Left Hook's Profile
Author's Posts
July 24, 2008
Quartersawn red or white oak flooring
Does anyone know where I can buy quartersawn red or white oak flooring in Brooklyn?
February 26, 2008
Smoke coming from the John Jay School in Park Slope
I was in Prospect Park this weekend choking on fumes and smoke spewing out of the chimney of the John Jay School of Justice on 7th Ave in Park Slope. I was running and had to stop because the smell was so noxious. At first I thought it was a fire and started walking toward the smoke. But as I got closer I saw that it was coming out of the smoke stack from the school. I asked someone on the street about it and they said it happens all the time. Anyone know what all the smoke is about?
December 13, 2007
Front door shakes the house
When ever someone slams the front door the adjacent wall, which runs perpendicular to the door, shakes along with everything that is in contact with it. Is there anything that I can do to reinforce the frame of the front entry to prevent this from happening? Or perhaps decoupling the door frame from the wall would be a better idea. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Author's Comments
EDC's main argument for bringing phoenix bev to red hook is that it will reduce the carbon footprint since phoenix will otherwise be trucking the beer in from new jersey. so in order to reduce the carbon foot print in the city red hook is taking the hit. I think it is more than fair for the community to ask the EDC to find ways to keep red hook carbon neutral. i.e. if red hook gets more trucks, then they should be cold ironing the cruise ships. or the EDC should demand that the phoenix truck fleet run on compressed natural gas.
bxgirl, your condescending comment, that "maybe the community could put more energy into how to improve that rather than fighting business coming in," got my panties in a bunch too. you really have know idea what the red hook community is trying to do, so don't be surprised when people from the community get annoyed by these kinds of comments. particularly when they are the ones taking the hit so the rest of the city can become greener and cleaner.
Posted by: Left Hook at July 7, 2009 12:58 AM in response to EDC Talks Latest Red Hook Waterfront Plans
Left Hook wrote a review about Mazzola's Bakery on July 7, 2009 12:25 AM
Tuscan bread is great.
If you build a park the skateboarders will come.
Posted by: Left Hook at May 11, 2009 12:16 PM in response to Shredders Coming to Squibb?
I'm looking for one too. So far, I only have one quote for $500 from the guy in Cobble Hill on Bergen between Smith and Court. I thought this was a way too expensive so am still looking.
Posted by: Left Hook at May 4, 2009 11:50 AM in response to welder for vent
And this is one of about 10 community gardens in the Columbia Street Waterfront District.
Posted by: Left Hook at May 1, 2009 10:18 PM in response to Community Garden Spotlight: Summit Street Garden
You have to get there pretty early if you want a good seat. And if you don't get a good seat all you hear are the subways going over the manhattan bridge.
Posted by: Left Hook at April 29, 2009 3:09 PM in response to Brooklyn Bridge Park Movie Schedule Announced
Left Hook wrote a review about Eton on April 29, 2009 3:02 PM
Eton is a super nice guy and the dumplings are really good. The ices are great too on a hot day but I find them to be a way too expensive for shaved ice and syrup.
Joe Sitt/ Thor equities has been nothing but a big pain for this city and Brooklyn in particular. If Sitt had his way the borough would be stripped of all its charm and turned into a big mall. I just hope the city doesn't throw him some bone involving his Red Hook sight that has been sitting vacant since he bought it over 3 years ago.
Posted by: Left Hook at April 14, 2009 12:00 AM in response to Cozy in Coney: Sitt and Recchia
What do you know. Red Hook vendors in Coney Island on weekends. How appropriate. Wonder how much Ikea had to do with getting them out of the neighborhood?
Posted by: Left Hook at April 8, 2009 2:06 PM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
I would love it if the broker of the Clinton Hill house would show us how you can "Live for Free." By my calculations you would be paying a minimum of $4500/month to live in the owner's duplex.
Posted by: Left Hook at April 3, 2009 1:46 PM in response to Open House Picks
here's the carroll gardens place.
http://dandreacraigrealty.com/town2.php?vari=T030
Posted by: Left Hook at April 3, 2009 1:33 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later
Not only has Ikea passed over the Red Hook bus company but most of the employees they hired from the Red Hook housing projects have been let go. Yeah, what a boon Ikea has been to Red Hook!
Posted by: Left Hook at March 24, 2009 10:34 AM in response to Tuesday Links
If it is more of a dent than a divot you can steam it out using an iron. Do a google search for more detail on the process.
Posted by: Left Hook at March 23, 2009 10:04 PM in response to Scratches on Bamboo Floor
It may not be a fire code violation but you will be pumping lots of warm humid air into your apartment, which in the winter may not be so bad, but in the summer it will be awful and could lead to mold problems. The value diminution should be what ever it costs to solve this problem. And I imagine this is not something that can be solved easily and elegantly otherwise they would have done it. I bet it will be expensive to fix correctly.
Posted by: Left Hook at February 11, 2009 8:06 PM in response to Dryer Venting Outside
Left Hook wrote a review about Petite Crevette on February 9, 2009 5:56 PM
I'm with combustiblegirl on this one. It is Korhogo, formerly Bouillabaisse, that Neil left. He is very much still a part of PC. This is one of my favorite places Bococa.
I have some scrap pieces of granite. They're yours if you can get them out of my basement.
Posted by: Left Hook at February 5, 2009 10:33 AM in response to granite countertop scraps: where
We are in the same situation and it kills me that we could go from paying 7% to 3% if we switched over to the variable rate HELOC from our current fixed rate HELOC. However, we decided in the end that it is just too much of a risk in these chaotic economic times. Right now the government is doing whatever it takes to solve the economic crisis, inflation be damned. Once it has the crisis under better control they will worry about inflation and when they start worrying about inflation they will raise rates again and we don't want to be stuck in a variable rate when that happens. Who knows how long this will all take and we could be saving thousands of dollars a year in the mean time, but seems too big a risk for us.
Posted by: Left Hook at February 2, 2009 3:28 PM in response to fixed vs variable rate question
“That involvement includes protesting buildings that are out of context—after resisting landmarking efforts for years. What else?"
There are the old school property owners who have always resisted landmarking because they believed that they can sell their property for more if they are not landmarked. Then there are the newer property owners who have arrived in the past 20 years who care much more about keeping the unique character of the neighborhood in tact. There are similar tensions in all Brooklyn neighborhoods. Why does this warrant a snarky comment Brownstoner?
Posted by: Left Hook at January 26, 2009 11:52 AM in response to Carroll Gardens: Old School Amid the Changes
I find it hard to believe that you read these articles and you still don't believe that their imported beers will be shipped directly into the container port. In fact, it will be written into the contract with the city that Phoenix beverage must ship all of their imported beer into this port.
It is also mentioned in both articles that the EDC has faced staunch opposition from members of the Red Hook community.
My only interest in this is as a resident of Brooklyn. I do not live in Red Hook, but am fond of Red Hook and would like to see it move more in the direction of a mix use area. I believe that Phoenix Beverages is another push towards the industrial in Red Hook. And although the move does reduce the overall carbon footprint by relieving the roads of the truck trips from Port Elizabeth to the their current warehouse in LIC it also will flood Brooklyn highways and streets with hundreds of more delivery trucks.
Posted by: Left Hook at January 7, 2009 11:25 PM in response to Rejuggling of Plans for Red Hook Waterfront
Benson,
Perhaps you should do a little research on this before you say things about which you might later feel silly.
Here are a couple of articles to start you off. Not the best reporting but a fairly accurate representation of the CB6 meeting and what led up to it.
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/48/31_48_mm_pier_11.html
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/1/32_1_mm_piers.html
Posted by: Left Hook at January 7, 2009 9:24 PM in response to Rejuggling of Plans for Red Hook Waterfront
Actually, Phoenix beverage does need to be located there. 90% of Phoenix Bev's business is imported beer which comes over on cargo ships and will be offloaded right into their warehouse in Red Hook. They currently offload in Jersey which is why Make My Height P Heights correctly notes that the real boon to New York is the removal of thousands of truck trips.
Also, The City is not shrewdly allowing anything. It is the very powerful longshoreman's union the put the kibosh on the cities previous plans to get rid of American Stevedoring and i'm sure it is the same powerful faction that has brought in more longshoreman jobs by bringing in Phoenix Beverage.
However, something that Brownstoner did not report on is that the Red Hook community is very much against the city bringing in Phoenix Beverage, because they are afraid that their streets will be littered with even more trucks. They think they have already taken on enough new pollution with the cruise ships and Ikea buses and traffic. Also, Tom Fox, owner of the Water Taxi, who wants to move his fleet to the Atlantic Basin, and who has been a part of the Red Hook community for many years has put forth a much more community friendly proposal that the city turned down. FYI, Tom Foxes workers are not union.
Posted by: Left Hook at January 7, 2009 4:58 PM in response to Rejuggling of Plans for Red Hook Waterfront
Left Hook wrote a review about Hibino on January 7, 2009 12:44 PM
I was tempted to not review this and try to keep it a secret but word will get out eventually. Hibino ranks up there with the best sushi restaurants in the city. I am floored everytime I go to Hibino by how fresh the fish is and the cooked food is always delicious as well. Everyone who works here is Japanese including the wait staff who do not speak perfect english, and perhaps require further refinement in their waiting skills, but they are always friendly.
The landlord got too greedy so Allan Harding decided to move shop.
Posted by: Left Hook at January 7, 2009 11:55 AM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
It's a great neighborhood. Not sure about the rents, but they are not that cheap.
Posted by: Left Hook at December 18, 2008 3:21 PM in response to Columbia Street and Woodhull Street
have you actually seen the crack with a video camera because roots in your sewer pipe do not necessarily mean you have a crack. the roots most likely get in through the connecting seams in the pipes which will eventually fail but that could be 10 years from now.
Posted by: Left Hook at December 8, 2008 5:42 PM in response to Cracked sewer pipe
For that matter, how in earth did they pay $835K for that place in 2006. Even if it was a shell it would have gone for more in 2006.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 25, 2008 11:48 AM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales
MP,
Yes, its interesting, and talks about some serious problems, but unfortunately the author strikes such an arrogant and patronizing tone, as if green building were as simple as building blocks and most engineers and architects deserved to be treated like kindergartners. The reality is that building green is complicated and there are few simple answers.
Just to briefly touch on one of his first points, he says, "You want to save serious energy and serious money? Easy, use less glass."
Sounds simple enough and fairly easy to back up with R-value calculations. But there are all sorts of real world variables that should be considered which he never mentions. Is his hypothetical building is in a cold or a warm climate? Or what part of the world and how many hours of sunlight there is, and what direction the sunlight is coming from in the summer and winter, which are all important considerations when deciding how many windows to have, and where they should be placed. He never talks about the health benefits of having more sunlight in the building or that you will also save quite a bit of energy from not having to turn on your lights during the day time.
Building green is a complicated subject and the deserves to be treated as such. Here's a another excerpt from his paper, "If you don’t build stupid materials into the building, don’t do stupid things in the building and don’t connect the interior to exterior via the parking garage, 62 works very well." I'm sorry, I just don't find this to be effective writing or an effective way to convince your reader.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 24, 2008 11:50 PM in response to Great article on Green Building
From what you said on your previous post, the radiant heat had not even been turned on when you were getting the high gas bills so it seems like the problem is independent of the boiler being hooked up to the radiant heat.
However if you are about to spend more money on your system I would call a radiant heat specialist like radiantec.com or any number of other companies. I have used radiantec myself and they are super nice and happy to answer any questions you have before you ever spend a dime with them.
FYI, I don't think you can use a tankless water system with radiant heating.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 24, 2008 6:38 PM in response to Condensing Boilers: Educate Me
No one would deny that green building is in its infancy and there is still a lot to learn and mistakes to be made but this article has so many flaws I wouldn't even know where to begin.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 24, 2008 6:16 PM in response to Great article on Green Building
You don't have to guess about the property tax. Just look it up on property shark. It is $7136 this year and will be $7858 next year.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 17, 2008 7:30 PM in response to HOTD: 306 Washington Avenue, Two Price Cuts Later
Something else that a lot of you are not factoring or are underestimating is the tax which is currently over $7000 a year (or $600/month) and will be going up to nearly $8000 next year. The city treats 4 family very differently than they do 3 or 2 families. And with the city strapped for cash you can bet that they will try to up the tax on 4 families again like they tried to do 4 years ago.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 17, 2008 5:56 PM in response to HOTD: 306 Washington Avenue, Two Price Cuts Later
Sitt still picks up a pretty profit from the sale of Coney Island site. We can only hope that he will come to his senses and give up the Red Hook site as well to a developer with a little more vision.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 17, 2008 10:31 AM in response to Thor May Sell Astroland After All
A finished ceiling is not required by code for a single family, although it will give you that extra bit of time you might need in case of a fire and is a smart thing to do.
It is required for a three family though.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 12, 2008 5:09 PM in response to Code reqs. for finished ceiling required over furnace area?
Usually an "open system" is one where the water that is used for heating is interchangeable with the potable water in the house. This is the most efficient heating/hot water system, however an "open system" is not to code in NYC. What your plumber is talking about is an "open vent system" on your current boiler as opposed to a using stainless steel modulating gas fired condenser. But this is expensive and I don't think you have to pony up for that right now.
You mentioned that you have set your indirect water heater to 125. However, what is your boiler temperature set to? In order for your boiler to heat the water in your indirect hot water tank it should be set to at least 180. If it is set much lower than this your boiler will short cycle causing high gas bills and high electric bills since your pump will be on all the time.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 11, 2008 5:28 PM in response to Sorry, Denton, Master Plvmber Still Smells A Rat
One more thought. The thermostat that is on your indirect water heater should have a high/low temperature range, i.e. if you set it at 130 degrees and give it a 25 degree range, your water heater should not call for heat unless it drops below 105 degrees. This will prevent your furnace from firing up all the time and an inefficient system.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 10, 2008 11:09 PM in response to Denton Was Right!
Yes, radiant heat will be more efficient with a more efficient boiler, but it should still be at least as efficient as when you had radiators hooked up. I don't think there is anything wrong with doing things one step at a time and getting a more efficient boiler when you have the money. The best radiant heat boilers are very expensive. Do you have a mixer on your system so that the water running through the tubes stays below 120 degrees?
Posted by: Left Hook at November 10, 2008 10:21 PM in response to Denton Was Right!
I might be interested. How can I contact you.
Posted by: Left Hook at November 4, 2008 10:05 AM in response to Sourcing Ipe Decking
Corcoran has the St James place listed on their map on the corner of St. James and Greene. It is actually just off of Atlantic Ave, which I would not classify as a great location.
Posted by: Left Hook at October 31, 2008 2:10 PM in response to Open House Picks
Holy crap, I just read the Brooklyn Eagle Story. He's planning 20 more of these atrocities.
"Vitale, who has built more than 100 apartments and plans 20 more similar carriage house-style homes, also believes they offer great spaces for artists with their 16-foot ceilings, large rooms and large windows."
Posted by: Left Hook at October 30, 2008 11:05 AM in response to "Tuscan" Townhouses Coming to Red Hook
Can't we get a builder with just a modicum of taste to come to Red Hook?
Posted by: Left Hook at October 30, 2008 9:52 AM in response to "Tuscan" Townhouses Coming to Red Hook
Brownstoner, you suck. I can't believe you are actually trying to insight catty neighborhood wars. Do you actually miss the days of anonymous postings?
Posted by: Left Hook at October 29, 2008 5:51 PM in response to Quote of the Day
Seriously - at 1800 sq. ft. that Carroll Gardens house went for $1000 per sq. ft!
Posted by: Left Hook at October 29, 2008 11:31 AM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales
Left Hook wrote a review about Luz on October 29, 2008 11:04 AM
I went here the other day after reading all the great reviews here and I was disappointed.
Left Hook wrote a review about The Good Fork on October 29, 2008 10:33 AM
I love love love The Good Fork. I have never had a bad experience here. A great restaurant run by great people. The food is always top notch and as creative as the design of the restaurant. I love the cool curvy wood ceiling and the sliding door to the bathroom that works with a wine bottle counter weight.
Left Hook wrote a review about DUB Pies on October 24, 2008 4:53 PM
I really like Dub pies but I don't get them very often 'cause they just are not a good value. I used to buy jamaican meat patties on Flatbush for $2 a pop. Or for the same price as one Dub pie I can get two great slices of Pizza around the corner. I think these pies would be flying off the shelf if they were half the price but perhaps even if they doubled their business at half the price it just wouldn't work. Or make the pies larger so that one is enough for dinner. I dunno, maybe I just don't understand the cost of rent and ingredients these days.
I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it belongs to ASI since they have working piers there, the plot is often filled with shipping containers and their trucks need to run back and forth along that access road to unload the ships. But I would be happy to find out that I am wrong.
Posted by: Left Hook at October 20, 2008 6:33 PM in response to The Brooklyn Greenway Has Arrived
Yes, perhaps it is not done, but if you are waiting for the cyclone fence to come down, or to see the trees on the other side of it you will be waiting at least 10 years because that it when American Steveadoring's lease is up next.
Posted by: Left Hook at October 20, 2008 5:19 PM in response to The Brooklyn Greenway Has Arrived
I agree with oldtre10. It is nice to have anything at all, but seems like the city did as little as they could possibly do while still call it a greenway. Couldn't they do something about that cyclone fencing for example? At least try to hide it a bit.
Posted by: Left Hook at October 20, 2008 10:57 AM in response to The Brooklyn Greenway Has Arrived
As someone who grew up in Kips Bay Towers, which is located kitty corner from the Bellevue homeless shelter, I can say that the shelter had little impact on the neighborhood, at least that I ever noticed. Crime was not an issue and there are plenty of kids who live in the neighborhood, so clearly people do not consider the neighborhood unsafe. In fact, as a kid I used to walk past the homeless shelter everyday on my way to school. I suppose every now and then i might have seen someone muttering to themselves, but where in NYC don't you see that? And it didn't seem to have a big impact on property values either. The point is that residents of a neighborhood can peacefully coexist with a homeless shelter and a shelter in the neighborhood does not spell doom and gloom.
Posted by: Left Hook at October 16, 2008 7:18 PM in response to Quote of the Day
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
Well I have radiant heating systems in several parts of my house. I live in Park City, Utah so we're no strangers to snow and cold weather. I honestly could not imagine NOT having radiant heating on those floors. It's so warm and convenient, it gives your house a "homey" feel and I absolutely love it. The Web site I went to to read more about it was www.heatizon.com . If you call the number they can give you a free estimate. Good luck!
Posted by: sirrinem at June 3, 2009 12:23 PM in response to Anyone done radiant heat?
Thanks a lot for sharing your views and experience on Aquadept, A Very Good Water Filter.I am trying to cut down on water bottles which are not reusable.Thanks for the review.
Posted by: Abner at June 6, 2009 4:12 AM in response to A very good water filter.
Thanks a lot for sharing your views and experience on Aquadept, A Very Good Water Filter.I am trying to cut down on water bottles which are not reusable.Thanks for the review.
Posted by: Abner at June 6, 2009 4:14 AM in response to A very good water filter.
This is why I don't understand DUMBO, but I assume everyone there just never opens their windows.
And I agree, those blocks by the BQE are tempting, because they are cheap... but then again, there is also cheap stuff off Fulton near Nostrand in Bed Stuy, and that seems like a far, far better location.
Posted by: Heather at July 17, 2009 6:05 PM in response to Enviromental Impact of BQE?
As I've posted before, I lived a half block down from the BQE in Carroll Gardens, and got the black soot on the windowsills every week. Greasy and impossible to wash off. Noise also too loud in summer with windows open.
It's got to be at least the equivalent of smoking a pack a day.
Particles in the air are associated with premature death by heart attack. I wouldn't go near the place again.
Posted by: mopar at July 17, 2009 11:09 PM in response to Enviromental Impact of BQE?
Or well maybe three cigs a day. Anyway, you get the picture.
Posted by: mopar at July 17, 2009 11:10 PM in response to Enviromental Impact of BQE?
An amendment to my post from July: although I didn't like living near the BQE personally, I know plenty of people who have absolutely no problem with it. So go for it! There are lots of folks happily and healthfully living on the many blocks near the BQE.
Posted by: rabbit at November 17, 2009 2:25 PM in response to Enviromental Impact of BQE?
Doesn't seem to be much of a problem for all the multimillion dollar brownstones in Brooklyn Heights that sit right over the BQE.
Posted by: Left Hook at July 17, 2009 4:31 PM in response to Enviromental Impact of BQE?