Question for those who are more familiar with NYC/Brooklyn. With all of this rapid development, especially in Brooklyn, how is this changing the character of the neighborhood?

 

From what I recall, Brooklyn was always sort of this, "Old historic throwback" neighborhood. With all of these new skyscrapers, it's almost as if a 2nd Manhattan is growing in brooklyn. I've also tried to keep track of the development, and seems like historic stock is being demolished as well which is unfortunate (but I guess necessary for advanced growth)...But I guess my ultimate question is how has this changed the historic character of brooklyn?

 

 

no historic stock is being destroyed for the major new brooklyn developments.

 

while downtown brooklyn has a few historic structures of note, such as the romanesque fire hq bldg for example (which was restored),its a very small area and most of the structures are complete crapola.

 

for example, the citypoint development is going up on a block that had a terrifyingly decrepit parking garage and junky old albee square mall.

 

the gothic 9 dekalb tower we are all waiting anxiously to see go up is actually connected to a historic bank building that is being preserved.

 

the flatbush brooklyn bridge approach apt towers took out parking lots and gas stations.

 

the ratner’s fce atlantic yards/pacific park arena and modular apt towers are built over a railyard.

 

as for the east river waterfront, there was nothing there but crummy old warehouses and empty lots. anything historic was cleared out long ago after the waterfront shipping industry died off. the exception is the domino sugar development, which will incorporate the main old sugar factory structure. in fact a brand new waterfront park just opened there recently, so this project has actually added greenspace.

 

old brooklyn stock is worth a fortune, so no real worries otherwise.

 

i suppose an exception is way out in sheepshead bay, were smaller homes are being replaced by obnoxious russian/central asian mega mansions.

i was glad to read this — i work near this site sometimes and we have been waiting for it to get off the ground. its a bjarke ingles designed new police precinct/community center in the south bronx.

 

 

 

 

more:

https://ny.curbed.com/2018/7/10/17553776/bjarke-ingels-bronx-new-york-nypd-police-precinct

from a couple days ago — this is jersey city’s new tallest to be — 99 hudson.

 

 

from one exchange place — its been renovated into a hyatt and keep it in mind as its easy to reach next to the path train and has a very nice new rooftop lounge with awesome manhattan views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from the street

 

 

 

this is so cool, and I was in Chinatown just yesterday and missed it. They should do something like it in Cleveland, maybe on E 4th St?

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/nyregion/doyers-street-chinatown-mural-chen-dongfan.html

 

^ nice!

 

but i think cle has that kind of fun pretty well covered with the asian lantern festival:

 

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo/programs-events/2018/special-events/asian-lantern-festival

^ nice!

 

but i think cle has that kind of fun pretty well covered with the asian lantern festival:

 

https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo/programs-events/2018/special-events/asian-lantern-festival

 

no, I didn't mean that Cleveland should do an Asian-themed mural. The article mentions another one in the Garment District, which I assume is related to that industry. Maybe Cleveland could do one with city landmarks (?)

^ good idea — the more visability the better!

A guy who is a pretty hardcore mountain biker tours Manhattan on a Citibike:

downtown brooklyn keeps a-boomin along. another 40 story apt building, 570 fulton, was announced. 139 units with 30% as affordable.

 

 

here’s an unusual...ok nutty...facade that was just unveiled by field conditions.

 

its a single family at 187 franklin street in tribeca.

 

i think hottest off the press lately is that bigtime developer harry macklowe wants to put up a million square foot supertall premium boutique office tower w/15’ ceilings called st stevens. the site is at 14 east 52nd street near st patricks.

 

one more thing, the seaport neighborhood is finally ratcheting up after being devestated by sandy. howard hughes corp owns much of it and things are finally starting to come back online.

 

you probably noticed pier 17 is rebuilt and the new espn studios have moved in there. they have a great view of brooklyn and the bridge out their window. there is a bar area on the peirfront below, so you can go wave up at stephen a. lol.

 

also, a new high end department store has just opened in the former fish market. weird to have it in the seaport, but i guess they are betting on howard hughes developers to come through in livelying the area back up. its 10 corso como and it certainly looks umm, molto italiano! my spouse went in at lunch today to check it out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate that new Pier 17 building. It's cold and corporate and many of the businesses are upscale beyond the reach of the average tourist, like much of New York these days. And it seems like there's far less open deck space on the water. I miss the old seaport >:(  And I remember when that opened and all the excitement around it--1983 as I recall

 

 

 

 

^ yes i remember when the seaport opened too. remember doug fluties? 

 

btw it was a replica of the toledo and lexington, ky portside malls — and it did about as well as those did lol.

 

however, those three 80s malls (and there were a few others i believe) were innovative in their placement and they helped revitalize at least the idea of downtown again, so in the end i think they were successful in raising consciousness about those dead at the time downtowns. call them early gentrifer malls!

^ yes i remember when the seaport opened too. remember doug fluties? 

 

btw it was a replica of the toledo and lexington, ky portside malls — and it did about as well as those did lol.

 

however, those three 80s malls (and there were a few others i believe) were innovative in their placement and they helped revitalize at least the idea of downtown again, so in the end i think they were successful in raising consciousness about those dead at the time downtowns. call them early gentrifer malls!

 

did you go all the way to the roof at Pier 17? When you get to the upper floors they're about as appealing as being in a NY courthouse (since I was just on jury duty I thought it was a good comparison lol). I couldn't believe how dark and confining the upper floors are. It could have been a lot more open and spacious. While the original seaport look is considered dated today at least it was inviting and warm. Unless you've got gobs of money (Jean Georges Vongerichten is opening a place there, right?!) I can't see people flocking there in huge numbers, except to maybe to sit the water for a little while. What the hell is with these huge multi-colored balloon-like objects here? Did you see this? I guess it doesn't matter, it just looks like a bunch of inebriated millennials anyway :)

 

^ no, i can see it perfectly from my spouse’s office, yes she has the best workspace views in the city lucky her haha, but in person when i tried the roof was closed off. i had met my spouse after work and we got a drink in a weird little blocked off area on the pier just for chase credit card holders. you can look right up into the espn studio windows above.

 

it is very sterile and corporate. and yes there is much less pier space. i dk why they put espn studios and offices in there? i guess to help cover the i’m sure massive rebuilding costs as the pier was definately totally wrecked from hurricane sandy.

 

there is other construction going on right next door on the former tin fish market building lots, i dk what that will be. something shiny and sterilized no doubt.

here is one of my insta office views from a couple weeks ago - with rainbow bonus:

 

it seems pacific park fka atlantic yards is back up and running big time after the chinese developers pull back from foreign investments -- there are new local development partners and 1000 apts being added. construction is expected to start back up Q1 2019.

 

https://nypost.com/2018/09/25/more-than-1k-new-apartments-coming-to-barclays-center-area/

^ my spouse says they have some sort of amazing sound baffling system so that the rooftop concert sounds dont travel into the seaport or over into brooklyn.

 

 

***

 

 

now here is a cool shot from a construction worker's insta -- the topping off at long last of 53W53rd aka the moma tower verre:

 

 

 

53W53 reaches new heights. Last month, we placed the final piece of steel on the building, completing 53W53's topping out.

 

 

 

 

 

here is another view:

 

 

Edited October 9, 20186 yr by mrnyc

an awesome shot of the fast changing manhattan skyline as seen from the bronx

 

I do love 432 Park Avenue.  Its name is its address and it just sits there saying "I am all about exactly one thing.   Try not to notice me.".  

here is something unusual, the world’s tallest modular hotel opened on the bowery/les — citizen m hotel:

 

https://newyorkyimby.com/2018/10/construction-wraps-for-worlds-tallest-modular-hotel-at-185-bowery-on-the-lower-east-side.html

 

 

i made an insta of it this summer — i had no idea what it was:

 

this eddie westdijk pic from the esb is just amazingly gothic-esque ---

 

--- who would have thought that long island city queens would be getting two skylines much less one (basically hunters point and queensboro plaza)?

 

 

 

 

Trader Joe's opens its largest store on the Eastern Seaboard on the Lower East Side. Hopefully the lines will be shorter

 

http://thevillager.com/2018/10/21/aloha-lower-east-side-trader-joes-opens-huge-store-on-grand-st/

^ after a couple years of construction on the prince lumber site the ‘worlds largest’ starbucks is about to open too in the meatpacking. its a 25k sq ft roastery shop. the signage is up and i peeked inside. yep its yuge.

 

https://ny.eater.com/platform/amp/2016/4/5/11371750/starbucks-roastery-chelsea

13 hours ago, mrnyc said:

^ after a couple years of construction on the prince lumber site the ‘worlds largest’ starbucks is about to open too in the meatpacking. its a 25k sq ft roastery shop. the signage is up and i peeked inside. yep its yuge.

 

https://ny.eater.com/platform/amp/2016/4/5/11371750/starbucks-roastery-chelsea

MePa?? that's what they call that area now? It's worse than FiDi. I guess at that location with all the millions of people going to the High Line and Chelsea Mkt. it will be packed. I guess the little one across the street will close. I really can't stand to go to Chelsea Mkt anymore. Not only because it's gotten so crowded, but ever since the "renovation" it's lost its quirky appeal. I was looking forward to Manhattan Fruit & Vegetable Exchange reopening but it doesn't even have half the produce it used to--just another overpriced store catering to tourists and yuppies?

Edited October 31, 20186 yr by eastvillagedon

^ there's always western beef for you just around the corner!

 

i should talk, me too lol.

^ I generally don't mind that Western Beef store (especially the meat locker room in the summer!), but there's inevitably some foul up at the cashier when buying even one item that seems to take half an hour to resolve (after already waiting half an hour in line). That is, assuming you can even find a cashier. 

Edited October 31, 20186 yr by eastvillagedon

Filipino fast food chain Jollibee (the Chick-fil-A of the Phillippines?) opens in Times Square to great fanfare. Interesting menu 

 

https://nypost.com/2018/10/30/manhattans-fried-chicken-fans-flock-to-jollibee/

 

 

^ Is it good? Filipino friends seem to rave about it, but I agree, the menu looks a bit strange.

^ I don't know. I just found out about it. But in the East Village there are a few Filipino restaurants and this place gets rave reviews. But I haven't been there either, since it's always packed and the crowd looks like it's nothing but 25-year olds. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's super noisy!

 

http://www.jeepneynyc.com

Legit question...is there even a middle class in NYC anymore? Or is it essentially incredibly wealthy expats, and wealthy generational families? 

 

My past vacation to NYC, mind you for 3 days, cost me over 5k. My hotel, was modest at best. I just didn’t want anything w/ cockroaches and bedbugs. Cost me 575$ a night. Again MODEST at BEST. Probably a 2.5 star hotel in most cites.

 

The restaurants were out of control. Why am I paying 9 bucks for a regular cup of coffee that I would normally buy for 2$? Why am I paying 24 dollars for a burger that would typically cost me 7$ at best...why is this Diet Coke 4$?!!!

 

I see so many young people to...assuming they live in the city how in the hell are they affording this? Is mommy and daddy giving them blank checks ala carte essentially. 

 

I would take it a step further, how do public safety (cops, firefighters, EMT, etc) afford to live in the city? I have to imagine it’s penny pinching to the max if they do.

 

The prices in NYC are becoming a utopia for the rich and wealthy. I’m surprised more folks aren’t creating a massive uproar about this. It’s literal insanity.

Edited November 2, 20186 yr by troeros

Where the heck did you stay? There are countless nice hotels in Midtown and Downtown Brooklyn for 150-250/night. Many brand new.

For restaurants, same thing. I went to dinner with my boyfriend the other night and got an amazing arepa for $7. Last week I got some halal that was two meals' worth for $8 after tip.

I'm a young person who lives on my own earned money in NYC and own property here. It really isn't that hard if you aren't dumb with your money. I save half of my post-tax income on top of putting 10% of my income into my 401k and I make a very middle-class income.

Prices are expensive in Manhattan and in trendy parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Go a couple neighborhoods further out and you can find one bedroom apartments for 200k. Not exactly super wealthy required to purchase. My apartment in Brooklyn cost me less to buy per square foot than my condo in OTR did. Similar price, significantly more room.

Additionally, people generally do make more here compared to other places in the same career. I make twice what I did in Cincinnati. That more than makes up for the differences in cost of living. Additionally, living without a car is way easier here. That saves me $400/month alone over living in Cincy.

I can't remember which hotel it was but around 2000 I stayed at a place where the continental breakfast was $36.  This was a totally average and unremarkable hotel, otherwise. 

 

I have slept on couches a lot more in NY than in hotels, but a few of the "middle-class" hotels were truly questionable.  The last time I actually rented a hotel room in Manhattan was probably around 2011...the room's door could not be opened all of the way because it hit the bed.  Stayed in another (here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gorham-hotel-new-york) in the 90s that had a room window that opened just 12" or so from the neighboring building.  So the effect was that of sleeping in a basement apartment, despite being on the 8th floor or whatever. 

 

 

^The city is cracking down on those types of hotels. They aren't legal and don't meet code at all. Most are being shut down in one way or another.

Midtown is going through a massive wave of new hotel development. All nice enough and fairly priced. I can literally see three under construction as I'm typing and next to them 2 more that are a couple years old and across the street there are 4 that are all less than 4 years old. Hotels are saturating the market so prices are very reasonable.

Nooooh!  I just looked up the Gershwin Hotel youth hostel and it closed in 2014 and is now a boutique hotel.  I stayed at that place for about 17 nights between two different trips in college, upwards of 20 years ago. 

 

https://foursquare.com/v/gershwin-hotel/451d25c1f964a5208c3a1fe3?openPhotoId=4f4847d2e4b01e144e83e5be

 

I was just telling somebody about the goings-on on one of those trips last Thursday night. 

15 hours ago, eastvillagedon said:

^ I don't know. I just found out about it. But in the East Village there are a few Filipino restaurants and this place gets rave reviews. But I haven't been there either, since it's always packed and the crowd looks like it's nothing but 25-year olds. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's super noisy!

 

http://www.jeepneynyc.com

 

Years ago I lived around the corner from this spot in Woodside when Jollibee opened up (it might have been one of the first ones on the east coast?):

 

https://goo.gl/maps/U5MinbMz7jK2

 

It was nuts - every afternoon there were lines down the street. This went on for months.  I finally had to see what the commotion was all about so stood in line for 20+ minutes - it was okay, nothing to write home about. I think it must be a nostalgia thing.

I cruised around the corner on Google Streetview and saw this:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7466582,-73.9005444,3a,31.6y,31.82h,89.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sA0G5oDWkKMSmjYLEtrvt0w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

...the inability of Google's software to distinguish between real, 3-D faces as opposed to 2-D faces on signs and posters.  Yet somehow driverless cars are going to work perfectly. 

^Oh they will... for me to poop on!

13 minutes ago, Ram23 said:

 

Years ago I lived around the corner from this spot in Woodside when Jollibee opened up (it might have been one of the first ones on the east coast?):

 

https://goo.gl/maps/U5MinbMz7jK2

 

It was nuts - every afternoon there were lines down the street. This went on for months.  I finally had to see what the commotion was all about so stood in line for 20+ minutes - it was okay, nothing to write home about. I think it must be a nostalgia thing.

 

20+ minutes for average food is nothing; when Cracker Barrel opened in Victorville, which is basically in the middle of nowhere in San Bernadino County, people drove and waited 4 hours to eat there. 

Amazon rumored to be coming to Long Island City:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/06/amazon-hq2-long-island-city-queens.html

 

I'll have to scan my photos of this area when I spent an afternoon walking around in 2000.  I had the area to myself. 

On 11/2/2018 at 1:47 PM, Ram23 said:

 

Years ago I lived around the corner from this spot in Woodside when Jollibee opened up (it might have been one of the first ones on the east coast?):

 

https://goo.gl/maps/U5MinbMz7jK2

 

It was nuts - every afternoon there were lines down the street. This went on for months.  I finally had to see what the commotion was all about so stood in line for 20+ minutes - it was okay, nothing to write home about. I think it must be a nostalgia thing.

 

the woodside jollibee was the first in ny. i looked it up and i see the first in the usa was in daly city cali in 1998. agree, like bagels its good, but nothing special.

i walked by the downtown brooklyn 9 dekalb (340 flatbush ave) site we are all waiting and waiting on and i have great news — its definitely on. actual tower site foundation work behind the bank bldg was a-happening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 20186 yr by mrnyc

On 11/2/2018 at 1:37 AM, jmecklenborg said:

I can't remember which hotel it was but around 2000 I stayed at a place where the continental breakfast was $36.  This was a totally average and unremarkable hotel, otherwise. 

 

I have slept on couches a lot more in NY than in hotels, but a few of the "middle-class" hotels were truly questionable.  The last time I actually rented a hotel room in Manhattan was probably around 2011...the room's door could not be opened all of the way because it hit the bed.  Stayed in another (here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gorham-hotel-new-york) in the 90s that had a room window that opened just 12" or so from the neighboring building.  So the effect was that of sleeping in a basement apartment, despite being on the 8th floor or whatever. 

 

 

 

during hurricane or superstorm sandy or whatever yacallit I was doing dishes with the kitchen window open listening to the storm raging around outside and I heard a loud boom. then I heard super come out.  I said I better go see what that was so I went out and saw the facade of a building on the corner by us collapsed.luckily no one got hurt. it turns out it was an illegal hotel. they only advertised in europe or something. it was quite obvious and funny because all the rooms were the same. there is another one right across the street from us even today, so these kinds of things still exist. I had some pics but lost them of the sandy facade collapse, but I found some online:

 

^Cincinnati still had some of that until about 2005, when they finally cracked down on the Metropole and Dennison hotels.  They were running a pretty obvious drug/prostitution operation out of the Metropole until it was closed for renovations and turned into a boutique hotel.  There was also an amazingly sleazy bar right next door, The Phoenix Cafe.  This was amazingly sleazy stuff going on right in the middle of downtown, a block from the square. 

^ no, these arent those kind of sro or hot sheet hotels, they are illegal hidden hotels geared to travelers.

 

***

 

foster was chosen by chase to build 270 park. it will be either 1400’+ or about 1600’. it will be about 2.5M sq ft and 12k employees and have grand central access. the existing 1961 union carbide building is the largest intentional tower demo.

 

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/the-new-skyline/jpmorgan-chase-plans-enclosed-public-plaza-metro-north-access-1400-foot-tall-headquarter-building/25461

The last couple of times I have visited NYC, I have stayed at a place called Hotel Azure, right where Chinatown, Little Italy, and SoHo come together. It looks like the hotel has been sold or rebranded since my last visit and is now called "City Rooms NYC SoHo". It is a great value for the location; rooms are currently available for $84/night on Hotels.com and similar websites. The rooms are very small but that is to be expected for Manhattan, but were clean and not dingy or gross at all.

Bring back flophouses!

On 11/11/2018 at 5:16 PM, mrnyc said:

^ no, these arent those kind of sro or hot sheet hotels, they are illegal hidden hotels geared to travelers.

 

***

 

foster was chosen by chase to build 270 park. it will be either 1400’+ or about 1600’. it will be about 2.5M sq ft and 12k employees and have grand central access. the existing 1961 union carbide building is the largest intentional tower demo.

 

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/the-new-skyline/jpmorgan-chase-plans-enclosed-public-plaza-metro-north-access-1400-foot-tall-headquarter-building/25461

Do they still have some more air rights that they can acquire for that site? Do you think they will try to get them and go for the 15,000 capacity mark? I also hope they go for the taller(more expensive, less likely) tower that is of right, and that Foster can think outside the box and diagrids and come up with something that at least has a decent crown and does not meet the air with the resounding crunch of a rather large flat top.

^ i believe chase have bought or have plenty of air rights and that isnt a concern. and it is as of right so that eases the process.

 

as for footage i read you get like 5000 employees per million sq ft,  so i dont think they could get more than 12,500 staff in there.

 

idont think it will go over 1600’ either, although that would be amazing. and yes a crown would be ideal. definitely want a crown and no flat top or so-called spire.

Edited November 13, 20186 yr by mrnyc