The notes on Joe Jr's keep coming--a neighbor on May 3 calls the landlord "a greedy, greedy man":
A suspicious fire in Coney Island destroys a non-Thor building and kills a cat. [ATZ]
Why NYC needs the street vendor: "a living, breathing time-lapse camera, attuned to subtleties we don't stick around long enough to notice. Can we really afford to risk losing so many?" [HuffPo]
A lovely documentary film on how vinyl ads are killing sign painters (and it has many Stella ads in it). [Vimeo]
Dechaining: A former Dunkin Donuts gets a little pizza place. [EVG]
Inside the newly restored Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain--and look back at the old. [LC]
In a recession, the city votes to raise the rents. [Gothamist]
2 comments:
In regards to the raising of rents, I remember watching the local news a few years ago and a reporter asked the head of the Rental board if, in it's entire history, they had ever voted AGAINST a rent hike. The head of the Board cracked a smile and said "No, never". The whole thing is a charade. The pretense of hearings so that community members can voice their opinions. The Board will ALWAYS vote for a rent hike. It always has and always will.
Re: street vendors - there's a huge misconception that street Vendors are the same as street Artists. The recent proposals to limit vending spaces in NYC parks specifically target Artists (paintings, drawings, photos, written material), NOT vendors (t-shirts, magnets, figurines, jewelry, etc).
People are being led to believe that these rules would get rid of all those vendors clogging up the parks when, in reality, the rules would ONLY eliminate the painters et al in order to clear MORE room for commercial vendors.
Artists are protected under the First Amendment, so do not need to pay a fee to sell their work on the street. Vendors do, so our Mayor would rather rake in more cash by selling vending spots to those who will pay. Check out what's happening up at the Met where artists are being pushed out and cupcake and fruit stands are being brought in to replace them. The public misconception is that Bloomberg is 'cleaning up' the parks when he's really selling every square inch of our public space to the highest bidder. If anything, prepare yourself for MORE mass-produced tchochkes and less unique handmade artwork.
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