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Too Cool for School

Too Cool for School published on

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When I first saw a group of adults installing a garden at Leadership Prep on Macon Street in Bed Stuy, I thought they were building a movie set. Back in the olden days when I was growing up, NYC public school’s didn’t even have a patch of grass. Well, public schools have turned into fancy schmancy charter schools now and the the kids get to learn about stuff like gardening and catching rain water. It’s pretty awesome.

I thought this Bed Stuy school was special until I passed by Frances Perkins Academy in Williamsburg and saw their fabulous garden. They too, had a rainwater system in place. Wonder who gets to bring home the vegetables?

 

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My New Favorite Coffee House

My New Favorite Coffee House published on

Daily Press has been open for months now and I finally got a moment to visit even though I live like 2 (avenue) blocks away. It’s not hard to miss this little Bedford Corners (Ok, ok: Bed Stuy!) hideaway as the only signage is on the window.

So, here’s the deal….

Daily Press located on Franklin just north of Fulton,  is a French Press and espresso bar. WTF is French press? It’s that plunger type device you see at your mother in law’s house (or at least MY Old-Country MIL). The coffee they serve is Intelligentsia. Pastries and bread from Balthazar. Terrace bagels. Good stuff, good stuff. My hummus-on-a-heated-croissant sandwich was yummy and the peanut butter cookie I had for dessert was amazing!

But what I really loved about the place was the reclaimed materials used in the renovation (Design by Draft Bench). The air conditioning was blasting to my satisfaction on the thousand degree day and I was able to relax on the upcycled furnishings whilst taking advantage of the wifi. There is a lovely backyard, but did I mention it was a thousand degrees?

What I love most about my neighborhood? After hanging in this hipster-yuppy paradise, I get to cross the street and buy an entire bag full of clothes at Goodwill that costs the same price as my lunch (pound of coffee included).

Bed Stuy Blog‘s write up.

Public Real Estate Auctions

Public Real Estate Auctions published on

Hubby and I hit our first real estate auction in the County of Kings earlier this week. We know folks who’ve bought at auction before, but we were always suckers for paying market value.

So, here’s the rundown. The auctions of real property are run by the Public Administrator of Kings County. Go to the government website to see when the next auction is and which properties are listed. There’s a preview the weekend prior to bidding, or at least that was the case with the June auction.

If you want to bid you’ll need a certified or bank check for 10% of the opening bid. Bring a blank check to pay the rest of the deposit because chances are the opening bid is not the final price. If you win the bidding that means you go into contract immediately. This is NOT contingent upon inspection or mortgage. You must have all of your little ducks in a row before bidding or else you stand to lose your deposit. No joke.

Auctions are not for the faint of heart. It’s a risky business and you may be bidding against investors and developers whom have been around the corner before. Know what you’re getting yourself into….

You may inherit tenants. The property may even be an SRO. The two places we looked at in Bed Stuy had senior women living there for 30-40 years. Who wants to kick them out? Not me!

Who knows what’s up with the previous owner? Some of these are estate sales of folks who didn’t have wills. Family members sometimes expect something. I’m sure they chill once the property is sold, but I’ve heard some crazy stories about what happens leading up to the auction.

Take your time with the previews because you don’t get an inspection. If you don’t know what you’re looking at, it might be a wise choice to hire an inspector for the day of previews. Or a contractor or architect. Or a friend who knows something about houses. This will cost a good few hundred bucks (not the friend-buy them pizza) so be sure you’re serious about bidding.

If you end up buying at auction, don’t expect the place to be broom swept. The city and the tenants will probably leave a bunch of crap behind. I’d also imagine it’s a safe bet to go the legal renovation route by filing with the DOB as the city will know you just purchased a fixer upper. Am I being paranoid? I dunno.

So, why do it? Here’s a partial list of properties and what they sold for.

582 Bainbridge St. Sort of east Bed Stuy/Ocean Hill/Bushwick. Opening bid: $290k. Sold: $300k

163A Halsey St. Bed Stuy, right around the corner from moi! House needed updating and restoration but had some fabulous detail! Partial SRO status was a bit off putting. Opening bid: $325k. Sold: $400k.

2633 Hubbard St. Sheepshead Bay single family. Opening bid: $300k. Sold: $390k.

1130 Brighton Beach Ave. 1 BR coop apartment. I really wanted to preview this one because the opening bid was $65k, but we just couldn’t make it out to Brighton over the weekend. It ended up selling for $130k. A studio coop apartment on Brighton 1st went for $155k. That was a more modern building (1960’s/70’s?). A 1BR in Bay Ridge didn’t sell at $180k. With coops, you have to deal with the board and then there may be flip taxes and transfer fees.

174 Lincoln Place. Opening bid: $1.75. Sold: $ 2.675. The highest priced “sold” property of the day. An Albee Square property that was going for $3.6 did not sell. Oooh, there were lots of bidders on this prime Slope mixed use building! Four ground floor commercial units and up to 6 residential units upstairs with only a single tenant remaining. Property taxes on this baby? $28k. Ouch! Rent roll? A gazillion dollars.

69 Sterling St. I believe this is Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Opening bid: $499k. Sold: $499k. Looks like someone got a sweet deal, although I didn’t see the interior.

4628 Beach 46th St. This place was getting bid up and we were like “Where the F is that?” I thought it was Dyker Heights or somewhere near there. Looking at the map, it seems to be Sea Gate, a gated community at the tip of Coney Island. Interesting. Opening bid: $$320k. Sold: $425k.

331A Stuyvesant Ave. This was the other house we actually previewed. A 2 family with older tenants that kept the house in decent shape. Some details remain, but the house needs updating and restoration. Really, not major work. A friend of a friend wanted this but got outbid. 🙁 Opening bid: $315k. Sold: $350k.

151 Prospect Ave. Interesting, I thought there would be some crazy bidding on this house because people are going gaga for the South Slope these days. (Yeah, I know…it’s really Gowanus over here.) Starting bid: $250k. Sold: $350k. I’m thinking the buyer could probably do NOTHING and turn around and flip it for $500k.

155 Berry St. First photo above. I saved this one for last because had us floored until we figured out just how much Williamsburg property is worth to developers. Opening bid: $695k. There were maaannnnyyy bidders going nuts. This little shack actually went for $1million and change. Surely, it’s a tear down.

Fascinating, no? Oh, and the nicest thing? Everybody applauds each time someone wins a bid.

Bed Stuy. Do or Goodbye

Bed Stuy. Do or Goodbye published on 3 Comments on Bed Stuy. Do or Goodbye

Well, this just sucks. After 4.5 years, Petra (aka The Changeling) has decided to terminate Bed Stuy Blog. Guess she wants to have a life or something.

Bed Stuy Blog launched shortly after I moved into the neighborhood and about six months before I started my own blog. Petra alerted us to retail openings, events and even crime warnings. She feels the blog is no longer necessary because Bed Stuy is being represented by other blogs now in a way that it wasn’t 4.5 years ago.

I disagree, but what what are ya gonna do? Petra and her small team of writers (Where the F is MY team?) put a personal face on the blog. Posts and comments were always friendly and never snarky like you might see on other sites. The blog was a microcosm of the neighborhood. A place where everyone looks out for one another and says good morning.

Guess this site is going to have to get more neighborhoody to pick up some slack.

On a bright note, we still have Bed Stuy Patch and Bed Stuy Gateway.

Cool for Cats in Crown Heights

Cool for Cats in Crown Heights published on 6 Comments on Cool for Cats in Crown Heights

If you live in Crown Heights or Bed Stuy, you know that the feral cat situation is out of control. It’s really sad, but I just have to look away or I’d have 200 cats in my house. I’ve not yet tried TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) because I know that I wouldn’t release them, no matter how wild they are.

That doesn’t mean YOU shouldn’t help the kitties in the community! There’s a TNR workshop being offered this Saturday (June 11th) at the Crown Heights Branch Library. It’s a free workshop, but you must register here.

Many cats are terrified of human interaction. Look at us. Can you blame them? The practice of trapping them, fixing them up and letting them go may not save every cat from a starvation or getting hit by a car, but it will lower the population of strays.

Go on. Take the course. For every stray you have neutered this summer, Reclaimed Home will donate $20 to Neighborhood Cats. Um, this is assuming you’re not each rescuing hundreds.

**Ok, my limit is $400 total. That’s 20 cats. Care to match that or chip in???

New Bar for Nostrand

New Bar for Nostrand published on

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*This post has been updated with a few corrections.

Another immediately successful business popping up in the amenity-starved Bed Stuy. “Vodou Bar” on Nostrand and Halsey had their soft opening last night. They are now open for business but will be working out the kinks over the next couple of weeks. Thursday was a trial run.

Feedback? It’s gawna rock!

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Daphne, one of the owners of Ms. Dahlia’s Cafe right next door, is behind this new venture. Lemme tell you something. She knows how to run a business. The place was packed last night. Don’t know if it was the “little” emails a select few sent out or if it was people walking off the street, but it was biz-zy.

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They have some nice bottled and tap beers, but I had to get myself a fun drink. Apart from the usual mixed drinks, there was a “special” drink menu, which is what I deserved. I ordered some watermelon thing. It was really good!

My only complaint? No umbrella in my drink.

No signage on the bar yet. Corner of Nostrand and Halsey.

Related: Wine Shop on Nostrand

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Breukelen in da Hizzouse!

Breukelen in da Hizzouse! published on 1 Comment on Breukelen in da Hizzouse!

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Who needs to go to Clinton Hill or Stuyvesant Heights for a decent bottle of wine? Not those of us here in southwest Bed Stuy! As of tomorrow at 12:30pm, Breukelen Cellars will be open for business!

Owner John Samuel was kind enough to let me in for some snappies and a chat today. I even got to taste some Riesling, suckas!

John and his business partner Andre are both Bed Stuy natives. Since they decided to open the shop, they’ve been going to shows and tasting like mad. Every bottle on the shelf has been given their personal seal of approval.

Opening Day Tasting!
Thursday, March 3 @ 6pm
504 Nostrand Avenue

Art exhibit by Joseph Bolton

Some of the wines they’ll be tasting are Altadonna Nero D’Avola, Pas si Petit, Petit Chablis and Saint-Bris Sauvignon.

See you there!

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New Cafe for Bed Stuy

New Cafe for Bed Stuy published on 2 Comments on New Cafe for Bed Stuy

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Bed Stuy’s now defunct Food for Thought had so much going for it. It was on a quiet street where the sidewalk seating made sense. Location was great, right between “Bedford Corners” and Stuyvesant Heights. The food was excellent. I don’t know why they went out of business, but I did bitch about the slow service quite a bit.

Well, Cafe Mausaic is moving in! I noticed the sign last week and with a little research I see that they are set to open on April 1st! They are currently looking for staff and artists to take part.

Sounds like it will be a great addition to the neighborhood. Hopefully with good service.

A Bit o’ Brooklyn in Dublin

A Bit o’ Brooklyn in Dublin published on 2 Comments on A Bit o’ Brooklyn in Dublin

Dublin, Ireland

Honey, we’re home! You may notice some differences in the blog in the upcoming days/weeks. Right now, you may be noticing the amount of spam that has gotten through what with the upgrade and all. I’m dealing with it!

Anyhoo, we dubbed this little strip of shops in Dublin the “New York Street” because it had Bedford Stuy Barbers, a New York Ray’s Pizza (not the original though) and Flip Vintage. Ok, so Flip isn’t native to NYC, but I used to shop at the one on W. 8th Street all the time, so it made me homesick.

This Irish-now-American tourist insisted on being in the shot. Says he’s living in Bed Stuy now. Never saw him before in my life.

Snow Day!

Snow Day! published on

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Wow, thought I’d get out and take some snappies of the snow this morning. I couldn’t walk more than half as block as nothing is shoveled or plowed yet. These are images of Verona Place and Macon Street. Fulton is a-ok.

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Most importantly, check out my car! I didn’t have to clear it. The wind blew the right way. I know, I know…I’ll be plowed in later.

We couldn’t even open the door to the back yard and the dogs didn’t want to go out on our tiny path in the front. Hubby had to climb down from the second floor window to shovel an area in the back for the finicky pups. Little bitches.

Historic Bed Stuy Architecture Snappies

Historic Bed Stuy Architecture Snappies published on 1 Comment on Historic Bed Stuy Architecture Snappies

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Much enjoyed touring my own area of Bed Stuy yesterday with Andrew Dolkart, Brownstoner’s “Montrose Morris” and Save Bedford Stuyvesant‘s “Amzi Hill”. Since I didn’t take notes, I’m just posting some pics and referring you to the links above for your own research. Because I’m lazy that way.

Or…perhaps some kind reader will comment on what we’re looking at. 🙂

Full Flickr set.

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Historic Bed Stuy Walking Tour

Historic Bed Stuy Walking Tour published on 2 Comments on Historic Bed Stuy Walking Tour

Come see why I love my neighborhood so much! Bed Stuy is HU-UGE! This area is the proposed “Bedford Corners Historic District” aka “My Neck of the Woods”.

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