Friday, June 13, 2008

Daily News messes up Ridgewood profile


8 reasons to love Ridgewood, Queens

The most common phrase overheard on the streets: "Nobody bothers anybody around here."
Yes, that's why when you contact the 104th Precinct, you are told that they are too busy fighting crime in Ridgewood to answer your 311 call.

"I moved out here eight months ago," says Michael Stancia, a soon-to-be art major at Manhattan Community College in Tribeca. "This is cheaper than Williamsburg. Not a ton to do yet. I don't hang out here much."
Well if that isn't a testimonial to how great the nabe is, I don't know what is.

"These brownstones make Ridgewood unlike anywhere else in Queens," says Matej, whose family has been selling real estate in the area for 28 years.
Since you've been selling here for so long, you should know that those are not brownstones. In fact, they look quite yellow.

It's just outside an area slated to be a New York City landmark.
The LPC has no hearing scheduled for anything in Ridgewood. There's a National Historic District designated, but that doesn't protect the buildings.

Across the street from a turn-of-the-century YMCA reportedly being turned into a gym...
A YMCA is a gym.

This entire corner looks like May-berry, U.S.A., with kids riding bikes, flower gardens and Federal-style buildings.
Yes, I picture Opie walking down the street with his fishing pole when I visit Catalpa.

Statistics show a slight rise in crime for 2008, which some say is due to population growth.
Try less cops.

"When you see eight or nine different nationalities running around an area, that's proof a neighborhood works."
Yes, just look at how well it has worked for Flushing and Corona.

The Polish influence stays strong in Ridgewood. Morscher's Pork Store sells almost every kind of pork known to man.
Ridgewood was traditionally a German neighborhood (Morscher's is not a Polish name, bright light).

Down the street, St. Matthew's Roman Catholic Church serves the local Polish community...
It's St. Matthias, thank you.

"It's very much like living in Europe."
Yes, housing stock is starting to resemble Europe under the Soviets in the 1970s.

Children play catch on the sidewalks as the Q58 bus rolls by, heading to big-box retailers like Toys "R" Us and Kmart in Glendale.
The Q58 does not go to these stores, which are on Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village.

Near Ondernonk Ave., a Department of Transportation worker checks manholes.
It's ONDERDONK. There's no mention of the historic house bearing that name anywhere in the article, but manholes are mentioned. How sexy.

The low-slung buildings and peaceful streets are half suburb and half city.
Yeah, okay. In your dreams. There are no rowhouses in the suburbs.

Harry Houdini, James Cagney and Phil Rizzuto hail from Ridgewood.
No, no and no. Harry's buried there, Cagney famously hailed from the Lower East Side and Rizzuto grew up in Glendale. And all 3 are dead, so you should have used the past tense here.

Hey Daily News, maybe next time you'll ask someone who grew up in Ridgewood to write your article about it.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know those guys in the photo. Morcher's Pork Store on Catalpa is the best butcher in NYC. YUM!

Anonymous said...

I hope you dispatched a copy of your much-needed skewering of this hack to his editors.

"A YWCA is a gym." That is some funny stuff!

Anonymous said...

This is one of my favorite crappy articles to date.

Go get 'em!

Anonymous said...

Nice work, your commentary had me laughing out loud.

Anonymous said...

Hey, its Queens, all you need to say is

Its Diverse!

Its Vibrant!

Its Diverse!

Its a Real Estate Deal!

Its Diverse!

(continue the drill)

Anonymous said...

LOL. Of course, as a journalist, this puts the fear of God in me.

Anonymous said...

Jason, When writing about a neighborhood you've obviously never been to before, it's wise to do some fact checking. I moved to Ridgewood 3 weeks ago, and even I could spot glaring errors in nearly every paragraph of this article. Shameful reporting and editing by the daily snooze.

Anonymous said...

another messed up article by the Daily News... please make them stop!

Anonymous said...

Hey Daily News, maybe next time you'll ask someone who grew up in Ridgewood to write your article about it.
------------

Hey, this is Queens. Tha bhoys didn't get here by letting the locals have a voice.

Might be a loose canon.

Having the right vessel is more important, no matter how useless.

Content quality? Doesnt even make the radar.

Anonymous said...

The Snooze should have sent John 'Oxford' Lauinger to write the piece. John would have hopped the M train out here in his preppy sweater, tweed jacket, fake beard and hipster-geek glasses to get the story straight. And to get himself beat up in the process because he looks so friggin out of place. Its just the Daily News, John. Get some jeans and a t-shirt like the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

They should have asked Michael Cusenza to write it instead.

Anonymous said...

John would have hopped the M train out here in his preppy sweater, tweed jacket, fake beard and hipster-geek glasses to get the story straight. And to get himself beat up in the process because he looks so friggin out of place.\\

Sounds like the wardrobe of Jeff K, the HDC preservationist of choice for Queens.

Anonymous said...

"Sounds like the wardrobe of Jeff K, the HDC preservationist of choice for Queens"

Yeah, except Lauinger actually irons his clothes once in a while.

Anonymous said...

Too funny. Sign of the times (no pun intended) when even journalists can't write. The journalist is either stupid or thinks we are too stupid to notice the very wrong information. Your comments were right on target. Glad someone is watching.