mt_molehill's Profile
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mt_molehill wrote a review about Phoebe's Cafe on November 10, 2009 3:34 PM
I used to go here a lot when there were few breakfast/brunch spots. They took the only thing I would eat there off the menu after they changed owners and went strictly vegetarian (no more lox) a little while back. No matter, there are so many other options in the area now.
that stuff isn't cheap.
Posted by: mt_molehill at November 6, 2009 2:19 PM in response to The Albemarle Renovation Blog Launches!
doesn't that boerum hill house seem like a very good price? is it because of its proximity to atlantic?
Posted by: mt_molehill at November 6, 2009 2:09 PM in response to Open House Picks
hypothetically speaking, of course.
Posted by: mt_molehill at November 6, 2009 1:56 PM in response to The Albemarle Renovation Blog Launches!
If you're doing an extensive renovation and budget is of the highest priority, you probably don't want photo documentation of the process on the web. Chances are, you're going to be skipping some or all of the permits related hassle and expenses that can add weeks/months and tens of thousands of dollars to a renovation.
Posted by: mt_molehill at November 6, 2009 1:54 PM in response to The Albemarle Renovation Blog Launches!
I like your apartment, but wouldn't it be nicer to stick the guests, at least the ones you like, in the home office rather than the laundry room?
Posted by: mt_molehill at November 3, 2009 3:10 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 85 North 3rd Street, #207
mt_molehill wrote a review about Bahia on November 3, 2009 1:33 PM
great pupusas. I also like their fried chicken and corn. incredible value.
mt_molehill wrote a review about Wombat on October 30, 2009 1:41 PM
very interesting menu and reliably good neighborhood spot. our area has two australian restaurants, though this is the original. they started doing brunch a couple of months ago, though I haven't been. I love what they've done with the tiny room.
It is a lovely building on a terrible corner. On one side, Meeker Ave. and the BQE, on the other a stalled condo building that even when finished isn't going to be very attractive.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 27, 2009 2:18 PM in response to Humboldt Police State Finally Making Progress
mt_molehill wrote a review about Mesa Coyoacan on October 23, 2009 1:16 PM
really good tacos and mole. some miss items on the menu, though. the stuffed pepper, for example, is pretty good. but it comes on an empty plate, is pretty small and is not a good value at $15. everyone who works there is really nice and it's a great space.
I think it's definitely overpriced, but it would make a pretty sweet bachelor pad. just keep to the living room for your more gymnastic assignations.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 22, 2009 5:50 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 214 Carlton Avenue, #2
uh, I meant about 14' wide. so yeah, I bet they'll ask at least that much. probably more.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 6, 2009 4:17 PM in response to Seven Windows To Go at 184 Kent Avenue
I looked at a place there in 2000. it was about 1200 sq ft (about 14'), just a big open loft, and they wanted $2500/month. and it was pretty much a raw space with a very simple kitchen with shelves (no cabinets) and a bathroom. the only comparable rental property I can think of is the one on driggs between n9th and n10th (500 Driggs). the location isn't as cool, though some places have views, and I rented a 900 sq ft. 1BR in that building a few years ago. the guy who took it after me paid $2600/month.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 6, 2009 4:15 PM in response to Seven Windows To Go at 184 Kent Avenue
it is industrial architecture (both in purpose and in construction, as it was a poured concrete structure). while it is not ornate, it has certain details, like the window placement and the curve at the top of the roof, as well as its sheer scale, that indeed make it stand out. it also has incredible unobstructed views as it juts out into the river.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 6, 2009 2:58 PM in response to Seven Windows To Go at 184 Kent Avenue
oh, and the rent was pretty outrageous in this building when the apts. were pretty raw and chopped into narrow hallway like spaces with windows at one end. so yeah, this is going to be the premier rental property in the area.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 6, 2009 2:32 PM in response to Seven Windows To Go at 184 Kent Avenue
there used to be the best parties in this building. also, there were a few nicely done up loft apartments that were kept by some of the agencies for visiting models.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 6, 2009 2:29 PM in response to Seven Windows To Go at 184 Kent Avenue
mt_molehill wrote a review about Qoo Robata Bar on October 6, 2009 12:37 PM
unusual place with interesting decor, and I really like the private booths. great place for japanese grilled meats and fish, and they also have sushi. nice selection of sakes and beer. if they had big screen tvs it would be the greatest japanese sports bar in nyc, but of course it would also ruin it. between this place, sui ren, bozu and the more upscale zenkichi, williamsburg is quietly the most interesting neighborhood in ny to eat japanese.
lots of people here counting other people's money.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 1, 2009 4:24 PM in response to Downpayment as a Gift
well dittoburg, that would make sense. I follow them very closely as well and ever since I helped move a friend into that loft building on the corner of 9th and berry, from the hallways of which we caught a glimpse of the cute backyards of those houses, I've thought that street would be a nice place to live. I have never seen a single one of those little two-story cottages come on the market, and it's been 8 years.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 1, 2009 2:04 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million
maybe you mean it shouldn't.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 1, 2009 12:49 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million
maybe not. checked ACRIS and it looks like a regular deal. that's a great price for a cute little house on that block, even if it needs a gut reno.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 1, 2009 12:18 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million
that williamsburg house is super cute and is in a row of similar houses on a very nice northside block. it went into contract and closed on the same day, and I don't recall seeing it advertised anywhere. also, the price is about 2/3 what one would expect it to be. I'm guessing this is an intra-family deal.
Posted by: mt_molehill at October 1, 2009 12:08 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million
if you buy into 11217's numbers, existing residents will soon be taking up collections to pay people to occupy the empty units in order that we may have at least a potemkin williamsburg to show to the world.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 5:43 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
bah humbug indeed.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 5:23 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
I agree that most of the list prices from developers look silly to me. the only places I've looked at seriously for my sister have been condo resales and a few 2-family homes where I've watched the prices slide down from ridiculous to territory that looks interesting.
but if you're basing your expected price decreases in williamsburg and the duration of the price drops on future inventory, there is indeed a huge difference in what one might expect with those various numbers you posted. and I feel pretty confident that the reality will be on the lowest end of your estimates.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 5:11 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
brokers may also be engaging in some expectations management re their developer clients.
absent some mega developments (like dominos) that will account for 3-5000 units, those numbers just don't add up.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 5:05 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
you can download the entire sales for brooklyn in 2006. there are only 1100 rows total in the document for 11211, the zip code of basically all of williamsburg. that's condos, coops, single and multifamily homes and dozens if not hundreds of phantom transactions.
if you're east of this zip code, you're in bushwick. north is greenpoint, and south is technically williamsburg, but it's hasid country.
gerrymandering zip codes may be one way these estimates are being goosed, say by including bushwick and greenpoint. even still, these numbers are highly suspect.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:56 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
> So Apts and Lofts (a real estate company) would like to inflate the number of apartments for sale to what advantage exactly...?
that's a good question. I would say to scare developers into using a broker and into lowering prices in order to increase sales volumes, if I were to speculate.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:52 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
I'm saying that those estimates must be including what you're referring to as shadow inventory, and I'd still like to look at their methodology for estimating that. also, for estimating the volume of new units that are going to come on line.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:42 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
except that there aren't anywhere near 2,820 units for sale at the moment.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:37 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
oh, and as for trees, that there awning might get in the way, don't you think? most of the new developments cap off with some sad looking saplings in front.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:31 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
the only successful aesthetic williamsburg could ever aspire to is some kind of urban electic, so I welcome all the different buildings, even the ones that (unlike this one) are pretty ugly on their own. anything that isn't gray brick, that is.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:29 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
I'm not saying the market in williamsburg is strong. I agree that condo prices have outpaced certain family amenities like schools, though those are coming along (public and private). you're wrong about the parks, of which there are more in williamsburg than any neighborhood not around prospect park. and no one can deny that it's pretty ugly, especially the ironically most pleasant part in which to live by the graham stop. I think the price cuts need to happen to move the overpriced 1BR and 2BR units that all look the same.
but I live in williamsburg and have for 12+ years and walk around a ton. if you add up the total number of units in all the little developments that have been built or are being built, including everything that's sold over the last few years, you might get 3500 units.
to suggest that the anecdotal evidence of, let's say, dozens of these mostly smaller developments sitting fallow bolsters a claim of up to 10,000 units of inventory/shadow inventory is crazy. you don't get to numbers like that without factoring in mega developments that aren't going to happen. the number is almost certainly half that, and probably even less than that.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:18 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
you seem rich and poorly informed.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:11 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 125 North 10th Street, #NPHD
most of the developments here are (way) under 30 units. certainly there are many that are sitting in different states of partial to full completion, some with money issues, some with sales issue. but it would take hundreds of such buildings for those numbers to make sense. you can count the number of mega developments in williamsburg on one hand--there are 2, NS Piers and the Edge. then there are a few more large ones, notably on lower Kent Ave.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 4:01 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
just what would be included in shadow industry in williamsburg? buildings yet to be completed? buildings seized or in the process of being seized by the lenders?
I mean, I know pretty much every block and have eyeballed every single development, from empty lots to the nearly completed and already sold ones. unless you're counting the elusive third tower in NS piers (that will not get built) or the dominos development (that will also not get built), I don't see how you arrive at even half that figure.
considering a number of small to medium projects that have gone rental lately, and that number seems even more fanciful.
and 11217, it doesn't help your argument any that you're comparing (in your own words) williamsburg's "shadow inventory" to park slope's corcoran listings for effect.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 3:48 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
I've been looking out for a 1BR for a sibling, and I think I'm going to advise her to make an offer on a particular condo resale. the developers may be slow to lower prices, at least list prices. however there are people here and there reselling condos they've purchases in the last 4-5 years, and they don't all have the luxury of being that patient. this place is right around $500 psf, but it's on the east side of the BQE.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 3:27 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
type "aged ipe" into GIS if you want to see what it will look like in a few years. better than teak.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 3:14 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
that number--10,000--almost certainly includes units from planned developments that will not be built, at least not in the time frame you're talking about.
it is an amazing thing to be hold, but the data are available in the rolling sales reports. people are still paying upwards of $600K and even $700K for 2BR units, and definitely a lot more than $500 psf.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 3:12 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
I like it. this and nforth (stupid name) and the original toll brothers mini-development on n8th and the gene kaufman one overlooking the oil spill mess on n11th are the best looking new buildings in this part of williamsburg, IMHO.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 3:08 PM in response to Development Watch: 170 North 5th Street
btw, based on actual closings rather than list pricings, although also on some realistic list pricings, there are a number of condos and homes for sale on the east side of the BQE that would be cheaper to own than rent. this has not been so in many years here. prices here have come down a bit more than on the other side of the highway.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 2:59 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 125 North 10th Street, #NPHD
wine lover's comment re pricing is accurate. while williamsburg prices haven't come down a ton, they've come down a bit. the only places in manhattan that you have a prayer in finding comparably sized units for similar prices would be the far LES, far yorkville or upper manhattan. and there's a lot more going on in williamsburg food/drink/shopping wise than in any of those places.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 30, 2009 2:56 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 125 North 10th Street, #NPHD
wine lover has some good advice and seems to know what he's talking about re williamsburg. as for the public schools, the only decent one in williamsburg is ps 132 in the italian part of williamsburg by the graham and lorimer stops. the other good to excellent ones are all in greenpoint. and we're talking elementary schools here, as there's not much in the way of intermediate or higher schools yet. but the LES and lower manhattan have some excellent magnet and private schools that are easy to get to.
the italian section is also the nicest place, in my opinion, to live at this point. but I'm biased having settled here a few years ago after 10+ years of renting all over williamsburg. it's got a lot going on and is accessible via a relatively short walk to the nuttiness of north side and to mccarren or mcgolrick (or even closer cooper park), but the streets are clean and it still feels like a neighborhood.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 29, 2009 3:01 PM in response to Williamsburg - To Buy or Not?
fortunately, no one will have to be digging any wells for drinking water. and the air quality in most of the neighborhood is comparable to most of the city. you do some research before giving out homework assignments.
the area to be avoided is the east williamsburg industrial zone which aside from a few residential streets (beadel being the nicest) is mostly, you know, industrial. it's also in greenpoint.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 29, 2009 2:53 PM in response to Williamsburg - To Buy or Not?
mt_molehill wrote a review about Bozu on September 25, 2009 1:38 PM
no, but it's now on the list. thanks.
It was insane. We were there. You obviously were not.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 25, 2009 12:57 PM in response to Recycling an Old Mattress?
mt_molehill wrote a review about Bozu on September 25, 2009 12:57 PM
sushi selection is limited but what's there is excellent. rest of the menu is hit or miss. I've loved some of the nontraditional small plates and I've left a couple completely untouched after a couple of bites (in particular I didn't like their version of fried chicken which is not fried enough and really, really fatty). the space is really cool and adds a lot to the experience.
between bozu, the too robata bars in the neighborhood and zen kichi, this neighborhood has some of the most interesting places in the city to drink sake and eat japanese.
mt_molehill wrote a review about Acapulco Deli & Restaurant on September 17, 2009 4:21 PM
kiosco piaxtla is better for budget mexican street food. this place is pretty good and a very good value.
the devoe house is on one of the very nicest blocks in italian (east) williamsburg. tree canopy and charm that can't be found on but a handful of other streets in all of williamsburg.
Posted by: mt_molehill at September 4, 2009 3:44 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million
mt_molehill wrote a review about Oak Wine Bar & Café on November 18, 2009 1:44 PM
love this place, and they have a beautiful garden out back with a lot of seating. great for brunch/lunch (any of their sandwiches, the polenta with chorizo, greens and poached egg) and dinner as well. service can be a little slow sometimes, but everyone is very friendly. great wine selection and prices. space is small but doesn't feel cramped.