Christmas decorations for under a buck

I love the 99 cents stores that seems to be on every corner of Avenue U. They are the best places to get a bunch of Christmas decorations without breaking the bank and you don't feel too bad if one or two breaks by accident. I do wonder how all of these stores can co-exist practically right next to one another.

Sleepless in Manhattan

During the Thanksgiving weekend I decided to spend a night at my parents apartment in midtown Manhattan. My takeout Italian dinner cost me nearly $40, which came as a shock after getting used to paying only half for food in Gravesend. Why was I eating takeout? My family doesn’t cook, not even for Thanksgiving. But the worst thing was the noise! It was kind of difficult to fall asleep when I could hear every single conversation going on in the street, even though I was on the third floor! Since my parents live near a lot of bars the flow of people did not really stop until dawn. Next time I leave a bar I will be more considerate of the neighbors. Then every person that walked up the stairs seemed to shake the very foundation of the 100 plus year old brownstone. I haven't lived in Gravesend for a long time but it sure didn't a long time for me to get accustomed to a much simpler and quieter kind of lifestyle.

How come nobody thought of this before?

I was happy to read today that Brooklyn now has The Small Building Part which will handle landlord/tenant disputes in two or three family houses living in the neighborhoods of Gravesend, East Flatbush, Sheepshead Bay, Flatlands and Canarsie. Those of us who live in buildings with less than four housing units are not protected by rent stabilization regulations and are often faced with numerour problems that come from living in the same building as the landlord. Its good to know that now there is a place where things can be settled without the need for lawyers.
Check out the story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=16811

Coney Island Woes

This weather reminds me of summer which reminded me of Coney Island. Lo and behold an article today from the The Brooklyn Paper about the opposition to Mayor Bloomberg's plans for the now defunct amusement park. Now I don't know much about his plans so I can't say anything positive or negative. It does look like Coney Island will be shut down for years to come until somebody figures out what to do. NYC summers just won't be the same without Coney Island.

Gravesend Jockey Club

Check out this New York Times pdf article from 1887 and 1899 about the Gravesend racetracks.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9406E6DB1730E633A25755C2A9639C94669FD7CF
and
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E05EFDF1530E132A25750C1A96F9C94689ED7CF

More pictures of Gravesend

But I didn't take them. Since I am not around much during the day and it would be creepy to take photographs at night here is a link to someone else's pictures of avenue U.
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/gravesend/avenueu/index.htm

Of condos and houses

Yesterday I attended an open house at a new condominium just for fun. It is located on West 9th St. between Avenue U and V. This two bedroom (really a one bedroom since the second bedroom looked more like a small office) second story apartment came with every imaginable amenity including central heating and grantite countertops. It wasn't very big but it was pretty nice and better yet, the maintenance fee was a low $175. How much for the apartment? A little over $400,000. The real estate agent also represented a house a block away which was selling for over $520,000 but it needs some repairs. It is so strange to me to have a house and a condo have only $100,000 difference in between. All units except for two in this building are already sold.

The telephone was not invented in Gravesend

That happened in Staten Island. This memorial located on 12th Street and Avenue U in Meucci Triangle commemorates the orginal inventor of the telephone Antonio Meucci.

Real Estate

I can't believe it's already November. I have not gotten the chance to post blogs as often as I wanted. There are papers due and exams to study for. And even though lately I have been home only to catch some shut eye I couldn't help but notice how many houses are going up for sale. I can only imagine this is a result of what is happening in the housing market nationwide and it is sad to see so many families affected by it. On the other hand as a renter I am interested in someday becoming a homebuyer so I have been eyeing certain houses with interest....

Gravesend, England

The news articles that appear on this site are supposed to be about Gravesend, Brooklyn but more often than not a piece about Gravesend, England will creep in. This always remind me of the immigrant heritage of this neighborhood.