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Affordable Neighborhoods

Affordable Neighborhoods published on 6 Comments on Affordable Neighborhoods

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When this blog first started in 2007, we featured an affordable neighborhood every week. Then we ran out of neighborhoods.

Well, we may be in search of a distressed property to restore and since our pockets are bare, it looks like this feature may start up again.

There are three neighborhoods that have consistently popped up in our < $300k price range. Bushwick, Ridgewood and Jersey City.

We know nothing of these areas, only that….

Bushwick can be hit or miss. There are some hipster havens, but the homes we’ve been seeing are in areas that don’t have much going on. And by “not much going on” I mean, not even a corner bodega. Been to Bushwick a few times but never fell in love with it. But we’ll be researching Bushwick some more.

Ridgewood. Yes, Queens! What, did you think I’m some Brooklyn snob? Well, Ridgewood is just over the border (of Bushwick) so that makes it ok. Actually, it’s supposedly a “lovely” area with great old home stock.

Jersey City. There are Hobokeny parts and dumpy parts. Guess what we can afford? NJ might not be the best option for us as far as the higher taxes and cost of commuting while renovating. DIY of course. It’s worth a look though.

Oh, there is a fourth neighborhood: East New York, one of the last Brooklyn neighborhoods to find gentrification. Definitely lots of affordable homes to choose from, but since it’s farther out than Bushwick, it makes sense to try to do Bushwick first. Also, it should be said that the crime levels are still fairly high in East New York. Not that it isn’t worth checking out!

Anyone have some input?

2012 New Year’s Swim

2012 New Year’s Swim published on 4 Comments on 2012 New Year’s Swim

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We did our annual New Year’s Day romp at Coney Island with the Polar Bear Club. It was a record turnout this year, probably because the temperature was in the 50’s. It’s also getting more and more crowded with younger folks every year.

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When I first started photographing the Polar Bear Club and Ice Bears (now Ice Breakers) my parents still lived across the street from the beach. Back then, it was just a few old Russians and some lovable eccentrics. Now, it’s EVERYBODY into the water!

These are the few shots I got before my camera got wet and stopped working. It would have been a great day minus the camera emergency. Happy New Year!

Past polar swims

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An Upcycled Craft Show in Gowanus

An Upcycled Craft Show in Gowanus published on

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This past weekend I participated in Build it Green’s Crafted at the Canal in Gowanus. ‘Twas really nice to take part in a show where all of the goods were made out of recycled materials. Not only that, but it was my first time in BIG’s new Brooklyn location. OMG, it is huge! I’d say that have it only about 30% filled with used building merch as they only moved in about a month ago.

Anyway, back to the craft show, which will be happening again this weekend: Dec. 17th & 18th. 10am-5pm.

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WoodKnot Design is a couple of extremely talented guys who know how to work old wood. It’s obvious the photos depict items made out of antique shutters and doors, but the medicine cabinet above was once an old swing set. Always impressive to hear about the past lives of objects.

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Bespoke Glass Tile gets a percentage of it’s glass through a commercial recycling resources, including Build it Green. They are a green company, right down to their shipping supplies and web host. Ellen and Lesley create beautiful glass tiles for backsplashes and house projects, but I love their gifty tile creations made out of cabinet doors and sewing machine drawers.

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I was severely crushing on these recycled t-shirt pillows by Tura Lura. This talented chick does gaw-geous crocheted and embroidered jewelry too, but she had me at hello with the old shirts. Darth Vader? Awesome. Superman? Who doesn’t want a Superman pillow?

So, y’all should swing by this weekend to support these and many other upcycled vendors (including myself). Need more persuading? Check out what Build it Green has on hand….

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Captain Brooklyn. Our Own Superhero

Captain Brooklyn. Our Own Superhero published on

I didn’t read about New York’s next big superhero in the local newspaper or on the blogs. I heard about it at the dog park. In Brooklyn, of course. Yes, Brooklyn has it’s own superhero now. And he’s not a chiseled, heroic Superman type figure. He’s a sanitation worker from Bay Ridge who winds up with powers after falling into the Gowanus Canal.

Garbageman Vinny’s alter ego will be fighting crime in just about every neighborhood. No cape or any of that goofy stuff. He’s just a superhuman guy who can’t escape trouble any better than the rest of us. Creators Frank Tieri, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Palmiotti’s wife, former “Supergirl” artist Amanda Conner are all Brooklyn natives. They came up with a the idea in a bar.

Check out their interview at Comic Book Resources.

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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Crown Heights North House Tour

Crown Heights North House Tour published on

What’s better than looking at internet house porn? Participating in house porn! Yes, all you house whores, it’s time for the 5th Annual Crown Heights North House Tour!

When? Saturday, October 1. 11am-4pm

Where? The kick off ceremony and breakfast starts at 10:45 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. Brooklyn Avenue and St. John’s Place.

What? A self guided tour of nine homes, one church, one community garden and a nonprofit location.

Tix? $20 in advance, available at Barbara’s Flowers, 615 Nostrand Avenue and Yanatiba,714 Washington Avenue or on-line from Crown Heights North Association. Tickets can be purchased for $25 at door on October 1st.

When Cugines Were the Hipsters of Brooklyn

When Cugines Were the Hipsters of Brooklyn published on 1 Comment on When Cugines Were the Hipsters of Brooklyn

Grabbed this video from a friend’s Facebook link. It’s totally cugine, but I recognized some south Brooklyn places from my childhood.

What’s a cugine, you ask? If you lived in Brooklyn in the 70’s, you know full well. Saturday Night Fever and Jersey Shore types. They were the hipsters of that decade, meaning Brooklyn was crawling with them and people loved to hate them. You couldn’t get away from them.

My Dubliner husband thinks that whole “I hate disco” thing over here was a racist attitude towards blacks because they were mostly creating the music. I say it was a backlash against the cugines. Italian racism? Nah. Maybe the Italians started the ball rolling, but there were cugines of all backgrounds. They were breeding.

Brooklyn has evolved since the 70’s. Cugines still exist deep in the heart of areas like Bensonhurst. Now I look upon them with a smile. They keep it real and they ARE Brooklyn.

Maybe one day in the future, I’ll look back on transplant hipsters with a smile. Ya never know. Stranger things have happened.

The Morning After

The Morning After published on 3 Comments on The Morning After

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Tree down in Bed Stuy.

Hurricane Irene hit parts of the East Coast pretty hard and it caused some damage to the outskirts of the city. At least 21 deaths have been reported as a direct cause of the storm although some were caused by camping and surfing during a hurricane.  Still, for the most part, borough New Yorkers were disappointed in themselves for believing the hype.

Here we all were home on a Saturday night with nowhere to go, tweeting and facebooking about the damn hurricane. “Oh, tornado watch!” What’s with that? We woke up to some leaves on the ground and maybe wet basements, yet the media was still telling us to stay indoors. Urban dwellers called the hurricane boring and lame while everyone else in it’s path was relieved their power was only out for one day.

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On Sunday morning, we went to Coney Island to walk the dogs, thinking it was safer than the park because there are no trees on the beach. Coney was pretty tame. There were plenty of downed trees along the way and many that are now leaning in dangerous positions which will need to be seen to. So be careful out there. I’ll bet there is still some danger.

One thing is for sure, many people on the East Coast put on a few extra pounds this weekend after staying home eating and drinking. Wonder if the shops are taking returns on all the batteries and candles that won’t be needed?

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New York City vs. Lady Irene

New York City vs. Lady Irene published on 1 Comment on New York City vs. Lady Irene

Ready for downed trees in Prospect Park.

After all this fuss, it looks as if Irene will be a tropical storm by the time it hits New York. Not that it’s going to be pleasant. And not that I’m complaining. Still too soon to say, but perhaps people are freaking out over nothing more than wet basements.

The real problem here in the boroughs is that we’ll be without our precious amenities for most of the weekend. This will cause New Yorkers to become cranky, but at least we’ll be stuck in our homes only to take it out on our families and roommates.

Right now it’s raining. Public transit is shut down and many stores are closing shop early today. Outdoor activities have been canceled as well as some indoor events.

In Prospect Park this morning the doggie circle stayed until the rain started because we know our dogs may not have the option to go outside tomorrow. Make sure to give them a nice walk tomorrow morning. Speaking of pets, please do something nice for the strays in your neighborhood!

A Facebook friend posted that he experienced the longest line ever at his local Manhattan bagel shop this morning and the only bagels left were plain. What will New York become without the everything bagel?


Prospect Heights. Yeah, that’s gonna help. Have fun removing that duct tape from your car.

Brokelyn has an ongoing list of what’s opened and closed. You can send updates to them.

Just a last minute list of tips from Reclaimed Home….

If the power goes out, that means ATM’s are down. Get your cash out today as any shops that are open may not have credit card machines.

Got your alcohol? What better excuse than a hurricane to get drunk in the middle of the day?

Got birth control? What better excuse…..

Take in your garbage bins, outdoor plants and other stuff that can fly away.

You may not have to board your windows, but you probably don’t want to leave them wide open.

Move non-water-proof items out of the way on ground floors if flooding can occur. Not only the flood zones. There will be a lot of rain. Expect to get flooded everywhere.

Don’t forget to have extra water around. Fill pots and maybe the tub. If there’s a power outage, the water pumps and water heaters may not work…especially pumps in highrise buildings.

Do a laundry and your dishes today.

Charge your cell phones and laptops. God forbid we should be without Facebook and Twitter for a day!

Matches, candles, batteries, flashlight, blah, blah, blah.

Anything I forgot? What’s going on in your neighborhood? Add it to the comments.

Have fun and stay safe!

Vegetarian Brooklyn: The Grocery

Vegetarian Brooklyn: The Grocery published on

Brooklyn has it’s fair share of vegetarian restaurants, but when it comes to better dining options, the menus tend to be more carnivorous. If we want a nice meal at a place where we can choose from more than one option, we usually head into the city.

Well, that all changed this week. We tried  The Grocery on Smith Street. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are Green Plate Special nights. A four course vegetarian meal for 40 bucks. We ordered one tasting menu (which was actually vegan, not just veg) and shared an appetizer and entree from the menu. We started off with complimentary chilled corn soup and potato croquettes followed by tomato based mango gazpacho, bulgar and cucumber salad, barbeque tofu with succotash and fancy schmancy onion rings and then yummy peach cobbler for dessert. That was just the tasting menu. Our main menu starter was a cold noodle salad and entree of choice was a crispy farro cake minus the bacon.

Now, you know how sometimes you’re blown away by the appetizer at a restaurant and then the main course doesn’t hold up? Not the case here! Every. course. was. perfect. For reals.

When I called for reservations earlier in the day, I spoke to chef Charles who informed me that he and his staff would be happy to accommodate any vegetarian requests I might have. They did as he promised. So, no worries going back there on a weekend when the menu offers more flesh.

The atmosphere is totally laid back and the service impeccable. And I don’t often use words like “impeccable”. In fact, never. Ew, I’m kind of hating myself right now.

Reservations are suggested for indoors, but the garden seating is on a first come basis.

Why Hipsters Suck

Why Hipsters Suck published on 3 Comments on Why Hipsters Suck

*Update: The video has been removed by the user. Guess he realized what an eejit he looked like when he sobered up. You can still view it via the Gawker link below.

I know, I know. The whole hipster hatred thing is old. But they ask for it, they really do! Case in point. This video of their lame subway party. Now, call me an old curmudgeon but if I’m paying my subway fare I just want to get from Point A to Point B without having to put up with this shit. Are you friggin’ kidding me? Go to a bar! Have a house party! Leave us alone!

If I see any of these kids on my A train, I’m gonna kick their skinny jean asses right back to Ohio. But oooh, I WOULD love to see them hop the A train in Bed Stuy and ride it towards Queens. Come on guys, make my day.

Via Gawker

The Hudson Valley Is Not Brooklyn!

The Hudson Valley Is Not Brooklyn! published on 4 Comments on The Hudson Valley Is Not Brooklyn!

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The Times has done it again. Declaring the next big thing ten years after the fact. They’ve written yet another article about how the Hudson Valley and certain towns are super hip right now. The new Brooklyn, of course. I feel the need to weigh in on this since I considered and moved to Beacon after a 2004 article hyping the town.

Let me begin by clarifying that I’m not blaming The Times for my move to Beacon. I was tired of Brooklyn at the time and wanted a better quality of life. I stayed for 6 years so there had to have been something I liked about it.

Instead of picking apart the article, I’ll just fill you in on my take on the situation. My usual kvetchfest about upstate.

Yes, there are wonderful antique shops. They tend to only open up a few days per week.

The galleries lining Main Street are great! Too bad it’s the same artists over and over again.

Some great restaurants opened during the years I was living in the Hudson Valley. I’d guessimate that 3 out of 5 of them closed within a year or two.

I can go on, but you get the point. Those towns upstate are always on the verge of gentrification but they never quite arrive. Nothing wrong with that. I’m no yuppy who wants to live in a totally gentrified area. Crap, that’s the reason I left Park Slope! But I do like to have a choices.

Maybe the hubby and I had a bad attitude while living up there. We were the only ones complaining while all the other newcomers loved it. Since moving back to Brooklyn a year ago, we feel alive again. The restaurants, museums, shows, concerts are all at our fingertips. We can do whatever we want, when we want. That’s something we took for granted prior to moving to greener pastures all those years ago.

So, are Brookynites really moving up there in droves? My real estate broker says that 90% of his home buyers are coming from Brooklyn. That doesn’t mean they are from Brooklyn. They lived here briefly. I met one other native Brooklynite in the 6 years I lived in Beacon. That might explain why my feelings differ from most other folks living up there. If you grew up in the big city, it’s really hard to leave that behind. Eventually, small town living just started to suck the life out of me. People from small towns and suburbs probably feel that way about cities.

So, thinking of moving to the Hudson Valley? If you’ve been a city dweller all your life, my advice would be to keep your options open back home. I’m all about weekend places. It’s nice to get some fresh air and escape the rat race every now and then! In fact, next week we’re renting a place in Red Hook (NOT Brooklyn) so look for more upstate posts.

Thankfully, I’ll be writing them from the prospective of a weekender.

Brooklyn Daily

Brooklyn Daily published on

The local Brooklyn Courier Life newspapers have finally met up with 21st Century and they are now online as “Brooklyn Daily“.

Brooklyn Courier ain’t no NY Times, but it will be a nice addition to The Internets. With such stories as “Man Stabbed in the Face” what’s not to love? The papers break down into different neighborhoods, covering the entirety of the borough, which is nice that old school deep South Brooklyn is celebrated.

I’ve always found their classifieds to be a thing of beauty.

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