevie (brother) shopping at Packer’s on Utica and Maple. They announced it on the loudspeaker at the supermarket. I went home and woke up dad, who was working nights at the time. We watched it on TV.

Blackout of ‘65?

I was making formula for you in the Utica Avenue apartment when the lights went out.

Do you think the 70’s were really that bad or was it just part of New York’s history?

They were all the same to me as far as I was concerned. I was busy raising kids and didn’t have time to think about. (I had to remind her why people thought the 70’s were bad. She REALLY didn’t notice! Interesting, since my favorite time in NYC’s history was the 70’s and early 80’s.)

Tell us a bit about our family’s colorful past.

I was named after Fatty Harry Selesnick. He was a Jewish gangster on the Lower East Side. He was killed by a rival gang in a shootout.

When you worked at the Empire State Building, did you ever look out the window?

Yeah, I looked out. I’ve never been to the top though. Why would I need to go? I worked on the 78th floor!

Best mayor?

Laguardia. He’s the only one I remember, really.

Worst?

I hated that Koch! During the transit strike he was riding around in his limo telling people to walk. Sure, what did he care? He was in his nice, comfortable car! It turned me off altogether! (My father worked for the transit authority at the time.)

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

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Between Sustainable Flatbush Anne wooping in one ear and my husband commenting on the Lyceum architecture in the other, I couldn’t catch half of what was going on at the Brooklyn Blogfest last night. But I schmoozed, I ate and I had fun. There were informative speeches and shout outs as promised. Good stuff! I’m sure OTBKB will have more deets, as well as every Brooklyn blogger out there. And trust me….there are lots of them. And they’re breeding, people.

Creative Times Eleanor and Bed Stuy Petra

Some bloggers were put to work. I managed to escape that.

What’s better than fudge? Brooklyn Fudge!

OTBKB Louise starts the show.

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Dining Room Set: $250

Someone in Ft Greene is parting with some sweet antiques for really, really good prices! If I had an inch of space in my house, you wouldn’t be seeing this post. I would’ve grabbed them for myself. Click on images for more info.

Buffet: $75

Lamps: $25 pair

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To be honest, I’ve never had any interest in foreclosures. It seems kind of icky to me to benefit from someone else’s hardship. I haven’t researched it enough to know the ins and outs. Where do you find them? How does financing work? Is it really a bargain? Whom can you trust? There seem to be a lot of sharks out there when it comes to this sort of thing.

A pre-foreclosure shouldn’t be such a bad karma thing though, right? Aren’t you actually helping the owner by purchasing the property before the bank takes it?

In any case, a quick search on Craigs brought up the following results. Proceed with caution. Beware the sharks.

$229k: East Orange, NJ

$295k: Mt. Vernon

$329k: Woodhaven

Check out this website! Rite Realty Group: “The rigth way”. Be sure to have your sound on for full effect. Miss Wi might just make it into the next realtor photo awards.

$549k: Bed Stuy

Listed by Mark David, a reputable firm.

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Bed Stuy blog reports that Boris the Famous Cat is looking for a new home. His parent are moving to the UK in just a few short weeks and they don’t want to put him through the hell that is quarantine. Boris is 10 years old, loves the great outdoors, has traveled the US extensively and loves to spoon. He would prefer a monogamous relationship, but is open to other options.If you think you can use “But I live upstate” as an excuse, rest assured, I am willing to personally deliver Boris to your doorstep.

Please email boristhefamouscat@gmail.com or call 718-564-9200 for more info.

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Ok, so I didn’t catch this immediately, but the Big Chill dishwashers are a fairly new item. I know they didn’t exist a few months ago when I was looking for a dishwasher. Not that I would’ve gone for the $1695 price tag anyway, but a girl can dream.

The dishwasher or panels come in eight colors, including pink, blue red and orange orange. (Someone please tell me what orange orange is from and why I felt the need to write it. Was it a cereal commercial?)

They are energy star rated with noise reduction system and come with a 1 year warranty.

You can purchase a Big Chill dishwasher for yourself (or me) online or check out their local dealers page. I know that Krups on 18th carries their products. Careful not to step in my puddle of drool upon entering.

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The rules for this one are over my head and the contest looks very time consuming. Something about Kelly Ripa and a scavenger hunt for handbags. But hey, if you want the chance to win an Electrolux Kitchen Suite while supporting ovarian cancer research, go for it!

Via Bobby V

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* Not to code in NYC!

YouTube link

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Gorgeous Eastlake Parlor Set for $1100. Located in Ulster County. It’s been reupholstered. Seems like a good deal to me. That Eastlake stuff is pricey! I should know….I love it and but can’t afford it. Possible delivery available.

Anthony: 845-591-4974

Howard Hall Farm has their class schedule all worked out for the season. Among “must knows” for any period homeowner….paint stripping and reading your period home. Full schedule at Howard Hall Farm.

Located in Athens, NY. Make a weekend out of it!

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Argh!! Last week, I started looking at the weekend weather forecast at the beginning of the week. It looked iffy right up until Saturday evening when I made the decision to skip the flea this past Sunday. I didn’t want to load, schlepp and stand around in the damp cold all day once again, so I canceled. Of course it was a beautiful day. Of course! I knew that would happen! And if I chose to participate, the weather would’ve sucked.

Guess I’ll do a show and tell of my own. Here’s the stuff I picked up/I’m working on in preparation for my own sunny day at market. Should that day ever come.

I thought my photo collage coffee table would be an easy project. Ha! Because I’m using vintage photos (my own) rather than printing new ones, I’m having trouble keeping the heavy weight fiber based paper from curling when I apply glue. This is still a work in progress. I need to fill in with more photos and I’d also like to warm it up a bit. I’ll add some tint to the poly. That should make me happy. Theme is “Brooklyn”.

I picked up this very ordinary looking bed on Friday. But check out the “box spring” below. It’s like chainmaille and there are some tension bolts to tighten it. Looks like a torture device. The husband wanted me to dump the chainmaille thing but I think that’s what makes the bed! What the hell is it?

Oh, and I was very moooved by these cow chairs. I had to buy them!

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