also the Park Grille in Wburg/Greenpoint for a spa (corner store) in Southie. That had me chuckling. Haven't been to Southie in years, but feel confident the hipsters would all still get their a**es kicked if they tried strolling around there.

Posted by: Desi at November 17, 2008 5:23 PM in response to Brooklyn Is the New Hollywood

John Goodman

Posted by: Desi at September 22, 2008 4:16 PM in response to Closing Bell: Atlantic Yards...On Stage?

Biff: Real estate and development. Major Hasidic landlord action in Brooklyn and we assume the other boroughs except S.I. Soon to increase, I expect, since they're the only ones with access to credit at the moment.

Posted by: Desi at September 17, 2008 12:46 PM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

I don't know, folks. It's a lot of noise. Generally starts at 7 in the morning, and if they do illegal work on Sat/Sun or there's a variance, you're screwed. It's a pretty big nightmare. Tons of dust, plus unknown effects on your own building -- worst case scenario things like undermining the foundation. Lots of rats. I think all of the above posts are putting too cheery a face on it.

I wouldn't do it.

Posted by: Desi at July 30, 2008 4:08 PM in response to Living next door to a construction site

You have no recourse. This happened to my buddy. He was able to torment the developer for about a year and delay construction (basically through demanding an audit via the DOB; the developer/contractor was a shoddy outfit out of Queens) but he ultimately lost his windows. He moved.

If you're thinking of buying, your only recourse is to buy the parking lot as well, which probably isn't feasible. I'd advise against it. Zoning is fairly meaningless, since zoning can change (again, what happened to my friend).

Posted by: Desi at July 30, 2008 4:02 PM in response to question about lot-line windows

All right guys. It may not be your cup of tea, but why all the glee? As someone said above, this thread is pure knee-jerk classism. I'm sure the owners are very proud of it -- you don't like it, don't buy it. Why do you have to take the piss out of someone else's taste?

Yes, I immediately thought "mawble columns... sturdy, elegant, and bursting with class," but why all the self-congratulation on this thread? Insecurity, maybe? Anxiety about your own class status?

Posted by: Desi at July 30, 2008 3:12 PM in response to Dyker Heights 'Mansion': Yours for $2 Mil

I've walked by that building many a time -- it's actually in Fort Greene, on South Cumberland Street, although I'm told "Fort Greene" only became a designation in the late 70s/early 80s because of the drug problem in the neighborhood and around the park -- Clinton Hill wanted to disassociate itself. Interesting, therefore, that FG gentrified more rapidly, but I digress.

Moore stuck it out until 1972, I believe, and I've often wondered about the changes she must have seen in the neighborhood in the preceding decade. It's now predominantly Section 8 housing, on an increasingly gentrified block -- right night door to "The Sanctuary" -- or whatever that development's called, the converted church.

Posted by: Desi at July 29, 2008 6:43 PM in response to Tuesday Links

Requirement that cops and firemen live in the city was lifted in the early/mid 60s, but a lot of them had bailed to NJ and Rockland County, S.I., L.I., before that, and just kept it on the dl.

I think they park that way so that they won't have to commandeer as many spots -- if they all parked bumper to fender, think of how many spaces they'd have to take up. So that's one way of looking at it.

I don't have a big beef with cops. I've seen many more rookies sweating their you-knows off, walking around Clinton Hill, since the publicity about the marauding at-risk youth, and I say, right on.

Pile-driving is deeply quality-of-life disturbing. Got a friend in that area whose wife is preggo and she's having a hell of a time sleeping. Condolences.

Posted by: Desi at July 29, 2008 6:34 PM in response to Things That Go Bump in the Footprint

I dunno. It's kind of boring, you ask me. Oh well.

Posted by: Desi at July 15, 2008 7:37 PM in response to User Registration

With regard to the roving packs of disadvantaged youth, foot traffic from la policia has increased 100 percent lately in my neck of CH. I'm a few blocks from Pratt, and it's a non-stop parade of rookies, day in and day out. Saw a guy get a ticket for riding his bike on the sidewalk the other day, so they're making it pay somehow.

For that kind of bank, I'd prefer Clinton Ave, frankly.

Posted by: Desi at July 15, 2008 2:41 PM in response to House of the Day: 219 Washington Avenue