I'm up in Inwood. Have been for about ten years (yeah it's been that long) and I'm there til the rent stabilization falls off. Fantastic asses avaialable for innocent browsing, large apartments, generous portions of mofongo, Dyckman, Inwood Hill Park, wholesome working-class families, and veritable fountains of morir soñando on every street corner keep me young. Sure, the rent is half my salary and I'm forced to eat bugs and lint to survive, but hey -- IT COULD BE JERSEY AMIRIGHT

BUT WHAT OVERPRICED SHITHOLE DO *YOU* LIVE IN

Where's that you say?

Some little make believe cut out between flatlands and Mill basin

i want to move over there when i'm old and don't have to be anywhere

or if i'm working from home/freelancing

My house is the Albee Square Mall © Biz Markie / RA The Rugged Man

really it's Fort Greene

Well between Lenox Ave & Mt. Morris Park.

we only moved two blocks west between Lenox & 7th

its an ALRIGHT place its not amazing but its doing and two condos are are going up

they might double this shit for what amounts to a MEH apartment

maybe not way east over by weeksville but anything btwn franklin and utica is a wrap. especially since flatbush is about to be a wrizzy as well

Not long ago a vocal critic of- but now a member of- the Stroller Mafia

anytime i see anybody with the UW_ tag I immediately think "DEYGOTSMONEY"

The UWS has some PJs, people struggling to make rent in shoebox apartments, etc. just like everywhere else in the city. Plus if you consider the upper upper upper west side to be part of the UWS (like north of Columbia) then it gets more affordable.

But yeah- for the most part the UWS is pretty expensive.

in that part that some people like to call "prospect heights"

i split time between section 5 and Haffen Park, hoopin n shit...

i was a nerd tho...nobody really fucked with me anyway

lease is expiring soon...i have to figure out wtf im doing.

lol.
it's 2 blocks further east (ie closer to Bed Stuy) than where Biggie lived

community board wise i'm in Clinton Hill but I'm in Bed Stuy dammit.

I was in Stuy Heights over on Macon.

i was there when it was just peaches and shitty ass therapy and saraghina proper

now saraghina has a bakery and bar, peaches got a bar, there's a latin spot and some other spots and casablanca lounge on malcolm x and macdonough (not good drinks but they got DJs) and a few other spots

theyre spots on patchen now!

i live across the street from 2 bars so im not lacking for amenities but i liked my old neighborhood better

and lovin' it so far.

only downside is there are probably like 5 black people in my neighborhood and 3 of them are in my crib ... lol

*sniffles* shout out to my old Bushwick


WE'VE BEEN INVADED
THEY HAVE TAKEN OVER
I REPEAT
THEY HAVE TAKEN OVER



WAIT IS THAT A COAL OVEN PIZZERIA AND GOURMET FRESH PRODUCE STAND
WHERE'S MY STARBUCKS!?!?!?!

um...i mean
i miss my homies
*pours out a chai latte*


oh

here since 1987
stabilized
landlord sold the building
half the building has been kicked out in the past month
i'm the sole stabilized tenant
my paranoia is at yellow alert

*turns around*
DID THEY OPEN A HIPSTER BAR DOWN THE STREET!?!?!
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

use that term again in my presence
and




comedy shall be had
=\


i sent BSR a pic the other day of an official MTA map that had East Williamsburg in it
these fuckers are serious
*prepares for quooklyn*
let the clowning begin
KUMITE
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

No self-respecting NY native would have done THAT
IT'S EITHER OR

>No self-respecting NY native would have done THAT
>IT'S EITHER OR

brooklyn-queens is a song
its an area
but its definitely not quooklyn =\
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

Verse One: MC Serch

Real cool.. cause Brooklyn's cool!
Friday doin the last day of school
Girls steppin to the mall to swing
Settin up dollars for their summer fling
Cars on the avenue create gridlock
And there's girls like MAD at the bus stop
Not waitin on the bus, but waitin on the cash flow
Fellas are laughin, gassin the past ho
Girl steps to me and pushes issue
"That knot you got, is that money or tissue?"
Feelin on the bulge, thinkin it's her own
I tell her that it's money and she should move on
She says she's pure from legs to her thighs
And we should talk over some chinese and fries
I tell her to step, but hey that's the scene
Cause she ain't nothin.. but a Brooklyn Queen

Chorus: repeat 2X

"We are looking for 'Brooklyn'..
We are looking for the.." Brooklyn-Queens!

Verse Two: Pete Nice

State the rhyme, borough of Brooklyn
Otherwise known as Crooklyn
Freaks fortify flesh with gold
Ears hang trunk, in a slave hold
Walk past, don't get the time of day
Played like suede, on a summer sway
Conversated, till I made her laugh
Said, "I'm Pete Nice.. you want my autograph?"
Oval Office closed as she heard this
She said, "From 3rd Bass? I could do this"
Listen closely, slowly took a swig of intoxicants
Cause the Brooklyn Queen's a gold digger

Chorus (2X)

Verse Three: MC Serch

Squared away.. with my digits and tonight's plans
When I feel a crab grab my right hand
Slapped her on the back, tried to calm her
Asking her, "Now what's the reason for the drama?"
Her next move was straight out of textbook
"Haven't we met before?" Giving me a sex look
Yo Wisdom, your lyrics are in bad taste
So I'm forced to give you nothing but the Gas Face
You better go, for hoppin on the cab or bus
Cause you're downtown and you're simply too fabulous
But get this, ain't this a humdinger?
She stepped to a retard sportin a four-finger ring
Somewhere in the skin tight jeans
I'm gonna scoop the best of the Brooklyn-Queens

Chorus

Verse Four: Pete Nice

Last exit to Brooklyn I enter
Carefully the Queen holds my scepter
Gettin numb like a Derelict on scotch
I'm Dick Lewis, cause baby I'm watchin you
Scheme on a brother for a knot
To choose between the have and the have-not
Do you doubt the shade of vanilla?
I'll play Elvis and you play Priscilla
Oh he's no hero, better yet Billy Dee
Advertise cheap liqour for a fee
A Brooklyn Queen, rushes Russell Simmons
That's like Tyson rushin Givens

Chorus (2X)

* Daddy Rich scratches "Brooklyn!" repeatedly over drum beat *
* 3rd Bass says 'Brooklyn-Queens' (3X) *

Who's on Prince Paul's cactus?
'Brooklyn-Queens'
Hahaha, yeah check it out
'Brooklyn-Queens'
Yo, 'Brooklyn-Queens'
* Daddy Rich keeps scratchin *

but yeah
folks who actually live on borders understand

folks who don't tend not to

and even living here
quooklyn is bullshit

~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

I've always thought that Inwood and Washington Heights will eventually become one of the most sought-after neighborhoods. In terms of the topography/landscape I think it's the prettiest area in NYC- high elevation, nice river views, breezes, and it's really green.

Once it starts really gentrifying and has some artisinal cheese shops, it's a wrap. Property values and rents will skyrocket. The only drawback for the gentrifiers will be the commute to midtown/downtown.

>I've always thought that Inwood and Washington Heights will
>eventually become one of the most sought-after neighborhoods.
>In terms of the topography/landscape I think it's the
>prettiest area in NYC- high elevation, nice river views,
>breezes, and it's really green.
>
>Once it starts really gentrifying and has some artisinal
>cheese shops, it's a wrap. Property values and rents will
>skyrocket. The only drawback for the gentrifiers will be the
>commute to midtown/downtown.

It's changing, but a lot of the businesses that are doing well are actually owned and operated by 2nd and 3rd generation Dominicans -- restaurants, cafes, fitness centers. Some of it washes drug money, but not all or even most. The kind of White people who live in Inwood are terrified of anything south of Dyckman and east of Broadway. In the Heights, it's only really west of Broadway up on Ft Washington and Cabrini, and north of Columbia Presbyterian.

I mean, prices have spiked, don't get it fucked up, but mainly on Seaman Avenue and Park Terrace and then down in that 'Hudson Heights' fuckery.

>I mean, prices have spiked, don't get it fucked up, but mainly
>on Seaman Avenue and Park Terrace and then down in that
>'Hudson Heights' fuckery.

Yeah I guess I was mainly thinking of Hudson Heights. I didn't even realize it has its own name. I went up to the cloisters a few months ago and was walking south, and thought 'man this neighborhood is really pleasant...condo developers must be salivating'. Or at least developers who want to buy the pre-war buildings, trick the apartments out with new bathrooms and marble countertops, and then double the rent.

Air bubbles in the wallpaper, weird, low ceilings, strange humidity like there was a swimming pool nearby (there wasn't). It was altogether shoddy as shit. Its 'roof deck' was basically just stairs to a tiled roof where the tiles weren't even glued down. It felt like a cheap-ass Days Inn. $549K. NYET.

Yeah they've got to do much better than that if they want folks with money to move that far uptown.

And to be absolutely frank, there are a ton of brown people there who do not speak English. Culturally it's different, loitering is customary. It's not a comfortable spot for a gentrifier. The people there are community minded enough to not allow the ones who are not as well off to get taken advantage of. So it would be a major headache to try to push all those people out.

Let my love slide in and never slip out

they sell the drugs, they don't use the drugs

they own the stores, they don't spend money at the stores

they buy the property, puerto ricans rent

could be said that's why williamsburg / bushwick went the way it did

>they sell the drugs, they don't use the drugs
>
>they own the stores, they don't spend money at the stores
>
>they buy the property, puerto ricans rent
>
>could be said that's why williamsburg / bushwick went the way
>it did

The Puerto Ricans I grew up with weren't really about creating homogeneous environments, or safe havens for other Puerto Ricans. It was more about assimilating. They maintained their cultural pride, but weren't constrained by it when it came to friendships & relationships. Many of them speak very little Spanish, if any. Most did not marry or have kids with other Puerto Ricans. So naturally they aren't investing their money back into their hood, because they don't identify with that idea as much.

As far as the drug thing goes, I don't know how the Dominicans do it, but they seem to have a better handle on drug dealing than Puerto Ricans & Blacks do. The violent crime (which draws all the attention) seems to be kept to a minimum. Is it because they stay away from heroin & crack? I don't know. But man, there's something to all that. And I don't see a lot of strung out Dominicans either.


Let my love slide in and never slip out

if the city council person is calling for rezoning by themselves
best believe city planning has bigger plans in mind re: mayor's affordable housing goals

... all along the northeast of the neighborhood, along the East River. It's an active MTA depot, sewer treatment/sanitation hub that I don't see them touching, but right across from the Allen Pavilion, adjacent to the Broadway Bridge (right near 225th/Marble Hill 1 train + shopping centers) it's a huge parking lot and car wash. I could see those making way for some new housing.

My thing is that there are genuinely empty lots in the neighborhood -- even on Broadway. I don't know why those remain fallow when there's a palpable shortage of affordable housing.

as i understand
not behind the scenes at city planning

inwood is on the list of areas that got funding for anti-displacement legal services for tenants from the city in light of proposed rezonings
very very likely something bigger is being planned
and generally the speculation caused by just the city stating that an area will be rezoned is the impetus for lots of changes
the real estate money is long and even when you have community owners a lot of the deals will be no brainers for a lot of people when someone wants that land

we have the same in our areas as well
seems like there would be clear areas for new housing
especially rather than where they want to put things (like on active community gardens)
lots of residential stock warehoused but the landlords have no problems renting commercial space underneath

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153309423608889&set=a.92624393888.78421.721883888&type=1&theater

>https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153309423608889&set=a.92624393888.78421.721883888&type=1&theater

10 years ago I was well aware that a DVD burn of everything they were selling in their store was available on the street for 1/2 the price or cheaper. Now sites like Youtube have rips of all those DVD's readily available. How have they been staying afloat?

Let my love slide in and never slip out

Like, that mighta been the last standing record store in all nyc

At least in a non hipster, dj, or antique collectors way


But even your front business cant bleed all your money to your landlord

Eh


Sushi place opened next door.

http://uploads.neatorama.com/images/posts/899/65/65899/1381316388-0.jpg

Then I left

Paying way more with a roommate than I ever have on a place by myself. But it's SUPER convenient. I'm not only 15 mins away from work and within a 10 mins walk to anything my heart desires.

Aka the corner of morphine & crazy

Leaning tower of crackheads

a common misconception. that said, that corner wasn't like that til the early to mid 2000's. it's fuck up how that block got overran by the fiends.

And it's actually gotten WORSE in the last few years. I just moved back to Harlem, a few years ago I was down on 7th ave but I still took the 4,5 train every morning to get to work. That corner wasn't as bad as it is now.

Thank God I'm close enough to still walk to 116th when I don't feel like dealing with the imagery but the other day this fiends had mattresses, and couches out on the street and there was a homeless man clipping another homeless man's toenails. I almost vomited.

That corner is like hell. I almost didn't take the place I'm at now because of it but it's too convenient and like I said when I don't feel like being bothered or disgusted, I walk to 116th. It's literally only 125th and 124th.

is that I can get back West quick fast in a hurry since there are so many crosstown buses

but yeah if I have time on my hands I'll transfer trains somewhere to avoid it

yes, im annoyed

What de-blah-zio said was supposed to happen, right?


Also just found out my apt was actually stabilized since before i moved in

where everyday I see an increasing number of french bulldogs and blue-eyed children

it's a wrap

HARLEM HAS SUFFERED A GREAT LOSS

.

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson


"One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as 'that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you're

...talking about "it's just like living in the city!" (like that DC post).

NYC's keeping it real in here.

I mean, who lives in Albany unless they work for the state?

in a way that DC hasn't. which is why DC is as small as it is compared to NYC. there are many areas of NYC that feel more suburban than even Yonkers, NY or Silver Springs, MD or Arlington, VA, et al.

Ive seen you + your fam.

One time circling around looking for Parking to go to the PTE apartments and you were dropping people off at Isham Park or some shit.


Just yesterday I rolled through the neighborhood on the way back from Rhinebeck and you were dropping shit off accross the street from PJs

Its not like im roaming the streets looking for some big Jewish dude

OF COURSE YOU STAND OUT
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

New shit is poppin all around me, yet my rent only increased by $50 this year (apparently the first increase in 4 years). Which means that I have lots of disposable income to spend on food, drugs, and my demise.