From BrownHarrisStevens-

"...in the very special neighborhood of Crown Heights..."

Is that like short-bus special?? No, your neighborhood isn't sucky, it's just... uh... 'special'.

(i actually like CH, but still. terrible phrasing.)

Posted by: bfarwell at November 15, 2009 8:03 AM in response to Open House Picks

wow- I'm all for tenants rights and property is theft and whatever else, but the LL seems 110% in the clear on this one. The tenant wanted the shower, they knew how long it was going to take, they were okay with it...

...and then they started bitching afterwards? Sure, they can ask for free money, but I'd say no, and I probably wouldn't renew their lease at renewal time. Or at least jack their rent.

Posted by: bfarwell at November 2, 2009 7:11 PM in response to Tenant Compensation?

"you have to wonder the thought process of these folks that they didn't get this worked out within 24 hours"

Oh, c'mon. You call your landlord, you leave a message, you don't hear back, you call again, you don't hear back, you call again, that's already three days right there. What, do you call the police fifteen minutes after your heat goes out?

It's also difficult to get stuff done when you're working all day- when am I going to call people and spend time on the phone trying to navigate the system? During a 1/2 hour lunchbreak? On whose phone?

Posted by: bfarwell at November 1, 2009 10:25 PM in response to Waterless in Bed Stuy

rob, who are you talking to?

Posted by: bfarwell at November 1, 2009 10:10 PM in response to Public School Victorian Flatbush

Recessed lighting, hunh? You sure you wouldn't prefer track lights? To go with your granite countertops and stainless steel appliances?

mmmm... taste-y....

Posted by: bfarwell at October 29, 2009 11:55 PM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

Waaaaait, you mean the DOB permitting process doesn't have a box where you indicate the aesthetic quality of your building?? Perhaps ranking from "Fedders" to "HOTD"?

Posted by: bfarwell at October 26, 2009 8:26 AM in response to Development Watch: 112 Underhill Avenue

"but where do you think the name Duane Reede came from?"

Not sure about that one... Now Duane Reade, on the other hand, was named for it's location at Duane and Reade... ;)

Posted by: bfarwell at October 7, 2009 11:30 PM in response to The Slope's Most Cursed Corner?

Might be a stretch, but could it be a temporary "keeping the construction dust and crap out of your apartment" kinda wall- the equivalent of taping up plastic sheeting??

Otherwise sounds fairly ridiculous, in a "Uh, yeah, it's a two-family. Sure it is." sort of way.

Posted by: bfarwell at October 3, 2009 5:52 PM in response to Sketchy Wall

Wait, how is double-parked cars the fault of bikes? They're in your car's way? So get the traffic-violating double parkers out of the road, already, and stop hassling the bikes.

Posted by: bfarwell at October 3, 2009 5:31 PM in response to Prospect Park West to Get Bike Lane

Love bike lanes, bike all time (or did until 3 months ago, when the kid showed up) but two-way bike lanes on a one-way street make me a little annoyed... last thing I need is more bikers thinking that biking against traffic is cool.

(Though getting them off the sidewalk is great.)

Posted by: bfarwell at October 3, 2009 5:28 PM in response to Prospect Park West to Get Bike Lane

Wow. That building is hillarious. I love how it gets shorter and shorter as you go up. You just made my day.

Posted by: bfarwell at October 3, 2009 5:23 PM in response to The Venetian Unveiled

Crown Heights seems both nice and reasonably-priced... I'm surprised it's not gone already. (the photos are kind of amusing- They must have brought those chairs with them for the shoot)

Posted by: bfarwell at October 3, 2009 5:19 PM in response to Open House Picks

rob-

Not all hipsters are trustafarians. Trying to find a cheap place to live where you can also make work is not 'scamming'. How many 20yos (or any other age group) research their landlord's history, when they're just psyched to find any place at all?

I know plenty of struggling artists out there living wherever they can, even in their cool clothes. And yes, finding yourself suddenly kicked to the curb is a disaster. Don't be a jackass.

Posted by: bfarwell at September 26, 2009 6:15 PM in response to DOB Shuts Down Sweater Factory

(and yes, if you buy my building and then improve it a bunch and tell me my rent is going up, I'll be pissed. I wasn't asked if I wanted [insert whatever here], it was done and my rent was raised. how is my being pissed difficult to understand??)

Posted by: bfarwell at September 14, 2009 11:59 PM in response to Intercom Problem/Safety

God, these f*cking poor people. If they're not a bunch of riff-raff deserving to be hassled, they're a bunch of jerks who should leave the city and move to somewhere far away, and then, I guess, commute back to serve me coffee in my exclusively fancy-people neighborhood.

They make me sick, living in their cramped quarters out of some twisted desire to live in tiny apartments. Why don't they get bigger apartments? What's wrong with them? And why do they want to stay in this neighborhood they've lived in for decades? It's a nicer neighborhood now, they should get out and let more starbucks patrons in. I mean, what says community and neighborhood more than a bunch of people who just moved here from somewhere else drinking lattes? I know I certainly didn't start rent regulation for any particular reason, and gave landlords no benefits. It was just a whim on the part of the city and I! And god, if we had known it would encourage people to live in apartments, we would never, ever, have done it.

wtf is wrong with you people? you're not usually such assholes.

Let's take a tiny moment to consider than this person isn't just being an asshole for fun. I've lived in some buildings where people were either a) paranoid about everything, b) old and not entirely all there, c) of uncertain language ability, or d) Are sick of being harassed by landlords who are trying to get them out. Any of these things could be part of the reason they won't let the landlord in. And, as noted, the landlord can (maybe it isn't easy, maybe it isn't pretty) do a workaround to wire the intercoms differently if this is such a big deal. So maybe you should all back the hell off.

Posted by: bfarwell at September 14, 2009 11:56 PM in response to Intercom Problem/Safety

davide5- I think the issue is that it feels arrogant and jackass-y, whether it's their legal right or not. It's _lame_, even if it's well within their rights.

It's also an example of the school taking an antagonistic position toward the neighborhood, which also causes a negative reaction, even if it's completely legal.

Sure, they have the right to cut off access. It's just a jerky, us-vs-them kinda action, and seems to be (whether or not this is their thinking) coddling the students and implying that they need to be kept in a cage for their own protection.

I went to a school that had a really antagonistic relationship with the city around it, and an excess of security/gates/checkpoints/etc. I thought it was bullshit then, and i think it's bullshit now.

Posted by: bfarwell at September 11, 2009 11:10 PM in response to Pratt: Not In Our Front Yard

and, fwiw, this jagoff could have double-parked next to the existing cars, leaving enough of a space that passing vehicles would have grazed the striped area, but not actually hit the bike lane.

Posted by: bfarwell at September 9, 2009 10:12 PM in response to Possible Perils of the Sands Street Bike Path

pig: Sorry, where are those statistics from? Did you have to stand up to pull them out?

And I suppose bikers don't pay taxes, then? And that the decreased traffic doesn't help keep the cars flowing on the bridges, the subway cars a bit less crowded, your air cleaner, etc. No common good, clearly.

sigh.

As a near-daily rider (in all types of weather, ML, thanks- it's not that bad, really. If you got out of your taxi you might notice that pedestrians also travel year-round, without a metal and glass bubble to protect them) I can say that I bike sensibly, follow rules, and am nearly involved in a collision at least three or four times a month.

Because some car didn't signal. Because they're parked in my lane. Because a pedestrian steps out into the lane talking on the phone and not paying attention. Because nobody ever looks before they pull out/over/through. Or somebody throws a cigarette/hawks a loogie/tosses their drink out the window and nails me. Because they just can't be bothered to pay attention.

All these bike lanes that are 'bad'... how so? Did NYC eminent-domain a bunch of townhouses to build them? Did they cut off waterfront access? Did they remove a bunch of sidewalks or subway stops to make new bike lanes?

Oh, right, they took out some parking. Or a lane of traffic. Or caused you to need to look wtf you were going before you stepped into the street which is somehow a new thing for you.

Hold on, let me find the hanky... hunh. must have left it on the bumper of the minivan that was running me off the road the other day.

Yes, there are asshole bikers. And they have probably killed someone, somewhere, at some point. But most bikers are just normal commuters. And we need all the lanes we can get.

Posted by: bfarwell at September 9, 2009 10:11 PM in response to Possible Perils of the Sands Street Bike Path

Seriously. Must we all have crown molding and wooden shutters and just use our yards as a staging ground for our clever repartee at dinner parties? What is wrong with chickens or tomatoes or strawberries or bees or whatever?

did i miss the memo about 'haters tuesday'?

ps- zebras make some freaky noises.

Posted by: bfarwell at August 25, 2009 7:24 PM in response to Streetlevel: Traif Bike Gesheft

re lawyers in suits- I wore a suit (I had a more 'real' job back then) and carried a big ol' camera around my neck going home at night (late at night) to atlantic and nostrand whenever that was (2001? 2000?) and it was no more or less dangerous-feeling than it is now. Sometimes you get shit for looking weird, sometimes you don't.

Admittedly, it is only a couple blocks from the subway, but still. Plenty of opportunity for razzing, and I only even got _verbally_ harassed once or twice a year.

Posted by: bfarwell at August 24, 2009 11:00 PM in response to Bed-Stuy: 'Experiencing a Little Bit of a Depression'?

hey dibs- My wife's a young professional (architect) and I'm a vaguely-employed freelancer artist person. Therefore, though neither of us are much of a fit with the typical yuppie image, I must admit that half our couple does fit the literal yup acronym.

though at 33, we're probably pushing the Y end of it. Mauppies, here we come.

(and I bet one could find a $800 2br... and it would be either a fluke or a shithole. we overpay ($1700) for a really pleasing 2br with a nice landlord right upstairs... but i had a $700 2br on atlantic avenue oh these many (8?) years ago, and it would still be a ripoff at that price today. worst place I've ever lived.)

Posted by: bfarwell at August 24, 2009 10:51 PM in response to Bed-Stuy: 'Experiencing a Little Bit of a Depression'?

I just stood on a $100,000 chair recently trying to reach something. It was an ugly-ass chair. Expensive and 'finer things in life' do not always align.

(the chandelier above the chair, however, which had a clock face built into the round base so you could look up and see what time it was, was superfine. I'd trade them at *least* four of the chairs for that chandelier.)

Posted by: bfarwell at August 24, 2009 9:41 PM in response to Bed-Stuy: 'Experiencing a Little Bit of a Depression'?

ps- we're a half-yuppie couple with a baby. sorry. ;)

Posted by: bfarwell at August 24, 2009 9:32 PM in response to Bed-Stuy: 'Experiencing a Little Bit of a Depression'?

I, for one, would be psyched if the prices drop; my landlord bought our very nice building five or six years ago for $350k, we totally love the neighborhood (okay, okay, we're right over the border to crown heights, but darn close) and it would take some drastic reductions (like back to $350k for a decent work-in-progress brownstone) for us to ever buy here.

(I also see some POS buildings priced like it's 2007. It seems like almost everything is priced 25% over reasonable)

Posted by: bfarwell at August 24, 2009 9:31 PM in response to Bed-Stuy: 'Experiencing a Little Bit of a Depression'?

bklove-
a) I suspect they're funded by different parts of the city.
b) bike lanes benefit everybody, both hipster bikers and those of us who bike because it's cheaper than the subway or a car, ie some of the same folks who live in the farragut houses.

Posted by: bfarwell at August 11, 2009 8:39 AM in response to Closing Bell: Sands Street Bike Lane Opens

But that wasn't my point; to know that the world is a big place with lots of different stuff and it's all normal is an important thing for a kid. Not to grow up sheltered and surrounded by lots of the same thing.

(I haven't even mentioned the opportunities to explore art museums, the library, music, etc.)

And you keep harping on the safety thing. The city is pretty safe. In fact, everywhere, generally speaking, is pretty safe. And even the unsafe parts are unlikely to permanently damage you.

Why do you think a nice quiet town is better, anyway? Just curious.

Posted by: bfarwell at July 25, 2009 9:23 AM in response to House of the Day: 176 Bainbridge Street

ditto- Agreed. I don't think growing up in the city will necessarily make you more interesting, but it certainly give you wider/different opportunities for having interesting experiences. I grew up in a town was pretty quiet, and while it was great (totally beautiful, great topography, fabulous weather, etc.) there was very little diversity, there were fewer opportunities, hell, to pick something at random, there was no salted fish at the grocery store or dressed lamb hanging in the window. I don't know if my son will be more interesting for living in the city, but at least he'll know more varieties of normal, which i hope will serve him well in the wide world.

ferrouspheres- I'm not talking about helicopter parenting either. I expect my kid the explore the city on his own, once he's old enough to call home and use a metrocard. This paranoia about kids being abducted every five minutes drives me crazy. Crackheads and criminals (crackheads?? really?? In 2009??) are not a constant threat.

once more, with feeling: not a constant threat. Not even a frequent threat. Same as the myth that methheads and pedophiles haunt the streets of suburbia (where a lot of people are also too paranoid to let their kids go bikeriding by themselves). And re nerds/cocky druggies; I think that's a class-based constant. I can say the same thing for a lot of the people I grew up in the non-city with.

Anyhow, my point was that there are a lot of intangibles that add value to living in the city vs. living in maplewood, even if you could get a cheaper box to live in. Which is not to say everyone should live in the city (there are people who just hate the city) but that there are lots of people who value the city much higher than picket fences and quaint downtown starbucks.

(though, after all that, the house is still overpriced.)

Posted by: bfarwell at July 23, 2009 11:28 AM in response to House of the Day: 176 Bainbridge Street

To restate the previous points:

House layout sucks. Overpriced. I, too, wish prices would come down to a reasonable point. Of course, I'm too poor to buy it even at that point, but at least I could dream.

Maplewood, which I've been to, sucks. It's boring, suburban, private, all kinds of lame. Maybe houses are cheaper, but you have to live in maplewood. Which is why the houses are cheaper.

and, fwiw, my wife and i live in crown heights and this "if you live here your children will grow up to be criminals" crap is old and boring. I want my kid growing up riding the subway, eating roti, and playing in the park down the street. Because holy shit that's more interesting than the burbs. Just because you like boring, ain't no reason we all gotta live that way.

Posted by: bfarwell at July 23, 2009 12:50 AM in response to House of the Day: 176 Bainbridge Street

Yeah, I was in manhattan and some douche pizza restaurant decided to toss their nasty leaky bags all over my ride as well. Ditto with some joint on 14th st. People are assholes.

Posted by: bfarwell at July 23, 2009 12:25 AM in response to Closing Bell: Bicycle Parking Saga Update

Seriously, though, I think Awaye was handling the giant loft building on Court/9th in when I lived there, and they were absolutely horrible to deal with.

Posted by: bfarwell at July 16, 2009 11:42 PM in response to Awaye Realty Caught Lifting Listing from Owner

"A venue can no more defame a company than a medium can paint a picture."

Oh, I dunno, I have a very nice landscape that was done by a storefront psychic on 37th street.

Posted by: bfarwell at July 16, 2009 11:36 PM in response to Awaye Realty Caught Lifting Listing from Owner

Ah, TOTD.

(and lighten up, people. oy.)

Posted by: bfarwell at June 16, 2009 9:57 AM in response to It's Hard to Beat the Tent Rent

"IB...a "stockpipe" is what you have in a high-end Asshat-gentrified renovation that feeds one of those water faucets above the range to fill your stockpot."

Though, in this case, it was apparently an really forward-looking asshat, as the OP describes it as old, rusty, and buried under 'historical' molding. And it's huge.

or perhaps you were kidding. ;)

(I thought a stockpipe was what you flushed wallstreet down, now that the economy is in the sh*tter...)

Posted by: bfarwell at June 16, 2009 9:33 AM in response to Open Stockpipe in wall

So, I've long wondered something...

The spraypainted box with an X in it, I have gradually come to assume, means the structure is vacant and condemned/unsafe/"if you're a firefighter, don't try to go inside," while a spraypainted box with a single diagonal slash through it just means it's empty. Any official confirmation/denial of this theory?

Posted by: bfarwell at June 16, 2009 9:20 AM in response to Tuesday Links

cgfan/minard/nokilissa- I don't see how this stair per se is more dangerous (or has less of a kid-height handrail) than a regular stair is... you can fall down a boring stair as easily as you can fall down a vaguely design-y stair.

Kids falling down a stair is a problem of kids and stairs, not kids and design-y stairs. A temporary gate is a solution to that.

In consideration of the 4" sphere (I agree with Denton- I saw it broken in the real world all the time, back when I was working as an architect and grumpily paying attention to such things), you should also make sure those cables don't have any flex; they might be <4" apart, but could deflect under pressure to more than 4". Shouldn't be a problem with a proper installation, but something to consider.

Posted by: bfarwell at June 13, 2009 5:28 PM in response to Open tread stairs and cable side

That stretch of bikelane is a nightmare... maybe there aren't many bikers because they (like myself) abandoned that route. I used to ride it all the time, but I got tired of being so pissed off.

(the only stretch that is consistently worse is south of times square, where the expanded plaza/seating area on b'way means there are pedestrians blindly walking into the lanes 24/7.)

Posted by: bfarwell at March 27, 2009 4:58 PM in response to Adams Street Cleaning Up Its Act?

I checked the nyc.gov website and it is a 2 family townhouse. I know the owner grew up in the place and her cousin gre up in what is now my apartment, which is why I'm sure there was so wall put up sooner.

Posted by: aja at October 6, 2009 5:23 PM in response to Sketchy Wall

Would be very nervous about recessed lighting and updating--it's the kind of thing that will go out of fashion, and which turns off a segment of buyers. And it's expensive.

In general, I'd think going with classic fixtures--wall sconces, ceiling lights, etc--is the smart bet. Using fixtures that are modern (ie, don't turn the gaslights back on) but consistent with the turn of the century "look" of the house is probably the safest thing to do. There's a danger of doing something that screams "2000" and then trying to sell in 2020, when something else is fashionable.

That said, if you're staying a long time, do what YOU like. It's your home.

Posted by: bkrules at October 30, 2009 11:12 AM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

Basements and garden levels definitely should have recessed lighting IMO whether you're staying "period" or not. It's not just a ceiling-height issue but it brightens a room that's always shadowy thus somewhat depressing even when it's relatively well lit by windows.

I also like it even in parlors when there's a big space that's not adequately lit by sconces or lamps and isn't right for a chandelier. We have a spot like that and when we do the next round of renovations in a few years I want some recessed lights on a dimmer there. I'd like to add the lights now but there's a whole thing to do with the ceiling so we have to put it off a while. I need to brighten a shadowy section in the middle of an open space in the parlor where we plan to have our son's play area. So if you have a spot like that in your house you think you'll use for children's play, or future owners would, it may be worth it to add recessed lights overhead. People live lives in these houses so the decor must be functional not just faithful to the period. The lights don't have to be huge and they don't always have to be turned on just because they're installed.

Posted by: traditionalmod at October 30, 2009 12:36 PM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

I don't like dark spaces. The gloomy Victorian vibe is not for me; brownstones are naturally dark, since most have light from front and back and no natural light from the sides, to state the obvious. It was extremely important to me to have lots of light in my place. In the double parlor I have two nice chandeliers which work well with another hanging fixture in an alcove. Downstairs where I have the kitchen, dining room, hallway and bedroom, I have a lot of wattage in the kitchen and that is recessed lighting. The rest of the downstairs I have Center ceiling fixtures. I think you need a lot of light in a kitchen - you need to see what you are doing and recessed lighting is very good for that. But in other spaces I prefer center ceiling fixtures. I also hate ceiling fans. I think they look so awful; I don't know if the increased air circulation offsets the spinning propeller look.

Posted by: donatella at October 30, 2009 10:31 PM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

Contact Erick The Skilled Park Slope Electrician Reliable & Trustworthy @ (347) - 512-4869

Posted by: OldManSam at November 2, 2009 12:17 AM in response to Thoughts on Recessed Lighting

I live right next to PS 139 on Rugby/Cortelyou... the little rugrats seems well behaved. Actually they had a fire drill recently and I saw the little gangs come out. They were adorable and listened to their teachers.

Does that mean anything?

(I'm thinking not all schools filled with 5-11 year olds are that pleasant.)

Also, it's very much a Benetton ad... though, I don't know of any Brooklyn schools that wouldn't be diverse... except maybe the Yeshivas in Borough Park.

Posted by: tybur6 at November 2, 2009 8:46 AM in response to Public School Victorian Flatbush

Oh, but I forgot... Don't move to "Victorian Flatbush." It's basically a hell hole packed with gang violence, sex offenders, drugs and prostitutes. (I don't want my rent to go up!)

Posted by: tybur6 at November 2, 2009 8:48 AM in response to Public School Victorian Flatbush

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check out 139 and 217.

Posted by: royo at November 2, 2009 10:12 AM in response to Public School Victorian Flatbush

You've got to be carefully taught.......................

Posted by: transittillie at November 2, 2009 10:42 AM in response to Public School Victorian Flatbush

We did the same thing, did well on our Ft. Greene co-op sale and invested in a home in Victorian Flatbush and we LOVE it. We look forward to sending our future children to PS 139 or PS 217. Good luck and hope to see you around the nabe!

Posted by: bklyn_girl at November 2, 2009 2:23 PM in response to Public School Victorian Flatbush