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Staycation, All I Ever Wanted

July 10, 2008 RH

A “staycation” for us means working on the house. Plus, since I work from home, I have no chance of getting away from it all. If we truly wanted to take a staycation, we would have to stay elsewhere. No home office. No repairs. No pets. No cleaning. Is that still a staycation?

I’m just dreaming because we’ve already squandered the vacation time, but perhaps you, my friend, are lucky enough to make use of my list of NYC getaways. Take me with you. Please.

Check this out: Summer special at The Star Hotel. A double room for $119, weekend rate! This Chelsea hotel has dorm rooms to apartment suites and every size in between. And my in-laws stayed with us because….?

Like to read? Then the Library Hotel is the place for you! They have a collection of over 6,000 books organized by the Dewey Decimal System. Before you say “Oh, that sounds terribly boring.” check out the Erotica Package.

And speaking of erotica, The Liberty Inn is a “by the hour” hotel. Originally called “The Hide A Way Motel” in the late 60’s, this meat packing district building has had many incarnations: speakeasy and go-go bar are just two. If you don’t have time for a lengthy staycation, $60 will get you 2 hours at this joint. It’s discreet and clean (not that I know first hand).

Judging from their website, The Pod caters to hip, young thangs. Each room, er pod, has an ipod docking station and Wifi access. Why experience real life when you can listen to music and surf the net in your hotel? The east 50’s location ain’t all that hip.

The Jane Hotel doesn’t have private bathrooms. The rooms are about 50 square feet and you may have to share the bath with SRO tenant holdouts. What’s so great about The Jane? The rooms start at under $100! Now, where in NYC can you find a room for that price? The West Village hotel has been updated but it does have a pretty compelling history.

NYC Dog Runs

July 9, 2008 RH

We feel guilty when we bring the dogs to Brooklyn. Sure, they would rather be sitting in the house there with us than sitting alone in Beacon, but they don’t get great walks in Bed Stuy. When we lived near Prospect Park we took full advantage of the doggy circle until Frida, the anti social Pitbull came into our lives. Oh, she was social alright! She just played too rough and it always turned into a fight.

Now that we have two social dogs we can give this dog run thing another shot. Last weekend we thought we might bring them to Prospect Park, but we didn’t feel like schlepping them over there. They never got off leash that day, but on the way to Home Depot we did notice a local dog run on at Herbert Von King Park (formerly Tompkins Park).

So, it got me thinking. Where are the dog runs in New York? Well, I’m not going to post the list here because there are so many, but here are some links so you can search your own neighborhood.

And if you don’t have a dog, check this out.

The Parks Department has the most comprehensive list of runs and off leash park rules in all 5 boros.

Lawyer Joel Zand has a list of dog runs as well as information on pet laws in NYC. He’s a dog lawyer!

Urban Hound

Off Leash

Fido, Brooklyn

Green Furniture by Paul Mirocha

July 9, 2008 RH 1 Comment

I discovered Paul Mirocha on Green Your Decor. Oh, the pieces are lovely for sure! Paul uses salvaged and certified wood and finishes the hand made creations with low VOC coating. He designs furniture, light fixture and art. One problem. These funky, fabulous finds are way out of my budget. I guess that’s my problem, not his, huh?

Benches For Barack

July 8, 2008 RH 6 Comments

Two enterprising teens are raising funds for our next President by building and selling benches. Harry and Emma will be off to college in the fall, but they’re keeping busy this summer by filling orders for the Barack benches.

The benches are constructed in Harry’s Cobble Hill basment and cost $40. Obama’s campaign gets $15 from the sale and the rest goes into material costs.

They are made out of Douglas Fir wood. The standard size is 48 inches long, and 18 inches tall and comes in an earthy pistachio green color. They are waterproofed for outdoor use. Custom bench orders can be placed for an additional $15 and the teens are also taking orders for other custom carpentry projects such as trash bin enclosures, picnic tables and sheds.

Harry and Emma offer deliveries for a small fee, but pick ups are greatly appreciated.

Benches for Barack has already raised $700 for the Obama campaign in just 2 weeks. You know what I was doing when I was 18? I can’t even remember, but I’m sure it involved sitting on my ass complaining about Reagan.

Go to 232 Clinton St. (between Pacific and Amity) if you would like to check out the benches. You can reach Harry at 917-699-1754 or Emma at 201-709-5054.

Related: Brownstoner

Tiny House

July 8, 2008 RH 1 Comment

Aspiring writer Michael Janzen recently launched two new blogs about tiny houses. His philosophy is: Tiny Homes=Freedom. I like his thinking….

“In a nutshell, tiny houses give you back freedom in the form of time, money, and peace of mind. Why? How? Simply because they cost less to own, clean, heat, cool, etc. The less money you spend on your home the less you have to earn or the more you keep in the bank. The less time you spend cleaning and maintaining your house the more time you have to for the things you like to do.”

Tiny House Design is sort of a cross between two of my favorite sites rolled into one: Materialicious and Shedworking. It covers architecture and design of all homes great (as in wonderful) and small.

Tiny Free House is all about the tiny home Michael is building. He’s trying to get his hands on some spare building material, but wouldn’t ya know it? He is in California.

Anyway, I plan to follow his wisdom and foibles so I can be ready to build my own tiny house when the time comes to replace that dang garage.

Bed Stuy Rental Market:2 Years Later

July 7, 2008 RH 18 Comments

Here’s my own personal state of the rental market in Bed Stuy.

Two years ago when we put our newly restored duplex on the market, it took us two weeks to find tenants. True, we started showing it while it was under construction on July 4th weekend, but we did get some traffic. Most of the prospective renters were white hipster roommates. And the feedback we got went as follows:

“Is the neighborhood safe?”

“The neighborhood is a bit too rough for me.”

“It’s not the type of neighborhood I’m looking for.”

And so on. I’m pretty sure their statements were just code for “Hello. I’m a racist.”

We ended up with 4 roommates who got $100 off our monthly asking price of $2500.

This July 4th weekend when we showed the same apartment at $2600 (roommate filth and all) it rented in less than a New York minute with back up applicants. And to a couple, no less.

Has the neighborhood really changed that much in 2 years or is it just people’s perceptions of Bed Stuy? My main problem with the neighborhood is lack of decent amenities. I guess a few new places have popped up since we’ve been here, but we still have to go to Clinton Hill or Fort Greene for a really good meal. (Oh yeah, amenities=food. What else?)

I have a bitty theory as to why more folks are discovering the neighborhood BECAUSE of the lack of restaurants. More people are entertaining in their homes. Dinner parties are fairly popular because people have lovely spaces to show off. So, the friends come out to the Stuy and find out it’s actually an awesome neighborhood. And so on and so on.

Let’s not forget to give credit to blogs such as Bed Stuy Blog, Brownstoner and Bed Stuy Banana for calling attention to the neighborhood. Perhaps even that Reclaimed Home blog.

Oops, I Tried To Get You Killed!

July 7, 2008 RH 3 Comments

So, one of my “things to do July 4th weekend” was to go to Jones Beach for the fireworks. Well, I hope nobody listened to me. The beach was evacuated on Saturday after unexploded fireworks washed ashore. About 2000 visitors were asked to leave when the shells started turning up around midday. The beach remained closed until Sunday morning. This would not have affected you if you did go on the 4th like I suggested, so don’t blame me.

Just last month Jones Beach was evacuated during an REM concert when lightening struck the stage. Concert goers thought it was the end of the world as they knew it, but after a 2 hour wait, the shiny, happy people were let back in and the concert resumed.

Things To Do This July 4th Weekend

July 3, 2008 RH 1 Comment

I’ll be taking the day off tomorrow just like the rest of y’all. Here are some things you can be doing this weekend instead of sitting around drinking beer and eating cooked flesh.

Historic Paints and Faux Finishing Workshop

Go away for the weekend and learn something while you’re at it. Howard Hall Farm up in Athens, NY is giving a workshop this Saturday and Sunday. It’s a hands-on introduction to various paints and techniques. One of these days, I’m gonna get up there myself (I keep saying that).

Bike Around the Boros!

Check out these rides you could take via Brooklyn Based.

Hot Dawg!

Watch or sign up to compete in Nathan’s hot dog eating contest at Coney Island. Do they have tofu dogs?

Staten Island’s Historic Richmondtown

11-5: Old-timey celebration: Pinwheel making and pinwheel parade, Victorian paper fireworks, ice cream churning demonstration and tasting.

Summertime Classics

Musical Fireworks from the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall.

Jones Beach Fireworks

Why fight crowds in the city? Take the LIRR. Spend the day at the beach. Bring a picnic. Watch the fireworks at night. How romantic!

Apartment Hunting Tips

July 3, 2008 RH

Finding an apartment to rent in NYC is not an easy task. Unless you’re one of those charmed people (whom I hate), be ready to encounter some setbacks before landing your perfect place.

You should always be prepared BEFORE you even decide on a place. What if you see something you love? You think you’re the only one? Some bastard is going to get there earlier with references and deposit in hand and swipe that baby!

How to search

Whether you’re going the Craig, broker or local newspaper route, you’ll need to see several apartments in a minimal amount of time. Set up appointments for an entire day or weekend. If you look at one apartment one day and then wait until the following week to see a couple more, do you really think that first one will still be around? Mapping out a route comes in REALLY handy. Set up appointments so you’re not running around the entire city and back.

Documents to bring

Checkbook for credit check fees and security deposit. The landlord may refuse to take the deposit until the application is approved and even then may require this in the form of a certified check. Some take 1st month’s rent and some wait until the lease is signed or tenant moves in.

Photo ID

W2’s or self employment equivalent

Recent pay stubs

Recent bank statements

Letters of recommendation, proof of employment or anything else that might help your case.

Information to have on hand

Previous landlord’s contact info (go back a few years)

Employer’s or business associates’ contact info.

Your social security number.

Emergency contact info.

Ok, you should know the last 2 by heart.

What if I’m a trust fund kid?

You’ll need to have Mommy or Daddy co-sign with you. They will be your “guarantors”. Be sure to have all of their info on hand because they’ll need to have their credit checked, etc. And grow up, will ya?!

Business In A Box

July 2, 2008 RH

Virginia based Gusto Di Vita Coffee announced its new ‘BizPod’ Coffee kiosks which are made from recycled shipping containers. These are meant to be more functional than the Adam Kalkin Illy container. They can be transported almost anywhere and will stand up to extreme weather.

The Gusto Di Vita Coffee BizPods are more energy efficient than their previous models. The containers are finished with space age ceramic insulation paint externally; compact spray foam insulation internally and LED lighting throughout. New packages in the works include Coffee BizPods with PV solar generators and solar heating systems.

Oddly, I can’t find anywhere on the site whether or not the coffee is fair trade, shade grown.

I Tagged Myself

July 2, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Andres Hudde Junior High, 1980

I don’t really know from all this My Space and Face Book meshugas. This whole social networking thing makes me uncomfortable. It’s like junior high all over again. But there’s one thing I like to do more than anything else and that’s talk about myself. So when Jean over at Renovation Therapy posted that she was tagged, I made her tag me. Even though I don’t know what tagging is.

But anyway, what I have to do is answer the following questions…..

And link back to Jean. You know, at Renovation Therapy.

1. What did you do 10 years ago.

Let’s see…I think 98 was when I was working at Alkit Camera’s rental department. When I quit (gave the finger to the manager and did a cartwheel) I stole their photographer’s mailing list and sent postcards out to assist. I assisted for a few months and then started shooting weddings.

2. Five items on your to-do list today:

a) Find missing light fixture that sold online. Done!

b) Get parts for said fixture. Half done.

c) Photograph inventory for online stores. Not!

d) Pet and human food shopping. Buy wine. A little shopping. Made sure to pick up wine!

e) Clean house/do laundry after in-law infestation. 1 load

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Actually, I’m finding that I can eat an entire box of prepared salad from the local health food store. I like hazelnut gelato, Newman microwave popcorn and oh yeah, this weird chocolate flavored corn chip kind of thing the health food store sells.

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Finish renovating my houses! Buy up some more houses in need of restoration. Take some nice vacations so I don’t have to work on any houses. Open a human/animal shelter. The homeless folks staying there would have the responsibility of caring for the pets. Hmm, maybe open a restaurant. Because I like to eat, not cook. I’d give about half of it away to charity.

5. Places I would live:

New York. San Fransisco. Realistically, that’s about it. Been there, done that. Always came home to NY.

Buy My Friend’s Apartment

July 1, 2008 RH 2 Comments

This area now has built ins and French doors

My friends are moving to California. Guess we’re not good enough for them here on the east coast. They are selling their Midwood Park apartment that they just bought like 2 years ago. It’s a 2BR coop listed with Corcoran for $299k. These technically inferior photos are the “before” shots. Go to the listing to see what it looks like now.

Here’s a bit from them about their renovation woes:

“The “painters” had done a crap job on the walls, so we gave ALL the walls a skim coat of plaster and new paint.

The coop board, as SOON as we finished that, announced that the electrical service would be upgraded (good news) and we’d have to repair the mess they would make of the walls ourselves (bad news, as we had just completed the work not a few weeks earlier) They did patch the plaster, but we had to sand it, touch it up, and repaint everything. We also just repainted it all about 6 weeks ago.

We replaced all light fixtures, put in dimmer switches, ceiling fans.”

All cheesy Home Depot doors were replaced by French doors.

They’ve since updated this bathroom without tearing the whole thing apart.

Midwood 2BR: $299k

A Walk Around Atlantic Yards

July 1, 2008 RH

Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn and Tracy Collins of Not Another F*cking Blog talk about photo blogging and the Web Cam that is documenting the demolition at the Atlantic Yards site.Via A Walk Around The Blog

Flea Finds and Rain. Lots of Rain

June 30, 2008 RH 2 Comments

A bit of a chaotic day yesterday at the Brooklyn Flea, but it could have been worse. I actually made a few bucks. I’m telling ya…I do so much better in the rain than in nice weather!

We were running late in the morning. When we got to the storage space, the 24 hour access code wasn’t working. I was 1 week late with my bill (They don’t send invoices, so I forget.) so I knew it was probably that. But I needed my stuff so we climbed the fence prepared to throw things over. Well, they padlocked my unit! 1 week….no courtesy call or nuthin’. So, we go to the market to set out our 5 items and waited until they opened. At 10am I let the chick behind the counter know my thoughts on the matter, but didn’t have time to go all Brooklyn (old school) on her ass. Got back to the market. Set up by noon (normally 9:30am). Got drenched twice by the end of the day, which was early due to rain. On a positive note, I entered into the vendor’s wet t-shirt contest and won!

Futopia was a cool/retro/funky store located in Greenpoint. The store no longer exists but you can now find them at the Brooklyn Flea on Sundays. Owner Futaba makes her own creations and sells other artists as well. Photographer Michelle Levante partnered up with Futaba for the flea market. She sells decoupage objects displaying her own photography. The booth is eclectic and best of all….inexpensive! To give you an example, the antique glass eyeball below was only $20. I meant to go back for it, but I forgot. Dammit! I really NEEDED an antique eyeball. Space W-37.

It’s difficult to see from the photo, but that white fireplace insert bottom left is perhaps the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I was tempted to splurge on the $350 piece, but it’s something that needs to be measured and my husband would kill me if I paid that much for something that didn’t fit. BTW, $350 is a good price for something like that. It’s just that….I’m poor. Or cheap. Or both. Anyway, Red Barn Antiques had some great stuff in their booth. The guy (didn’t catch his name) was supposed to come and give me a card later on, but he forgot. Then I forgot. Now I’ve got nothing for ya. But it’s Red Barn, no website. They are at the flea most weekends, but I can’t find them on the layout. Is it me or are they not there?

Reclaimed Duplex Available August!

June 30, 2008 RH

Our duplex roommates are moving out! They are parting ways with each other so they’ll be looking for smaller apartments. The beautiful thing is that we weren’t going to renew their lease anyway. They are just too YOUNG! The first year was fine, but they had one too many loud, late parties this year. We’re old and kvetchy. We don’t go for that.

Anyway, they’re leaving early August and we’ll be in a mad rush to get some new blood in there by the middle of the month. I’m sure there will be some things to take care of after four 20 somethings lived there for 2 years, but two weeks oughta do it.

I gave “The Duplex” it’s own page. I tried to do it as a “listing” but I’ve been neglecting that for so long I forgot how to do it. Please feel free to send the link on to friends, friends of friends, post it on your blog, etc….

3BR/Bed Stuy/Pets welcome/$2600

Preferably NO MORE ROOMMATES!

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