Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Drug store celebrity exit wars
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
How condos are named
. . .the floor-to-ceiling glass towers popping up in record numbers across New York City are starting to sound an awful lot alike.
Two new high-rises, one on the Upper East Side, the other in Brooklyn, a have the same name: Azure, a deep shade of blue. Seem familiar? It should. On the Lower East Side, another new building is called Blue.
Sky House, under construction on East 29th Street, is not to be confused with the Cielo (Italian for “sky”), on East 83rd Street. And then there are Star Tower, in Long Island City, and Solaria, in the Bronx.
It is an unintended consequence of the city’s historic building boom: a traffic jam of similar sounding names. To showcase the sweeping views from buildings with huge, wrap-around windows, real estate developers are flocking to a set of words that evoke the sky, clouds and stars.
Builders say there are only so many ways to describe a glass box, the undisputed architectural aesthetic of the moment. Similar names, they argue, are inevitable.
Classic!
(And what, no My Blue Heaven as a name for a condo?)
Meanwhile!
Trends in New York building names are not new. Builders seized on the American West around 1900, producing the Wyoming, on West 55th Street, a block away from the Oregon, on West 54th, and across the park from the Idaho, on East 48th. And, of course, there is the Dakota, on West 72nd Street.
Soon after, a wave of Francophilia yielded the Bordeaux, the Cherbourg and the Paris. Native American motifs were enshrined in the Iroquois, the Seminole and the Waumbek.
Trees (Laurel), Greek mythology (Helena) and Spanish cities (Madrid) have all woven their way into the city’s skyline.
And mailing addresses are often used as building names, especially when the street is considered prestigious, like Park Avenue or Perry Street, in the West Village.
Occasionally, names flop. When developers converted the Stanhope Hotel, across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue, into luxury apartments two years ago, they called the project the Stanhope. Few takers emerged, and the name was discarded in favor of the street address, 995 Fifth Avenue.
What is striking about the latest wave is just how closely — or haphazardly — some of the names overlap.
The goal, after all, in a crowded real estate market like New York, is to stand out, not to blend in, said Mr. Wine, of Related. Most of the units in the new towers go for $1 million or more.
“You need to be distinctive,” he said, “and a good name can do that.”
Oh, lordy, there's more. But my head is going to explode.
The grocery stores of Saint James Place
The C Town at 5 St. James Place has a 1970s suburban feel to the exterior. Meanwhile, about 100 yards north, there's Peter's grocery store at 25 Madison Street on the corner of St. James Place.
A great sign.
And I love the corner angle.
"Pure poo"
Understandable...he probably wants to buy a place at the Theatre Condominiums...
"I’d lower the rent for stores so all of the cool, small shops could afford to stay afloat"
The East Village resident was asked:
What’s your favorite place to people watch? The Gracefully deli on Avenue A between Second and Third. You can see the whole spectrum, from crazies to beauties, walk by.
Where’s your favorite bar in the city? In the 10 years I’ve been here, I haven’t found one. I’d like someone to build a nice one that’s not behind velvet ropes and filled with pretentious people. [EV Grieve note: Safe answer. Do you really want to tell people where you like to drink?]
If you were mayor of Gotham, what would you change? I’d lower the rent for stores so all of the cool, small shops could afford to stay afloat. The huge chains are making the city start to lose its personality.
He also said: “On the weekends, the East Village can be overrun with undesirables,” says Albert. “But I love Manhattan. I’ve been around the world and it’s my favorite city.”
Sidebar: Why is this feature titled "Six Seconds With..." It takes more than six seconds to read.
Uh, meanwhile, here's the video to "Back to the 101," a song from his debut record, Yours to Keep, one of my favorites from 2006:
Bonus: Hammond keeps a food diary for Grub Street!
The Financial District continues to attract interesting new businesses
At Water Street and Maiden Lane.
All this will go perfectly with the other businesses on Maiden, such as Duane Reade, Subway, Papa John's, Chipotle, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts...
Russian Tea Room is advertising on the Lower East Side
Monday, July 7, 2008
Flier of the day
I looked up Guns&Mattresses after reading this. Given the slumping economy, I guess Sleepy's had to diversify their business.
That woman in line at the Regal Battery Park 11
Sex and the City.
Of course. And why hasn't she already seen this?
How good places are ruined: One perspective (aka, Sex and the City II: Carrie's Abortion)
Gawker's Sheila McClear has a nice anecdote about her evening at the Holiday last night.
To which commenter Rod Townsend responded:
There are places about which you aren't supposed to write . . . Remember, if you write about it, some editwat at TONY or the Post or Hello! will write about it too. Then some location manager for Sex and the City II: Carrie's Abortion will see it and boom, it's a stop on a tour bus.
Meanwhile. Let's dance.
Student union
Hi! We were on the RED local line, I got on at 14th Street, you were already on the train. I got off at Columbia University 116th. Around 5PM. It was very crowded and you were behind me. We talked awkardly while you were still behind my back, pushed into each other. I told you I hate being an undergrad, we connected. You eneded up fingering me while no one else was noticing. I didn't get your full e-mail. If you see this, let me know. I hope you do! I miss you.
Wow.
Well, I think this is just a viral campaign for next season's How I Met Your Mother. That Ted!
Lady Liberty is attracting true New York sports fans!
It's a great way for us to show the world what great sports we are!
By the way, look at the size of Lady Liberty's feet! Wish I had put something next to the foot for scale, something like a midsized car.
[OOPS! East Village Podcasts had a good piece on the baseball statues last Thursday. Sorry fellas! And yes -- Walgreens is still selling that post-Halloween candy corn...]
Meanwhile, just stop putting baseball stuff on her. We get it.
I don't get this ad, though. The best in NY? OK, David Wright. Mets. 50 Cent. Born in Queens. OK. David Ortiz? He plays for Boston. Tell me what he has to do with New York. (Aside from being a Yankee killer through the years...)
Looking at 377 E. 10 Street -- then and now
I can't stop looking at this one, though -- 377 E. 10th St., the squat that got legal rights to the building a few years ago:
Here's what it looks like today:
[Note: I took the shot of 377 today...this one wasn't part of his then-and-now series.]
So what's all this about?
Sunday, July 6, 2008
"You see, I have this little problem with my apartment..."
Hmm, a quick look at just one West 67th Street price today...
Because "overrun by people who are considered to be sexually promiscuous, junkies and pushers" just didn't have the same ring to it
Drug dens, homeless shantytowns and prostitution are rampant in New York City's parks, a Post investigation found.
Comparing the manicured lawns of Manhattan's Central Park to the barren, rat-infested eyesore of Spring Creek Park in Brooklyn, the disparity is shocking.
While the Bloomberg administration boasts that parks are in better shape than they've been in four decades, an investigation of 70 parks over the last nine months found:
* Clusters of homeless living in tents and small shantytowns in 10 parks, including Riverside Park near 148th Street in Manhattan.
* Hookers brazenly plying their 24-hour trade, including at Printers Park on Hoe Street [EV Grieve note: !] in The Bronx.
* Areas where junkies shoot up and crack dealers set up shop, including at Fort George Playground in Washington Heights.
* An illegal chop shop where stolen vehicles, including a stripped US Defense Dept. sedan, are harvested is thriving in Fresh Creek Nature Preserve in Brooklyn.
* And many barren parks covered in weeds up to 12 feet high that are used as illegal dumps for items like abandoned boats and cars, construction debris, containers of hazardous material, opened steel safes, Vegas-style slot machines - and even a discarded tombstone in Dreier-Offerman Park in Brooklyn.
Interesting, but:
Um, hos?
Flier of the day
To be honest, this sign makes me sad. Someone wanted to start a business and they went to the trouble of making all these fliers (there are many taped up along Avenue C). And then they went and spelled the name of the company incorrectly. Unless they do mean Cinderlla's and not Cinderella's. (And I'd argue that Cinderella's isn't the best name for a cleaning business...) But I'm probably thinking way too much about all this.
Fitness secrets of Coyote Ugly bartenders -- REVEALED
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Developing story today...heartburn
Getting to the bottom of that noise last night from somewhere over the East River
Anyway, I'll continue to investigate this. Here is 30 seconds of the action.
Tasting the difference
A view that I used to enjoy
The most accurate depiction of life as a runaway in New York City that I have ever seen
Friday, July 4, 2008
Sonic Youth at Central Park, July 4, 1992
On July 4, 1992, I saw Sonic Youth at SummerStage in Central Park. Sun Ra and his Arkestra opened. I remember SY being as frenzied as I'd ever seen them as they played a Dirty-heavy set. (The record was just about to be released.) I don't remember much else, except that I loved every minute of the afternoon. (No need for all the details!)
There is a bootleg release of the show with:
Teen Age Riot
Eric's Trip
Dirty Boots
Drunken Butterfly
Theresa's Sound-world
Youth Against Facism
Swimsuit Issue
Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit
100%
Kool Thing
Sugar Kane
I couldn't find any video from this 1992 Central Park show. But I did come across Sonic Youth playing "Kool Thing" in Hultsfeld, Sweden, on June 14, 1992 (Close enough!):
By the way, as you may know, Sonic Youth plays later today with the Feelies at Battery Park.
Updated: This week's issue of Time Out New York featured the following line prominently displayed on its cover:
Yes, Sonic Youth was a free event. But you needed to get your tickets in advance. Inside the same issue, you'll see in two places that, although it was free, you weren't getting into the show. SOLD OUT.
Guess no one told this to the person writing the cover lines.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Can't stop the laughing, er, music
You've seen it, right? (It's OK if you have -- I actually own the damn thing. Think I paid $2 for it. Or so I'm claiming.)
The rather grainy-looking intro gives you all you need to know. Enjoy!
From the EV Grieve Oversight Department
In case you're wondering why some SATC fans are now into Richard Hell
Wow. This film fell off my radar. I like the director, Susan Seidelman. So I took a look at the movie online. Look at the new box for the film, which stars, among others, Richard Hell. From the director of Sex and the City! She directed three episodes of the show in 1998. (There were 94 episodes in all.) A bit of a stretch for the marketing folks to try to make that connection. Still, however cheesy, the thought of some SATC fans tuning into Smithereens -- thinking the two may possibly be related -- puts a smile on my face.
Here's what KultKlassics had to say about the film.
Good news on Canal and Eldridge; remembering the Witty Brothers
By the way, walking north on Eldridge, I noticed this name on the building below:
I wasn't familiar with the Witty Brothers. Didn't realize the hand they played in NYC fashion history. Found this in the Times, from 2006:
Spencer B. Witty, the last of four brothers whose company, Witty Brothers, fashioned and sold elegant men's clothing through a small, prestigious chain of stores in New York, died May 29 at his home in Manhattan. He was 92.
The cause was complications of pancreatic cancer, said his grandson Eric Gould.
In 1939 Mr. Witty — along with his brothers Frederic, Ephraim and Arthur, and a cousin, Irving — took over a company founded by their grandfather David Witty in 1888. It started as one shop on Eldridge Street in Lower Manhattan. By the time it was taken over by the Eagle Clothes company in 1962, there were six stores, one in Brooklyn and five in Manhattan, including two on Fifth Avenue.
"They used luxurious fabrics, cashmere, Scottish tweeds," said Mr. Witty's daughter, Jane Gould, "and this was coming out of the Great Depression." An article in The New York Times about the "Witty boys" in 1952 said it was their insistence on retaining the high quality of their forebears that kept the company afloat through the Depression.
Writing with spray paint is much more difficult than it seems
PDA of the day
Along the romantic corrider of Park Row, where buttocks cupping is in full bloom this summer among young lovers.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
At the Firemen's Garden
There's a reason I'm writing about this today. On July 2, 1977, at 3:10 p.m., a four-alarm fire broke out on the fifth floor of an abandoned six-floor tenement building that stood at 364 E. 8th St. After Celic and his fellow firefighters entered the burning building, the teenager who started the blaze reportedly went back in and set another fire, trapping the men inside.
According to news accounts at the time, Celic and seven other firefighters were injured trying to escape. A fire department cherry picker was raised to rescue the men. They needed to jump from the fire escape on the fifth floor onto the bucket. Celic fell 70 feet to the street. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he died on July 10. He was 25. He was set to be married that October.
The sign on the garden talks more about Celic, and his "love of practical jokes, his joyous irreverence, and his friendliness." You can read more about how the garden came to be here.
Duane Reade wants to make you feel like dancing
Admiring the trash at 2 Gold Street
...and late afternoon.
Impressive! (Looks more impressive in person, of course!) With so much trash, this must be 24k living!