A sure sign of a gentrified neighborhood is a Starbucks on the corner (every corner). But they are about to overthrown in New York State. You’ve heard it here first. Muddy Cup is breeding faster than Starbucks.

I see from the stats (Certainly not from comments. You’re a bunch of friggen mutes!) that most of our readers are in NYC. If you haven’t ventured north (or to Staten Island) you may never have heard of Muddy Cup.

The first Muddy Cup opened it’s doors in Staten Island in 2001. Partners Jim Svetz and Brian Woodward simply intended to open a neighborhood coffeehouse. Or so they say. They opened the second store in Hudson, NY. The first time I heard of them was when they popped up in Beacon, a couple of blocks from my house. Now, every time I visit an upstate town, there they are! There are 9 Muddy Cups in the towns of New Paltz, Kingston, Albany, Poughkeepsie, Catskill and Schenectady.

Unlike Starbucks, The Muddy Cup chooses areas that are merely on the verge of gentrification. As you can see from the list above, it’s mainly college or “artsy” towns.

The Beaconites I know aren’t crazy about the cafe. They say they don’t like the coffee or decor. Personally, I love the eclectic decor and I think the coffee is fine. Between you and I, I think it’s cool to badmouth Muddy Cup just as you wouldn’t want to admit that you go to Starbucks. Most of the customers at Muddy Cup, Beacon seem to be tourists.

Some of the Muddy Cup cafes are large enough to have live music and performances. Kudos to them for breathing some life into downtrodden parts of town. The Kingston branch is located on Broadway, in the seedy Midtown section.

I’ll take a small mom and pop business over a franchise any day of the week. But why should we start hating when a company becomes successful enough to expand? I’ll partake in the above mediocre coffee when there’s nothing better around, as I do with Starbucks. There’s no use in boycotting when they’ve already put the smaller coffee houses out of business. (That’s a joke. Or is it?)

Chronogram Article

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Manhattan

1BR in Inwood/Washington Heights. The ad states “Pictures are representative of typical renovations.” So does that mean this isn’t the actual apartment? Is there an actual apartment? Anyway, I chose this one because they accept dogs and cats.

Brooklyn

Midwood 2 BR. Again, maybe just a teaser. “This apartment is a must see, *however* I manage over 800 no fee apartments in Brooklyn.” The ad mentions that Joan Rivers, Chuck Schumer and Woody Allen have called Midwood home. They neglect to mention ME! Also sez Midwood neighbors Park Slope and Coney Island. Ok, I’m not sure “neighbor” is the correct word, agent Jason. It’s true, Midwood is right smack in the center of Brooklyn (Don’t bother looking at a map. In my mind it is, and that’s all that counts.) But no, it doesn’t “neighbor” PS or CI. I thought Midwood sucked when I was growing up. But now that the rest of Brooklyn is filled with the new Bourgeois Elite, Midwood is looking good to me.

Bronx

2 BR in Little Italy section. Well, it sounds like it’s a 1 BR with “office”. It’s in a private home. I’m not sure if the cleaning products shown in the Craig photos come with the apartment.

Queens

Ridgewood 2 BR. Railroad apartment near shopping. Heat and hot water included. Carpeting, new stove and cabinets. Probably a schlock renovation (yes, I AM my mother!), but I like Ridgewood. Ad lists: No section 8. No washing machine. No dryer. No pets. Love that negative advertising!

Staten Island

2 BR in a 4 room apartment. Yeah, I have NO idea where this is. Heartland Village. Sounds like a senior development. “It’s on a quiet dead end street near the golf course.” I would take it for those kitchen cabinets alone. They rock!

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Manhattan Studio: Sutton

Hey, this is actually cute! Although it’s teeny (looks to be under 300 sq ft judging from the floor plan), it’s not a dump. And the Sutton area address has gotta be worth something.

Brooklyn: 3BR in Flatbush

I tried to find an actual house for $350k in Brooklyn, but alas, it doesn’t exist. If I had gone up to $400k, I would’ve come up with a few. So I chose to search for a 3BR and here’s what I came up with. A pre-war coop in Flatbush. A small 1 BR in Park Slope South can be had for this price as well.

Queens: St. Albans Brick

This is the first listing that came up under my search criteria for Queens. It looks too good to be true, but then again, I don’t know a thing about St. Albans. Brick single family with 4 bedrooms. No info. Just says “seller must go”. I’m too scared to call! You do it!

The Bronx: Baychester Single Family

Ok, not bad. A 2000 square foot, 3 BR home in Baychester. No maintenance fees (apart from all the repairs on the 1931 house), alittle outdoor space and you’re still in the boros.

Staten Island: Stapleton 3BR

This one is a mere $349,900! I chose this home because Stapleton is the only part of Staten Island I know anything about. It’s close to the ferry and has an urban feel to it rather than a….um….a….Staten Island feel. This 1809 square foot home is looking a bit worn, but the choice is yours…. Would you rather have your own home in Staten Island or a cramped studio in Manhattan?

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Weburbanist came up with “7 More Abandoned Wonders” last month. The original 7 can be seen here.

Some local sites made the list, including North Brother Island in the Bronx and Staten Island’s Augustinian Academy.

North Brother Island has a bit of a sad history. In the late 1800’s Riverside Hospital was home to typhus, TB, cholera, yellow fever and smallpox patients. From 1915 until her death in 1938, it was also home to Typhoid Mary. By 1963, Riverside was receiving heroin addicts. It was abandoned shorty after.

On June 15, 1904 the island became the site of the worst loss of life disaster in NYC’s history when the General Slocum steamship caught fire and burned, killing 1000 people. Ninety seven years later, the site of the World Trade Center would unfortunately steal that title.

Augustinian Academy was built as a private school for boys in the 1920’s. By 1970, the school closed down and the building was converted into a retreat house. Developers purchased the structure in 1985, but did nothing with it. It is now owned by Wagner College and they are said to be protecting the property from development.

But here’s where the story gets interesting. St. Augustine was a holding ground for priests, nuns and monks in training during the 1800’s. One monk went crazy and killed everyone around. It is said that his spirit haunts the monastery to this day. The abandoned structure also attracts Satan worshipers.

Weird US
Unsolved Mysteries

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Ok, you’ve gotta bare with me here. I’ve been to Staten Island a handful of times in my life. I’ve always been pleasantly surprised. But don’t tell anyone. I still have to make fun of Staten Island because it’s the thing to do.

Disclosure: I did not get to Stapleton recently before writing this article. It’s just that….I’m running out of Brooklyn neighborhoods. I have to branch out.

So, here’s why I chose Stapleton this week.

A. It’s affordable.
B. Cool old homes.
C. Seems alive…culturally speaking.
D. Supposedly has good Italian restaurants.
E. Near beach.
F. Near ferry.
G. Still alittle rough around the edges.
H. My Brooklyn friend Vinny moved to Staten Island years ago told me I should do a post on it.

Some links since I don’t know what I’m talking about:

Prodigal Borough
NY Times Hipsta Article
Forgotten NY
Downtown Staten Island
Preserve Staten Island
Walking Is Transportation

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$ 269.9k: Handyman/woman with details

$ 275k: 3BR Single Family

$ 389.9k: 2 Family

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