Added Saturday: Living in Flatbush. The Times is stealing my thunder!
Ok, so Ditmas is no longer that affordable. Let’s face it, none of Brooklyn is. But at least you get what you pay for here. The historic housing stock is nothing short of spectacular and the quiet tree lined streets within 20 minutes to Manhattan are the reasons this neighborhood is so desirable.
Ditmas Park is part of Victorian Flatbush. I grew up in nearby Midwood and didn’t really pay attention to what neighborhoods were called. So forgive my ignorance if I’m about to screw up boundary lines between Ditmas Park and Ditmas Park West and Beverly Square East. Honey, it was all Flatbush to me back then. Good map here, though.
My BFF lives in Ditmas, so I just asked her to contribute her thoughts on the area. Here they are: (more…)
Upstate House has an article from designer Kaja Gam on a green bathroom renovation. The materials used, such as bamboo flooring, bamboo plywood trim, Kirei board paneling (made with sorghum), and “burl wood” panels made from wheat chaff were all sustainable. It looks great and the fixtures are more water efficient than the ones that were discarded.
But Kaja brings up a good point… something I was thinking about as I read the article. It’s a shame the old fixtures had to end up in the landfill. It’s always best to reuse anything you can, but what if you have an faux marble sink and an olive green toilet? Sure, you can donate them, but whom do you think is going to want them?
Enviromode recycles old porcelain fixtures, but they’re in Texas. I couldn’t find anywhere local that recycles toilets. Anyone have ideas? I kind of like this one.
Via CribCandy
If any of my readers can afford this for their residence then we need to talk about you supporting me. Prices start at $25k and continue on past $1mil.
Very cool idea, though….no? Nature Maker’s life size Steel Art Trees are replicated right down to the smallest detail. They are not only beautiful, they serve a purpose as well. The trees can be designed to hide structural columns and other unsightly objects.
The company was founded in 1983 by the late Bennett Abrams, an ecological artist and sculptor, and visionary Gary Hanick. As you may have guessed, the residential market for these isn’t quite that strong, although it does exist. These art trees can be seen in casinos, museums and libraries as well as other commercial venues.
Correction: The Push Button House was originally supposed to be open as of today. It will not be installed until Saturday now. I just corrected the information below, but call before you go, because it may not be open to the public by Saturday. I hope nobody ran over there this morning!
Just a reminder that the Illy Push Button House will be on display for the holidays starting Saturday. The recycled shipping container, originally unveiled at the 52nd Venice Biennale in June 2007 was designed by architect/artist Adam Kalkin.
The Push Button House transforms from a container into a five-room home with a kitchen, dining room, bedroom, living room and library. It will act as a cafe while in NYC. Visitors can enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or take the opportunity to donate to Illy’s annual charity to benefit Ethiopian schools.
I’m going to try to get down there to for a more in depth post, but I just wanted to remind folks for the big first day!
2nd Floor of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle.
December 1 through December 29, 2007
Hours: Monday-Friday from 10am-9pm, Saturday & Sunday from 11am-7pm.
I love Tivoli! Much like High Falls, this is a tiny town bursting at the seams with great restaurants and a tremendous cultural scene. How did Tivoli, in northern Dutchess, become so hip?
Well, it’s a college town. Home to Bard College located in the hamlet of Annandale on Hudson, Tivoli caters to both young hipsters and weekenders alike.
Main Street is about 2 blocks long. Within those 2 blocks, there is the friggen awesome vegetarian Luna 61 (closed for winter), 4 star Santa Fe and Osaka Sushi to name a few restaurants.
The Tivoli Artist’s Coop and Kaatsbaan Dance Center rival any NYC establishments. Ok, well, maybe not, like, Lincoln Center, but you get the drift.
Tivoli is close to Rhinebeck, Red Hook and less about 16 miles from Hudson. There are plenty of historic sites, antique shops and hikes in the surrounding area.
Downers:
Amtrak to Rhinecliff will get you close enough, but you need a car or taxi to get to Tivoli.
Because the town is so small, not many homes are for sale and those that are, aren’t as inexpensive as Kingston or Athens.
From: Brett
Where do you go in New York when you’ve sold your Manhattan coop and the sale of your new suburban home has fallen through? Well, if you don’t want to spend a small fortune in rent for a Manhattan apartment only to break the lease because you are sure that you’ll find the home of your dreams in no time, then you do what any self-respecting Gen Xer would: you move back home.
Home, in our case, is the Madison/Marine Park section of Brooklyn. When we found ourselves backing out of our contract for a 4 bedroom in NJ last year, myself, my husband, and our infant twins, settled down in the house in which he was raised. (more…)
We took a trip to San Fransisco a couple of years ago and I just found my photos on a card I haven’t used since. Hmm, never did that with a roll of film. Anyway, I remember taking hours and hours to search for the perfect Victorian B&B. We decided upon Chateau Tivoli in the Alamo Square district.
Built in 1892 and operating as a fully restored B & B by 1989, the building has seen alot of history pass through it’s doors. But the restoration is what fascinates me. The exterior features 17 colors of paint. Inside, the wood work is to die for. And then there’s the wallpaper and hand painted molding and medallions. The restoration took 4 years to complete. But I’m sure Craig and Yvonne could’ve done it in a few months.
Here are a few vacation snappies I took. Please overlook the unmade bed and low resolution. I was on vacation! (more…)
6′4″ guy and shorty husband
Our Bed Stuy bedroom is coming along! It’s only taken us a year to get to get some walls up. Ok, to be fair, we did put in a laundry room and bathroom in that time, but I know…still pretty lame. To be fair, it took a while to get the structural work done. Lots of repointing and sistering of joists, leveling floors, yada, yada.
Anyway, figure we might as well do a DIY post on drywall. (more…)
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I’ve lived in Ditmas for almost six years and think its the best nabe(if you’re not counting Carroll Gardens)in bklyn! I just hope it stays diverse.
Comment by brooklynrocks — November 30, 2007 @ 9:54 am
Carroll Gardens was over the day Red Rose shifted gears.
Comment by Anonymous — November 30, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
What’s a BFF?
Comment by Anonymous — November 30, 2007 @ 3:24 pm
12:17, I prefer old Red Rose too!
3:24, BFF=best friend forever.
Comment by RH — November 30, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
In what way is the Park Slope Food Coop a fascist regime?
Comment by anonymous — December 3, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
Tough question to answer at 4:42 am when I’m rushing to catch a flight. (See vacation post above…I’m not trying to make excuses!). We twice went to orientation to join and decided against it both times because there were too many rules. Perhaps they’ve changed now since they expanded, but one thing I noticed was the arrows on the floor showing you which way you had to walk. Also didn’t like the fact that every member of the household needs to join whether they’re eating the food or not. Then the lines…I had to stand on 3 or 4 different lines to check out and get out of there! Ok, gotta go on vacation now. Hope this answers your questions.
Comment by RH — December 4, 2007 @ 4:40 am
rh- I don’t have a problem with the fact that the Park Slope Coop is not for you. Rule-bound and quirky I understand, but fascist regime seems a little much.
Comment by anonymous — December 4, 2007 @ 10:30 pm
10:30pm, I was being sarcastic. I thought people in NYC understand humor and sarcasm. Get out of the coop so you can laugh at life alittle more! You’ve been drinking too much of that organic Kool Aid.
Comment by RH — December 5, 2007 @ 7:28 am
I do understand humor and sarcasm. You’re still not funny.
Comment by anonymous — December 5, 2007 @ 9:40 pm
well, i thought it was funny, and i’m a member! might jump ship when the flatbush food co-op moves into the new location, though…
Comment by anne — December 14, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
[…] ethnic neighborhoods: Brighton Beach for its Russian population, Richmond Hill for its Guyanese and Ditmas Park for its […]
Pingback by reclaimedhome.com » New York’s Ethnic Neighborhoods — December 17, 2007 @ 5:03 am