Bloomberg Endorses Preparing Parking Spaces for E.V. Charging

Bloomberg Endorses Preparing Parking Spaces for E.V. Charging - NYTimes.com
(Excerpt)
In his final State of the City address on Thursday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced plans to make New York City a “national leader” in electric vehicles. He said he would work with the City Council to amend the building code and require up to 20 percent of all new public parking spaces be set up for electric vehicle charging, which could lead to “10,000 parking spots for electric vehicles over the next seven years.”
Viewpoint:  A Mayor unplugged from reality

New York Parks in Less Affluent Areas Lack Big Gifts

Brad W. Taylor in Morningside Park where two bluestone staircases are in need of repair
(Benjamin Norman of the NY Times)

New York Parks in Less Affluent Areas Lack Big Gifts - NYTimes.com (full article)

(Excerpt)
Last year, Central Park received what is believed to be the largest gift ever given to an American park, $100 million, from the hedge fund manager John A. Paulson
When Frederick J. Kress, who sits on the board of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Conservancy, heard about it, he had only one thought: What about us?
Flushing Meadows-Corona, which has been the setting for two World’s Fairs, is considerably larger than Central Park, at 1,225 acres, compared with 843. Last year, its conservancy attracted $5,000 in donations.

The park’s bicycle and walking paths are cracked and pitted, Mr. Kress said, and its natural areas are overgrown with invasive species. “Central Park is doing pretty well,” said Mr. Kress, who is also president of the Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces, noting that though Mr. Paulson’s home on Fifth Avenue overlooks Central Park, he grew up in Queens. “I’m not saying he owes anyone anything, but how about you give Central Park $98 million and Flushing Meadows-Corona $2 million? That two million would have gone so much further in an underappreciated park.”

Kind strangers rebuild 78-year-old Hurricane Sandy victim's damaged home - NY Daily News

Kind strangers rebuild 78-year-old Hurricane Sandy victim's damaged home

(Excerpt)
Long-time Breezy Point resident Barbara Joyce returned Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 to her house which had been severely damaged in Hurricane Sandy to find it completely repaired, renovated and refurnished thanks to volunteers from Operation Blessing.

Camera King Solomon Mosseri Buys $4.3 M. Home in Gravesend

Home on Ocean Parkway

Camera King Solomon Mosseri Buys $4.3 M. Home in Gravesend

(Excerpt)

The detached single-family home they picked up at 2029 East 3rd Street from the Franco family might not look like much—its red brick façade wouldn’t be out of place in any number of cheaper Brooklyn neighborhoods, and its Mission-style ceramic roof tiles look straight out of fill-in the blank Los Angeles suburb—but the price and the location, if not the house, were exceptional—the Mosseris paid $4.35 million, according to city records. For some buyers, East 3rd Street in Gravesend is as good as it gets.

That’s because the house sits just west of Ocean Parkway, which, as broker Jesse Temple of Temple Morrow Group put it, “is the equivalent of Central Park or Riverside Drive” to Gravesend’s burgeoning Syrian Jewish community. The homes on the west side of Ocean Parkway are some of the most expensive in Brooklyn, with a 9,200-square foot single-family home at 2134 Ocean Parkway listing for $14 million last May.

Work Begins On Restoring Brooklyn Bike Path...or just another patch job

Work Begins On Restoring Brooklyn Bike Path - NY1.com

(Excerpt)
Hurricane Sandy breached about 10 locations along the promenade when its surge came over the seawall. While these repairs will soon make the pathway safer for residents, community leaders warned that this is only a quick fix. They said that a permanent solution is needed.
"Right now, this is a temporary fix," said State Senator Marty Golden of Brooklyn. "This has been temporarily fixed now about 10 times. It's time to stop with the temporary fix before people really get injured and hurt and killed on this Belt Parkway."

SOUTH PARK: Brooklyn south of Prospect

100 Rugby Road, swiss chalet built by Architect John J. Petit in 1900 for Dr. George Watson.

SOUTH PARK: Brooklyn south of Prospect | | Forgotten New YorkForgotten New York
(Excerpt)
Prepare to gape in awe when walking any street between Albemarle and Beverley Roads and Stratford Road and East 19th Street. You’ll find huge Victorian mansions of every conceivable size, color and style in these streets.

What Makes Manhattan Cost So Much

What Makes Manhattan Cost So Much - NYTimes.com

(Excerpt)
The council collects price data from 307 urban areas. It found that for the first three quarters of 2012, the after-tax cost for a professional/managerial standard of living in Manhattan was 225.4 percent of that for the nation. That made Manhattan once again the most expensive place to live. In second place was Brooklyn (178.6 percent of the national average), followed by Honolulu (167 percent), San Francisco (163.4 percent) and San Jose, Calif. (153.4 percent).

Parks Re-evaluating After Losing Memberships to Fee Increase

Parks Re-evaluating After Losing Memberships to Fee Increase - NYTimes.com

(Excerpt)
Under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the city has made fighting obesity and improving public health one of its top priorities.
But pricing decisions by the parks department resulted in a 45 percent drop in paid memberships at its recreation centers, essentially city-run health clubs where New Yorkers who cannot afford memberships at expensive gyms, can work out. In an effort to raise revenue, the department doubled its annual fees a year and a half ago, to $150 for recreation centers with pools, and $100 for those without.

Heavy Snow and Winds Batter Northeast

Heavy Snow and Winds Batter Northeast - NYTimes.com

We were spared in NYC.
Now a beautiful afternoon with white the color of the day.

Nemo on Ocean Parkway

Snowstorm Nemo dumped about a foot of snow on Ocean Parkway to add a clean white coating to a bright February morning.

Parks Department made sure to clear the pathways for the enjoyment of early strollers.  No cyclists in sight.  Only human's nimble footwork can navigate the snow packed corners.

Walkers take over the bike path when the foot path on the left remains unplowed.

       

The Stories Behind Brooklyn Street Names Part 2

The Stories Behind Brooklyn Street Names Part 2 :: Brooklyn Exposed :: Your Guide to Everything Brooklyn!

(Exerpt)
Park Place in Brooklyn is no exception, as the street that runs parallel to Eastern Parkway was renamed in 1873 to take advantage of the recently opened Prospect Park and bring about an air of sophistication to the neighborhood. (And raise real estate values no doubt). Park Place’s previous name was Baltic Street, a name that paid homage to the 19th Century Baltic warehouses that lined the Brooklyn waterfront. Baltic Avenue on a Monopoly board? A paltry 60 dollars. That game was good.

Brooklyn sledding anyone?

Your 5 Borough Guide On Where To Go Sledding: Gothamist


BROOKLYN

• Fort Greene Park (a steep, less crowded area can be found at "the back part of the hill that leads down to Myrtle Ave—you will find less crowds, and a much steeper ride. You might even find some snowboarders there.")
• The Nethermead—Picnic House area in Prospect Park (warning: gets crowded!)
• The Long Meadow Slope—Tennis House Area in Prospect Park
• Vanderbilt Playground (right off of Prospect Park Southwest)
• Maryland Monument ("enter at Prospect Park Southwest and 16th Street and proceed across to Wellhouse Drive. The slope is by the bridge and is pretty steep.")
• Sunset Park (enter at 41st/44th Street and 5th Avenue)—not crowded, not steep!
• Owl’s Head Park in Bay Ridge (at Shore Parkway, Shore Road, Colonial Road and 68 Street)
• Shore Road and 97th ("a big hill!)
• Brooklyn Heights: the dog park by Harry Chapin Playground has a hill
• Clumber Corner in DUMBO near the BQE and Washington Street (check it out here)

After Superstorm Sandy, seniors forced to start over

Veets Pawlowicz, second from right, is aided by
 a gang of family, friends and even volunteering
 strangers as they clean up his mother-in-law Kathleen Campbell's
 house on Nov. 2, 2012, in Breezy Point.
David Friedman / NBC News file

After Superstorm Sandy, seniors forced to start over - Vitals<== (click for full article)

(Excerpt)
Campbell’s lifestyle is one of the many casualties of Superstorm Sandy, which sent floodwaters surging through homes when it hit Oct. 29, damaging more than 2,000 homes and starting a fire that burned more than 100 houses to the ground. The beachfront village, whose population plummeted from 12,000 in the summer to around 4,000 the rest of the year, provided a way of life not often seen in the sprawling suburbs of most cities. Generations of the same family jealously guarded their modest homes, and they took care of their own.

A Living, Lurking Threat in Sandy-Hit Homes: Mold

A Living, Lurking Threat in Sandy-Hit Homes: Mold - ABC News

(Excerpt)
Three months after Superstorm Sandy, mold lurks in once-waterlogged buildings, hiding below subflooring, under foundations, and in door and window frames. Sometimes it mottles walls in plain sight. And it can make dwellers sick, another blow to people still recovering from the October storm that sent the Atlantic surging into homes in New Jersey and New York.

Mold is flourishing in homes that never completely dried out, where the owners may have waited to make repairs or could not access the house for weeks because of safety concerns. Other flooded homes remain vacant and unheated.

But even some who quickly chucked saturated belongings, ripped out soggy wallboards and carpets and scrubbed walls with cleaners and bleach are still finding mold, because the home didn't fully dry, treatment did not work or unscrupulous contractors didn't actually kill it.