1) The latest neighborhood to fall into mayhem is Turtle Bay, where a plaza near the U.N. (right) has been the site of naughty behavior thanks to, neighbors believe, the nearby New Providence homeless shelter. Residents of one nearby building have started videotaping what's going on. What's going on, you ask? According to another building's manager, "We are witness to these people drinking alcohol in public, fist-fighting between themselves and fighting with 'two-by-fours,' throwing empty bottles in the streets, menacing passers-by, standing in front of people, demanding money." [The City/Turtle Bay]
2) It's been 20 years since the Tompkins Square Park riot, and to some?the Die Hard Yuppie Scum crowd?the Christodora House is still the evil symbol of gentrification it was back when the Avenue B high-rise building was converted to luxury condos in the '80s. Except, here's something awkward: the guy who lives in the penthouse works with some of those very same protesters on social issues. [The City/'The Yuppie Scum Weigh In, 20 Years Later']
3) One-bedroom apartments are not appreciating in value the way bigger apartments are, and in fact, the market for 1BRs looks pretty flat. Blame the fact that buyers of 1BRs (typically youngsters) can't get financing anymore thanks to the credit crunch, or blame hardline sellers like the one who is trying to sell his Trump Place apartment for over $1 million, but, "Even if I could get $999,999, I would be happy.” Wow, talk about room for negotiation! ['A Glut of One-Bedroom Apartments']
4) A community garden at 117th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem called Sanidad del Cielo is about to get a new look: a bulldozed one. A seven-story co-op building will be constructed on the site, part of the city's deal with Eliot Spitzer (remember him?) to preserve 200 community gardens but sell others for development. [Big Deal/'Gardens Give Way']
5) Hamilton Heights may be cheap, but for the most part the two-bedroom apartments this former actor checked out (price range: $1,200-$1,600) were absolute crap. Will his quest for affordable housing work out? Oh, you know it will. [The Hunt/'Growing Into a Nicer Place]
6) Back in the '70s, some do-gooders built a windmill on top of a five-story tenement building at 519 East 11th Street, then defeated Con Ed in court for the right to use it. But the thing sputtered for a couple of decades before finally being dismantled. Still, those were some crazy times! And it's not like Con Ed is even more maniacal now, right? [The City/East Village]
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