tuckergurl

Signs of Gentrification

*Note: If you are not from NY, this might be less interesting for you though maybe not. Gentrification is every where but all of the Brooklyn neighborhood references can be off putting.*

When I googled Crown Heights, Brooklyn to find pictures to go with this entry, I found this one. This place is a few blocks away from Tavern on Nostrand, a restaurant that L. Britt and I had brunch at today. When we were there, the owner mentioned that he was opening a new Japanese/Korean fusion restaurant across the street. This is when it was confirmed: The neighborhood is changing.

It all began when I was living in Fort Greene, Brooklyn years ago and they opened a Sushi place around the corner. Soon after, the neighborhood became filled with trendy restaurant and lost many of its artsy multicultural clientele. A few months ago, they opened a Sushi restaurant in an area that they are trying to call Prospect Heights (Dean and Franklin Avenue). It is huge and I know many coffee houses and expensive restaurants will follow.

I never know how to feel about gentrification. My father used to say to me that gentrification is me. I like fancy coffee shops and I like nice restaurants. Just because I am black, doesn't mean that I am not a gentrifier. I specifically moved to Crown Heights because, from my lifetime living in New York, I knew it was the next big neighborhood on Brooklyn. I could have a nice place on a pretty block and be walking distance from "hipper"neighborhoods.

I also liked the idea that I could live in a neighborhood where people looked like me. It is more important to me than I thought it would be. But how long will my neighborhood have people that look like me?

Segregation in Stuy Town

I was so fascinated to find this article in The Times about the desegregation of my old neighborhood, Stuyvesant Town:

"My perception," said Leo Stevens, an African-American who has lived in Stuyvesant Town for 33 years and raised five children there, "is that excluding celebrities and black immigrants or foreigners, the number of 'average, everyday African-Americans' has been relatively static over the last 30 years. Our sparse number, spread out over this huge complex, makes it difficult to be accurate."

My familes was one of the very, very, very few "average African-American" families that grew up in Stuy Town. I am curious about this flick that she is writing about the desegregation of my old hood. Very curious.

The Funny Thing About Brooklyn

Whenever I am in Prospect Heights during the day on a weekday, I experience how much it is like Europe.  Stores are randomly closed in the middle of the day with no warning.  I did not know that there were siestas.  I wish someone would have told me. 

So, you are wandering around trying to figure out when places will open again.  I would be more relaxed if I didn't want to get stuff done today.  Oh, and iced coffee for three bucks doesn't make it better either.

My computer is being taken to the shop today.  I'll keep you updated.

Affordable?

A friend of mine has a place in Soho. It is $1200 for a teeny, tiny two bedroom. Everyone says it's a steal for his neighborhood and it is! He agreed it was cheap but said, "I know it's a steal but it's still a lot of money. $1200 a month is a lot of money. I don't care what people say."

I thought of him when I say this article in The New York Times this morning. The article talked about how you can still find an apartment for between $1,000 and $1,200. This was the bit that amused me:

It is possible to find something nice to rent in New York City for $1,000 to $1,200 - the range considered affordable for most people in the five boroughs by the federal government and housing researchers - but not easily.

According to the Census Bureau's 2003 American Community Survey, the latest data available, the median household income for all of New York City was $39,937. By the federal government's 30 percent standard, Dr. Ellen noted, that would define an affordable rent for the entire city as $998 a month.

When you say $39,937 that is supposed to be a household not a single person. However, most of the places in that range are studios so what sense does that make exactly. I know gripping about how expensive New York is is nothing new but when you see articles like this, you really see how crazy it all is.

Most of my non-artist friends make over $39,937. However, they are also saddled with student loans so the amount of money they are taking home is slim, slim, slim.

My Nothing Weekend

All I did this weekend was clean my apartment and clean it some more. Unpacking is always nice because you learn you have more stuff than you think. I have a walk in closet for the first time ever and it is an exciting thing! It’s hard to get the gumption up to really dd anything. I made my first meal (spaghetti with a spinach salad) and shopped at the local Key Food that is cheap, cheap, cheap. Gentrification can take it’s time getting to Crown Heights, that’s for sure.

Here’s my clean kitchen! It is my favorite room in my apartment. It’s also the biggest room in my apartment.

(This and many more pictures to come were taken by my new camera phone!)

Bye Bye Williamsburg!

Well, after a month and a half as a pseudo hipster, my time at Williamsburg has come to and end. I'll miss the Polish coffee place, the fifteen minute commute but things like this, I won't miss.

My friends who really live in Williamsburg don't seem phased by the fact that they can't get into Manhattan without taking a bus. Hey, God bless their resiliance. They'll be good in a war. It bothers me, however, a lot!

So long, farewell. I am off to my new unhip neighborhood, Crown Heights! It's been swell.

Envy

A woman I know is doing a radio series about "Heartbreak and Envy" throughout New York City. I actually think that I am more experienced when it comes to envy.

As a New Yorker, envy is a part of everyday life. You don't choose to live here out of lack of ambition. You choose to live here because you want more for yourself, every day and in every way and you, like me, need to constantly stimulated.

My envy moment for the day took place while reading The New York Times. Tama Janowitz was featured in the deadly habitats section. It turns out that she lives a few blocks away from me in an apartment with nine and a half bedrooms . That is huge even to all of you who live in more civilized cities.

If you are truly a masochist (which I am), you should watch the online slideshow of her apartment. Yeah, life's fair.

The Trouble With Willy B

Beeber (my gal pal) has lived in Willy B (Williamsburg, Brooklyn for those who don't know) for four years. Therefore, because we hang on the regular, I've lived in Willy B for four years. The thing I've always loved about my relationship with Willy is that I could reap the benefits (good coffee, decent but expensive vintage clothing) without having to become a resident. Because if I lived there, I really think the hipsterness of it all would make me want to vomit. Plus, there are not a lot of chips in that cookie and the few I know are always on the lookout for more.

So, when Beeber forwarded me this Craigslist entry, I cried with laughter! I am totally obsessed with gentrification and in a few years, I am going to blow this popsicle stand and write that book about it that I've been dying to do. And Williamsburg is a real study in the good and bad, bad, bad aspects of gentrification.

So, read this hysterical rant and feel her (and Beeber's) pain.