Greenpoint
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Culture on the Cheap
From The New York Shitty Inbox, Part II: Chez Toshi
Anonymous writes:
Hi Heather,
I hope it’s okay that I come to you when I have random questions about the neighborhood! On my way home today I noticed that the building at 808 Driggs Ave., which earlier this year was advertised as a rental (I know, because I looked at the apartments. Decent, but way overpriced), now seems to house another branch of Hotel Toshi. It says “hotel toshi” on one of the buzzers, and there was a very makeshift-looking flier taped to the outside of the door with the Toshi “logo” on it. How exactly does this guy run all of these “hotels” out of rental buildings? I’m mostly curious because I live near this building, and when I googled Toshi it seems like everyone on the Internet is equally mystified by his real estate dealings.
Just curious if you had any thoughts on the guy 🙂
Well, for starters 808 Driggs Avenue has (ostensibly) been canvassed by the Department of Buildings. At least that is what this post over at Curbed would lead one to believe. Apparently they found nothing amiss.
Despite the fact that the buzzer, as you piquantly noted anonymous, clearly states a hotel is on the premises.
A litany of complaints that this building is being employed as a hotel. Follows is my personal favorite.
I want to personally commend the aforementioned complainant’s civility. Had someone entered my apartment I’d probably take our household Louisville slugger and discharge my own “Special Enforcement”.* The call to 311 (or 911 for that matter) would follow. But I digress.
808 Driggs Avenue’s Certificate of Occupancy makes it pretty clear that while it is technically a “mixed use” building it is, in fact, residential.
This begs many questions. Among them:
- How do the folks who are outlaying $2,500+ a month in rent at this “hotal” feel about this?
- Who would want to rent a room at a “hotel” whose “Welcome” sign is an inkjet print on a piece of office paper affixed with tape? To stucco?
- How can the Department of Buildings overlook his web site— which features one “vacation rental” which seems to be located in a rent-stabilized building?
The “Swiss Chalet on South 4 Street” is (in my humble opinion) a real pisser. As is this** which can be found on Toshi’s Flickr page.
Check it out!
Miss Heather
*Not that I advise this. I am for all intents and purposes a law abiding individual. I abhor violence. I do not, however, take kindly to people trying to gain entrance to my apartment for nefarious reasons. I write this as someone who once had a dude walk into our foyer at midnight – 1:00 in the morning one weekend while the Mister and I were watching movies in our living room. We forgot to lock the front door to our apartment. The chap in question was not a resident of our building. My shouting at the top of my lungs:
HELLO! HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
was a sufficient deterrent. He scrammed and we have been damned vigilant about locking down our apartment ever since. Had this chap persisted, well…
**For some serious Toshi partying down click here. CAVEAT: NSFW.
Quicklink: More Ado About Nick’s Garden
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Remember the brouhaha about the Red Gate (AKA: Nick’s) Garden’s fence being torn down April 24th so as to provide access to the Boy Scouts? Well, here is the next chapter. New York Shitty analysis:
- The “reasoning” employed by our parks person is downright Orwellian. Methinks the appropriate term is “doublespeak”.
- A New York City parks employee (one who is reputedly very eager to generate more income by expanding the existing tennis courts at McCarren Park at the expense of kickball courts and basketball hoops, I’ll add) tossing around the word “privatization” is akin to the proverbial pot calling the kettle black.
- One party insists she sent emails and made phone calls. The other is claiming nothing of the sort happened. Someone is not telling the truth.
Read it and weep. Pay attention to the comments. They’re rather illuminating.
Miss Heather
P.S.: Here’s the “leaked” email. And my rebuttal.
New York Shitty Photos Du Jour: East Williamsburg Gothic
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, East Williamsburg, East Williamsburg Brooklyn, Recession, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Yesterday, despite my better judgment (90+ degree weather and the aftermath of a cold do not mix), I took a walk. I went to the no-man’s land some call Greenpoint and others call East Williamsburg. Over the years I have developed a cynical disdain neighborhood taxonomy. This is due in large part to the real estate industry.
What I saw was the past, present and future of north Brooklyn. Do we, as a community, want to be the same or enjoy being different? Should we accept derelict testaments to speculation and greed such as 64 Maspeth Avenue as being a fact of life?
Miss Heather
Crosstown Local Photo Du Jour: For Rent
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, Crosstown Local, Recession, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
If this sheet rock and Sharpie marker solicitation (which hails from outside the Keap Street entrance of the G and L trains at Metropolitan Avenue) is any indication I’d say times are getting pretty tough in the ‘Burg. The asking rent for these mystery digs has been excised. Anyone care to place a bid?
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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