Posts by Margot Slade:
The contest is on among five New York City buildings to find the doorman who rocks. The leader by a wide margin so far--336 votes and counting--is Angel Mendoza of the Cadman Plaza West building in Brooklyn, who says he tries to put a smile on everyone's face and hopes to add that "extra touch" by wishing everyone a good day.
Real estalkers intent on making a home in a building where nothing is for sale may want to tune in to this self-help advice on StreetEasy.com.
"Talking to the doorman is the best idea," explains one commenter. "You will have to give some 'incentive.' He may know people who are considering and can forward your info."
But don't stop at the front door:
A simple question on StreetEasy.com about how much less a property is worth if it's next to a school unleashed a rant of epic proportions, alleging that Department of Education changes over the past five years have drastically reduced the quality of life for public school neighbors.
Window bars can make window a/c installation tricky, but not necessarily impossible. A recent thread on Brownstoner.com breezes through some workarounds:
On UrbanBaby.com, a suspicious parent snoops through the bags of a "long-time, trusted nanny" and finds paper towels, soap and garbage bags apparently pilfered from household supplies. Whether it's a one-time thing isn't clear.
It is possible that only a NYC apartment dweller emerging from a long, cold winter can fully grasp the depth of the tragedy depicted by these before-and-after photos posted on Brownstoner.com's forum yesterday. A renter's roof deck retreat (left) has been ripped out and returned to its natural tar-beach state by the landlord, who isn't going to replace it. It seems there was water damage to the apartment below.
