Is the standard-of-living bubble ready to burst?

Over at Fortune, Geoff Colvin, senior editor at large, weighs in with the next big financial crisis: "We made it through the bursting of the Internet bubble and now the bursting of the real estate bubble. Next we may be approaching the end of the most worrisome bubble of all: the standard-of-living bubble."

And:

"Since credit card debt has been growing much faster than the economy -- more than 8% in last year's third and fourth quarters and over 7% in May (the most recent month reported) -- people are apparently using it as a substitute for income. Thus, for the past year or so we have still maintained the standard-of-living illusion."

Bottom line?

"Sustainable increases in living standards have to be earned, not borrowed, and that means performing ever higher value work that can't be outsourced. We haven't been meeting that challenge very well; doing so will probably require much more and better education for millions of Americans, which takes time and money. The result may feel like deprivation, but I don't see it that way. Who knows -- we might even find that living within our means and saving a little money actually isn't so bad."

The problem with having talking chairs in hotel rooms

Let's take a quick trip back 55 years to August 1953. An article in that month's Mechanix Illustrated highlights ill-fated inventions, such as talking hotel chairs, which were giving a whirl at the Hotel Edison in Midtown. The concept: When a person eased himself into the chair, his weight would actuate a lever that would start a record playing. When he got up, it would stop. Irwin Kramer, vice president of the Hotel Edison, said of the chairs, “It would be a direct means of advertising. When a guest came into his room and sat down, we thought he’d be pleased to hear something like 'welcome to the Hotel Edison,' and a description of some of our features. We thought it would be quite a novelty.” Right! According to the article, "A pretty girl came in, plumped herself wearily into the chair and the monologue started. She leaped up, peered into the closet and under the bed, then ran screaming into the hall. 'There’s a man in my room,' she gasped. The management had to quiet her." Soon after, the hotel removed the chairs.

Previously on EV Grieve:
At the Hotel Edison: An appreciation

Nothing's shocking?

The John Varvatos fall 2008 fall campaign finds Perry Farrell on the Bowery. According to the John Varvatos Web site, the ads were shot "on top of and around the landmark 315 Bowery building in NYC's East Village." The "campaign reveals Farrell's enigmatic personality and captures Varvatos' detailed sensibility in their truest forms."

Oh, don't mind us: More music videos featuring NYC in the background

So I've been having fun with Alex at Flaming Pablum posting music videos featuring NYC as a backdrop. (He had some real blasts from the past for me: Biohazard! House of Pain!) Anyway, I started the other day with more cheesy fare, but am now getting into stuff that I like.

Sonic Youth, "Kool Thing"


Sonic Youth, "Do You Believe in Rapture?" (An ode to CBGB)

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Railroad Jerk, "Rollerkoaster"


Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, "The Message"


LOUSY quality video of King Missile, "Detachable Penis" (good shots of the old Kiev on Seventh Street and Second Avenue)


Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, "Redemption Song" (Not that old, of course, but a lovely tribute)

Dumpster of the day

East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Looking at the corner of Avenue A and Sixth Street

I'm not sure what's going on here at this prime slab of East Village real estate at 95 Avenue A at Sixth Street. There was no one around to ask. Venetian food joint Via Delle Zoccolette (which means "song of the pretty girl" -- yeah, I didn't know either) is either going through an extensive remodeling job or it's out of business. Even their canopy is gone.

At the Hotel Edison: An appreciation

Whenever we start reading about old-school joints such as Frankie and Johnnie's facing the wrecking ball, it makes us appreciate the city's remaining institutions even more. Places such as the Hotel Edison and its diner, Cafe Edison (you know, the Polish Tea Room) that Neil Simon and other Broadway types would frequent for its blintzes, borscht and goulash. The hotel, on West 47th Street next to the W smack in the middle of Times Square, was built in 1931, as its Web site trumpets, "in the same grand Art Deco style as Radio City Music Hall." Anecdotes abound about the Edison, like whether the scene in which Luca Brasi gets rubbed out in The Godfather was filmed here...or the Hotel St. George in Brooklyn Heights. Whatever. No matter how dusty around the corners this place is, it remains a treasure from the past.

I have a few more photos on my Flickr page.

"Serial evictees" and rotten tenants

Interesting post by Manhattan-based real-estate attorney Joseph Ferrara about "serial evictees" at the sellsius blog yesterday. As he explains, "A serial evictee will rent an apartment or home with no intention of paying rent (other than the 1 month + security to get in the place). Instead, they plan to get evicted -– after they work the system for up to a year in free rent or cut a deal with the landlord to move out."

I'll let him continue.

"I ran into a few of these clever folks. One of my favorite stories involves an ingenious young woman who stopped paying rent and then staged her own lock-out (with a police report as proof), knowing the penalty in NYC was triple damages plus legal fees. She wanted my client, a poor spoken immigrant, to give her 6 months free rent…. or else. My investigation uncovered the fraud — turned out she was dating a law student who gave her the idea, which she had used several times with success. When I was cross-examining her on the stand and she realized her cover was blown, she literally bolted from the witness stand and tried to run out of the court room. She was tackled by the court officer and hauled into the judge’s chamber (along with her attorney). Only my compassionate client saved her from a new address, with free rent, at the city jail."

OK. Anyway, the post went on to highlight a new site called rottentenant.com -- "landlords venting and helping landlords."

Billy Joel ruins St. Mark's Place: More 80s video fun

We've been having some fun of late finding cheeseball 80s videos shot in New York. Alex at Flaming Pablum has found a few more doozies...(as well as some actually good songs, like Surgery and Freedy Johnston). The dooziest of the doozies, though, belongs to Billy Joel's "A Matter of Trust" video shot on St. Mark's circa 1986. (The embedding thingee was disabled by request...) Good counsel from Alex regarding this song: "Best to turn the sound down..."

[Note from EV Grieve: I changed some of the original copy in this next section at 12:51...I explain it a little more in the comments...]

Meanwhile, moving away from the cheeseball category, here are some more 1980s videos with New York serving as a backdrop....I submit Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out" ...



And, with apologies, Sting's "Englishman in New York" (Why am I apologizing? I like the song/video, but not Sting so much...)



Don't worry -- there are plenty more to come....

Get me out of this Ugly New Building!

I managed to miss the news back in late May of artist Dan Witz adding his own touches to the luxury housing popping up everywhere from here to Brooklyn. In case you did too. He writes in a blog post: "Personally, I can't say I like the new modern architecture very much, it's sterile and so arrogantly disconnected with its surroundings sometimes it seems like giant alien space ships have landed in the night."

Still, the new buildings provide him with a backdrop for creating art. So! "These are photo-based, heavily re-painted stickers, mounted on plastic and glued to the walls of the Ugly New Buildings. I hit the Lower East Side and East Village in Manhattan, and Bushwick, Dumbo, Greenpoint and Williamsburg out here in Brooklyn."

I'm writing about this now because I just came across some of his work in the East Village and decided to do a little research. (These are his photos below; there are more on his Flickr page.)

Meanwhile, in Saint-Tropez

Please allow this quick diversion away from EV Grieve's usual topics...where we visit the pages of Page Six Magazine for The Ivana-logues, the high-society column written by Ivana Trump. Without comment:

To get to a party in Saint-Tropez last week, guests were asked to board a shuttle bus to the property. Well, I have not been on a bus in 20 years and I’m not about to get on one now. So I see this gorgeous French police guy with his big motorbike. I go up to him in my high heels—the guy has no idea who I am, he just sees a good-looking chick—and I say, “Monsieur, can you give me a ride?” I jump on the bike and he has these huge shoulders and he takes me two-and-a-half miles, through the bushes, to the party. When he drops me off, he says, “You look like Ivana Trump.” I say, “I am Ivana Trump and thank you so much for the ride.” He totally freaked out.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Post scribe thinks turmoil in Africa is so trendy in the news right now!

Claim: New York is the most competitive city in the world

According to the Global Urban Competitiveness Project (as reported in The Economist), New York is the most competitive city in the world.

Of course, there is a problem with this No. 1 ranking, as Gawker weekend editor Ian Spiegelman notes: "Competitive people are assholes, and there are too goddamn many of them here!" [Via Gawker]

Meet Manhattan's fat-cat home buyers (all you need is $45 million!)

The Post has a feature today on the richies who have paid more than $45 million for their Manhattan digs. You know, the $45 Million Club. As the article notes, hedge-funder Daniel Loeb bought a 10,000-square-foot apartment in newly renovated 15 Central Park West for $45.8 million in February. "The place has five bedrooms and five baths - but, in what seems quite a scandal, his view of Central Park is obscured by an adjacent apartment." Perhaps Loeb can pay to have that adjacent apartment removed.

Full moon tonight

Christ, what's next, photos at dusk?

The Times looks at the Stuyvesant Polyclinic

The Times looks at The German Dispensary and adjacent library on Second Avenue between 8th and 9th Streets today. (You know, the Stuyvesant Polyclinic...mansion of death.)

The piece gives a broad history of the space...and a glimpse of the future, possibly dispelling a few of the rumors surrounding its fate:

Now the architect David Mayerfeld is working on an alteration for a future occupant, which he describes only as “a think-tank sort of thing, that works on business problems.”

He plans to strip the paint from the intricate ironwork stairway railings and columns, and will have to add a sprinkler system throughout to retain the open stair hall. He says that removing half a century of dropped ceilings and tacked-on flooring has been a process of discovery, as bits of tile, tin ceiling and other finishes suddenly appear.

Previously: Jeremiah has been following this development...read his coverage here.

Tina Turner takes to the mean streets of NYC

Yesterday, reader Eric E. sent along the link for Sade's "Is it a Crime" video showing some delicious Times Square pornage lights circa 1985.

This morning, I came across Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to do With it" video shot in NYC in 1984. Love the extras from central casting. And, fyi: Don't fuck with Tina on the streets.



Still, nothing beats Pat Benatar's free-the-exotic-dancers scene in "Love is a Battlefield."

And a little Staten Island from Madonna, who turns 50 today.

Not to ruin your Friday evening, but....RUN FOR COVER!

Holy shit.

Hmm, what's on the news?






And why am I sitting in front of a computer at this hour? Seeking shelter?

The Dead Boys do Iggy

Mid-morning musical interlude, and what not

Debbie...Debbie...Debbie...



[Photo by Theresa K.]

A music video takes us back to 1985 Times Square (didn't want to say a Sade music video because then you may not watch...)

Thanks to reader Eric E. for bringing this music video to my attention (via the previous post)...

Just stumbled upon this music video by Sade, Is It a Crime -- it has shots of the 80's Big yellow taxi cab cruising in the old Times Square, and a shot of the Show Palace Theatre and Show World Center on 42nd street and 8th avenue at the the 40 sec. mark. Enjoy.

We have been enjoying! The only downside...Well, aside from being Sade (sorry), the song lasts like seven years. The good cab stuff happens in the first few minutes, though.

As Eric E. said, Enjoy.

And now for something completely different: A note from EV Grieve

Wrapping up the end of week No. 2 over at Curbed. It has been fun, though I wish they wouldn't leave the front door open while the AC is on. Uh, in any event, here are some of the posts from there this last day or so. Thanks for reading.

14 New York Stories

More Beach Volleyball! More Beach Volleyball!

Write What You Know

Before the Boldface Names

Noted for the Record

Hello, New York

From the Department of Good News -- Katz's edition

In an entertaining and thorough post this morning on the state of egg creams, Jeremiah delivers a comforting passage after an interview with Fred Austin, co-owner of Katz's

As for those perennial whispers Katz’s might be vanishing, Fred says, “Every so often I drop the rumor we might be closing, just to boost our business, but I like this place too much. We’ll be around for a long while.”

Meanwhile, here's part of a reel for a documentary this fellow is making about Katz's. Here's more on the project.




And more...

Balls

Mott and Houston.

Reading this week's issue of The Villager

An update on the HOWL! Festival.

Get to know the new CB3 president.

And a fucked-up crime from Downtown Express:

A Lower Manhattan man who was in a crowd that attracted mounted police on 10th Ave. at W. 28th St. at 4:50 a.m. Sun., Aug. 3, punched one of the horses, Buck, in the nose and then grabbed the reins of Buck and another horse, McQuade, endangering the cops riding them, police said. The suspect, Alfonso Figar, 20, who lives on John St., was charged with reckless endangerment and assaulting the officers who were arresting him. Figar had to be wrestled to the ground to be handcuffed, police said.

And speaking of punching horses...forgive me for this.

Blowing smoke in Times Square, and other delights from 1964

Home Movie taken (by Castlemainer) in New York in 1964 on standard 8 film & transfered using a Workprinter XP from Moviestuff.

Things that are kind of creepy

Naked, armless mannequins. On Nassau Street.


The headless bride-and-groom bags at Duane Reade.

The moving company that will pack your kid... on Gold Street.

These T-shirts. Yeah, and he loves your big boobs.

Me taking pictures of an R-rated Snow White passing out coupons downtown. (I never caught up to her. She gave me the slip. So to speak.)

Shopping in the East Village -- then and now

Here are some archival photos I came across showing locals doing their shopping on Avenue C and Sixth Street in April 1950.



Here's a photo I took the other day showing locals doing their shopping on Seventh Street near Avenue B. 

From the publisher: The only note that EV Grieve will post today related to this matter

Oh. Hello. The fine folks at Curbed asked me to continue my guest editing duties for a second week. I have the pleasure of being there at the same time as Kurt from Restless and our old friend Jeremiah.

Here are a few of my posts from this week:

When Babs Dines Out

Commoners Offered Access To Best 20 Pine Has To Offer

Dorm Daze on the LES

Construction Watch: Rickety Platform at 211 Pearl

Hotels Booming

On UES, There Will Be Drilling (and Noise)

Ridiculous Amenity Alert, Rental Edition

The way we were, Vasmay Lounge edition

Last month Vasmay Lounge moved rather abruptly from its digs on Houston and Suffolk to the space last occupied by the Essex Ale House on Essex and Houston. Meanwhile, all the photos that lined the front windows at Vasmay remain in place. [UPDATE: Oops! Not anymore...the photos are gone...]

Now we know why the new Mets stadium is named after a bank

I've had several posts this summer about how expensive it will be to see the Yankees or Mets in their fancy-schmancy new stadiums next season. Well, the Mets just announced their 2009 ticket prices. How bad are they? Bad enough the Post made it part of its Page 1 cover package.

No wonder it's named after a bank - Met fans are going to have to open up their safe-deposit boxes to afford seats at Citi Field next season.
The choicest seats will cost $495 - a 79 percent increase.

On the lower level, where tickets at Shea were an average of $77 to $85 - depending on the opponent, day of the week and the Mets' five-tiered pricing system - comparable seats at Citi Field will average $150 to $225.

Michael Bakal, 27, of Baldwin, LI, hanging out at Virgil's in Midtown, expressed the frustration of many a Met fan.

"It costs more to put gas in the car, or to take the train, and now it costs more to get a seat in a stadium that we paid to build," Bakal said. "It's kind of insulting to New Yorkers. Go find the money somewhere else. Give us a break, leave Joe Public alone."

Tonight in Tompkins Square Park: The Graduate

I don't really have anything to say about this. Uh, plastics? And will this be another bag-search-free evening?

Previously on EV Grieve.

The New Yorker "is a Huge Machine"

I really enjoyed Rolando's post on Urbanite last Thursday on the glorious Hotel New Yorker. The hotel's room-by-room renovation is drawing near a conclusion, notes Rolando, who had the chance to take a tour of the place with Joe Kinney, the hotel's engineer and historian.  Here are a few passages from the post:

The striking pyramidical, set-backed tower was financed and built before the Wall Street crash of 1929, and opened into a sobered-up world on Jan. 2, 1930, with the Great Depression already under way.

The 43-story hotel boasted many extremes when it opened: It was the biggest, the tallest, the one with the largest switchboard, the largest kitchen, the largest private power plant. Today, its massive LED sign is a skyline fixture and is possibly the largest of its kind anywhere.

You hear of the ice follies at the Terrace Room, of visits by actor Mickey Rooney and band leader Benny Goodman, and of Nikola Tesla, the electrical genius whose obsession with numbers and his love for pigeons still draw the curious to the hotel, where he spent his final years.

The New Yorker Hotel's historically minded renovation comes at a time when the future of its former swing-era arch enemy, the Hotel Pennsylvania, has been in question, and during a time when the wrecking ball has been tearing down old New York with abandon.

The hotel’s rebirth is due in no small part to Kinney's curiosity and cheer-leading for the hotel's history.

Read this follow-up post here.

Meanwhile, I came across this article from the April 1930 issue of Popular Science Monthly on the hotel's grand opening. 

Charles Cushman's New York City

Earlier today, Sheila at Gawker posted a Pic of the Day, which happened to be a shot of Manhattan circa 1942. The photo is from the Charles Cushman Collection at Indiana University. There are plenty more shots of Manhattan from the same era, such as the one below of the Northeast Corner of 1st Street and the Bowery taken on Oct. 4, 1942.



Or this one, taken on the same day, described only as "a block between Avenue A and Avenue B." Any guesses?

Richard Sandler's New York CIty

[Richard Sandler, 1982]

Gothamist had a great post yesterday on photographer/filmmaker Richard Sandler. He has made several documentaries, including Brave New York, which chronicles the East Village from 1988-2003. You can watch it here:



He has also made Sway, which, according to Gothamist, is 14 years of camcorder-recorded subway rides that have been edited together. Both films will be playing Aug. 22 in the community garden at Sixth Street and Avenue B. Some of his photos are in the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Museum.

Dumpster of the day

At Cooper Union.