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Top 10 Influential New Yorkers

October 2, 2008 RH

Louise at OTBKB posted her own list after seeing NY Magazine’s Top 10 Most Influential New Yorkers. Of course, I had to come up with my own list. These are not in any order other than the first one. They just came into my head this way. Who’s on your list??

1. Regular Folk. My neighbors, the people on the streets, in the subway, the teachers, the sanitation guys, the token clerks, the diner waitstaff, the FDNY and PDNY, the local hardware shop owner, the bus driver….you get the point. These are the people who make NYC what it is.

2. Rudolph Guiliani. Hated the guy! Hated what he did to the city. But changed the face of the city, so that makes him important.

3. Ed Koch. He’s the guy I think of when I think of the NYC I grew up in. Was he a good mayor? I was too young to have an opinion. Important? Yeah, why not?

4. Gloria Steinem. Too young to remember what I thought of her. I had Bella Abzug on the list because I remember her and her funny hats. I bumped her for Gloria because G was probably more important. My list is light on the women!

5. Al Sharpton. Ok, so the guy is a pain in the ass. I actually gained a lot of respect for him during his 2004 presidential campaign. I took a survey on which candidate had the same views as myself and he ranked second after Kucinich.

6. David Berkowitz. Son of Sam scared the sh*t out of me that one summer. Does a serial killer deserve to be on the list of the most important people in NY? Probably not. But in my mind, the fear he created changed something in this city.Therefore, I think he has an important role in history.

7. Gordon Parks. Not originally from NY, but he lived here most of his adult life. An incredible photographer, director and writer. He opened the door for black photographers in the fashion industry and gave us a glimpse into Harlem street gangs.

8. Curtis Sliwa. Yeah, that right wing guy on radio and TV. As a little girl (or tween) I remember the Guardian Angels on trains at night and they gave me a sense of security.

9. Loren Michaels. Hello! Saturday Night Live? I didn’t see him on anyone else’s list. Come on, this show is a New York institution. It’s been the catalyst for so many entertainment careers. And it just may take part in swaying this year’s election. (PS: He’s Canadian, but so what?)

10. David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Spike Lee, Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Simon, Martin Scorcese, John Travolta. I had them separately but had too many on the list, so I had to clump them together. They may not all be from NYC originally, but they are extremely important New Yorkers!

Bumped: Phillipe de Montebello, The Clintons, Chuck Schumer, JFK Jr, Jackie O, Donald Trump, Fred Trump

Native New Yorkers Surveyed

September 12, 2008 RH 7 Comments

**Archive. Originally posted October 26, 2007.

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 secretContinue reading Native New Yorkers Surveyed

Holiday Cocktail Lounge: 20 Years Later

August 11, 2008 RH 2 Comments

From 1985-1988 The Holiday Cocktail Lounge on St Marks Place my living room. I was an employee at The Metropolitan Museum at the time and a group of us would go after work every night of the week. We would grab a falafel at Rakka or a slice of pizza from Stromboli’s on the corner when we got hungry or swing for dinner at Dojo’s beforehand. We always shut the place down at 1am and if we felt like staying out, the Blue and Gold, St. Marks Bar & Grill or The Gold Bar were happy to have us. It made sense that I met my husband in The Holiday since this is where I spent all my time.

It also made sense to revisit The Holiday for our 20th anniversary. Stefan, the owner, is about 90 years old and we doubt his sons are going to keep the place going once he’s gone. The bar opened in 1965 and was a hangout for beatniks and commies. By the time I discovered it in the 80’s, it was a bustling dive bar. Many of the old timer regulars (drunks) have since come to an early demise.

Beer was $1.50 and mixed drinks: $2.00. 2008 prices are $4.00 per drink. Apart from the prices and Stefan, the jukebox is just about the only thing that has changed. The black booths are held together with duct tape, but more than one of us remembered them being red, so maybe they have been replaced in the last 20 years. Bathrooms: same. Christmas lights: same. Shadows on the wall from people leaning: same.

If you want to experience a real NYC dive bar, better get to The Holiday soon. I’m not clued in to any changes, nor am I psychic, but I’m glad I got to see The Holiday one last time before it goes the way of CBGB’s. Just a hunch even though Stefan owns the building.

Our first timer friend knocked down a clock that had probably been there since opening day.

Tourists from the past. Geez, we’re older than the bar itself.

Related: NY Press

20 Years Ago in NYC

August 5, 2008 RH 5 Comments

Our 20th wedding anniversary is coming up on 8/8/08 and on our invitation I wrote what was going on around the time we were married. My research (and faded memory) brought up the following which may be of interest to you:

*Tompkins Square Riots

*Medical waste washes up on NYC beaches

*Jennifer Levin’s family sues Dorian’s Bar in the Yuppie Murderer case

*Central Park Zoo reopens after renovations

*Temperature hits 88 degrees in NYC on 8/8/88

*Winning lotto ticket is 888 day after 8/8/88

*A New York court indicts Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos

* Brooklyn native Jean-Michel Basquiat dies of a drug overdose at age 27

* Madonna on Broadway in David Mamet’s “Speed the Plow”

* Boro movies of 1988 include “Working Girl” , “Coming to America” and “Big”

*An illegal bike messenger from Dublin marries an art dealer’s assistant from Brooklyn. For the green card.

Subway Musician Project

August 1, 2008 RH

Post photos and videos and add musicians to AMNY’s interactive Subway Musician Project. Google map pinpoints where each musician plays. Support the local talent!

Overheard: You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

July 29, 2008 RH 2 Comments

Two of my favorite sites are “Overheard in NY” and “True Green Confessions“. I don’t check them every day and then when I say “Let’s see what’s going on there” I always LMFAO. Here are some of the better ones. Go ahead, LYFAO:

From True Green:

“I bought organic bath products for my whole family to use, and i was feeling really great about myself… then the bottles became empty and i realized they are all #4 plastic! My county only recycles #1 and #2! Now i feel really sad!”

“I reuse sandwich bags and ziplocs. i rinse them out then hang them upside down to dry on a little clothes line above my washing machine.”

“I hate low flow toilets because you have to flush them 2-3 times to get the poop to go down.”
**Editor’s note: Yes! Yes! That is so true!

“Republicans recycle too.”

“I have about 5 recyclable cloth grocery bags. Thing is, I never remember to take them with me to the grocers.”

“I need to figure out how to transfer my PMS rage into energy for my apartment.”

From Overheard:

–A Train

Little guy to big guy wearing fur hat: You know, wearing fur is murder.
Big guy wearing fur hat: So is me pushing you off the train.

–Bx41

(back door opens and closes, then the bus starts moving)
Obnoxious Hispanic Emo girl: Back doooor! Back doooor!
Bus driver: What the f*ck!? Speak up, I don’t have all day!
Obnoxious girl: Back dooooor!
Bus driver: I have a family! I’m tired! I want to go home!
Obnoxious girl: Back doooooooor.
Bus driver: Ladies and gentlemen, our future.

–Elevator, 82nd & 3rd

Man: That’s a very cute dog!
Girl #1: Yes, she is. My dad got her at a pet store. He was going to get a dog at the shelter, but he didn’t want to.
Girl #2: Yeah, so the dog he would have gotten at the shelter died, because it was a kill shelter.
Dad: Um, I’m not really taking full responsibility for that.
Girl #1: The dog was killed. Just because you didn’t want it.
Girl #2: Yeah, dad.
Dad: Really. I think this is less than 5% my fault. Look, this where we get off.
Man: Have a good night! Sleep well.

Down In The Tube Station At Midnight

July 23, 2008 RH

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.

Open Houses: Manhattan Under $300k

June 20, 2008 RH

$249k: Inwood studio

This doesn’t look like one of those shoe box studios. It actually has some light and space to it. 425 sq ft of space. The pre-war apartment retains a bit of detail although it has been renovated.

$279k: Tudor City studio

This one IS a shoe box studio @ 250 sq ft. But what is it they say? Oh yeah, “Location, Location, Location”. Indeed, it’s right in midtown in a lovely building. But can you fit more than 1 person in here?

$299k: Morningside Heights 1 BR

This would be my choice (sight unseen, of course). A 500 sq ft 1BR pre-war with 10 foot ceilings near Riverside Park. Maybe I’m just a sucker for French doors, but it looks like something you wouldn’t outgrow 6 months from now.

NYC To Become Pedestrian Paradise

June 17, 2008 RH

Mayor Bloomberg and DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan recently announced Summer Streets, an experimental program that will temporarily open a 6.9 mile car-free route from the Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd Street. Major cross-town streets will remain open. Summer Streets will run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on three consecutive Saturdays in August, the 9th, 16th and 23rd (my birthday).

I think this is an awesome plan! But I did wonder if it will hurt local businesses and create havoc. Not to worry. Sadik-Khan said this: “We’ve been making very careful preparations on our traffic front to make sure that we’re dealing with the access issues that residents have, with the delivery issues that businesses have and also to make sure that we’ve got appropriate access for emergency vehicles.”

Similar car-free corridors exist in London, Paris and Bogota. Several American cities have adopted temporary plans as well.

Via City Room

Places Matter in NYC

June 13, 2008 RH

10 years ago, City Lore and the Municipal Art Society co-founded the Place Matters project. I just found out about all three of them yesterday on Curbed.

As someone whom has spent 42 (going on 43) years in this city and has yet to discover every inch, these resources are pretty compelling to me. I currently have a house full of guests and some of the listed places are on the itinerary I’ve laid out for them. If they could only drag their asses out of the house before noon, they might have a chance to see something other than my living room.

But who needs to be with tourists to enjoy NYC anyway?

This Old House Does New York

June 12, 2008 RH

Finally! This Old House has noticed our quaint little town. The TV series is looking for a historic home to renovate in The Big Apple.

They are looking for a “dynamic” family, but I’m pretty sure that any New Yorker is more dynamic than those small town shmoes they have on the show. Yeah, that’s right. I said it.

You needn’t be renovating an entire house, but more than just one room. Renovations must be completed in about 4-5 months, with construction beginning as early as August. I guess that leaves me out. My renovations take at least 2 years per room.

Renovations are completely funded by the homeowners, though This Old House throws in product discounts and donations.

The episodes will be on PBS in early 2009. Deadline for submissions is Friday, July 4, 2008.

Here are the guidelines:

*Brief description of the house including house style and year built

*Low-res digital pictures of the home’s interior and exterior

*Brief description of the current owners

*Low-res digital pictures of the homeowners

*The scope of the renovation

*How much you plan to spend

*When you need to start and conclude the project

Interviewing An Old Timey NYer: My Mom

May 9, 2008 RH 6 Comments

Where were you born?

The Bronx, 1931.

But you didn’t live in NY all your life?

My father decided he wanted to move down to Florida when I was 12. I spent most of my teens down there. We moved back when I was 19. I was happier in Florida. I never liked NY because I prefer small towns to big cities. My family had a farm upstate. I was always happy to go there. I could live on a farm.

Are you sure I’m your daughter?

You take after your father. He loves the city.

Where did you go on dates when you were young?

My first date was The Bronx Zoo. A group of us went, not just one couple.

We would go to Coney Island. I remember one time when I wanted to go on The Parachute Jump but my date was too scared. So the guy who ran the ride went with me.

Was The Cyclone as rickety then as it is now?

People were scared of The Parachute, but The Cyclone was the worst. It was rickety, but that was 60 years ago. It’s gotta be worse now. The Steeplechase was really bad! Those horses felt like they were gonna fall apart.

Where did you meet Dad?

It was at the Jamaica Jewish Center. I was waiting for a call from the guy I was going with and my friend asked me to go to the dance. I agreed and while we were standing on the corner waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, this guy says to me as he’s passing “You shouldn’t drink so much.” I told my sister Elaine that I hope he comes back. Sure enough, he was inside and asked me to dance. The other guy never did call. Good thing I didn’t wait.

1st Apartment?

We lived with the in-laws on Maple Street in Crown Heights. Then we moved to our own place on Saratoga near Pitkin. We lived on Utica Avenue (East Flatbush) for a long time. Our apartment was $40 per month. A better apartment came up but we couldn’t afford it. It was $85 per month. Imagine that! Not being able to afford $85! But later on, we got that same apartment.

Any funny stories from that time?

There was a woman who lived on our floor. Her daughter was always out playing in the street and she was never fed or clothed properly. Poor kid. We fed her sometimes. Then we found out why she was neglected. The mother was a hooker. When she put her laundry in the hallway, it meant she was busy. Once she took it in, she was free.

Where were you when Kennedy was shot?

I was with Stevie (brother) shopping at Packer’s on Utica and Maple. They announced it on the loudspeaker at the supermarket. I went home and woke up dad, who was working nights at the time. We watched it on TV.

Blackout of ’65?

I was making formula for you in the Utica Avenue apartment when the lights went out.

Do you think the 70’s were really that bad or was it just part of New York’s history?

They were all the same to me as far as I was concerned. I was busy raising kids and didn’t have time to think about. (I had to remind her why people thought the 70’s were bad. She REALLY didn’t notice! Interesting, since my favorite time in NYC’s history was the 70’s and early 80’s.)

Tell us a bit about our family’s colorful past.

I was named after Fatty Harry Selesnick. He was a Jewish gangster on the Lower East Side. He was killed by a rival gang in a shootout.

When you worked at the Empire State Building, did you ever look out the window?

Yeah, I looked out. I’ve never been to the top though. Why would I need to go? I worked on the 78th floor!

Best mayor?

Laguardia. He’s the only one I remember, really.

Worst?

I hated that Koch! During the transit strike he was riding around in his limo telling people to walk. Sure, what did he care? He was in his nice, comfortable car! It turned me off altogether! (My father worked for the transit authority at the time.)

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Weekender: NYC

May 1, 2008 RH

Some of us whom have lived in New York all of our lives never really take the time to fully appreciate it. I don’t look up to take in all of that glorious architecture. I hardly ever go to Broadway shows. Off Bway, maybe once a year. We’ve taken vacations at home before, but it always turns out to be a week of working on the house.

So what if….you’re a New Yorker who wants to experience NYC like a tourist? Get out of your own home, for one! Here’s a list of charming B&B’s. Stay yourself or keep them in mind for those annoying out of town guests when they land on your doorstep.

Abingdon House, W Village
Rooms starting at $129

Victorian Mansion, Harlem
$199 per couple for queen bed suite

Stay The Night, Upper East
Rates start at $75 according to BnB Finder. Couldn’t find them on their site!

Elegant Retreats, Morningside Heights
Starting at $200 Double Occupancy

Country Inn the City, Upper West
Starting at $210, 3 night minimum

Jill Freedman’s NYC

April 30, 2008 RH

Last Sunday’s NY Times featured the work of 70’s street photographer Jill Freedman. Freedman left NYC in the early 90’s before Guiliani got his hands on it. She returned five years ago to an unrecognizable city. “When I saw that they had turned 42nd Street into Disneyland, I just stood there and wept.”

Her work is reminiscent of Weegee. The grit and gore. The real life, human factor. She’s been quoted as saying she would like to find out what’s left to photograph in NYC. As an 80’s street photographer myself, I know that I haven’t been very inspired in recent years. It will be interesting to see what she comes up with.

Jill Freedman’s works will be on display at Higher Pictures until May 24th.

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