Low-housing options are becoming scarce, due to many high-rises and condominiums being erected. Many of the existing low-rent apartments are being phased out, as landlords are now increasing rent.
Another reason apartments are hard to find may be due to landlords renting out single room occupancies to tourists as hotel rooms. More on this topic can be found in this article.
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Not too long ago, I watched Pretty Woman, said “NO” to drugs, and busted my knee open on Park Ave. The fast track to riches these days always seems to involve sex or drugs. But for New Yorkers, civil lawsuits could be a burgeoning career. For all aspiring “working girls” the Bunny Ranch in Nevada is too far, and if you’re reading this you’re probably not willing to compromise your education with a felony drug charge. So where do the lawsuits come in? There are options. According to the New York City Independent Budget Office, the top 5 ways to make money from suing the city are: medical malpractice claims, sidewalks, motor vehicle claims, other personal injury claims, and (drumroll please) police actions! In 2004, the city paid out a whopping $576 MILLION to claimants. So, next time you meet and greet the cold concrete because there’s a gaping hole in the sidewalk, remember, you could be taking a bite out of the city’s budget pie. Too bad I missed my chance!
It’s massive in size, it’s complex and it’s scary. So,we residents, within the boundaries of the “Jamaica Plan”, voice our concerns.
The Department of City Planning has proposed the Jamaica Plan rezoning which covers 368 blocks and is aimed at stimulating new housing and office development in Downtown Jamaica while attempting to preserve most of the surrounding area’s residential atmosphere. But, residents fear rezoning plans may force them to lose their homes or a neighborhood next to them, seriously affecting their quality of life.Residents feel left out of the loop and demand the project be stopped. Information on the plan can be found on the Department of City Planning’s Web site at www.nyc.gov/dcp.
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Last week, 150,000 Condoms sponsored by the NYC Health Department were handed out throughout New York City. I personally did not see any volunteers handing them out, but was curious if anybody out there (YES I MEAN YOU!) was given one?
This is a step down the right direction for New York, where more than 100,000 people are infected with HIV (thousands don’t know they have it..). Abstinence-Only (Wait Until Marriage) programs/policies are inefficient and hopefully in the near future we’ll see “USA Condoms” sponsored by the Federal government…
In a decision that not only affects my neighborhood of Tenafly, but every single community in the state, New Jersey’s state Supreme Court has decided that homosexual couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples. While a short-term victory for homosexual couples, the decision fell short of what they had truly hoped for, which is the actual marriage status that they had been seeking for a long time. The vote, however, was a close one, a 4-3 decision that represents the extremely divided nature of this democratic state in the northeast. Check out the details here… http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15416613/
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The Parks Department and the Union Square Partnership’s plan for the renovation of the pavilion includes a seasonal restaurant inside the building, the extention of the playground space and planting trees on the 17th Street parameter. However, they have received opposition from some members of the Union Square Community Coalition who believe that the area should NOT be used for commerical use since it will inhibit public protest, one of the traditional uses of the park. They are fighting for landmark preservation. On the other hand, the Union Square Partnership, the Parks Dept, City Council members and local residents say it will enchance the park’s image. The plan has been approved by Community Board 5 twice and construction will start in fall 2008. The heated debate continues…click here to read more.
Washington Heights is in the middle of a land tug-of-war between long time residents and money hungry realtors. Incredibly this condition is contagious. Check it out in this article.
According to the Lunar calendar this year will be year 4705, the year of the pig. This year’s Chinese New Year begins this Sunday, February 18th, 2007. The celebration of the new year continues for fifteen consecutive days, which means the celebration will end on the next full moon. Chinese New Year celebrated in the motherland, China is much more traditional than it is in New York City. Even though there is a difference, the celebrations in New York City are just as ravishing as the ones in China.
There will be many events taking place in Chinatown starting this weekend to welcome the Lunar New Year. For more information please check out: Explore Chinatown’s homepage.
 This city is a place of motion and emotion. It inspires within us excitement, anticipation, thrill, and fear. But like any other place one lives, the tasks and often repetitive duties of daily life can dull our senses. We must remember that every neighborhood, every day presents us with the opportunity to indulge in that which makes us human… the rollercoaster of emotions.  We must remind ourselves to enjoy what is around us now, for change is constant, often surprising, and sometimes heartbreaking.  Â
  There was a woman in Coney Island who had a constant reminder of this overhead. She fell in love with a man and with him lived beneath the thunderous vibrations of a rollercoaster winding above her home…literally.  Check out her story. coaster-home                                                                              Â
Now days when I’m walking to the train station I notice that sidewalks are getting narrow and streets seem congested reminding me of the city. Weren’t the suburbs supposed to be the land of minivans and soccer moms, places that were populated by families who wanted to give their children backyards to play in and trees to climb?
According to The New York Times Westchester County’s first suburbs are undergoing a transformation that rivals the urban renewal efforts of the 1960’s. For the past couple of years, New Rochelle has been building numerous luxury apartments, lofts and condos within the downtown area including two Avalon buildings and Trump Plaza. These huge buildings take up a lot of space and with construction going year round the city seems congested and narrow. The city began these developments in hopes of bringing new life to the city and hopes of building a more vibrant and more economically viable community. The target market for these buildings are young professionals who commute to Manhattan who have no children or older people who want something easier to maintain — more lavish than a house. With the new developments of skyscraper condos and more to come, the city once known as a suburban city of New Rochelle is looking to be what could be the sixth borough of New York City.
This weblog was developed and is supported by the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute, Baruch College, CUNY
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