Is anyone even buying gifts this year? All I’m hearing is that we’re gonna be lining up for bread any day now. But if you still have a couple of pennies to rub together and you’re searching for gifts that look great but cost less, here are a few shops around New York you may have forgotten about.

1.  Pearl River. The King of Chinatown! Ok, so they moved up to Broadway. You can really fool someone into thinking you paid a fortune for their gift if they don’t know this place. If they are familiar with it, they’ll thank you anyway: “Oh, I love Pearl River!”. Who doesn’t love Pearl River? They’ve got everything! Yes, it’s all made in China. But that’s because it’s a Chinese department store. So that makes it cool.

2. Sahadi’s. Mmm, Sahadi’s. When I want it to look like I spent a lot, I like to do gift baskets. Sahadi’s has top of the line gift basket fill. This middle eastern supermarket peddles coffees and teas, nuts and grains, cheeses and crackers. AND if you’re going to someone’s house for Thanksgiving, get thee to their deli section….olives galore, hummus and babaghanous, salads….

3. Trader Joe’s. I might be disappointing the fans, but I can take or leave Trader Joe’s. I’m not big on their food brand. What I do like though are their wine prices. Even if you don’t want to swing as low as $3 for a bottle of 3 Buck Chuck, you can do swimmingly on those $5 bottles! They also have a castile soap that’s just as good as Bronners.

4. National Wholesale Liquidators.  Need a basket for all those food goodies? National Wholesale Liquidators is like a luxury dollar store! Items are more than a dollar, but they are cheap! As the name implies, this is a liquidator, so you can (sometimes) find quality for less.

5. Flea Markets. From Columbus Avenue to my favorite Brooklyn Flea, where else can you get handmade or vintage items direct from the artisan or um, person who found the vintage item? Be sure to check out Brooklyn Flea’s Gifted indoor holiday show. But don’t forget those regular vendors freezing their arses off in the schoolyard! I’ll be back there December 7th. Dress warm if you’re covering outdoor markets!!

6. Street vendors. I have a little bit of an art addiction. I usually purchase my goods on the street because that’s where I can afford it. Where can you find the best street vendors? Near the Met, Union Square and near MOMA. I hate to take away from the artists at the paid holiday craft shows at Union Square and Grand Central, but we’ve all gotta start somewhere.

7. B&H or Adorama. If you’re looking for camera, digital or video equipment, these are the guys. Do not bother looking anywhere else! Take my word for it. I’ve been in the photography business for 20 years. Word.

8. J&R. Audio or computers. I know less about this than the cameras, but I’m pretty sure they still have some of the best prices in town. Oh yeah, they also sell CDs. Remember those?

9. Canal Jeans. It’s still around (the last I checked)! It’s located on Nostrand Avenue near Brooklyn College. That’s the Junction for all of you Brooklyn novices. Just a shell of it’s former self, but still…it exists. FYI: So does Domsey’s.

10. Museum Shops. Perhaps not the least expensive shopping source, but I always find lovely gifts at the Met shops, MOMA and Brooklyn Museum.

Wanna be a subcontractor on multi million dollar projects for the big boys? Better brush up on your LEED. As green building becomes more mainstream, the mega construction companies are looking to work with subcontractors who can comply with LEED requirements, according to New York Construction.

Some of the subcontractors, like the project manager from Strocchia Iron Works of Brooklyn, went the extra mile to become LEED certified. The main contractors are more apt to hire LEED knowledgeable subs for a number of obvious reasons. One, being their bids are usually more accurate. They are more familiar with the specified materials and where to purchase them.

Bovis is building the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, which seeks LEED-gold certification. They are making sure their job is easier by hiring subs that they feel “know their green”, especially its waste removal company and concrete supplier.

Skanska decided to manage much of the documentation and debris recycling for their subs. A current project, Corona Maintenance Shop & Car Washer Facility for New York City Transit Authority, achieved LEED certification. It collects rainwater to clean the cars and generates power through solar and fuel cell systems.

All this is good news for the environment.

What makes a wine green? Organic grapes for one. But what about the packaging? Would we ever think of drinking wine from a box without having a good chuckle? Well, I did just that. The Yellow + Blue boxed wine at my local Beacon Artisan Wine Shop kept calling to me. Finally, I had to try it just for the goof.

Guess what? It was pretty good! Before I purchased the $12.99 bottle, er… Tetra Pak, I asked Mr. Wine Shop Owner “Why boxed?”. He said he had been looking for a good wine with alternative packaging. And no, the box isn’t a gimmick. I should mention that for the $12.99 you get a whole liter.

One could argue the green argument doesn’t hold up with Yellow + Blue because the wine comes from Argentina. Also, the Tetra Pak isn’t recyclable in many areas as bottles are. Sure, your wine could be greener. If you made it yourself. Think about the weight of those bottles being packaged and shipped. This seems like a pretty good option. Better if more wine producers followed suit and started boxing locally.

Hey, look. Weren’t we all a bit shocked when good wineries started using alternatives to cork? Well, mark my words….First the cork. Next the bottle!

Video Link

I discovered THAT Painter Lady on Twitter, which I hadn’t looked at in months. Her website is chock full of DIY tips, videos and how-to message boards. The video is just a taste of what she has to offer.

Ok, I might have been dreaming this morning, but I could have sworn I heard on two news channels that Astroland is being eyed by the Aussies. Now I can’t find any info online (I’m writing this at 6:44am). I don’t remember if the report was that the Australians are already in negotiations or merely showing interest, but they want to (or have already) purchase(d) the rides and will be moving them Down Under.

This just a few days after The NY Post reported that the city may be interested in the property.

Guess I’ll have more info later, but I just wanted to say “You heard it here first!”

Either that, or I’ve been hallucinating again.

** UPDATE: Ah-ha! I wasn’t dreaming!

Have ye checked out the Treehugger holiday gift guide? Very cool. Easily navigated. They direct you to the product’s website, you don’t buy through Treehugger. There’s something for yer foodie, for animal lovers, for pop culture fans and so on and so on.

Just in case you were thinking of getting your favorite blogger a gift, here’s some stuff I wouldn’t regift.

Ready Made’s DIY Primer: How To Make (Almost) Anything. $16.50

Spa Gift Certificates. Yeah, I could really use this one right about now, kids.

Terra Green Chair. OMG, OMG, OMG….I think I have to have one! Would my pets totally destroy it or thoroughly enjoy it? Oh snap! The chair kit is no longer available for sale. Guess you have to make your own. : (

Ok, you get the idea. I’d do my own gift guide if I wasn’t so brain dead at the moment. Next week….

Written yesterday when I was trying to do a fast/cleanse. Bad move. The fast lasted 1/2 day.

Candle Cafe and Candle 79 are both offering Thanksgiving menus. 79’s entree choices include Sage-Walnut Crusted Seitan and Porcini Crusted Tofu. So-hungry. Four courses are $52 at Cafe and $68 at 79.

Blossom is doing 4 course seatings for $68, but the menu is not up on their website yet. Check out the regular dinner menu if you want to drool.

Red Bamboo in Brooklyn had a Thanksgiving prix fixe last year for just $19.95. That’s the only one posted on their website. I don’t see why they wouldn’t do it again for 2008.

The drink menu at Counter is more impressive than the food, but you can go for their wine pairing for an additional $30 over the $45 food menu. For $15 more, there’s a house infused vodka tasting. So basically, this is the Thanksgiving for lushes.

P*ong is a good choice for vegetarians and carnivores. They serve up the flesh, but do have veg choices on their $63 Thanksgiving menu.

I don’t see a Thanksgiving menu, but 4 Course Vegan is holding an event this Saturday called “Fine Dining in Williamsburg”. $40 for 4 courses.

Art Maze photo by Diego Cupolo via BushwickBK

Blog of the Week…Reclaimed Home! Now that’s what I’m talking about! Green Living About

Guy Breaks Neck on Cyclone.  Curbed

Green Your Thanksgiving. Low Impact Living

Art Maze in Bushwick: Bushwick BK

The Triborough Is Officially The RFK Now. But how many of us are really gonna call it that? City Room

We haven’t talked real estate in awhile. I got bored with it since the bubble burst. But I was just reading in the NY Times that FSBO’s are on the rise since sellers need that extra cash in their pockets.

So I thought we’d take a look at some For Sale By Owner listings. Some good. Some bad.

2 BR condo in Jersey City for $679K. This is how it should be done, kids. They have their own website. Check. Which I found from their FEATURED listing on ForSaleByOwner. Check. Good photos. Check. They’re doing open houses. Check. All the info is right there clear as day. Taxes, maintenance. They’ve done a better job than most realtors. Good for them!

The seller has the right idea here, but since she doesn’t have her own website, I’m taking some points off. This is $589K for a Park Slope 1 BR condo or coop. Not specified. But here’s what I like. She lists incentives. Owner will pay for closing plus $5000. She also says she’s negotiable. It’s clear she wants to sell, not just stick her toe in the water. Some more points off for the nice, but too small photos. So maybe a B, B-?

This single family in the W. 70’s is listed at $16M, but only because that’s the limit on the For Sale By Owner website. The actual price, if you read further, is $25M.

But that’s not what bothers me. Can you guess my peeve is? Well, there are a couple.

1. No realtors allowed to call. Why not? Would it kill them to share a commission if a broker brought in the sale? As my mother would say “You’re cutting off your nose to spite your face.”

2. The photography! This is a $25M home and you have the nerve to upload inferior snapshots? There’s not even an exterior shot! Hel-lo?

It’s obvious this is a lovely home, but I’m not sure if buyers in this price range are exploring ForSaleByOwner. Why can’t this seller put some more effort into the listing? There’s no excuse. Even if they are nearing foreclosure. Hell, ESPECIALLY if they’re nearing foreclosure. Then this thing needs to sell ASAP. And this is just a shoddy posting.

Ok, at least they took an exterior shot. I don’t get this one. $2M in Jersey City? I’m not too familiar with JC real estate, but I know that prime Park Slope brownstones have dropped to around $2M, so why is Path train New Jersey more expensive? And let’s say JC is indeed this pricey. This is a cheesy renovation (if it’s renovated at all). From the high gloss floors to the Home Depot fixtures….no. Just….no.

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