We lost one of our own here in New York. Lou Reed’s untimely death is dispiriting to everyone but it’s especially depressing when we grew up with this guy right in our back yards.

Reed was born in Brooklyn, grew up on Long Island and became the embodiment of the Lower East Side 60’s/70’s music and art scene. Surely there are thousands of Lou Reed tributes floating around right now, but being a photographer myself, I’d just like to share some of Reed’s images.

All photos via Steven Kasher Gallery.

The post NYC Man appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

1993

I put a bunch of old friends to work for me so I can come up with a quickie post for today. This is a completely unscientific survey of native New Yorkers from all 5 boroughs. They are all close to my age (early 40’s).

These were the questions asked:

1. Best affordable neighborhood
2. Where would you live if you could afford any nabe?
3. Favorite restaurant
4. Old NYC or Gentrified?
5. Best weekend getaway
6. Best kept NYC secret

The results varied widely, especially for restaurants, but there were a couple of things most people agreed on.

1. No two people chose the same affordable neighborhood. Some surprises were the Upper East Side and South Beach, Staten Island. There was an Inwood and a Washington Heights. At least that’s close. One person didn’t want to tell, because then it wouldn’t be affordable while another said there weren’t any affordable neighborhoods left.

2. Upper West Side wins! Only one person responded with the same answer to questions 1 & 2 and that answer was Crown Heights. The rest of us would rather be someplace else. Very telling. One smart ass said Paris.

3. Ok, so did I really expect to get 2 people to agree on a restaurant with all of the fine dining establishments NYC has to offer? Old Town Bar, Friend Of A Farmer and La Palina in Gravesend were among some of the answers. A Brooklyn restaurant, Al Di La, was one Manhattanite’s favorite. The same wise ass who gave us Paris said Papaya.

4. Overwhelmingly…..Old! One person said old, but with good restaurants.

5. Mostly upstate. It ranged from Dutchess to The Catskills to Ithaca and Oneonta. Only a couple of people said Long Island and a few were adventurous enough to get out of New York state for the weekend.

6. There are no secrets left! Nearly everyone agreed to that.

My answers?

1. Bed Stuy
2. West Village
3. Hangawi
4. Old!
5. Catskills
6. Used to be the Coney Island flea markets, but they no longer exist.

Ok, now that the natives have spoken….what are your answers? And let us know how long you’ve been in NY.

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You just can’t seem to find a good psychic these days. When I was growing up, my mother’s BFF was gifted in this area so we kind of got spoiled. When she passed, we were on our own. I consider myself a skeptical believer. Skeptical of the psychics, not the afterlife. So I was really excited when I got 3 separate referrals (all from my family members) for psychic/medium Glenn Dove out on the Island.

My mother and I went yesterday. She went in first and had the better reading. My father dominated both of our readings and wouldn’t let anyone talk even though they were there (Glenn called them by name), but I guess Dad was excited to talk to us. For my reading, he kept harping on the same subject (work and business) which is something he did when he was alive too. I would’ve thought maybe he got some new material by now.

Of the three relatives who had readings prior to us, two were believers and one was a skeptical husband. None of them had had much experience with the other side, so I wanted to see for myself if this guy pulled the wool over their eyes. From what they were telling me, there was no way he could’ve come up with the personal relationship tidbits he was presenting to them.

And the same went for my reading. Yes, if he looked up my name and birth date, which he had knowledge of beforehand, he might have found out my brother’s name on some online family tree. But a-ha! How did he know that we’re like ying and yang and never got along?

Maybe I say my mother’s reading was better because she doesn’t have a blog. Many things he said about me, I was like “Well, he could have read that on my blog if he looked me up.” The “changing room colors”, “creative career” and the anniversary. But he was giving my mom little stories of things that only she shared with my father.

So my psychic meter gives this guy a high score and I fully recommend him. Glenn Dove is based in Baldwin but does phone readings as well. He charges a hefty $175 for a 40ish minute taped reading (bring your own cassette for $5 off) and throws in some numerology at the end of the session. He is also a Certified hypnotherapist.

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Yeah, I like to travel BIG just as much as anyone. But sometimes an overseas vacation is more stressful than it’s worth. That’s why I’m a huge fan of local travel. Just go. Get out of the city for a few days. No better way to relax. Instead of my usual “Weekender” post, I’ll let you do your own research. Here are some planning resources for ya….

GORP covers the great outdoors. The site lists activities on Long Island, in NJ and Upstate. For those of you who can’t get away, there are resources for biking, kayaking and horseback riding right in the city.

EscapeMaker isn’t greatly informative, but it does cover lots of ground. A nice place to start before narrowing down where it is you want to go.

I Love NY. Who doesn’t?

Discover Long Island here.

And New Jersey here.

Retreats for the highly stressed.

Or follow the culture.

Parent Zone has a nice guide for child friendly weekend trips.

And Blue Sky Dogs is a travel agent. For dogs.

Cyberrentals and VRBO are THE two vacation rental sites. Filter by price, kids, pets, area, etc.

Have fun!

The post Weekend Planning Resources appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

I met Ken at the Stormville Antiques Fair earlier in the year and thought it was probably worth the trip out to Suffolk County to visit his shop. My friends, I was not mistaken.

The first thing I noticed upon walking in was that Ken was wearing a Vaccaro’s Scrap Metal T-shirt. I asked if it was the same Vaccaro’s on 15th Street in Park Slope. Turns out that Ken is a Brooklyn native. We’re everywhere (sometimes even in Brooklyn)!

Ken started collecting at 8 years of age. He was big into pre civil war era guns and then later, Cigar Store Indians (or Cigar Store Native Americans for the politically correct). His family was in the demolition business and that’s how he got his start in salvage some 30 years ago. He is also involved in environmental hazmat (did alot of work at the WTC) and adult ed.

What you’ll find: The main building is an antiques store. There’s a “dungeon” and a barn out back that houses the architectural salvage. I bought a bunch of hardware….some really great things at low prices. I didn’t have much room in my car for large items. He has some sinks, iron railing for $50 per section, light fixtures (one 1920’s fixture came out of a Brooklyn bordello).

Prices: Ken says he’s not in the business to hang on to this stuff, so his prices are very low. If you’re looking for furniture, he’s got dressers and tables that make the Salvation Army seem expensive. My friend bought an antique dresser for $60 (which is why I couldn’t fit anything else in the car).

Give yourself plenty of time to get there (LI traffic!) and look around (There is so much to look at!) and most important, take time to listen to Ken’s stories (He likes to talk!) because he’s an interesting guy.

Junk To Jems: 445 Little East Neck Road, West Babylon. 631-661-0111 Call first!!

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