TIME TRAVEL TO NYC REAL ESTATE IN 1984

Curbed linked to scans of a New York Magazine article from May 28, 1984 examining the gentrification of the Lower East Side where in 1984: the "Christodora," a derelict 16 floor building on “Ave B facing Tompkins Square Park” that was “boarded up, ripped out, and flooded” and purchased for $62,500 in 1975 was sold eight years later for $1.3 million to Harry Skydell, a 26-year-old lawyer-cum-inchoate real estate developer of just four months.

In the context of today's and well, since 1984, real estate market in NYC, the article's naivety is downright quaint and almost charming if it wasn't so darn depressing to read in retrospect (and altogether predictable)! Here are a couple choice excerpts from the article:

Some people who have lived there for years are understandably unhappy, particularly many of the shop keepers who are unprotected by rent control. Others are mostly bemused. “I've lived in my rent-controlled apartment for years and pay $115 a month,” says one man. “I live on the Lower East Side. The young kids who just moved in upstairs and pay $700 a month for the same space -- they live in the East Village.”

[...]

The rents for redone apartments in bombed-out sections of Avenue B soared—sometimes even topping prices for equivalent space on the UES. On lower Second Avenue, a 1200-square-foot two-bedroom apartment was recently put on the market for $2,000 a month. On First Avenue and 1^st Street, an 850-square-foot loft rents for $1,200.

And of course only one year and and a week after owning the Christodora, Skydell and his partners doubled their $1.3 million investment when they sold it to another developer for $3 million.

Today, apartments in the Christodora building are really fucking expensive.

Read more here.

OFFICIAL: WORST RESTAURANT SEAT IN ALL OF NYC

Eater's readers have voted and overwhelmingly chosen Mill Korean for having the worst seat in all of New York City.  As if eating alone in a restaurant isn't lonely enough, Mill is determined to emphasize, underline, highlight this point with this table for one.  Not only is the table just big enough for your plates with no room for a book or magazine, but you face the brick wall.

DEAD FLY SPECIAL

Chris and I were walking past Babouche, a French-Moroccan restaurant near our apartment in Park Sope, and we stopped to look at their window front sign promoting a Monday steak dinner special.  Then Chris noticed an unappetizing addition on this special:

FREE DONUT DAY @ KRISPY KREME

Krispy Kreme is giving away one free donut per customer at its Penn Station location today.  I went and they were definitely keeping that information on the hush-hush.  Randy and I gave our fellow donut compatriots the heads up about the free donut situation.

BANNED: SITTING ON STEPS OF THE MET

Through April 2009 at least while it undergoes renovation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is forbidding people from sitting on its famous steps. What a travesty! The steps of the Met is one of the best places to sit on a warm day in all of New York City.

After I watched the guard shoo dozens of museumgoers from the steps, one young woman refused to budge, and remained sitting for a few minutes while guards stood nearby looking annoyed. After a short time the woman walked off. She told me she was a tourist from Montenegro and didn’t see any reason for the ban on sitting. And she was simply waiting for her friend to take her photograph on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Read more here.

LATEST IMPROV EVERYWHERE EVENT

I received the email for this event awhile but saw that it required a camera with a flash, which I lack.  The email invite never reveals what the "improv" will be until the actual event.  So seeing the final result, despite the rain, makes me so sad that I couldn't participate!  This one sent nearly 700 people on a pouring evening to the Brooklyn Bridge where they attempted to create a "wave" (like at sports games) with camera flashes.  The video doesn't really do justice it appears, but the images snapped by the photographers set to capture the event are amazing.  Although with our current hyper-asininely paranoid security apparatus I'm surprised this wasn't shut down the police.  I imagine the sight of 700 people holding "tech" devices (you know, IEDs) on the Brooklyn Bridge would freak some people out.  You know, NEVER FORGET!

More videos and images here.

WEEKEND UPDATE: MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

This is the most random collection of photos from the long three day weekend. A chair in the lobby of my friend's apartment.

Went to a dope place near my apartment for brunch on Saturday morning. Anyway, I wanted a side of eggs. I didn't realize a $3 would get me ONE egg. It was tasty, but still....

Walking through Union Square, which ALWAYS seems to have a farmers market taking place every day of the summer, I spotted a juxtaposition of McDonalds and uber-organic fruit and vegetables.

My friend's friend (forgot your name, sorry!) taking a nap at a rooftop BBQ.

Super fast motion beer drinking!

GERIATRIC GROPING

Nothing screams vigraous romance for octogenarians like a cancer benefit titled "Celebration of Life," because they truly are celebrating the fact that they are still alive.  And there's no better way to express that than the classic dance floor ass grab.  Whether you're 14 or 84 it never goes out of style.  Sir, you are an American hero.

Check out the couple on the right for the punchline.  Man, he is really digging in there.  AGGRESSIVE.

IMAGINARY PRIORITY SUBWAY SEATING

While taking the subway home last night after seeing a comedy show of my friend Dan Mintz and Dimitri Martin, I noticed that the train had the following notice that said "Priority Seating for persons with disabilities."  Fine.  But what does this sign mean when it's placed in an area with...no seating at all?!  I'm so confused!

FYI: NEW MEMBER OF NYC NIGHTLIFE OPENS

New club Santo's Party House opened up in Chinatown of all places (makes sense if you think about it in terms of zoning and space availability) at 100 Lafayette.

WEEKEND ITINERARY: DANCE OFF PARADE

Dance Parade 2008. Starting at 1 pm.  This Saturday.

Parade route information here.

YIELD TO THE UPSIDE DOWN PEOPLE

Brooklyn, NY

LAST NIGHT'S PARTY: MEN AT THE BEAUTY SHOP

So after the Yankees game last week, we met up with our friend Jeff at the Beauty Bar which is walking distance from Union Square, but not exactly Union Square. Little did Jeff know that before he jets off to India in a week or so, he would get a chance to take part in a photo shoot with us. I finally received the scans before they get published in [confidential] Magazine next month. Check them out.

Thanks Jeff for being my number one most vocal fan and proselytizer of my humble blog!

CHRISTMAS IN APRIL

Girl says, "If more girls lived here this [rooftop] would have more plants," then points to the inflated Santa decoration and says "Instead, guys have this."

LAST NIGHT'S PARTY: ONLY IN NEW YORK

Checking my blog this morning, I TOTALLY forgot that I posted the previous entry when I stumbled home with my roommate Chris, who I think was rambling about how awesome John Mayer is on the way home, last night. Haha. Recap of the first stop of the night...will be up on my favorite social blog Guest of a Guest in a bit. Nnamdi texting with some gal having a party uptown shows me a text from her that says "We have a table. You guys should come." We hopped in a gypsy car to meet her at the W in...don't judge me...Times Square. Don't judge. Along the way there, our car got pulled over by the wonderful officers of the NYPD.

As he pulls over, the driver turns to us and says "I don't have my registration. Can you guys just say we're all friends."

We mumble a non-reply and check our cell phones. Cops walk over and the driver hands over his license and registration. The other cop taps my window. I roll down the window and he asks us if we noticed how the driver was driving. I'm no snitch, especially with something as asinine as this and replied "Nah man, we were just talking about the guy's music."

Nnamdi mutters "These guys are delaying my partying..." Further delays arose as the cabbie had given the cops an expired license.

After all this law and order business was resolved our driver drives away and decides to take out his anger on us by BLASTING Ricky Martin. We ask him to turn it down. What does he do? He turns UP the speakers behind us. And we got to the hotel with Ricky Martin blasting. Not cool.

At the W, we proceed to try to find the party. Head downstairs. Nope. Head to upstairs lounge. Nope. Street level bar. Nope. Finally, we walked up the stairs to the restaurant on the second floor. When I hear someone "has a table," I assume a table with bottles at a bar or club. Apparently it can also mean a nice, classy dinner taking place at a table in a restaurant. Yea, we crashed a dinner. Awesome. Thankfully, the girl--the definition of a "hot mess"--started just pouring us wine to compliment our respective drinks (vodka with splash of soda for me). Funny things were uttered. Sometimes it's a lot of fun to hang out with people you've NEVER MET or will NEVER SEE AGAIN.

On the way out, someone decided they were hungry and grabbed a bread from the bread basket at a nearby table...that a nice and decent couple were dining at. WHAT AN ASSHOLE. Someone else then explained and apologized on his behalf to the shocked couple:

I'm sorry....that's just how we "roll."

What a random and absurd night.

OPEN LETTER: CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN APRIL

Dear neighbor, During the winter holiday months of December and January, the christmas lights on your apartment balcony that I can see from my bedroom window makes me feel festive and joyful. When those same lights are STILL hanging there in April, they remind me of sketchy dive bars in East Providence.

Warm Regards,

MRod

ELEPHANTS IN MIDTOWN, NYC

Well I can now check off "Witness elephants walking down a NYC street" on my list of things to do. This dude kept telling me to back up.  Ah, hell no-He's not stopping me from seeing these elephants.

I  feel bad for these animals tho...  :(  Run!  MAKE A BREAK FOR IT!!!  RUN LITTLE GUY!

DAMN YOU BARNUM!  AND DAMN YOU MR. BAILEY!  Let my people go!

PASS OVER SUBMERCER?

So apparently the new In-possible to get pass the door bar is SubMercer--that bar in the basement of celebu-posh Mercer Hotel. But what does it mean for these discreet bars when the digital advertising screens in the elevator of my large corporate office building spotlights them, as it did with the SubMercer this morning on my ride up to my office, as the new "It" bar in New York City?

THREE STOOGES CARRY BOX THROUGH SOHO

I snapped this photo this afternoon in Soho.

HIP PLACES TO GO IN NYC "DO" JOUR GOOGLE MAP'D

The other afternoon a cute girl in (or not in?) my life instant messaged me asking me if I had a recommendation for a fun but affordable after-work bar in Midtown or the Upper East Side for her and her girlfriends to go to celebrate one of them getting a new job.  I felt like Rudy Ruettiger in the movie about his life, "Rudy," when the coach FINALLY sends him into the field to play.  [Thanks to all my friends who gave recommendations for bars in the Upper East Side.] Anyway, I wish I had this handy list of bars--Google Mapped no less!--when I was frantically racking my brain and bothering my friends for places.