I'm not sure Yankee Stadium is the best analogy, though. Fort Greene and Prospect Heights are much more walkable neighborhoods with many more transportation connections than where Yankee Stadium is. Plus YS is boxed in by I-87, parking lots and the elevated train tracks. I think the area around MSG might be a better analogue. Many, many people just come straight in and out of Penn/MSG, but I know that any time I go to an event there, I eat at a restaurant or drink at a bar nearby before or after, and I would generally rather poke my eyeballs out than spend any time in that area. I'm pretty sure businesses in the area will see a bump in sales if the stadium comes to AY.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at November 18, 2009 4:40 PM in response to Streetlevel: Vinnie's Styles Opening New Store on Flatbush

If you want to see this area cleaned up in your lifetime, leave it to developers motivated by profit rather than a cash strapped government agency with no real motivation. Superfund sites take decades upon decades to clean up. It was a great idea, but in practice, motivating the private sector to deal with the abatement and decontamination is much more efficient. I think people underestimate the ability of an engaged and active community to affect any developer's plans. They WILL respond to NIMBYism if it's coordinated and reasonable.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at November 11, 2009 2:31 PM in response to To Superfund or Not To Superfund, That Is The Question

I guess it depends on how cheesy it is. In general, I think the area could use a good sports bar, but a lot of new sports bars feel pretty shiny and sterile, and at this stage in Fulton's transition, it needs a winner. The facade is pretty glassy. Makes me nervous. Then again, if they have really good wings...

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at October 29, 2009 2:41 PM in response to Streetlevel: Sports Bar for Fulton

No, I'm pretty sure he was famous before we even knew about Beyonce. I play an instrument - pretty well, actually - and I still think Jay Z is a musical genius. Some people have music in them and some don't. Seems to me Jay Z's got it, but that's just one man's opinion, I suppose. He may use the modern tools of digital music to craft his song, but I'm not going to hold technology against him.

But mostly he's a business genius.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at September 17, 2009 5:13 PM in response to Jay-Z Slept Here

Jay Z is a musical genius and a genius businessman. Is he more famous than Barbra Streisand? I'm...uh...I...I think... Pass?

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at September 17, 2009 2:23 PM in response to Jay-Z Slept Here

The park has a whole other side to it, on the other side of the memorial, and no games happen there. It's also grass, not potentially carcinogenic little rubber pellets and plastic grass, so probably safer for kids. Obviously the field where they play soccer was astroturfed to deal with heavy use. With another side NOT astroturfed for heavy use, it seems like there really should be enough space for everyone and their various uses, no?

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at August 12, 2009 5:56 PM in response to Closing Bell: (Astro)turf War

I was supposed to go see this place back when it was listed for $475k but the agent stood me up. Really unprofessional even just in trying to set up an appointment with the guy. When I was standing outside waiting for him at the time he proposed, I saw that the exterior is pretty beat up, and the building isn't kept all that well. Not falling down, but definitely not looked after by an active, engaged co-op board. I also spoke to a tennant who laughed at me when I mentioned that I was there to see about buying the unit. There's probably a lot more to the story, but my experience was enough to tell me that I didn't want to bank my savings there.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at August 11, 2009 5:01 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 214 Carlton Avenue, #5

Way to go, B. You just quadrupled this nobody's website traffic with one single post.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at June 17, 2009 9:25 AM in response to Conservative Talk Show Host Beholds Williamsburg

Great news. Nothing wrong with some new options for bars in the area.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at February 10, 2009 2:34 PM in response to Dekalb Avenue "Gastropub" for Fort Greene

Although we do need a good bar in the neighborhood (I love Alibi, but my girlfriend and her friends just won't go there anymore and I've given up the fight), the old Cellars spot is a much better space for it. You might think me unimaginative, but what we really need in the neighborhood is a good butcher shop. Nothing too fancy or high end, just a place where some folks hack up pigs and sides of beef for people to buy and cook. I was excited about Greene Grape Provisions when it opened, and I buy there from time to time, but I need a more affordable alternative for regular patronage.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at September 17, 2008 12:02 PM in response to It's Official: L'Epicerie Est Morte

Has anyone worked with Guaranteed Roofing before? My landlady has got them working on the house I live in right now, but we live in a historic district and yet they don't seem to care about that fact. So far they've just been painting, but we don't have a finalized contract with them and we need some repointing and minor structural work done.

They have proposed using red cement to cover the exterior wall of the parapet, above the cornice that runs around the facade about 3 feet down from the top of the four-story red brick house, and also to install metal brackets to hold up the sagging cornice. I worry about running afoul of the LPC and also just that these guys are a bit shady and my landlady didn't really shop around at all. Anyone have any info or suggestions?

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at August 5, 2008 9:27 AM in response to Roof and brick pointing work--contractor recommendations

I have a question about the flea market I want to ask, but I guess this isn't forum for it? I could have sworn the post was about the flea...

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at July 14, 2008 9:53 AM in response to Closing Bell: Fair Weather Flea?

I can't say this with 100% certainty, but the overhangs (at least in building 1, maybe building 4 as well) look to me like shading mechanisms. A lot of newer green buildings employ this feature to keep direct sunlight from beating down through the windows when it's at its highest point in the sky while still allowing for morning and afternoon light/warmth to enter. Helps to keep spaces cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and reduce HVAC energy demands.

Even though I'm in the biz and will advocate building green until I'm blue in the face, I will admit they are distracting, but I'm not yet sure if it's because I really don't like them or they're just so new. Either way, I'm afraid energy use issues are far more important than aesthetics at this point, so I plan to get used to them right quick. Not saying they've perfected the design here, but I think we should welcome them as a useful and valuable feature for a new building when done right.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at June 20, 2008 10:53 AM in response to The Latest (And Not So Greatest) On Bedford Avenue

Could be right, 1:29. I only saw two floors and the lobby. But I did see another dismal 1-BR in a different building in Ft. Greene (two blocks away from the Griffin, above retail space), and it was also wayyy overpriced. I love Ft. Greene and spend plenty of time in the park, but we saw MUCH nicer recently renovated 1-BR's in gorgeous buildings closer to PROSPECT Park than the Griffin is to Ft. Greene Park, right off Prospect Park West, and they were only about $50-$75K more than the crappy studio we saw in The Griffin, and cheaper than the 1-BR in Ft. Greene. It's just hard for me to fathom the sizable price gap.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at February 12, 2008 1:45 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 101 Lafayette Avenue, #1K

Went to an OH there last weekend. I rent in the neighborhood and had been intrigued by the building, knowing that there were so many units for sale inside, and so was excited to check it out. I was thoroughly disappointed by the building in and of itself, and the studio we saw was a bit of a joke, but the 1-BR up on the 11th floor was awesome.

The building was pretty dingy and unimpressive - ugly drop ceilings and sterile fluorescent lighting in the hallways, and some of the floors reeked of that mix of cigarette smoke and sanitizer. And the studio we saw was nothing special, space-wise, and didn't even have a full refrigerator. It was basically a glorified dorm room.

But the 1-BR we saw was gorgeous, high up with great views, good space, great kitchen, and the light in the bedroom was amazing. I was definitely jealous of the folks who get to wake up in that room on lazy Sundays.

All in all, it has its pros and its cons, and I guess how hot the neighborhood is drives the price up (having lived there for 2 and a half years now I can safely say it's no longer a well kept secret), but I'm not convinced that what you get is worth what people are paying for units in this building, even relative to the crazy NYC real estate market. Keep your wits about you out there, people!

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at February 12, 2008 1:22 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 101 Lafayette Avenue, #1K

All the snarking back and forth about these neighborhoods makes me realize they're just another way for people to accessorize. Thanks to the few people who just gave an honest take on how they see the neighborhoods, without derision.

There are pluses and minuses to both, good people and not so good people in both, and there's always an inherent risk involved with living anywhere in New York. Neither place is Compton, but neither place is Walla Walla. Figure out your price range. Figure out how you would get from each neighborhood to all the places you need to go. Go visit each neighborhood a time or two for a good couple hours, talk to a few people, look around and see if you like what you see and hear and if you feel comfortable. Then make your decision. And then ignore anyone who would tell you what kind of person you must be for picking your new neighborhood.

Posted by: GoGoMrPoPo at February 6, 2008 10:20 AM in response to clinton hill/park slope