Read the fine print

This came in an e-mail with a curious footer.

Are Gentiles not welcome here? Do any work at symall.com?

How to mess up a neighborhood profile

Ok, AM-NY, you came to my 'hood and then blew it big time.

City living: Maspeth

"Named for the Mespeatches Indians who once inhabited the area, Maspeth sits in the heart of Queens."

Maspeth sits on the Brooklyn-Queens border.

"Maspeth has no railroad or subway stops of its own, but shares the M station with Middle Village."

The Metropolitan Avenue station is 100% in Middle Village.

"Also nearby is the L train's Morgan Street stop, from which the Q57 bus goes straight to Grand Avenue."

Don't know anyone in Maspeth who takes the bus to the L but if they did, the Q57 goes down Flushing Avenue to the Jefferson Street stop, not the Morgan Avenue stop. How about the E, V, R and 7 trains? That's how most people get to Manhattan. Take the Q58 to Queens Blvd, the Q67 to LIC, or the Q18 to Roosevelt.

"One bedroom, one bath walking distance from 7 train, one block from Q67 bus stop: $1,100
Two bedroom, one bath located off Elliot Avenue next to Woodhaven Boulevard: $1,800
Three-bedroom apartment at 100th Avenue and Springfield Boulevard: $1,500"

The first one stretches the term "walking distance", the second is in Middle Village and the last one is on the other side of Queens...

"Local parks and playgrounds
There are many to choose from, and all promise a nice visit: Frontera Playground, at Brown Place, 69th St, and 58th Ave. Juniper Valley Park: Between Dry Harbor Road, Juniper Boulevard and Lutheran Avenue, in nearby Middle Village."

If there are many to choose from, why would we have to go to nearby Middle Village? Maurice Park and Rieff Park are the only other parks in the nabe that are not small dopey triangles next to the LIE.

"How has the neighborhood changes (sic) for the better?
There are a lot more cultural activities going on. The Maspeth Federal Savings bank does concerts and comedy shoes (sic) during the summer. There's always a Memorial Day parade that ends in the cemetery with a 40-gun salute."

The bank has always done this and we have always had the parade. It ends at the memorial square with a 21-gun salute. Great proofreading, by the way.

"And you can't miss Donovan's on 58th street, it's close to Woodside, but it's known for the best hamburger in NYC."

Donovan's is in Woodside on Roosevelt Avenue.

Then there's one of the dumbest statements I have ever read in print:

"I think we have three Cavalries. (sic) That's why the streets are so narrow. It's because they used to bring in the bodies on ox carts."

Wow.

Queens is sunk

Named originally for the New York City borough, the 473-foot long, 7,000-ton attack transport Queens was launched in 1944. Of 230 such ships built for the war, it is one of only five that remain.

The maiden voyage took officers and enlisted men through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to Pearl Harbor. In 1945, the ship carried supplies and reinforcements to Iwo Jima and took occupation troops into Sasebo, Japan, 30 miles north of where the atomic bomb had just been exploded at Nagasaki.

But the Queens was commissioned near the war's end, and one of its most memorable wartime duties was bringing thousands of troops home. Its cannons never were used.

Texas Clipper heads to final port of call

[It] was scheduled to sink to its final resting place 17 nautical miles offshore and 134 feet under water today as boatloads of fans and media look on.

At least there are banks nearby

I was just thinking to myself that Ridgewood needs more development. And this site at Starr Street and Metropolitan Avenue has a festive green construction fence in anticipation of work throughout the holidays.
Wow, luxury condos! With a 25-year tax abatement no less. Where do we sign up? Wait, let's not act with haste. Let's get a feel for the neighborhood first.
Oh. Well I bet the public transportation is good...

Wrong Aid?

Drugstore shoppers in Sunnyside are seeing double these days - and it's not because they're feeling woozy or sick.

Two Rite Aid pharmacies have set up shop right next to one another at 46-12 and 46-02 Greenpoint Ave., with a third store just three blocks away.

Two Rite Aid pharmacies set up shop next to one another

At first glance, the two adjacent stores appear to be one large Rite Aid, but they are in fact two independent stores separated by a concrete wall.

While there's nothing new about the phenomenon of rival chains setting up shop close to one another, some customers and local business leaders said this kind of redundancy isn't necessarily a good thing for the neighborhood.

From SRO to no-no

For six suddenly homeless Rockaway Beach families, this may not be the happiest of holiday seasons.

The six households, already crammed into a too-small building, were ousted from it last Wednesday when the Department of Buildings ordered them to vacate immediately.

Building Dept. evicts Rockaway families from illegally converted building

According to DOB records, the building at 109-12 Rockaway Beach Blvd. is a former SRO illegally converted into a six-family dwelling with six kitchens.

The building has numerous complaints and violations, with citations for gas lines, boilers and for hot water heaters installed without proper permits.

A DOB inspector on the scene said the house was one of the worst illegal conversions he has ever seen.

R.I.P. Mr. Whipple

The Crapper gives a 21 flush salute to Mr. Whipple, who squeezed his last roll of Charmin yesterday.

'Don't Squeeze the Charmin' Actor Dies

And in midtown, 'Plush rest rooms' to be open in Times Square until New Year's

And now let's talk turkey

Hey Johnny, I hope you aren't inviting Tom Frieden over for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Island bird sanctuary bought by city

South Brother may have been a base for Union soldiers during the Civil War, and in about 1894, the island was purchased by Jacob Ruppert Jr., a brewing magnate who bought the Yankees... Ruppert built a yacht house on South Brother, and amateur baseball games were held on an adjacent field. Legend has it that Ruth would occasionally show up to practice his swing, swatting balls far into the East River.

After Ruppert’s summer home burned down in 1909, South Brother went through another long fallow period. The island changed hands several more times until 1975, when Hampton Scows bought it for $10.

City Claims Final Private Island in East River

But South Brother, the last East River island of any significant size to remain in private hands, will finally get its due today when it is formally transferred to the city as part of a complex $2 million deal brokered by the Trust for Public Land and financed with federal money secured by United States Representative José E. Serrano.

In addition to several types of herons, the island’s bird population includes ibises, oyster catchers, cormorants and egrets. In its forest are locust, white mulberry and black cherry trees, covered by thick tangles of oriental bittersweet vines that cover trees and ground alike. Because there are no predators on the island, many birds build their nests on the ground.

New York's South Brother Island to be a sanctuary

"You know the way New York is," Serrano said. "Eventually, somebody would have bought it and decided to tear it all up. ... We can have one place in the great metropolis to see how it used to be."

Now that Parks has gotten their hands on it they'll probably declare it to be underdeveloped, pave the whole thing over and install astroturf there pronto. And what's with the piece of fence at Barretto Point Park? Doesn't the rest of the shore need it too?

Christmas comes early to Astoria crap site

Miss Heather has become consistently more bi. (Bi-borough that is.)

30-03 Newtown Avenue Is Ready For The Holidays!

The final insult

And so we come to the end of Dennis Gallagher's schedule - for now.

Ridgewood remnant

Try to look past the clashing porch and perimeter fences and picture this house on Wyckoff Avenue 100 years ago. The developers haven't gotten this one - yet.

Now we're thinking!

Steiner Studios and its landlord, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., are teaming up to transform 20 acres of gated Navy Yard land in Williamsburg that hasn't been used for decades into the stage for the first-ever Hollywood-style back lot to go up on the East Coast.

B'KLYN H'WOOD

Douglas Steiner, the studio's chairman, said the outdoor lot would likely include a large scenic reconstruction of New York City streets, cutting down on costly street closings for city location shoots and making it easier for city-based productions to film in the Big Apple rather than head to California.

The Nassau Street site at the Navy Yard is a former medical compound. It houses majestic, historic buildings dating back to 1830 that would be renovated so they, too, could be used as scenery.

Party time!

Only something scheduled after hours. So did Dennis Gallagher go to this?

Chamber hosts dinner dance

Nope! But it looks like Lynda came back from her vacation and was representin' the pink man.

Daly on the DOB

City Hall's response to the Deutsche Bank fire was to transfer and humiliate three dedicated fire commanders. Nobody at the Department of Buildings was touched, even though the agency had so abjectly failed to enforce its own code.

"Buildings is always let off the hook," a leading fire expert said last week.

The expert suggested that the three tragic fires are symptoms of the city's general failure to ensure contractors and building owners adhere to regulations.

"The greed, the corruption, the fraud, the incompetence," the expert said.

In the past three years, building violations have resulted in the deaths of six firefighters. Fire inspections are sharply increasing, but you have to wonder about the city's true commitment when you read page 88 of the 174-page report on the 99-cent store fire.

The report notes that under "current procedures" firefighters who discover a building code violation send an "A-8 referral form" to the FDNY Field Communications Unit, which then calls 311 the same way a civilian might.

"Note: the DOB inspectors are not aware that these 311 generated complaints are initiated by the Fire Department," the report says.

In other words, even if firefighters had discovered the building code violations before these double tragedies, the most urgent message to the Building Department would have been received like just another 311 call.

In FDNY report, Buildings Dept. dodges blame for firefighter deaths

Ex-CAU commish in lobbying probe

Lobbyists for some of the city's biggest corporations and developers are hiding the names of city employees they've tried to influence in apparent violation of the law, a Daily News probe has found.

Last January, a new was past requiring all lobbyists to list by name all city employees they've pressed to obtain tax breaks, zoning changes, contracts and other perks for their clients.

The News found 95% of the 264 lobbyists who filed reports this year failed to reveal the names of the so-called "targets" they lobbied on their registration forms.

As a result, the public has no way to know which levers most well-paid lobbyists are trying to pull for their powerful clients.

On Friday, Acting City Clerk Michael McSweeney, whose office monitors lobbyists, ordered an investigation to ensure the law is enforced in response to the ongoing News investigation of lobbyists.

New York City lobbyists probed

...there's Jonathan Greenspun, who left his job as commissioner of Mayor Bloomberg's community assistance unit in June 2006 and registered as a lobbyist for the firm FHGR.

The law prohibits former city employees from lobbying any city agency on matters in which they had personal involvement while city employees. None of Greenspun's filings reveals the names of the city employees he lobbied.

...records list Greenspun as one of several FHGR lobbyists lobbying the "Office of the Mayor" on behalf of several clients during the year he was supposed to be banned from doing so.

Shulman said she was unaware that she was required to list the names of those she lobbied on behalf of a Queens developer who wants to develop two sites in Forest Hills. When asked, she volunteered the name of city employee John Young.

John Young? CAU? A boro prez? Hmmm...

Let's remember that Patrick Brennan, Greenspun's successor as CAU director also left the position to become a lobbyist for the Parkside Group, and Parkside has been lobbying John Young for the St. Saviour's zoning change.

There may be more rats inside City Hall than outside.

Giving thanks for the mother-in-law

If your mother-in-law makes it, why is your name on it, Jim?

Brown Harris Stevens redefines "top end"

"For over 130 years, Brown Harris Stevens remains the leader in sales, rentals, management, appraisals and corporate relocation services at the top end of the New York residential market."

Times must be lean for BHS if this is what they are now considering to be "top end".

Previously featured under Taking a Grand Crap.

Horse of a different collar

Like many New Yorkers, she came to the city from someplace else, aiming to go as far as her talent could take her. She was just starting out, and when she arrived from rural Florida, she moved into a small place in South Ozone Park, Queens, so close to Kennedy Airport she could hear the planes roaring overhead as she ate breakfast.

The Blue-Collar Thoroughbred

Her new home was not a studio apartment, however, but rather a hay-filled stall at the Aqueduct Race Track. This new New Yorker was a 2-year-old thoroughbred racehorse named Karakorum Starlet, a chestnut filly who has an inborn restlessness about her that even now, two years later, is evident to anyone who visits her home in Barn 3 at Aqueduct...

...Although she is far from famous, she has an avid fan base. Whenever she or any of her stablemates in the Karakorum Racing Team breaks from the starting gate, the horse carries not only a jockey but the hopes and passions of three dozen city residents, most from the boroughs outside Manhattan.

These New Yorkers track the careers of Karakorum horses not merely as bettors but as owners. In a once rare but increasingly popular arrangement, each Karakorum horse is owned by a commercial partnership in which up to 200 shares have been sold to people from all walks of life.

For an initial $499 payment and a monthly maintenance fee of $29, Karakorum — the operation takes its name from the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire, which conquered its enemies on horseback — will sell a buyer a one-half percent stake in a racehorse. This low threshold for ownership has made the sport of kings easily accessible to working-class and middle-class horseplayers whose involvement might otherwise be limited to yelling at the television sets in their local OTB parlor.

Williamsburg's Giant Fart Cloud Building

There's apparently a building in Brooklyn that's farting. And not only that, the workers there violated a stop fart...er, work order.

Hauling himself to City Hall

Oh here we go. Dennis Gallagher at City Hall. He had 3 meetings this day, although 2 of them were being held at the same time, so he must have a clone (God help us). Of course, under "Rep" it says "FYI" which means attendance not required. Tsk, tsk.

Willets won't go away

A group of Willets Point business owners and the city have been locked in a legal arms race over the last two months, anticipating a potential fight as the city moves toward the start of the approval process for a multibillion-dollar redevelopment of the area known as the Iron Triangle.



City, biz owners lawyer up over Willets

Both the city and the Willets Point Industry and Realty Association have each recently retained the services of high-profile environmental attorneys who are expected to clash swords if any legal questions arise from eventual publication of the Environmental Impact Statement for the redevelopment of Willets Point. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the plan in the spring.

Bloomberg hopes to transform the 60-acre swath of land into a mixed-use community that includes thousands of housing units and millions of square feet of retail and commercial space designed within an environmentally ambitious framework. Any redevelopment would be fraught with obstacles as the area is barren of most basic infrastructure, such as paved streets and sewers, and is littered with widespread environmental contamination expected to cost millions to remediate.

Willets Pt. hearings slated for early 2008

"Time is of the essence here, so that if a new mayor comes in, he can't reverse it," [Claire Shulman] said. "This is the first mayor to give us this opportunity."

Claire has also been busy pushing for improvements to the Flushing LIRR station to help her developer friends:

Members of the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the LIRR met with representatives of the borough president’s office, local developers and the Flushing/Willets Point/Corona Local Development Corporation to discuss possible improvements to the station.

The meeting, which was proposed by Flushing/Willets Point/Corona Local Development Corporation President Claire Shulman, was held onsite on Monday, October 29.

Developers pushing LIRR to fix up Main Street station

Squash soup

And now, the first course.
Crappy loves pumpkin soup. From the Queens Courier

Knowledge of Queens College's dorm plan

Upon completion, the dorm will reach four to five stories and house 450-550 students, only 2 percent of the total student body. The residence hall is being erected at the current site of the outdoor tennis courts, which will be rebuilt elsewhere. Although the hall won’t increase the overall student population, it is expected to draw students from beyond the borough. In addition, it will cater to students who don’t own cars. However, 200 surface parking spots will be created underneath the dorm building, increasing campus parking by 10 percent. The convenience of living on QC’s 77-acre campus comes at a price; rooms will cost from $900 to $1,400 a month. The suites include a refrigerator, microwave, sink and stovetop.

QC’s Dorms Revealed

The thin brown line

The skinniest building in Queens may be located at the corner of Alstyne and Corona Avenues.

Breakfast in bed with Melinda

Hey, serving us up a short stack is the least she can do after screwing us...

From the Queens Courier

Busy as usual

Do nothing Councilman Dennis Gallagher has cleared his schedule so he can devote his time to his rape defense (and lobbying for the St. Saviour's developers). The Times Ledger wrote this in an editorial on 9/27:

"Unless it becomes clear that the burden of the charges alone is preventing him from serving the community - and that has yet to be demonstrated - then the decision to retain his seat on the Council is his and his alone."

Maybe they need to do a follow up on this. Especially now that he can't take ads out in their paper anymore.

Photo of the month

State Senator George Onorato welcomes Daphne Roper, manager of the new Sovereign Bank branch at 24-29 Jackson Ave., to Long Island City.

Stopping at the border

Why did LIRR tree cutting stop in Little Neck at the border?

Dear editor (of the Times Ledger):

I am writing in response to your article last week regarding the LIRR's tree pruning along their tracks. I am a LIRR customer and I was infuriated to see the wholesale elimination of trees along the tracks from Auburndale to Main Street on the Port Washington line. From reading your article it appears this has happened all the way to the Queens-Nassau border. It's funny that they "stopped" only after they pretty much decimated whatever trees were standing.

I find it hard to believe that there was no other solution for leaves blowing on the tracks. This "solution" that was chosen lacked any creative thinking and was a complete overreaction. Unfortunately, this overreaction will not stop leaves from blowing on the tracks.

I feel especially bad for those residents that live next to the tracks and the station platforms. I'm sure they appreciate the extra noise and even the commuters peering into their residences from the platforms, previously blocked by nature's natural barriers - some which took decades to grow. All the LIRR did was add to the quality-of-life problems that are facing northeast Queens.

For those trees that the LIRR "pruned" on people's private property, were arborists consulted? Did an arborist perform an impact study of the effects of "pruning" more than half a tree on one side? Did the LIRR hire individuals with a specialty in pruning trees?

At a time when the city is initiating a program to plant over 1 million trees in the coming years, the LIRR is doing its best to rid the area of anything green. It's very ironic.

One other piece of your article that really annoyed me was that the tree pruning stopped at Little Neck and Douglaston. Why did they stop there? Why didn't they start in Nassau County in Port Washington, Manhasset or Plandome which have way more trees than their counterpart stations in Queens?

Are the trees in Nassau magic trees that do not cause any sort of damage? The communities affected are outraged and we are tired with being treated with such disregard. Complaints to the new MTA president have not been addressed adequately. I don't believe that it is necessary to pay high property taxes in order to be heard. It is well documented that residents in Nassau are more proactive in protecting their rights and neighborhoods, so did that take precedent over choosing Queens over Nassau? I'll bet it did.

Jim Forkan
Flushing, NY

Photo from Queens Chronicle

Cutting Queens trees

The philosophy of speculators is that a minuscule $5,000 fine is nothing compared to the huge amount of money they will make when their large building, sometimes built illegally, is sold for millions.

Parks coalition wants better tree protection

Slides showed that the actual building of the much praised award winning "green building" in the Queens Botanical Gardens actually resulted in the death of a number trees near the building. We could see the bad construction practices taking place and how these trees have few leaves left any more. [Carsten] Glaeser explained that there are ways to construct ecologically but this probably costs money, yet the city want to spend money to plant trees.

The School Construction Authority, and other city agencies, also fail to take trees into account when drawing up their construction plans. Instead of taking the time to change the plans a little, engineers get permission to cut down the trees. Slides were shown of this practice. In addition, new sewer construction often causes roots to be cut and the trees die a few years later. Does the Mayor know this is happening?

The better question is "Does the mayor care?"

Coming soon - crap!

"House soon to be history at corner of Oak Ave and 158th Street in Flushing. Used to be the Flushing Christian School.

How to tell when your neighborhood will soon be getting a future piece of crap:

1. Have a beautiful old house on the corner of your street? = kiss of death. Old corner houses have the most land and are the first to go.
2. House number is spray painted on house so work crews won't have trouble finding it.
3. Rat poison warning signs are placed in most of the doors and windows.
4. You see a crew in front of the old house disconnecting the sewer lines.
5. ALL trees on property cut down.
6. Electricity is disconnected by another lovely work crew.
7. Beautiful plywood goes up surrounding the property.
8. The permits are placed on the lovely plywood (if said permits exist). Sometimes a cute mailbox accompanies the permits on the plywood.
9. Windows are taken out.
10. Another beautiful piece of history is destroyed and replaced by a piece of crap.
11. RIP

I pass this property everyday, today they were starting the demolition, it is beyond sadness." - Denise

Even the dead hate Gallagher

"...right now there's nothing else that can be done. I don't think there can be parkland at the site." - Councilman Dennis Gallagher

Activists blast Gallagher

Letters to the Forum West:

Repent, Dennis Gallagher!

To The Editor,

After reading your account of (Councilman) Dennis Gallagher's attempts to make sure a land deal goes through on church property it further sickens me that I voted for the likes of him. Actually we really should not be surprised at this scoundrel's actions after his indictment was handed down.

What he should be doing is looking to re-open St. Saviour's so that he can have a place to go and repent for his sins. I think perhaps God is the only one who may have mercy on him.

Sincerely,
Ellen W.

Save St. Saviour’s

To the editor:

I have enjoyed your paper from the first publication. This paper is a great tool of information for the people of Queens. The reason that I am sending this letter is because we should not forget about the problem we have with the land and buildings of St. Saviour’s Church. This is a fight that we are having with Maspeth Developers wanting to turn this land into a housing complex of 72 homes. This company cut down 185 trees on the site, about 15 to 20 of which were more than 100 years old. We cannot let this happen because this will take away the history of when Maspeth was founded. I live across the street from what was once a very country-like setting. We do not need more housing; we need more green space and a historical center for the roots of Maspeth.

Please don’t forget about St. Saviour’s Church.

Thank You,
Thomas Vitale
Maspeth

Editorial from the Forum West (This one's a real doozy):

If James Maurice, the 19th century elected official who represented Maspeth, stood up to Tammany Hall (and won) and donated the land upon which St. Saviour’s stands, can see what has become of his gift to Maspeth, he must be turning over in his grave. If he is aware of the type of representation his hometown now has, then he may actually be spinning in it.

I guess there'll be no holiday ads from the councilman in this paper...

Bloomie sends Archie to LIC and Rockaway

Plans to rezone Long Island City’s Hunters Point had been heralded as a boon to the middle class. The city would create roughly 5,000 rentals, 60 percent of which would be set aside for middle-income families — roughly $60,000 to $145,000 annual income for a family of four — and the rest market-rate.

But many residents and housing advocates want to know, what about low-income New Yorkers?

‘Archie Bunker’ vision decried

On most city-owned land the Bloomberg administration has transferred to developers for housing, a minimum of 20 percent of the units have been reserved for low- and moderate-income families earning up to $57,000, [Elena] Conte explained. But the two largest public parcels in Queens slated for residential development — Hunters Point South (a.k.a. Queens West) and Arverne East in the Rockaways — have not had these requirements.

“This is why it’s raising eyebrows,” she said, adding that the city is trying to get a waiver from the federal government so it doesn’t have to include low-income units in buildings financed with tax-exempt bonds. “Why is there an Archie Bunker vision here?”

Because Bloomberg wants certain New Yorkers to leave certain places, Elena. They stand in the way of his grand plan.

QCC says open space must be preserved

Joint Statement from the Queens Civic Congress and Queens Coalition for Parks & Green Spaces

"New York City must work to preserve its historic natural areas; these historic settings must receive much the same treatment as historical landmarks. The destruction or loss of any natural areas negatively impacts the quality of life for the surrounding communities bordering these green spaces. It flies in the face of what City Hall advocates for parks and preservation in PlaNYC.

Ridgewood Reservoir should be preserved as such and the monies (some $46 million) to destroy this green area's natural settings should be re-allocated to purchases to preserve other threatened historical natural areas which also include historical structures -- such as St. Saviour's, the Klein Farm, Iris Hill and the former Cornell Farm. What we destroy today cannot be restored tomorrow.

City Hall needs to take a hard look and re-evaluate what needs to be done to preserve natural areas before they cease to exist. This includes re-thinking any plans that threaten natural parks and historic settings such as Ridgewood Reservoir, St. Saviour's, the Klein Farm, Iris Hill and the former Cornell Farm."

Thanks To Our Heroes

Dear Editor:

I came into my office at Queens Borough Hall on Monday, Nov. 5 and was startled to see two sparrows trapped between the widow panes. One was lying on its side, the other was hopping frantically around looking for a way of escape. My staff and I attempted to free them but were afraid we would kill the one still showing some life. We thought it best to contact someone who would know what he was doing, and so I began my search to find someone to help.

You would think with all the contacts I have, it would be easy. Not so. My staff and I called custodial service at Queens Borough Hall, 311, 911, the Humane Society, ASPCA, the New York Animal Rescue, 102nd Precinct, NY State Environmental Conservation, Fish and Wildlife and Bobbi and the Strays. Finally I contacted the fire department, Engine Co. 270 in Richmond Hill, who gave me a contact at Ladder Co. 151 located at 111-02 Queens Blvd. We were told they would stop by when they completed their run. They were here in less than 1 hour. I was anxious because my window faces south and the sun was shining in the window. It must have been unbearable for those two little sparrows.

Our five firefighter heroes arrived and began the rescue effort. They gently removed the two sparrows to our relief. It was touching to see these firefighters in full gear, heavy coats, boots, helmets, tenderly removing these hapless sparrows while I covered my eyes in the other office.

We want to publicly thank Ladder Co. 151 and our heroes who had to rush to their next run before we could get their names. Thank you to our heroes.

Mary Ann Carey
District Manager
Community Board 9

Tee time

Everyone deserves a break from the daily grind now and then. Councilman Dennis Gallagher likes nothing more than to relieve the stress of indictment by golfing. But it's unusual for him to be able to get away on a Monday, as evidenced by his very hectic schedule just one week later.

Gioia in drag tomorrow night?

QTIP stages revue starring Queens politicians

An assortment of Queens elected officials will be performing, including congressional, state and city leaders such as Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, City Councilman Leroy Comrie, Councilman James Gennaro, state Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, Councilman Eric Gioia, Councilwoman Melinda Katz, Queens Deputy Borough President Karen Koslowitz, Assemblyman Rory Lancman, Councilman John Liu, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, state Sen. Serphin Maltese, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, Assemblyman Jose Peralta, Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Assemblyman William Scarborough, Councilwoman Helen Sears, state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, Councilman Peter F. Vallone, Jr., U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, Councilman David Weprin, Assemblyman Mark Weprin and Assemblywoman Ellen Young.

How about a barbershop quartet featuring the Weprins and Vallones? Or Toby Stavisky doing burlesque? The possibilities are endless...

Sunnyside Gardens develpment loophole?

...at the meeting, the question of infill was raised by City Planning's Mandy Ikert, who understood it might apply to Sunnyside and wanted an explanation of it. [Queens City Planning Director John] Young said that at least theoretically the infill program, which, in short, would allow special expansion of dwelling space, applied to Sunnyside.

Sunnyside Gardens Zoning, Preservation Questioned

In other neighborhoods, infill has led to destruction of one- and two-family units and their replacement with multi-family structures, often cleverly wrought. Joseph Conley, chairman of Community Board 2, appeared indignant that the term should even be raised in Sunnyside Gardens. Young tried to assert that there was little actual danger of infill.

Notice Mr. Young didn't say "no actual danger". He used the word "little" which means it is a loophole that developers will no doubt exploit, with the help of DOB and City Planning.

Rosemont: "builders & developers delight"

Rosemont: Southern plantation style house. 200 ft. above 26th Ave. and midway between 14th and 18th St.

Smith, Stratton & Co. were varnish makers and removed their plant from Second Ave., N.Y. to here about 1830 and in 1856 to Hunter's Point. The house was converted into an apartment house in this century. - Vincent Seyfried

"The Benner Mansion, occupied for many years by the late Robert Benner, a prominent New York lawyer, is another superb place. Mr. Benner was an enthusiast in floriculture and arboriculture. The beautiful gardens contain many specimens of rare trees and shrubs while the flower beds, chrysanthemums and rose houses have wide renown. The cultivation of these flowers was Mr. Benner's delight and he added many new specimens by propagation and cultivation to the world's knowledge. He named his house "Rosemont!" and the name was appropriate. Mrs. Benner resides in the old home, and as her love for flowers equals that of her late husband, the place is still superbly kept up. Mr. Benner's sons, Willis and Charles, are the law firm of Benner & Benner of Wall St. They both live in Astoria, the former in the old homestead and Charles in the former house of the late Joshua Lathrop, the old New York flour merchant." - New York Times, July 12, 1896

Coming Soon to Rosemont...Queens Crap!

The churchman

Busy day at the office for Dennis Gallagher on 10-12 as well. A couple of "FYI" church mixers at night. Maybe if he goes to some of these things he'll find religion and start laying off of booze and grannies.

Ghosts on Roosevelt

The Daily News continues to spotlight the Courier's series:

The Ghost Workers, Part 2

AM-NY's 'My Crappy Apartment' series

There are some websites that won't even print the word "crap" (like the NY Times or Outer B). Then there are newspapers that create an entire series that uses the word.

My Crappy Apartment

South Street Seaport headed for condoville?

The South Street Seaport, an area for decades dismissed as "just for tourists," has re-emerged in the forefront of New Yorkers' minds as architects, preservations and local residents wrestle over the waterfront of the future.

Most agree that the Seaport needs to evolve and be re-knitted back into the life of the city while preserving its history, but there is broad disagreement on how to do that.

Today, the Seaport is a hive of tourists, with more than 4 million people visiting per year, more than even the Statue of Liberty.

But it feels cut-off from the rest of the city, a place reserved for visitors only, according to Heather Mangrum, an architect who is leading an "ideas competition" for young architects with the American Institute of Architects to re-imagine the area.

Changes in store for South Street Seaport

Oh here we go. We already have something nice, a throwback to our past, but it's not good enough for AIA. I know you want your membership to have projects to work on, but give me a break.

Hoards of Wall Streeters visit the seaport at lunchtime or after work, and the Financial District is becoming more residential, which is bringing locals to the pier more frequently. Several times a year, I visit the Seaport with friends, as many other city residents do. So it's not "just for tourists". Pier 17, which is targeted for replacement, has become iconic in itself.

Despite the millions of people who visit each year, the city probably feels that the Seaport could become an even bigger cash cow. But this idea that a neighborhood isn't a vital part of the city unless it has luxury condos built throughout it really has to go.

At the Junction of Corona and crap

I had always been kind of intrigued by this building on Junction Boulevard near Corona Avenue. The archway hinted at a past that was a little more exciting than a "heel alignment" place. But - notice the small sign on the building next door, which says "we buy land and house"...
Alas, there is no more time to investigate as it has been converted into a giant crap pile. Each individual address contains 4 dwelling units.

Spitzer says 'adios' to bad plan

A humbled Gov. Eliot Spitzer -- facing an insurrection from New York Democrats -- is ditching his controversial plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants that provoked a massive national backlash.

Spitzer will drop license plan for illegal immigrants

Spitzer will announce he's "scrapping the plan" after a meeting of the state's congressional delegation on Capitol Hill this morning, according to his spokeswoman, Christine Anderson.

The license proposal had proven to be a political albatross for Democratic supporters, especially Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was grilled on the issue during a debate in Philadelphia late last month.

Democrats and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg had pressured the governor to drop the proposal, which garnered the support of only one-third of New Yorkers, according to polls.

Notice ol' Steamrollin' Eliot isn't doing this because the people he represents thought it was a stupid idea, but because it was making his cronies look bad.