Soho Knows ‘Rod Stewart Loves the Hamptons’A rogue graffiti artist really wants you to believe that the aging rocker really has a thing for the East End. And for palm trees. Plus, pandas in Union Square, a ‘Gossip Girl’ spat, and more in our daily borough report.
ByChris Rovzar
neighborhood watch
Whole Foods to Alter Brooklyn PlansPoor undertrafficked, overcharitable Ikea! Poor Slopies thinking only poor people have public sex! (Not!) So many people to feel sorry for in today’s rainy, weepy boroughs report.
Red Hook Residents Already Groaning Over ‘Real World’ InvasionThe disingenuous denizens of Red Hook, the doomed views of the West 15th Street co-op dwellers, and the junk food–craving office gals of Long Island City, all wrapped up into our daily boroughs report like the contents of a vegan burrito!
neighborhood watch
Ikea Shuttle-Crisis Solved?Plus the sad old buildings of the Bowery and Gowanus, the ecoartist of Bushwick, and the developmentally disabled clown lovers of Staten Island, in our daily borough report.
Ikea Buses for All — Even Recovering Heroin Addicts!Stuy Town laundry thieves are being surveilled, Carroll Gardens raccoon cheerleaders speak out, Ikea bus riders forego affordable design for methadone, and much more, in our ‘Ruby Tuesday’ boroughs roundup.
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‘Ugly Betty’ Watch Begins!America and friends come to Dumbo, Betsey Johnson sells her Village penthouse and moves uptown, and the hipsters still haven’t taken over the Giglio Feast in W’burg. That and more in our daily boroughs report!
The High Line: Now With Seating!The old Domino Sugar plant keeps its cool sign, the Village likely loses a theater save its façade, and the High Line gains its first bench! More wins and losses in today’s boroughs report.
neighborhood watch
Can Regina Spektor Make Murray Hill Cool?Regina Spektor moves into Murray Hill, Carroll Gardens’ Ivy League hipster types strike back against last week’s maudlin anti-yuppie video, and a celeb hip-hop stylist’s body turns up in the Bronx. Plus, news from Red Hook, Long Island City, Dumbo, and Coney in today’s boroughs roundup.
neighborhood watch
The G Train: Helping Greenpoint Keep It RealThey’re not too gentrified in Greenpoint to transcend the crummy G train, not too Ikea-fied in Red Hook to alienate Santogold, and not too cranky in Brooklyn Heights to bitch about smaller OJ cartons. So we’re not too proud to say this: that and more in today’s boroughs report!
Heather Mills Is Moving to the West VillagePaul McCartney’s ex drops some of his dime on a New York pad, well-meaning yuppie scum set up shop in the East Village, Enrique Norten gets a second chance in downtown Brooklyn, and more, in this week’s kickoff to our daily boroughs wrap-up!
in other news
‘The View’ Darkly Celebrates Red Hook IkeaOn this morning’s show, everyone in the audience got free $200 gift cards — but the audience didn’t seem thrilled. And Whoopi was downright ominous: “Don’t forget, you’ll be putting it together, too.”
neighborhood watch
Everybody’s Sexy in Stuyvesant Town!Busy, buzz-y bees transfix the UES, canine golden showers threaten the Tribeca ecosystem, and cool-coiffed Queens beep Helen Marshall rocks springtime style in Woodside. That and more in our breathless daily boroughs report.
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Red Hook Residents Squawk About ParrotsPlus! Hazmat suits invade the Slope, an unwelcome curvy hotel is headed for West Village, Johan Santana’s new digs, and more in our far-roving Neighborhood Watch!
neighborhood watch
Long Island City Gets a BreakdownNaked butts in Prospect Heights, Pope dreams in Mott Haven, and a touching tale of man and squirrel out of Prospect Park. What other fun-size borough bites await in our daily Neighborhood Watch?
Brooklyn Bridge Park May Be Bad for the FishesBrooklyn Heights: In addition to being way over budget, long-planned Brooklyn Bridge Park may damage marine life with its expected rowing and kayaking facilities, says state enviro-honchos. [Brownstoner]
Chelsea: Work has been stopped on “car-chitect” (he-he) Annabelle Selldorf’s much-hyped condo tower that allows folks to take their car right up to their own sky-high garages. “The pillars forming the exterior walls are misaligned,” says a city buildings-department flack. “This could be characterized as a structural deficiency.” Gee, you really think so? [Curbed]
Coney Island: In the era of whole hoods going bank branch and condo, don’t you just want to smack someone for grumping that the historic Child’s Restaurant building will become a roller rink this summer? Come on, Grumpums, that’s cool! [NYDN]
neighborhood watch
The City Takes On the Squirrel HouseCobble Hill: Whether that house on Kane Street where the old lady lives is infested with rats or squirrels is now a moot point — the city’s ordered her to vacate, and trusty NY1 is on the story! [Lost NYC]
Greenwich Village: The Department of Buildings is bitter because the developer of the units that went up over landmark Circle in the Square theater lied and said they’d be used for dorms. They’re not, meaning no zoning breaks. Meaning pare down those hideous balconies! [Villager]
Lower Manhattan: Also bitter are Seaport locals, who laughed in the face of moguls last night who offered them community use of the Fulton Market floor where the “Bodies” exhibit is in exchange for development. Looks like they want waaaay more public space than that. [Downtown Express]
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Bedford-Stuyvesant Not So Sold on the ‘Hope’ and ‘Change’ Parts of This ElectionBedford-Stuyvesant: Some folks are skeptical that anything will change here, no matter who’s elected in November. And they’re employing their mailboxes to say so. [Newyorkshitty]
Greenwich Village: After renovations of Washington Square Park found human remains there, folks will protest there tonight, saying the city should merely “repair” the park and not upset buried bones with a full-scale redo. [Metro]
Jackson Heights: This is the home of the largest of 47 rent-stabilized apartment buildings throughout Queens just purchased for $300 million by Vantage Properties. Housing advocates fear the new owner will systematically push out low-rent-paying tenants in the nearly 2,000 units. [The Real Deal]
neighborhood watch
Beware Midtown Fortune-Tellers! (As If You Weren’t Wary Before)Chelsea: All the fabulous old Chelsea freaks and bohos partied at Cindy Gallop’s wacky loft in the old YMCA building, but this time, sadly, the waiters kept their pants on. [Living with Legends]
Midtown: It’s funny/sad that a fortune-teller here duped an entrepreneur out of nearly half a million by telling him he was cursed, but it’s just plain funny that the Post said the guy was from “tony Wilson, Wyoming.” Bitchy! [NYP]
Red Hook Guess which “degentrifying” hood had the distinct honor of producing confetti for today’s Super Bowl–victory parade? Local hearts were “aflutter” with pride…get it? [The Real Deal]
neighborhood watch
Husband and Wife Strippers Leave Us HangingBushwick: If you squint really hard, you can pretend this house is in a suburban glade and not next to the elevated subway in a tough hood. Or so this Realtor’s poster hopes. [Newyorkshitty]
Carroll Gardens: Locals rejoice at the news that his-buildings-don’t-fit-with-this-hood architect Robert Scarano is off the job at 333 Carroll Street, but what will become of that inappropriately huge penthouse thingy they’ve been building on the roof? [Pardon Me for Asking]
Corona: A husband-wife stripper team were busted for using MySpace to lure two teenage girls to their home, then to an orgy at a Manhattan strip club. Hey, why didn’t they ask us instead? God knows we’re of age. [NYDN via Queens Crap]
neighborhood watch
Brooklyn Heights Is Fighting the War on RatsBrooklyn Heights: The rats here are getting bigger and bolder, and the normally peaceful residents have taken to fighting back with machetes and water hoses. [Brooklyn Paper]
Chelsea: From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday, you can shop for cool old magazines and comics at Time Machine and simultaneously get drunk at their holiday open bar. [Vanishing New York]
Red Hook: A sliver-thin waterfront greenway is going up that will run all the way to Greenpoint. Rad! [OnNYTurf]
neighborhood watch
Urban Outfitters to Bring Freshman-Dorm Furniture to Cobble HillCobble Hill: Urban Outfitters is “coming soon!” [BK11201]
Downtown Brooklyn: After endless outrage, the city will spare the little Duffield Street house believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. [DDDB via Gowanus Lounge]
Financial District: Maybe, in time, all the pretty old buildings in Manhattan will be reduced, like this one, to Hollywood-set-style façades for the big new buildings behind them. [Curbed]
neighborhood watch
Curbed Takes on Red Hook, ‘New York’Red Hook: OMG, you guys, like, every post on Curbed today is about le Hook Rouge! And half of them provide photo evidence aiming to disprove New York’s latest story saying that gentrification there bombed. We might just have to get our writer to react to this! More soon. [Curbed]
Chelsea: We don’t want to start any blasphemous rumors, but, well, yes, that was Depeche Mode shooting a (gypsy-filled?) video at the Chelsea Hotel last night. Reportedly. [Living with Legends]
Fort Greene: If you go to the greenmarket here on Saturdays, you’ll not only get an ecosensitive reusable shopping bag, you’ll meet many “engaging and beautiful” neighbors. Is this a front for an escort service? [Clinton Hill Blog]
neighborhood watch
Wait, We Kind of Want One of Those Full-Body UmbrellasBrooklyn Heights: The Fairway Shuttle made its first stop in the Heights today! What, you white people don’t want to walk through Red Hook? [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Chelsea: Straight and gay couples have been walking around the city handing out condoms — underneath condomlike umbrellas. Extra points for this blogger who titles his post “It’s Raining (Se)Men!” [Copyranter]
Clinton Hill: Because of inclement weather, tomorrow’s Great PUPkin Dog Costume Contest in Clinton Hill will be delayed until Sunday, which gives you just that much more time on the “Dead Flower From Meerkat Manor” costume for your Chihuahua. [Clinton Hill Blog]
intel
Ellis Gallagher Will Make All Sidewalks Safe for Chalking Children AgainMeet Ellis Gallagher, Brooklynite and first non-child victim in the sidewalk-chalk war. Gallagher, who has been drawing silhouettes on the streets for the past three years (he’s been profiled in the Times and has lectured on graffiti as art at the Brooklyn Museum), was the city’s first chalk-related arrest last week when police saw him at work during the filming of a profile set to air in early November as part of Channel 13’s “New York Voices” series. “I’ve been stopped before, but once they see it’s chalk, they lay off,” Gallagher says. He was carted around to three different precincts and charged with making graffiti, possessing graffiti instruments, and making mischief before charges were dropped in Red Hook court the next day.
neighborhood watch
Cobble Hill Shall Only Remain Yea HighCobble Hill: In a last-minute about-face, Councilman Bill De Blasio said he’ll vote to deny developer Two Trees the right to build ten feet over the height limit in the quaint hood. [Brooklyn Eagle]
Coney Island: The deal has been inked, folks. Starting in March, Astroland will be open for one more season before the bulldozers roll in. [NYDN]
Flushing: Yeah, we know this blog features hideous new architecture around Queens every day, but these specimens are particularly heinous. What’s that thing atop the building in the first picture, a big brick handle? [Queens Crap]
neighborhood watch
Beware of Moped GangsDumbo: One Brooklyn Bridge Park slightly taller, slightly less yellow. Also, slightly expensive. [DumboNYC]
East River: We wouldn’t normally swim in the East River. But we might do it with art? [Gothamist]
Jackson Heights: New ad campaign: equal opportunity appaller. [Curbed]
Park Slope: Moped gangs in the Slope! If only we were joking. [Daily Slope]
Red Hook: The planned giant IKEA will stomp out a Civil War–era shipyard. Also, taste. [NYDN]
Roosevelt Island: OpenHouseNewYork will allow people into the scary old Smallpox Hospital you can see from the FDR (remember the end of Spider-Man?). And onto the Highline! [NewYorkology]
photo op
The March of Progress in Red Hook
The old Revere Sugar factory in Red Hook is finally, completely no more, as Curbed called to our attention late yesterday. Ah, progress.
Empty [f.trainter’s Flickr via Curbed]
neighborhood watch
From PJs to Condos in Fort Greene?Brooklyn Heights: No parking at Love Lane Garage anymore. [Brooklyn Daily Eagle via Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Bushwick: Can the neighborhood regain its status as the city’s brewing capital? [BushwickBK]
Chelsea: Chelsea Hotel residents are looking for any souvenirs or ephemera from the sixties, seventies, or eighties. [Hotel Chelsea Blog]
Fort Greene: Will the Ingersoll Houses go co-op? [Brownstoner]
Long Island City: If the post office is confused, you might get mail addressed to “ASSLIC.” [Manhattan Offender]
Red Hook: Turns out the 9th Street feral dogs begat the Revere Sugar feral dogs. And now there’s only one left. [Gowanus Lounge]
Union Square: Smokers are reduced to sitting on garbage bags. The indignity! [Clean NYC Now]
