Even the Raccoons Move to BrooklynAstoria: More and more folks are discovering the quiet charms of Hallets Cove, the East River tributary just a short walk from Vernon Boulevard. [Waterwire via Joey in Astoria]
City Hall: Ever wanted to know what the old City Hall subway station looked like? Prettier than most others. And that’s why it’s closed. [Gothamist]
Clinton Hill: Looks like the raccoons that have been plaguing outer Queens are now encroaching on Kings County, too. At least they’re not buying up all the brownstones. [Brooklynian]
Dumbo: Avant-tots, rejoice! A bunch of “old German hippies” will design a super-cool playground for the southern end of the waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park. [The Brooklyn Paper]
Inwood: The kids are climbing the walls at Intermediate School 52! Or is it just a really cool artist-student collaboration? [Wooster Collective via Razor Apple]
Sunset Park: Locals force a stop-work order at 420 42nd Street, a site whose plans were “self-certified” by the twelve-story tower’s architect. But will it last? [Brownstoner]
vu.
Astoria Has Good Deals, Devoted Neighbors, and Great ViewsThe views of Manhattan from Astoria may be heavenly, but for those who’ve decamped to this northwestern part of Queens, even without them the neighborhood is divine enough. Just twenty minutes to Manhattan by subway, Astoria has long attracted renters — there are more apartments for lease here than for sale — looking for deals. (For families, the public schools are a big draw.) And it’s come a long way since Archie Bunker raised hell here. The rowhouses are still around, as are the nineteenth-century mansions and brick prewars, but pricey luxury condos have infiltrated, too. Trendy clothing boutiques are opening shop next to diners and butchers. Hipsters jostle for sidewalk space against old-timers, many of whom came from Greece and Eastern Europe. To see how veterans and newcomers alike get fiercely passionate about the neighborhood, check out blogs like Joey in Astoria or Astorians.com. Or, better yet, spend a few hours at open houses there this weekend to see — literally — how the locals live. Here are a few picks for viewing this weekend.
—S. Jhoanna Robledo
neighborhood watch
What Do the Fortune-Tellers Know About Bay Ridge?Astoria: Got some genius idea for something fun to do in the waterfront park? Don’t hold your breath for a MacArthur … but apply for one of these mini-grants to bring your brainstorm to life. [Joey in Astoria]
Bay Ridge: Looks like knowing the future really confers the business edge: These days, fortune-tellers are the only storefronts hanging in there. [Brooklyn Paper]
Bedford-Stuyvesant: An entrepreneur’s poll of what new businesses are needed has unleashed a flood of pleas for nice groceries and wi-fi–enabled cafés. What new digs would you like to see in Bed-Stuy? [Brownstoner via Brooklyn Record]
Crown Heights: Gentrification chatter! Everybody’s buzzing that Starbucks and Washington Mutual are poised to supplant fried-chicken joints on gritty Eastern Parkway. [Brooklynian]
Dumbo: Not in my light-industrial backyard! Locals pressure city to landmark the area before old brick is dwarfed by shiny new glass towers. [DumboNYC]
Harlem: Hancock Place Apartments are under construction, and 44 rental units will be for households making at or below 60 percent of the area’s median income. So that’s, at most, $37,680 for a family of four. [Uptown Flavor]
Upper East Side: Pauper literati, get your asses over to that used bookstore on Lex between East 89th and 90th Streets. They’re closing, and last night they had tables groaning with free books! [Upper East Side Informer]
neighborhood watch
Upscale Dry Cleaning Comes to Harlem
Astoria: Shooting on location is On 31st Street, coming soon to Greek TV. [Columbia Journalist via Joey in Astoria]
Brooklyn Heights: Brigate Bocce got the boot in the first round of the New York Fall Bocce Playoffs. We’ll keep you updated. [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Chelsea: Burgers & Cupcakes waits till after dark to erect a new awning on its 23rd Street location. [Blog Chelsea]
Fort Greene: Are hedge-fund managers actually invading, or is that a real-estate urban legend? [Set Speed aka One Hanson Place]
Harlem: New condo buildings bring with them new dry cleaners. [Uptown Flavor]
Midtown: Inside the closed stacks (right) of the New York Public Library. [NewYorkology]
Red Hook: The Revere Sugar factory is going down, but slowly at first. [Gowanus Lounge]
neighborhood watch
All Hail the Hipster GymAstoria: You’ve hung out in Astoria Park. Now help take care of it. [Joey in Astoria]
Chelsea: What are they building in there? Find out at public forums tonight and Thursday on neighborhood redevelopment plans. [BlogChelsea]
Clinton Hill: Still looking for a scotch pine, but there are plenty of places to get a tree. [ClintonHillBlog]
Flatiron: Farewell, Shake Shack. We can’t wait to eat you again. [Joe Schumacher]
Lower East Side: Experience the awfulness of the hipster gym and work out at Ludlow Fitness. [Curbed]
Park Slope: A shopping guide to Fifth and Seventh Avenues gives you one less reason to visit Manhattan. [Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn]
Wall Street: Rich? Rushed? Get to Newark airport in eight minutes for only $159. [NewYorkology]