Friday, February 14, 2020

Woman lucks into an "affordable" apartment next to catering hall parking lot and cacophony ensues

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Brick Underground

When Laura moved to an Astoria two bedroom with a roommate, she couldn’t believe her luck—at first. It’s affordable for her, in a great location, and has huge closets. But as with most things that seem too good to be true, it is. Her apartment looks out over the parking lot of Astoria World Manor—and it turns out that living next to an event space is anything but a celebration for Laura. Here’s her tale. 

I'm originally from Central New Jersey, but I've been in New York City since 2008. A few years ago, I was living in an apartment in Astoria near Broadway and Crescent and needed to move. My friend was looking for a share that was more affordable. We joined forces, but our apartment search was daunting. We saw quite a few duds. So, when we finally saw a two-bedroom apartment on Astoria Boulevard with a great layout, and best of all, huge closets, we jumped on it. 

The biggest bedroom (mine) is in the back of the building and faces the parking lot for the Astoria World Manor, an event space that looks like a place time forgot. I suspect looks the same as it did when it was built in the 1950s. When we took a tour with our real agent, he said, "Look, it's a parking lot! It'll be quiet!" Yes, I thought, parking lots are quiet. Little did I know...

It's hard to say the exact moment I realized my neighbor would be an issue, since I've been living there since 2012. But I quickly learned that folks leaving weddings, quinceañeras, and other parties fueled by alcohol are not quiet. I've listened to arguments, cries of joy, endless honking—I still have no idea why people need to honk at each other in a parking lot—and celebratory chanting. 

Sometimes the staff will hang out in the parking lot afterward, blasting music and yelling. I'm not sure what it is about that particular parking lot that makes people forget that they are surrounded by residential buildings. 

The worst noise, though, is the catering hall’s snowplow. For some reason it comes out at 2 or 3 a.m. when it snows and the grinding sound on the pavement is excruciating. I've left phone messages documenting the sounds, begging to have the plow wait until at least 6 a.m. I’ve even tried calling 311, to no avail.

In addition to all that noise, the place just seems to attract drama. One of the strangest things I've witnessed actually has nothing to do with the parking lot. My friend texted me asking if I was ok because she said a car had crashed into the World Manor! I ran downstairs to see and it was really a sight. I assume the car was trying to make a U-turn that turned into a K-turn and forgot to put the car in reverse. 

In general, I don't mind the noise that much, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s the parties on Sundays and weekdays that stretch until 2 a.m. that really get my goat. I listen to podcasts or meditation apps to help me fall asleep in general. Once asleep, I can usually get used to or block out noise, as long as it doesn’t last that long. However, the snowplow will usually wake me out of a sound sleep and keep me awake until the workers are done plowing. (Fortunately, we haven’t really seen snow this winter.) While I haven’t missed work because of the late-night noise, I have gone to work exhausted many times.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Moron.

Anonymous said...

Complete idiot. What did you expect?

Chester the Dog said...

So move.

Anonymous said...

Well, this is the Heart of Vallonia, a class act if there ever was one. The Community Board meets there and everyone sits at a big table with their backs to the ... well community. You should go to other community board meetings to see how this is umm.. rather unique.

But this place, along with the legendary Ricardos, is the heart and soul of Vallonia. What you see is the community displayed in all its glory. Astoria was quite the place in 1940s and still was a real gem in the 1970s. Today?

Well you have Vallonia. And this post says it all.

kryten50 said...

I hope the rent is really cheap!

Zoë said...

"I still have no idea why people need to honk at each other in a parking lot"

LOL, I been to a Greek/Turkish wedding where they started shooting guns in celebration!!
Advice: Don't move to Astoria, Woodside, Sunset Strip, Tokyo or anything below 10 floors if you plan on going to bed before midnight. Try Tulsa Oklahoma?
Perhaps your too old ?

Personally our little house was on Wilson ave & Myrtle 60 feet from the M train so no noise bothers me; I perceive it just like a nice rainy night or music.
I'm unhappy without the action and heartbeat of the city.
I would die living in some quiet neighborhood or boring countryside.


-Zoë

Anonymous said...

What's she complaining about? The reason she got such a great deal was because of the noisy neighbor.

There's nothing worse than someone moving into a neighborhood and then demanding that the people who were there first chance their behavior to conform to the newcomers' needs.

Anonymous said...

Who could have forseen that living next to a place that holds continuous parties would cause noise?

Anonymous said...

Invest in a white noise machine or a circular fan air purifier.

Anonymous said...

LOL, I been to a Greek/Turkish wedding where they started shooting guns in celebration!!
-----

I've been to Alabama where people got drunk and started shootin' and talk pretty much as you guys. Alabama! Has Astoria become white trash Alabama?

That article is a black eye to Astoria. The community board meets there and it supposed to represent our community for Christsake... This used to be a nice place of working people who were proud, smart, and respected each other.

Anonymous said...

Headphones with ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) helps too !

Anonymous said...

Astoria is a neighborhood in transition. The Bozos are all moving to Trumpville. Lets hope they take those tacky plastic flowers at the 'Manor' with them. Shame they can't do the same with their tacky buildings they'll leave behind.

Anonymous said...

This is very much a problem all over NY - nasty, loud, uncaring, SELFISH, moronic people who care about no one but themselves. The noise should stay inside that venue, not outside. But this is the city of idiots who party all the time and don't care.

They do the exact same thing in fully residential neighborhoods as well. There's no escape save for leaving NYC.

Anonymous said...

She really is not embracing other people's culture. Many cultures embrace loudness deep into the night. You are clearly an entitled bigot who needs to be sensitive of others' cultural celebrations and occasions.

Anonymous said...

"There's no escape save for leaving NYC." It's all over(nasty, loud, uncaring, SELFISH, moronic people) but it is really bad here in NYC.

Anonymous said...

She really is not embracing other people's culture. Many cultures embrace loudness deep into the night. You are clearly an entitled bigot who needs to be sensitive of others' cultural celebrations and occasions.

TRANSLATION: Its fine because they vote Democratic and if you vote Democratic nothing else is important. Citizen's rights, the needs of the State, nothing, only feeding the Machine!

And that place is Machine Central.

Anonymous said...

>You are clearly an entitled bigot who needs to be sensitive of others' cultural celebrations and occasions.

The parties were there first. She came later, now she wants them to change to fit her needs. She's just as bad as a hipster.

Anonymous said...

Everyone deserves a decent homelife...the assholes are the partyers...don't make it a racial thing! I lived near an Italian market and its Italian customers were always fighting over parking...women in particular with small kids screaming "eff you" in the morning! White women with money and no class.

It's not such a ridiculous request to ask people to be civil in public! NYers once were.

Anonymous said...

She said herself it's been there since th 50's, so she should have turned on her brain that day that she went and looked at the apartment. You're in New York City sweetheart, if noise isn't your thing, go back to Jersey. Dumbass.