Window To The World

Brooklyn Heights' Beauty Supplanted By Scourge Of Scaffolding

Brooklyn Heights has been known since the 1840s as the "City of Churches." You can forget that. The historic neighborhood's main drag, Montague Street, now has a new image: the center of scaffolding. No fewer than 10 buildings along its .29-mile, five-block stretch have been bombarded with the unsightly scourge. It's enough to make you long for the suburbs.

Office building & Cohen's Optical, 189 Montague Street (illegal license that expired 4/1/11).Rite Aid and new facade on apartment building, 168 Montague Street.St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church R train entrance, 157 Montague Street.St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church main entrance, 157 Montague Street.Restaurant or retail... 149 Montague Street.Heights Cleaners, UPS, 137 Montague Street.Sleepy's, new apartment building, 116 Montague Street.Ricky's, 107 Montague Street.62 Montague Street, coop, bleeding to 58 Montague Street...
57 Montague Street, coop... new scaffolding, as of Wednesday. Oh, happy day...

Isn't It Grand To Stand Apart From the Crowd?

Photo by Chuck Taylor on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, taken with a Nikon D5000, edited with AKVIS HDRFactory digital software.

Spring Has Sprung In NYC (Yet Again)

Another spring tease has tickled New York City, as it almost reached 80 degrees today. I'll take it!Folks of all ages, nationalities and, uh, shapes and sizes relaxed on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade today.

A Parade Of Posies (And Other Spring Foliage)

With new best friend in tow—my grown-up Nikon D5000—and thanks to a tutorial from Donna Mae, who has a Nikon D40, I'm discovering the wonders of digital SLR photography. Flowers throughout Brooklyn Heights cooperated beautifully, hitting full bloom on Wednesday.A little fun with Picasa...

NYC Teases With Another Beautiful Spring-Like Day

After three days of cold, clammy, bone-chilling rain, the sun is again teasing New York, as if it's really spring. Even The Fucking Weather is singing its praises! Natch, rain and temps in the 50s return for the weekend, but that's another day. For now, thank the heavens above.

NEW Construction Coming To Brooklyn Heights' Cranberry Street

In the strictly landmarked Brooklyn Heights nabe, "new construction" isn't a term you hear very often. A vacant lot at 27 Cranberry Street will house a handsome new "modern brownstone." According to Brownstoner, preliminary plans have gotten a thumbs up. I think this makes a boffo addition to the area. Definitely eye catching.

The five-story home—which includes a set-back penthouse level—will include a swimming pool and squash court. The lot alone was purchased last November for $1.5 million. Mercy!

Snow: A Beautiful Dusting

Just enough snow in Brooklyn this morning to coat a beautiful dusting... over the black soot that remains from the previous 12 snowfalls. Lovely.

Ice Ice Baby

This historic doorway in Brooklyn Heights makes clear that the spring thaw is nowhere in site. Brrr!

NYC's Rental Market: Hippest Nabes?

I don't put much stock into the social ramifications of the chart below, which claims to show the most popular nabes in New York City, based on a single variable: where rentals are up. Nice try, but this is little more than statistical intrigue. How about the hoods where people are buying? Where retail is thriving? Highest percentage of successful eateries and taverns? Mix it all up and then we might have a meaningful study.

For what it's worth, according to nakedapartments.com, the "most popular" nabes in Manhattan are the Upper West Side, West Village, Upper East Side, East Village and Greenwich Village. (Aren't West Village and Greenwich Village the same damn thing?) In Brooklyn, Williamsburg comes out on top, followed by Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene and Greenpoint. In Queens, Astoria beat out the trendy Long Island City, while in the Bronx, Riverdale, home of Archie and Veronica, wins out.

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I believe this means shit.

More interesting: The top 5 amenities that renters search out: pet-friendly buildings, elevator, doorman, washer/dryer, laundry in the building and outdoor space.

When It's Over

It's really over. Sigh.

Digging It

The great dig-out begins following New York's 20.2-inch blizzard Sunday. The sun is out, allowing sidewalks to reappear. The side streets... another story.Brooklyn Heights this morning. A beaming, bright a.m.Times Square, 8:30 a.m.Chelsea...And back to the barely grazed Brooklyn Heights, where street cleaning seems to have gotten lost in New York's snow removal agenda.Recovery will come. Smiles, everybody!