Manhattan Archives - Page 3 of 3

What $300k Buys You In & Out of NYC

February 20, 2008 RH

Let’s start with Manhattan. Broadway at 107th Street…awesome! Doesn’t give the square footage of this coop, but I’m assuming it’s the size of a closet. Not a walk in closet. But hey, if you just need a place to crash, this is it! I’m lovin’ this chick’s website. Adina! Is she a broker or a teen idol?

$ 300k: Ft Hamilton: 920 Sq ft, 2 BR coop

Looks like a nice renovation. They fixed up, but left some retro details. Advice to agent: Remove the litter box from the photo before taking picture. Maintenance of $668 includes gas, heat, water and tax.

$ 300k: Jersey City: 4 Family in need of TLC

The bad news is: This house hasn’t been touched for years. The good news is: This house hasn’t been touched for years. From the one interior shot it looks like there may be some detail left. Do I wear rose colored glasses or what?

$299900: Mt Vernon 3 Family

I’m drooling over this one! 3 Family, 2600 sq ft home built in 1928. Needs total rehab. Fire damage. It looks so sad and forgotten, but I see the inner beauty. Come to mamma, I’ll save you!

$297900: Beacon 2 Family

Hmm, not bad. Two 2 BR units with a little backyard. No interior shots. It’s on the “mountain side” of town as opposed to the “river side” which means nice views, pleasant area…..far walk to train.

Immigration on the Lower East Side

January 11, 2008 RH

This week the City Room had the Tenement Museum respond to questions on the history of immigration on the Lower East Side. Personally, I’m fascinated by this since both sides of my family emigrated from Russia around the same time. Since this is a New York blog and I’m looking for a quickie Friday post, I figured I’d share my Lower East Side family history with you (mother’s side).

I’m totally cheating on this post. Back in October, an immigration question was posted on the Brownstoner Forum and I responded. I’m a cuttin’ and a pastin’. Hey, I wrote it! Well, I took notes from Aunt Elaine. Continue reading Immigration on the Lower East Side

Affordable Housing @ NYC.Gov

January 7, 2008 RH

I was on the city’s site the other day for one reason or another. It’s a great resource that I never took advantage of. Some of these things are pretty obvious, but there just might a helpful tip or two that you never knew about.

Check it out:

Apartment Hunting Tips : Finding an apartment, securing it and protecting your rights as a tenant.

Tenant’s Rights: Guidelines and legal help

Affordable Homeownership includes information on counseling, lotteries, down payment assistance and home improvement.

Repair and Maintenance for tenants and homeowners

Seniors and People with Disabilities

The NYC Native Tourist Guide

December 27, 2007 RH 3 Comments

Since I’m in holiday mode and you probably are too, I figured I’d give you some ideas on where to send your out of town guests this year. Or just go yourself. It’s not mandatory to take a tourist.

* Not necessarily in order of preference.

1. The Met: My favorite museum in the world. Probably because I worked there for 3 years. They’re open on Mondays for holidays including New Year’s Eve. On Friday and Saturday evenings they are open until 9pm and have cocktails and music in the Great Hall. The Met has “suggested” admission. Not that you shouldn’t support the arts, but if you’re broke, you can pay a penny and get in. Cost covers same day admission to The Cloisters, which I highly recommend seeing also.Continue reading The NYC Native Tourist Guide

New York’s Ethnic Neighborhoods

December 17, 2007 RH 1 Comment

Interesting series of Q&A on The NY Time’s City Room last week. Joseph Berger, a an education and regional columnist for The New York Times took questions on NYC’s ethnic and immigrant neighborhoods.

Some highlights:

Favorite Italian neighborhood: Bensonhurst, because real Italians live there. He says the Little Italys of Manhattan and the Bronx have Italian shops and restaurants, but few actual Italians. The population of Bensonhurst is shifting too, as working class families are sending their children to better schools and when the children return, concrete yards just ain’t good enough for them. The Chinese, who have an appreciation of rowhouses, are replacing the Italians. Bensonhurst is a quick subway ride to Sunset Park’s Chinatown.Continue reading New York’s Ethnic Neighborhoods

NYC Represents in Miami Art Fair

December 10, 2007 RH 1 Comment

Our trip to Florida last week was strictly for visiting purposes. But in between installing ceiling fans for my mother and meeting the Jack Klompus of The Greens of Tamarac, we did get a chance to surprise our friend Liz at the Aqua Art Fair in Miami.

Aqua Art Miami is part of a week long contemporary art fair in which various hotels in Miami Beach transform themselves into galleries. The main event, Art Basel Miami Beach, sister event of Switzerland’s Art Basel, is now the most important art show in the United States.Continue reading NYC Represents in Miami Art Fair

Town House Living: It’s Torture

December 10, 2007 RH 5 Comments

NY Times revealed the pain and suffering behind owning a town house in the city. “Town House Living: The Untold Story” a gripping exposé of whiny ass rich folks who can’t do anything for themselves left me saying “WTF?”

The Manhattan town house owners interviewed complained of vertical living challenges and the fact that they actually had to maintain their own homes.

A 30 something couple had diaper changing stations installed on every floor and doubled up on kitchens, laundry rooms and espresso machines because they couldn’t handle the stairs. I wonder how much they pay for their gym membership.

One woman complained “You have no idea how much the garbage controls your life”. She spoke of the street people rifling through her trash leaving an “ungodly” mess. Another gentleman wakes up at (gasp) 6am three days a week to haul his own trash to the curb. And on top of that, he has to clean the front of his house. The horror.Continue reading Town House Living: It’s Torture

Illy Push Button House Coming Soon!

November 29, 2007 RH 2 Comments

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 52^nd 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!

Press Release

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.

Affordable NYC: Inwood

November 16, 2007 RH 2 Comments

Here’s some fun trivia for ya.

1. Where did the $24 sale of Manhattan allegedly take place?
2. Where is the only natural forest in Manhattan located?

Inwood! I didn’t know that. Well, I probably learned about it in 1st grade, but I didn’t remember it.

Inwood Hill Park, a 196 acre natural forest NOT designed by Olsmstead and Vaux is where the famous Indian/Dutch deal may have taken place. Inwood’s geography is incredible, especially considering it’s in Manhattan. The neighborhood sits at the northernmost tip of the island, between the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. There are hills, trees and even caves in the area.

Transportation options include the A express, as well as the 1 and 9 trains, or an express bus. If you have car and need to run from the city on the weekends, it’s very handy for upstate.

The history is the same as any other NYC affordable neighborhood. White flight in the 70’s, crack epidemic of the 80’s. It got run down. Now Inwood has a large Dominican population, but it’s already been discovered by other newcomers. I wouldn’t say people are flocking to Inwood, but it’s not exactly a secret anymore.

As with other gentrifying nabes, some residents complain of lack of amenities while others don’t want to push ahead too quickly. Most of the residents seem pretty happy to be there.

The housing stock is mainly interesting pre war apartments. You can still find condos for under $300k, but the market isn’t flooded with them.

Inwoodite Blog
Forgotten NY
Wash/Inwood Online
Inwood Manhattan

Inwood Rentals: Under $1000

November 16, 2007 RH

I’m shaking things up a bit this week. I wanted to see if Manhattan rentals exist for under $1000. Well, the listings exist, but I haven’t looked into whether or not these places are just bait. I also don’t know the area well enough to know if they are in a crappy section.

Here’s a good classified section for more listings.

$995: 1 BR

$1000: 1 BR

reclaimedhome.com

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