Inflation Watch: New York City Bagel Shops

Inflation Watch, New York edition has been busy this week. I came across price increases on cat food, and at the Second Ave Deli. Now this: the New York Post is reporting that bagel prices have increased in the past year from 60 cents to one dollar at bagel shops across the five boroughs. It turns out that less wheat is being grown, resulting in higher wheat flour prices - a record high in fact! People are fuming too, and yet the prices keep rising!

Inflation Watch: 2nd Avenue Deli

I have to admit, I was thrilled to pieces that the 2nd Avenue Deli was reopening. I never had the chance to visit before it was unceremoniously kicked out of its (original?) Second Avenue digs awhile back. I planned to make my way over to Murray Hill and take in the experience that everyone seemed to be raving about. Sure, the place is smaller, but the quality remains high, reads all the positive press.

What I hadn't realized is that the move resulted in 20% higher prices...in my book, a sandwich is still a sandwich, and prices that high serve the tourist, not some local excited to get a bite to eat at a New York landmark. Is the price increase a way to pass down to the customer the higher rent in Murray Hill, plus higher commodity prices? Either way, what may have been a monthly experience will instead happen every once in a great while. I don't have that kind of cash, and I don't like that kind of price increase.

Inflation Watch: Petland Discounts

I am launching inflation watch today, and hope to post a daily log about the small to large ways that inflation impacts life in the big city. Those of us that aren't millionaires are already squeezed enough by high rent, expensive utilities, and so these price increases might impact the New York City middle-to-lower classes more than elsewhere. Keep an eye on your receipts, because price increases happen all over the place these days.

My first price increase bulletin comes to us from Petland Discounts, your trusted New York pet store. I stopped by the location closest to my work to pick up more of my brand of cat food, and discovered a price hike from $8.49 to $9.49 (and there was an incorrect price tag for $9.99). I asked the assistant manager why the price went up, and he said it was because of increasing oil costs that are being passed down to the customer. There has been much made of increasing commodities (grain) prices, and my guess that this played a part too.

My poor cats are being impacted by inflation too, as I reduce their dinner by one or two kibbles each!

Happy Anniversary KFC/Taco Bell

Today marks the one year anniversary of this lovely incident. Is this one of those "only in New York" moments everyone talks about?

New York Loses Supermarkets to Gentrification

This sort of thing makes me stinkin' mad and pushes me ever closer to socialism (mostly joking). It seems that all of these new condos that few can afford are destroying yet another key aspect of city living, the locally-owned supermarket. Not every neighborhood can attract Whole Foods, but it seems like every neighborhood can attract the bulldozers, leaving the poorer residents without anywhere to shop, as the fancy-schmancy well-to-do order Freshdirect.com online.

This follows news of the slow-but-steady demise of the laundromat as well - at least in Manhattan. All these negative changes seem to send the message, "you are not welcome" unless you make seven figures and have millions to spend on a new condo. I cannot even imagine what fate will befall Sunnyside, Queens, my neighborhood. Condos are appearing here and there, but the neighborhood remains decidedly old world. I have more than four laundries within five minutes of my house, as well as a Key Food, Associated, and Foodtown. Just 15 minutes away is a large Stop & Shop along with a Pathmark. Not the fanciest neighborhood, but at least neighborhood amenities are still available to me.

This brings to mind something that used to be inherently American: competition breeds vitality. Without competition, New York will become a very dull place, with some bodegas hanging on, plus a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's every few blocks. At least the Freshdirect.com trucks will have to pay congestion pricing. This all makes me wonder: in a few decades, what kind of "city" will New York even be?

February's a Miserable Month - New York's a Miserable City

According to analysis by Forbes Magazine, New York is ranked the fourth most miserable city in America, following Detroit, Flint, and Stockton, California. The primary reasons cited for this high ranking: "But the costs can make all but the super-wealthy miserable. Housing costs are through the roof, and income tax rates are 10.5%, more than twice the U.S. average."

It goes to show how much power the wealthy truly hold in this city if this isn't more of a political issue...I rarely concerned myself with taxes until I moved here. Now I also ask myself: what exactly do these higher taxes fund? If I can't afford to live in Manhattan (and didn't even bother trying for that matter), do I really need to be funding the higher quality of life that the borough has grown accustomed to over the years, when it is also one of the wealthiest counties in the country? Are there benefits for Queens, Kings, Bronx, and Richmond Counties (Staten Island)? Are the wealthiest taxed fairly enough to cover the poorest residents of New York?

This article also vividly illustrates in the clearest manner yet to me, that New York may just be a bunch of bells and whistles.

Glad Tidings Tabernacle Church, 1868-2008

In the short time that I have lived in New York City, a few lesser-known historic buildings have really stood out. I love the historic blocks around Clinton and Washington in Brooklyn. Near my job in Chelsea, there's the art-deco architecture of the Verizon Building and I remain charmed by the fantastic architectural remnants of old Times Square, with layers of history that are an ever-shrinking window to its seedier (yet spunky) past.

I reacted with much dismay today to discover another one of my favorites is about to bite the dust. The Glad Tidings Tabernacle Church hung on for 140 years, and soon it will be replaced by a likely-to-be-graceless hotel. It's one of those buildings that oozes history; I wondered what its past uses were...was it a synagogue? What was the neighborhood like when it was first constructed? Who set foot in the church over the generations?

As recently as 2003, the structure was undergoing its first-ever renovation. The New York Times showcased Pastor Carl Keyes' efforts to craft a home for his family out of the church's attic. When an outside bid came in too high, the entire congregation chipped in to build a suburban-sized home out of the church's attic, with bedrooms in the twin turrets: "With a labor force drawn from Assemblies of God congregationalists from all over the country, as well as much donated work and materials from Mr. Parlionis and Mr. Montroy, the rafter home was built for just under $170,000, in about six months. The family moved in last March."

The Keyes' stay on 33rd Street was to be short lived, and the Glad Tidings community’s efforts to save money seem awfully silly now that the church site has been sold for $31 million a mere four years later. To the Keyes family pastors, I wonder: is it worth sacrificing 140 years of history for millions of dollars? Why must you bend to the will of the developers overtaking the city? Admittedly, I don't know the whole story. Maybe the restoration efforts failed due to insurmountable costs? Even though I am not a religious person, I felt a brief moment of calm in the wildness of Midtown each and every time I walked past this building. It wasn't a religious refuge for me, but it was a refuge just the same.

New York is a Gigantic Pyramid Scheme

There has been a lot of talk of recession in recent weeks. Politicians, the press and blogs, my parents--all wonder when the other shoe will drop. I have been viewing this impending recession with much trepidation…not simply because I worry about losing my job, because of course that is plausible in this day and age. Rather, I am scared that this New York house of cards will come a-tumbling down. Rent remains excessively high in my mind, making it next-to-impossible to build up a savings. My college loan interest continues to build because I cannot afford to pay it. Greedy credit card companies continue to mess with my interest rates and the minimum payment due. Every meal seems to subtract ten percent of my savings, although I am not sure why (I don’t eat anything fancy after all). My mother keeps asking why I don’t try out restaurant week, which amuses me to no end; where am I to get the $25 for a “reasonable” meal at a fancy-schmancy Manhattan dining establishment? I feel guilty about spending $23 on half-price jeans at Levi’s.

The bills keep coming, I can’t seem to stop spending, rent falls behind, creditors start calling, and bam! All of a sudden, this house of cards has collapsed. This, my friends, is probably the fear of thousands, if not millions of New Yorkers, because really, this city is way too expensive for nearly everyone that lives here. Whenever I walk down the streets of this metropolis, I wonder if this city isn’t just one gigantic pyramid scheme?

Disputing a New York Times Review: Sugarland Brooklyn

Williamsburg's gay bar Sugarland joined the party last year. Located at 221 North Ninth Street, in the hip Brooklyn neighborhood, it has apparently begun to receive positive press in the Sunday New York Times. A quote taken from the article notes, "HIDDEN among the vacant lots and bleak brick warehouses of industrial Williamsburg, a go-go boy shimmied." Over here, we aren't sure when the author may have visited the bar? Was it in the 1990s before the advent of chic condos? This is industrial Williamsburg no longer.

The inviting roof-top terrace looks onto a series of empty lots, cleared for incoming condo developments. All of the adjacent blocks are filled with expensive and expansive new homes. One wonders how long Sugarland will hold out, with pretentious neighbors facing this gay Eden below. Yes, the bar will literally be surrounded on all sides by new construction. With the face of Williamsburg so quickly changing, why would the bar's owners want to locate here?

This "happening" bar, that gay men are apparently are rushing to get into, has been empty the two times I have visited. Admittedly, the party must get started in the wee hours of the night, but one of the two times I visited was New Year's Eve, at about 11 pm. You would think with just an hour to go until 2008, the place would be packed with revelers. But it wasn't, which likely means it isn't for everyone, just those interested in seeing the sun rise.

There is nary a mention of the true gay hipster haven in this article. Metropolitan Bar, located a few blocks away at Metropolitan and Lorimer, is the true landmark of Gay Williamsburg. It too offers no cover, a laid back vibe, a jukebox, and crowds. Thankfully it will probably be a part of the neighborhood for the long haul.

Expired Food and Your Friendly Local Supermarket

The Angry New Yorker blog recently posted on a litter box they found in a supermarket freezer. This is one of the many dangers of shopping at local, New York City supermarkets. Another: expired food. Every single locally-owned store that I have visited has expired food on their shelves. D'Agostino's 17th Street Market sold me frozen pizza four months past the expiration date. Now I understand why it was on sale! I once came across expired Lunchables as well. I guess that's what I get for trying to go cheapo for lunch. Since the mid-1990s, D'Agostino has shed stores at a rapid clip, from 26 stores in 1996 to 19 or 20 today. The onslaught from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods has been blamed, but my take: high prices and poor quality may be equally at fault.

Meanwhile, my local Foodtown (in Sunnyside) shares the same problem. With expired yogurt, mayonnaise, and fruit-fly fabulous tomatoes, the quality is definitely lacking. The Sunnyside Key Foods also doesn't seem to check the sell-by date. Both "super" markets boast higher prices, low-quality and packed aisles, yet the enormous Stop & Shop on Northern Boulevard is both roomy and empty. The logic of the local consumer escapes me: while Stop & Shop has the best prices around (and I should add, no expired food so far, knock on wood), the loyal consumer is at the other two Sunnyside stores. Does convenience trump quality? The lesson here: check the expiration date on all foods you buy in New York City supermarkets!

My Life on the G: Shuttle to Nassau

If the normal wait times aren't bad enough, it seems like every weekend there is something wrong with the G Train. If it is not running in two sections (one between Queens and Bedford/Nostrand, and the other between Smith/9th and Bedford/Nostrand) there is no service at all, which was the case this past weekend. Well, there was service from Nassau to Continental/71st in Queens. (I know what you're thinking..."Wait, the G Train runs that far into Queens?" It does indeed, but apparently only when they feel like it).

So getting home Saturday night was yet another hassle, since there were no notices posted at the Metropolitan Ave. stop regarding Queens-bound service changes and the need to take a shuttle bus to Nassau Ave. I found this out after paying my fare, walking through the L station, and seeing the roped off G Train entrances. Fortunately there was an MTA employee handing out what appeared to be pre-Metro card paper transfers, to ensure you didn't have to pay again at Nassau - so I'll have to give them that.

After some confusion and two train rides later, I finally made it home.

You gotta love the G Train!

Forgotten NY and Forget the Past? Sunnyside, Queens Compared to Hamilton Park, Staten Island

I love the Forgotten NY website; before I even arrived in New York, I got to know the city and all its forgotten corners through it. I remain a fan; the creator works hard to cover the entire city, and he does it with verve. He also seems to share my perspective, that entire neighborhoods, not just a single historic building preserved in a sea of new (and generally shoddy) construction, is the way to go. It is very important to walk streets as they were 50, 100, even 150 years ago. He touches upon this in his latest posting, on the Hamilton Park neighborhood of Staten Island. Now, I have never actually set foot in Staten Island, only ever so briefly driving through on a failed attempt to reach Coney Island from New Jersey a few years back, so I cannot confirm his assertion that this is a neighborhood under assault from the "Fedders" (cheaply-made, characterless) condos. However, I can appreciate his work capturing this lovely, and widely-unknown, neighborhood, as it sleepily moves through time.

So, I will get to my ultimate point: it is a rare treat, from what I can tell, to be able to walk the streets of any neighborhood, in any borough of New York, without being intruded upon by graceless modernity. Mr. Walsh, creator of the site (and author of a book with the same name), touches upon the constant peril neighborhoods such as this face. Any one of the homes he showcases here could be gone in a heartbeat. He calls for a neighborhood-wide historic preservation designation for Hamilton Park, which I have to agree with. It takes just one intrusion for the magic to be lost. It is already happening in my neighborhood of Sunnyside, over in Queens. Sunnyside is nothing flashy; a neighborhood that carries on an Irish tradition, while welcoming Koreans, Colombians, Romanians, Turks, all with their own prominent neighborhood institutions. When I first arrived, I saw much evidence of large-scale demolition in the commercial district along Queens Boulevard, where gas stations and fast food restaurants mar the streetscape. What was once a continuous business district is now pockmarked. By chipping away at the continuity of the businesses, some of the charm has been removed.

More recently, however, this harmful "progress" has begun to impact the residential structures of Sunnyside. While the business district has gaps, most of the homes and apartment buildings are unchanged from their origins in the 1920s. The recent historic preservation efforts here have focused on (the successful and thrilling landmarking) of Sunnyside Gardens, despite the fact that the rest of the neighborhood was also remarkably well preserved. But, as with the rest of Queens and New York, this neighborhood continuity is under threat. My heart plummets each time I walk down 42nd St and see the horrible Fedders condos being constructed between two 1920s apartment house gems. While some folks from the 1920s could conceivably still be walking the streets of Sunnyside, they are beginning to outlive some of the residential buildings that make this neighborhood a window into 1920s New York. Another New York tragedy that makes me blue. Hamilton Park be warned, change could be a-coming, and it won't be pretty.

The Crowds! The Crowds!

One reason I am relieved to be working in Chelsea instead of say, Midtown, Rockefeller Center, or Times Square, is the relative peace and quiet. It's a real neighborhood, instead of a tourist haven. When I set out from the 1 train each morning, I can actually walk down the street fairly unimpeded. Lunch time is quiet too, no lines of businesspeople lined up, and since dinner is busier, there are actually lunch specials. Not only that, there are supermarkets (or a Manhattan version of supermarkets), locally-owned boutiques, and I can run errands during lunch. While riding to and from home in Queens can be hellish, at least my destination isn't. It's kind of nice to feel like a resident of Manhattan for at least a few hours each day. Otherwise Manhattan is out of reach, and feels like another world from the one I struggle in each weekend.

One of the main reasons why the city feels so separate from my world: the crowds. I wish that I could visit Rockefeller Center each Christmas, to enjoy the landmark holiday destination. In fact, I tried to do just that for Christmas 2006. I thought that it would be a lovely holiday destination, and a perfect way for us to spend a few hours. However, instead of pleasant, it was horrifying. My folks, never in the best shape, and I were faced with crowds so thick you could walk across them. They formed an impenetrable wall, and so the legendary Christmas tree was out of sight. I cannot recall whether or not we saw it, or the ice skating. We didn't want to avoid Rockefeller, but we had no choice. My conclusion: this is just one of many destinations in the city that average residents should avoid, for fear of heart palpitations and stress.

Another location to avoid: SOHO...another spot with fairly good shopping. There is something for everyone, and with Muji and CB2 boasting their only locations in New York, it is a great spot for Christmas gifts. However, nearly every store is configured for narrow, older buildings, the aisles are too small. So too are the sidewalks; the original purpose of the neighborhood was not to support the feet and dollars of shopping-crazed out-of-towners. There are a million other cultural and shopping attractions out there like this. Ever been to MoMA? Lines, crowds, pushing, rudeness do not make a resident content. Manhattan, unless you are a tourist (particularly from Europe and Asia), is simply overrated. You can stop and ponder it on the city streets, but you may get trampled.

Money for Nothing

Gothamist: Mayor in Favor of Con Ed Rate Hike

As if we don't already pay enough for shoddy electricity and blackouts. I sure hope this doesn't happen, but it probably will. NYC utility bills are already more than double those in major U.S. cities like Chicago. We can only hope that service actually does improve.

My Life on the G: Stuck Waiting for an Eternity

This is the introductory post to what will soon be an ongoing series of posts about riding the G Train. We all know that this line is one of, if not THE worst, lines in NYC. However, as someone who rides the G day in and day out...I have a right to complain. The Blue York team hopes that you can sympathize with us and share some of your own G Train horror stories.

The other night after hanging out with some friends, it was too late to catch the B24 bus home, so I was subjected to waiting for the infamous G train in Brooklyn. I had great hope that this would be a speedy trip, as the train quickly arrived. There was great joy in my heart--no waiting for tens of minutes at 3:45 am. However, my joy turned to sorrow, as the train just sat there...all of us crazies out late at night wondered what was happening, but the driver just kept repeating that there were track problems ahead at both stations, with no estimated departure time. We were kept waiting at Metropolitan for at least 20 minutes, and at the next station, Nassau for another ten to 15 minutes. I finally walked over to the driver to ask what was going on...I was extremely frustrated and was looking for an answer. When he opened the window, he was instantly confrontational, and did not seem to know what was going on. I did not know whether to catch a cab, or stay waiting below ground for an unknown (perhaps eternity?) period of time.

Finally, he got on his walkie talkie, and then, very quickly, he told me I better get on the train because we were to start moving. I find it peculiar that as soon as I complained, the train started to move normally again, switching to the Brooklyn-bound side of the tracks. My impression, the driver wouldn't have done anything to get going unless I complained. Note that this was at 3:45 in the morning, and we didn't arrive at the last stop until about 4:30 or so...a trip that should have lasted ten minutes took 45 minutes. We also saw no evidence that there was any work being done on the Queens-bound track when we passed by. All very mysterious: was there legitimately a problem? Or was there a lack of information or a lack of caring by the driver? Poor service all around. Will I rely on the G train late at night again? Not so sure.