Showing posts with label Williamsburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Williamsburg. Show all posts

Monday, May 27, 2013

Citi Bikes now making tired jokes about Williamsburg



The bike share is under way, of course ... and we're spotting more and more of them on the streets (people seem to be enjoying the experience, though we're terrible mind readers) ... Meanwhile, Ray LeMoine points out this Citi Copy® on East Second Street and Avenue B that we never noticed before ...

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

An East Village apartment that makes you "think Williamsburg"



The description for this nice one-bedroom home on East 10th Street between Avenue C and Avenue D, which hit the market at the end of the summer, is “Think Williamsburg, but live Manhattan." Which makes no sense to me.

And nothing in the listing screams Williamsburg either:

Southern Exposure / Faces Courtyard = Quiet serenity awaits.

Amazing East Village location = Great night life and steps to Tompkins Square Park

Huge, Open layout + Chef's Kitchen = Entertain guests, while you cook!

2 FULL baths = 1 for you and 1 for your guests

Walk-in Master Closet = SAVE $, no need for mini storage.

2 Bus lines across the street = no need to fight your way onto the L train

And best of all.....Maintenance you can afford. At only $625/mo this home is an exceptional opportunity for those of you keeping within a tight budget, but not wanting to sacrifice.




So where's the Williamsburg part? A mention of the L train? I expected some circa-2004 stereotypes. Skinny jeans! Facial hair! Wacky bikes! Arcade Fire!

Anyway, I'm probably missing something. See for yourself during the open house Sunday morning from 10-11. Bring your $560,000.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Now trending: East Village and Williamsburg in 10 years


There's a discussion going on at StreetEasy titled "East Village and Williamsburg in 10 years?"
The talk kicks off with:

Curious what you guys predict Williamsburg and the East Village to look like in ten years, residential property-wise. It seems like the East Village is sort of rundown these days, with a large number of empty storefronts and little development (other than on the overpriced stuff on the Bowery). On the other hand, some of the new buildings there seem to have sold out quickly like that place on B and 13th and Village Green. Will people buying into this neighborhood now see a good return on their investment ten years down the road or will this place remain humdrum? When and if the EV bounces back, will it be a cultural destination or Park Slope Manhattan?


A few of the responses...

East Village is a pain in the ass to get into and out of.
Williamsburg is and always will be a toilet.


And!

East Village in 10 years will continue to improve as a neighborhood. Better goods and services, less riff-raff.
Williamsburg in 10 years...how can I put this...any day it's gonna improve...any day now. the EDGE, still unsold refuses to lower it's asks.


And!

Despite the East Village's recent troubles, I think it's well-positioned to do well in the long-term. The major difference (IMHO) between it and Williamsburg is the quality of its older housing stock. Yes, there are many tenements and walk-ups, but in many cases those buildings have good bones or have been well maintained. It's the one thing that could continue to push it towards the West Village in terms of desirability and aesthetics. Many have lamented the reduced grit that the area was always known for (and I miss it a bit myself), but that trend probably favors property values in the long run.


And so it goes. It's an interesting discussion (and our friend Glamma is part of the conversation...). I don't know much about Williamsburg real estate. So I'm not up for any comparisions. But I do wonder what the East Village will look like in 10 years. Just think, of course, how much the neighborhood has changed in these last 10 years...

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Did I show you my photos from Miami?





No, no -- wait. Sorry. I took these in East River Park looking over at the Edge and whatever that other stuff is.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

What's doing in...Williamsburg: "It's like St. Mark's in the '70s" (but! "This is not Haight-Ashbury")


The Daily News investigates the alleged increase in squatters living in Williamsburg.

Let's just jump right in!:

Heroin-addict hobos from around the country are overrunning hipster haven Williamsburg — living in stalled luxury condo projects in the trendy Brooklyn neighborhood.

The newcomers, who call themselves "gutter punks," are stirring outrage among residents and shopkeepers who charge the bums brawl on the sidewalk, shoplift and shoot heroin in trendy cafe bathrooms.

"It's like St. Mark's in the '70s," said Williamsburg activist Philip DePaolo, referring to the notorious East Village hangout. "It's the bad old days all over again. There's crack and heroin all over the neighborhood."

The squatters, from middle-class families, hop freight trains to the city, where they can earn up to $150 a day panhandling in Manhattan. At night, like plenty of other borough commuters, they return to their homes: grubby hideaways inside boarded-up lots that pock the once-booming neighborhood.

"I've got to sleep somewhere, and I might as well do it in Williamsburg," said Stuart, 22, a Florida college dropout.

The admitted alcoholic and heroin user makes $15 an hour panhandling in Union Square, holding a sign that reads "Traveling Broke and Sexy."

"The girls here like it that I'm dirty and I ride trains," he added.

The vagrants - who also call themselves "crusty punks" - swarmed into Williamsburg this spring, drawn by open-minded young people and vacant lots.


And what do local politicos think?

"This is not Haight-Ashbury," said Community Board 1 member Evan Thies. "This is a family neighborhood."


And the cops?

Cops said they haven't seen an increase in crime or vagrants, but would monitor the area.

Also in the Daily News today:
For some homeless drug addicts, squatting is made easy in Williamsburg

For further reading:
Reader Rant: Williamsburg's Squatters' Row Has Got to Go (Curbed)
'Lots' of Woe in W'Burg (New York Post)
The BillyBurg Bust (New York)
‘Eternal Sunshine’ house may not be torn down after all (The Brooklyn Paper)
Eternal nightmare of the not-so-spotless crackhouse (The Brooklyn Paper)

Monday, June 8, 2009

Noted

"Famed for its concentration of heavily subsidized 20-something residents — also nicknamed trust-funders or trustafarians — Williamsburg is showing signs of trouble. Parents whose money helped fuel one of the city’s most radical gentrifications in recent years have stopped buying their children new luxury condos, subsidizing rents and providing cash to spend at Bedford Avenue’s boutiques and coffee houses." (The New York Times)

Friday, February 20, 2009

LES dawn... sunrise over Williamsburg

Here's the latest work from filmmaker Paul Dougherty. He explains the video:

"I'm not keen on the new luxury towers cropping up in NYC's low-rise neighborhoods but there they are. I sped this up to make the movement of the elevator and crane more obvious on this construction site."

Friday, September 19, 2008

What a Steel!

Ads have gone up around the East Village, like the one below seen at 8th Street and Avenue C, for The SteelWorks Lofts coming soon to Williamsburg. The sales gallery is opening in October for the lofts that are priced from $495,000 to $1.5 million.


Seems perfect for the East Village resident who's sick and tired of the overdevelopment and condofication of this neighborhood...to move to a neighborhood with even more ridciulous overdevelopment and condofication.

P.S.
What exactly is "handcrafted living"? And what's up with the blowtorch? Why is Jennifer Beals coming to mind?