My girlfriend lives around there (and I grew up in Wburg). I count at least six developments within a 3 block radius of this site! Two are being constructed, two seem to be stuck on foundation work, and the rest haven't broken ground yet. It is soo crazy...

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at August 10, 2007 11:55 AM in response to Development Watch: The Burg's Ainslie Tower

I'm embarrassed to ask - but where is Williamsburg's public pool? There's that Rec Center on Metropolitan, but it's not free.

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at August 15, 2007 11:44 AM in response to McCarren Pool Park: How to Spend That $50 Mil?

Ugh, i HATE all those fliers I recieve from brokers. It's like e-mail spam but much much worse. I would never in a million years sell my place with a stranger who floods my mailbox or door with unsolicited junk.

Such a pet peeve of mine..

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at September 21, 2007 10:12 AM in response to Real Estate Broker/Agent Solicitations

3:59pm, way to take advantage of people's ignorance and be an absolute jack-a$$.

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at September 27, 2007 4:27 PM in response to RENTERS

11:20, I agree. I've mentioned that in my survey the past two times...

11:41, what do you mean by PS2? If you mean what I think you mean, then that's super offensive, and you are a bigot and an a$$.

Look at the neighborhoods represented - some of them (Bed Stuy, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene) have huge populations of people of color, many of whom are college educated and middle class (like me, although I do fall way short of the average Brownstoner salary). I don't know that anything is keeping people of color from more frequently accessing this site, so I am not blaming anyone for this one-sided demographic. I would just be curious to see those numbers and am disappointed that Brownstoner isn't as interested in that as me, ans 11:20, and probably a few other people, that's all.

Don't jump on people for asking questions and being curious.

P.S. What would be so horrible about cyberspace being racially balanced?! In this day of $300 computers, it isn't such a crazy goal, is it?

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at November 23, 2007 11:48 AM in response to Brownstoner Reader Survey Results

Who said anything about forcing anyone to use the site??!?!?

A few people are saying that they are curious about statistics of the racial and ethnic makeup of site visitors. Why is that such a crazy thing?!

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at November 23, 2007 1:14 PM in response to Brownstoner Reader Survey Results

The whole notion that this will lead to frivolous lawsuits by tenants is insanely ridiculous. Something like 95% of all housing court cases are brought forth by landlords. According the the recent Village Voice article, over 90% of all tenants attend these cases without any legal representation, and "for landlords, the ratio is the exact reverse." Simply put, very few tenants have access to the kinds of resources it takes to legally challenge landlords. While there are many small-time landlords, NYC is increasingly turning into a town of buildings owned by deep-pocketed companies and corporations looking to make a buck, regardless of the human cost.

And, Bill 638 (the separate, pro-landlord, legislation proposed by Baez and another Bronx politician, I think) is dead. Was struck down last week due to intense backlash. See http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2007/12/12/2007-12-12_city_council_kills_prolandlord_bill.html.

Ok, let the mud-slinging begin...

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at December 18, 2007 11:23 AM in response to Council Debates Bill Aimed at Abusive Landlords

Been shopping there since I was a kid (A&S days), and I hope Fulton doesn't change at all. People who are complaining about dirty streets - um... shouldn't the city be doing a better job of cleaning them then?

Just because you don't like the clothes or the feel of the place, the fact is that for many Brooklyn residents, Fulton is where you go to clothes shop. It is packed, merchants make a lot of money. It's clearly successful, and clearly fills a niche for many people. Why change it? Because a handful of people want boring chain stores that you can find in any-mall USA?

A strip of Pottery Barns, BBBYs, Banana Republics... .

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at December 25, 2007 10:47 AM in response to Fulton Mall ‘Mallification’ Inevitable?

Stamford is 40 mins from Grand Central, but you have to pay for a lovely Metro North ticket to get to NYC, twice a day, every day, if you work here. That brings your cost of living way way up. No subways to Westchester either. So its tough to compare Westchester/Stamford to Bayridge based solely on travel time.

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at December 27, 2007 12:36 PM in response to Home Prices Continue to Slide, and NY’s No Exception

I may be putting words into Barron's mouth, but what I understood of his statement is that instead of focusing on policing (and, proliferation of prisons, higher minimum sentences, etc.), perhaps we should be focusing more on educational programs, job training, etc. - things that are proven to reduce crime in a longer, more impactful way. It's a question of spending more money on the front end (prevention through education and opportunity) or the back end.

I agree that NYPD seems to becoming more diverse - the most recent class of recruits were 27% Hispanic, 13% black, 7% Asian and 53% white. Those numbers aren't that far off from NYC population statistics, I think.. That's definitely a step in the right direction.

Posted by: BrooklynZoo at December 28, 2007 12:43 PM in response to City Assigning Newbie Cops to Crime-Ridden Areas