Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
Head’s up! Don’t go into Prospect Park tomorrow. No cycling. No jogging. Don’t even think of bringing your dog. The park will be off limits from 12-6pm as the president’s helicopter is set to land on the grass. He’ll also be in Crown Heights so expect delays around the area. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
It’s house tour season! This weekend, come check out my neighborhood. The Brownstoners of Bed Stuy have organized their 35th annual tour for this Saturday, October 19th. What makes Bed Stuy so unique in the old home department is that to date, the homeowners have not done extensive renovations, so all of the original details remain. But hurry up! With gentrification, dumpster diving may become more exciting than house touring for all of you lovers of historic materials.
Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. It is advised to go with the advance purchase as these events have sold out in the past. No online purchase. Click on the image or link to see where you can purchase tix.
Whattcha doin’ this Saturday? Come check out some of the lovely rowhouses in Crown Heights! Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. See you there!
Coming of age in Brooklyn in the 70’s and 80’s meant that you were a bridge and tunnel person. Brooklyn was not the hip utopia it is these days. One had to cross the water into the city for anything resembling culture. Now Brooklyn is the place to be. It’s become more of a brand than a boro. Do you know how many dogs are named “Brooklyn”? A lot.
As you know, housing prices are just about up there with Manhattan now. Is it sustainable?
This past weekend was an eye opener for me that things may have gotten too extreme. Just a couple of personal anecdotes to share…
Ran into an old friend from Park Slope (as in born and raised). The guy has bucks. His family still owns a building right on the park. He was saying how he moved out of the neighborhood because he couldn’t take the sense of entitlement anymore. Now lives in Manhattan. I was thinking “Jeez, Brooklyn has gotten so snotty that you fled to the city?” It kind of makes sense when you think how it feels like to see your home town change so drastically. He doesn’t hold the same sentimental memories of the city because it was never his own community.
Brooklyn Bagel, in CHELSEA!
My second epiphany came when I realized that I had to go into the city to find a real flea market. No, not some hipster artisan curated market, not that there’s anything wrong with, but somewhere to look for real vintage and antique items minus the Etsy sellers. Not that there’s anything wrong with Etsy sellers. I just wanted dirty old antiques sold by crusty middle aged vendors. Luckily, the Antiques Garage, Hell’s Kitchen Flea and 25th Street Market was just what I needed. In Manhattan, not Brooklyn.
Lastly, while wondering around the city, I couldn’t get over how many old people there were. Like even older than me. Way older! And then I realized that there aren’t really all that many old folks left in Brooklyn’s more popular neighborhoods. That seems appropriate enough to me, since I’m considering moving to the city myself when I get old and decrepit. Doorman building with elevator and terrace in the hub of the universe.
Or at least by the time I retire, it will be the hub of the universe once again. The circle is half complete.
Photoville is getting ready to pop up for Year II starting tomorrow. If you missed it last year, your loss, but you can catch it this time around. The action packed photography event occupies a huge space at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
What is “Photoville”? It’s a photo exhibit, a classroom, a dog park and a beer garden all rolled into one.
Exhibitions are hung in shipping containers scattered around the site. Sign up in advance for any of the workshops. Have a beer. Get a tintype portrait. Bring your dog.
Tiny Cup was sort of the pioneer of the Bed Stuy hipster coffee scene. They always seemed to be quite successful, so when I saw they were closed I just thought they were renovating. Of course I didn’t stop to read any signs, if there was one. Turns out they are moving to a new location.
There’s a sign up (I read that one) on a semi-commercial looking building on Tompkins between MacDonough and Macon. It will be interesting to see how they do here, although I’m sure they’ll kick ass. It’s a different dynamic on the south end of Bed Stuy. In my mind, it’s an older, more established crowd, even though we do get our share of hipsters. There are also lots of tourists as there are some B&B’s and nearby inexpensive hotels. Can you imagine how easy it is to spot a Midwestern tourist in Bed Stuy? But I digress.
Personally, I couldn’t be happier (unless a vegetarian restaurant opened right around the corner). My only wish is that they open their doors early enough on the weekends. That’s been my biggest complaint about cafes in this neighborhood. (*Kudos to Daily Press for opening at 6:30am on Saturdays. Sundays at 8am…meh.)
The annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade has morphed into a huge event since the first stroll down Surf Avenue in 1983. Now personally, having lived on Surf Avenue back in ’83, I thought the small freak and geek fest was awesome. These days, it seems like everyone in Brooklyn shows up and it’s too crowded for my grumpy middle aged ass.
But anyhoo, that doesn’t mean the show shouldn’t go on. The mermaids are in danger this year, my friends. Yeah, Sandy. After spending over $100k to restore their headquarters, they need to raise some clams to pay for cops and toilets for Coney’s unofficial start of summer.
Here, let the Kickstarter video speak for itself.
This is Simba. He lived in the most famous building in Clinton Hill, Arthur Hill’s Broken Angel. The 84 year old Arthur was evicted after years of struggling to hang onto his house-as-art project. Now Arthur needs to find a new place and Simba needs fostering. Can you help? If so, please contact shannonkernerATgmailDOTcom.
Perhaps you can meet Simba and Arthur at the Broken Angel Block Party on March 15th. If it looks familiar, yes, it was the backdrop of Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. The event takes place all day and night, so stop on by, y’all!
280 Washington
Happy Valentine’s, y’all! Doing anything special? Very exciting morning over here in the Reclaimed residence. Hubby went to work reeeealllyyyy early (the usual time) before his romantic date with jury duty. I’m doing something a bit more in tune with the holiday. I shall be looking into a couple of places to hold our 25th anniversary party this year. The 8/8/88 date was lucky enough after all.
When we got married, all I really wanted was a big ole’ loft party. Gosh, that was back when even Soho had unfinished loft spaces. My mother said the relatives wouldn’t appreciate my beer keg wedding so we compromised on an over the top kitsch Russian restaurant called Primorski in Brighton Beach. The friends loved it. Free flowing vodka and a heavily accented Russian band singing top 40. What’s not to love? I think the relatives didn’t quite understand the kitsch factor and just thought we were tacky.
Oh well. Fast forward 25 years and now I’m gonna have the non-wedding I’ve always wanted. Actually, I’ve graduated from the loft space to something with an outdoor area as well. So, what is a person to do when they want a completely laid back alternative party space with absolutely no structure?
My first thoughts were to rent a huge house upstate and have folks stay the weekend. The best wedding I ever shot as a photographer was on Fire Island. Couple rented a house on the beach for the week and held a lovely, casual “hang-out” wedding. They danced. They swam. They kayaked. They picnicked on the beach. Doesn’t that sound so much better than a party at a wedding factory? But alas, I was outvoted on an out-of-town party.
Anyhoo, enough rambling. Here’s what I found:
The Moran Victorian Mansion is actually a residence. A beautifully restored detached brownstone mansion with a garden and even a bar. If you scroll back a few days to the post about a contractor looking for a work/housing exchange, this is the very same place! What I love about this place is 1. It’s gorgeous. 2. It’s right around the corner from my house. and 3. The price isn’t cray-cray. Basically, it’s $500 per hour for the event.
The Akwaaba Mansion is also located in Bed Stuy. Prices are lower than The Moran, coming in at $400 per hour including the courtyard but if you factor in the mandatory gratuity plus the fact that you must rent all guest rooms for evening events, it comes out to more. The room rentals may be a plus for moi if people come from out of town, but then there’s the added chore of getting them to pay for their own rooms.
280 Washington (photo at top) in Clinton Hill is a great deal for smaller parties. Jessica got back to me immediately but informed me that the party limit is 50 people and since I just want to casually invite people off the street to pretend I have friends, this wasn’t a good match. She was extremely helpful though, pointing me in the direction of other venues and caterers. The rates are about $200 per hour plus insurance. All of the guest rooms can be rented.
Then there’s Shell’s loft space. A 5000 square foot, four bedroom in Clinton Hill that can be rented overnight for $1200. Guests can stay for the entire weekend for the price of one of the other places that has outdoor space. It’s everything I wanted for my own wedding but I’m stuck on that damn outdoor space these days!
Here’s a list of awesome venues that were out of my budget. We’re talking $6000-10000 for space rental alone. Worth it for a wedding but not an anniversary.
Coney Island Museum and Sideshow would have been my number one choice but if it’s a weekend party, you have to compensate for their lack of performance tickets as well so it would have gotten pricey. Besides, I’m sure there will be enough freaks at my party. Who needs to hire more? Currently undergoing renovation due to Sandy but will be ready by June.
TBD in Greenpoint has a great indoor/outdoor party space. A beer garden with picnic tables? Can’t get more casual than that.
There were also some amazing places in Manhattan and Queens. Shout out to Gary’s Loft, Queen’s County Farm Museum and The Foundry.
Bed Stuy has some of the most beautiful brownstones in Brooklyn. You can walk around and see for yourself any day of the year or you can have a peek into some of these glorious homes tomorrow during the 34th Annual Brownstoners of Bed Stuy House Tour.
The self guided tour starts at 11am sharp. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 tomorrow. Click here to find out more details. Meet at the Old Boy’s High School on Marcy and Putnam. It’s simple to get to. The A or C train to Nostrand. Walk north a few blocks to Putnam, hang a right.
Have fun!
Let’s say that your old house needs some care. Let’s say that you think it’s better to give your house a new look… ok, its’ time to rebuild your house. Now, the next thing to think about is the cost of the rebuilding operations.
This depends from the status of your old house and from how many operations it needs. To estimate the rebuilding costs is important because the building insurance will ask you how much you have spent to rebuild your property.
In order to find out the rebuilding costs of your property, you can use one of the following two ways: you can hire a surveyor or use a rebuild calculator.
Let’s say that you have decided to hire a surveyor. This is for sure the best way to make sure that all the costs for the rebuilding of your house are calculated in the correct way. The surveyor will take detailed measurements of your house and prepare a professional estimation of the Rebuilding Cost Assessment. The final cost will depend from this document.
Let’s say now that you opted for a rebuild calculator. This is our second option and it’s also very simple to do. All you need is a rebuild calculator: this is not hard to be used, but the final result will not be very precise. This is the only negative aspect because if you underinsure your house you will probably have some troubles in case your insurance has to refund you. Same goes for the over insurance of your building. The amount you paid for your home is likely higher that the rebuild value. And what you need to insure your home is the rebuild value.
When using the calculator you have to consider the external area of the building as well as the internal area, including upstairs and downstairs and a garage, if you have one.
Once you enter the measurements and answer a few questions, you can get the result – which is always approximate – of your rebuild cost.
Make sure that your reckons are as veritable as you can and remember that to calculate the rebuilding costs is not like placing a bet! You need to be very precise.
Anyways, even when you choose to place a bet you have to be precise and to know the team info and athletes and so on. With this betting affiliates website you will be sure and happy.
Tony Danza raps about Brooklyn peeps. Didn’t know Carl Sagan was from the Borough of Kings. See? We have some smart people.
Head’s up! Anyone looking for an inexpensive (relatively speaking) brownstone in an up and coming area of Brooklyn? Before I tell you about the house that’s available, check out Reno Dakota’s (yes, like the song) full Victorian restoration (above). Yes, someone actually lives like that.
Envious? Me too. But what does that ever solve? Do something about it! The house right next door is for sale for a mere $675k, listed with Urban View and hopefully still on the market. It’s got every bit the detail that Reno and Kei’s house has.
My husband said “Let’s sell our house and move there.” I’m tempted but I like my part of southwest Bed Stuy, plus I can’t keep moving every few years. The part of Bed Stuy this home is located in is “Stuyvesant Heights East” near Ocean Hill. It’s clean, quiet and has lovely tree lined streets, but it’s closer to the Bushwick border than Clinton Hill…not that there’s anything wrong with that. The price reflects the eastern location. Homes in the western part of Bed Stuy have been hitting the million mark, so a gorgeous house like this seems like a steal. Plus, it’s getting tougher to find a place with so much detail. Seems like the flippers have gotten to many of them first and ripped out all the beauty.
Personally, if I was in the market for a house in Bed Stuy, I would check this one out ASAP!
Block party season is here. This usually means I complain about people barricading an entire street for a few kids to play. If I’m around when it’s my own block, I go inside to my A/C and kvetch about the loud music.
But this year I decided to join in the fun. And guess what? I had a good time!
I grew up in apartment buildings on busy streets, so there were no parties on my block when I was young. I do remember going to my best friend’s block parties on E. 28th Street back when the neighborhood had lots of children of the non-Hasidic persuasion. There were rides and bouncy houses and entertainment. They don’t seem to go all out like that these days.
This block party reminded me that I live in a “neighborhood” of which I’m part of . Although I am friendly with my neighbors and often stop to schmooze with them, I never fully participated in the whole “block” experience.
Now they are not just my friendly neighbors. They are friends.
So, the next time there’s another dumb block party on your block, join in! You might actually enjoy it.
Oh great! A new French creperie just opened on Nostrand and Macon, right on the way to my gym. Now I can grab some pastries to nosh on while on the elliptical.
I stopped into Le Paris Dakar after my work out this morning. Keeping fit is overrated anyway.
Yes, the owner is really French! You know what that means? Great croissants! Not that Balthazar crap you find in every cafe in the city. They have plain, almond, chocolate and raisin. I inhaled my plain but I did pick up on the awesomeness of it while doing so.
Disclosure: I only tried the croissant and was too gross and sweaty to do a real interview with owner Mouna, so any info I give you from here on in, I stole from articles in Bed Stuy Patch and Bed Stuy Gateway.
Le Paris has made to order crepes and yummy looking pastries. You can pretty much have breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert here. They offer sweet and savory crepes (with a vegetarian section!), omelette crepes, salads and sandwiches. The “Dakar” comes in to play with the refreshing drinks. The menu also states that they will occasionally serve Senegalese specials. Mouna is of Senegalese ancestry.
The website is still under construction but you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook for updates. They are certainly open for business right now and will really get rocking by September.
