***New York*** (1 Viewer)

[BobbyLayne]

My volunteer group is called CityHope.

Street Teams - providing temporary relief & building relationships with friends living in the street - is one aspect. We distribute clothing, food, plus health & personal hygiene supplies.

Her Hope - outreach to strip club dancers & massage parlor sex workers/slaves. 

Rockaways Action Center - work with local community leaders, food bank, also street teams & continued support to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. 

Annual Collection Drives - recently coats & winter items, currently toys for NYCHA kids.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

TBH I don't know; I'm at such a micro level in addressing the problem, my guesses wouldn't be well informed. We sometimes have people from different agencies accompany us to gather anecdotal evidence, but they seem most interested in how to steer more grant dollars to their particular cause (women's shelters or job training or foster care, et al.) The system for dealing with is such a patchwork. 

The fact sheet I linked attributes it to many factors. I just know their are more in every neighborhood.

The street friends I talk with run the spectrum. People who have serious addictions or mental health issues are common. The other night I ran into a young family from upstate who lost their home and moved here to be homeless because their are more services here than in the Catskills. I meet people who are in their 20s who hang out with other homeless people their age. Those two examples are exceptions - many I speak with are chronically homeless and have been for decades.

There are a few programs like The Bowery Mission & Breaking Ground who have long term programs 12-18 months long to get folks training and permanent housing. 

It's a struggle to stay healthy or clean. Once we sell our company next month, I'm thinking about starting a non-profit venture. I'd like to invest in portable showers & a mobile dispensary. Still in the embryonic stage but we're receiving a lot of collaboration in developing the business model.

I'd be interested in discussing this with you. 

 

[El Floppo]

just a random thought- I wonder if the shift from the giuliani era mode of policing ('quality of life' crimes like vagrancy seemed to be responded to by cops) to deblasio has put the homeless less in the cross-hairs of the police? in those first giuliani years, I did wonder where in the world all the prviously on the street people went- and hoped for shelters, even if I guessed at rounded up and dumped out of the city.

good for you for trying to help, bl  . I remember a kid in college (architecture) did a project where he mapped all of the public toilets and waterfountains in the neighborhood- not many. all of these things we take for granted are out of reach to so many of these people. I had an idea in grad school for utilizing scaffolding/street-sheds to accommodate temp housing/cleansing stations...  kind of like bins just big enough for a person to stand up and lay down in that attached to scaffolding poles and also had limited utility hookup as well. 

I know I've heard the gamut of stories you mentioned- but I remember one year in college I got to be friends with one my dorm's security guards. really nice guy, smart, funny- would bring his wife and baby by to hang out for a bit pretty regularly.. got to know them a bit too. lost track of him until one night I was heading home from the bars and asked by a guy spare change (this was the mid/late 80s- so tons of these guys out, including lots of crack-heads and lots of formerly institutionalized patients). I only gave money to the people I knew- so walked by quickly quickly said "sorry". he then says "floppo- can you help out?"... I was hammered and stoned- but I stopped dead in my tracks. it was the security guard. he had gotten fired for something (that I think involved getting high with some coeds), then lost his next job doing construction because he was hurt on the job (broken arm) as a day laborer- no insurance, no benefits, no nothing. he and his lovely family were on the streets within a few months. I had like $7 on me- which I gave him. I was completely stunned. vowed to find him the next night, but he was gone. never saw him again. learned a giant lesson then about how close so many are to that life- a bad break here or there.

 

[Koya]

Just anecdotal and not based on anything scientific, but I'd presume that the recent structural ####s in the economy - nationally and regionally - have a fairly sizeable effect on the homeless population's growth.

We all know the city has gotten a lot more expensive. Manhattan, forget about it. But so too with many once affordable neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and even in many areas of the bronx.

Structurally, the "old middle class" - your blue collar worker who could make a living and raise a family - is no longer what it used to be.  When the housing bubble burst into the great recession the world pulled out of it, led by educated and skilled workers... those left behind are often still behind and may never "be back" - back is not what is used to be, after all. 

Finally, take these above two pressures with the fact that employment and social services are available in and around the City... not so much in some of the outer suburbs that have yet to really come back.  These are areas where people "drove to afford" a mortgage, then when the economy crashed and their payments ballooned they were left not only without equity in a house, but also dozens of miles from employment centers.

My guess is these are but three factors that have contributed to a growing homeless population in the City.  FWIW, it's something I've noticed very anecdotally over the past 2 or so years.  Just more people back on the streets and this year it's a noticeable increase.  Feels a bit like the "ol days" before Rudy and his successful though draconian measures took hold. 

 

[Koya]

I'd be interested in discussing this with you. 

As would I.  Being involved in urbanism, development and neighborhood revitalization, there is something called "tactical urbanism" - basically, what can the citizenry do to improve a place... it's aesthetics, its function, how it serves the local community. 

I had not really considered much in terms of how Homelessness impacts the quality of a place - especially for those who are homeless, but for the full range of society as well.  Better yet, how can place and tactical urbanism be a useful tool in helping folks who are down on their luck (or worse) to have a physical environment that promotes their ability to regain footing and again become positively contributing members of society, for others but mostly for themselves. 

 

[BobbyLayne]

Koya, I think we're FB friends. From what I remember you live on one side of the sound and work on the other. LMK when you're in the city sometime.

Nick, you're welcome to PM me - I live & work in midtown.

Flop - lunch before the end of next month, mmkay?

 

[El Floppo]

Koya, I think we're FB friends. From what I remember you live on one side of the sound and work on the other. LMK when you're in the city sometime.

Nick, you're welcome to PM me - I live & work in midtown.

Flop - lunch before the end of next month, mmkay?

in for lunch. might be able to lure nick down from trump-zero too.

would love to add any architectural kah-nowledge to your porta-shower idea in any way I can- would be nice to be involved in something other than virginal silk worms and shredded hardwood from the last remaining spot in the amazon.  oh- when I lived in Milan, I found it odd that they had a whole system of public showers and bathrooms, well used by the seemingly working class. now- the idea seems less odd.

 

[RC94]

I would be interested in joining you guys for lunch sometime in January, depending on where and when.

 

[Koya]

Koya, I think we're FB friends. From what I remember you live on one side of the sound and work on the other. LMK when you're in the city sometime.

Nick, you're welcome to PM me - I live & work in midtown.

Flop - lunch before the end of next month, mmkay?

Sounds like a plan! Send me a message on FB and we can work something out (or remind me who you are in real life by PM and I'll do the same!) I may be in next week 

 

[Koya]

in for lunch. might be able to lure nick down from trump-zero too.

would love to add any architectural kah-nowledge to your porta-shower idea in any way I can- would be nice to be involved in something other than virginal silk worms and shredded hardwood from the last remaining spot in the amazon.  oh- when I lived in Milan, I found it odd that they had a whole system of public showers and bathrooms, well used by the seemingly working class. now- the idea seems less odd.

FWIW, if we get traction, I have some connections with the Congress for the New Urbanism, NYC chapter and they may have interest in this from that tactical urbanism perspective, along with Urban Land Institute NY - not sure they are as natural a fit, but social equity is becoming more and more an issue so who knows. 

 

[Koya]

I NEED A BABYSITTER IN CHELSEA!

Well, not me. Although if she's cute and my wife won't find out...  also, not for my imaginary kids (sorry FFA Trolls).  But a friend of mine will be up this way next week at an AirBnB in Chelsea and would like to have a babysitter for part of the time so she and her husband can enjoy NYC while their kids are at the apartment. 

If anyone has someone trusted, please PM me.  Thanks. 

 

[El Floppo]

our NYU girls are all back home with their families for the holidays. selfish #####es.

 

[Koya]

our NYU girls are all back home with their families for the holidays. selfish #####es.

If any of them are back home here on Long Island, then I'll go back to the I (personally) need a babysitter idea.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Got to see Chris Martin play Mercury Lounge last night. Not a big fan of Coldplay but heard about it from a friend who shot it. He played the show with a band of musicians he met that day as it was an impromptu concert. They announced it on Twitter & it sold out in an hour ($25.)

My photographer friend was donating a shoot to The Bowery yesterday & they invited him to shoot the concert. He's a young guy & it meant the world to him. I ended up stumbling into a DJ friend / music maven I met in my first year in NYC (99-00.) 

Oh what a thing to do

 

[El Floppo]

Got to see Chris Martin play Mercury Lounge last night. Not a big fan of Coldplay but heard about it from a friend who shot it. He played the show with a band of musicians he met that day as it was an impromptu concert. They announced it on Twitter & it sold out in an hour ($25.)

My photographer friend was donating a shoot to The Bowery yesterday & they invited him to shoot the concert. He's a young guy & it meant the world to him. I ended up stumbling into a DJ friend / music maven I met in my first year in NYC (99-00.) 

Oh what a thing to do

thanks for the text, gb. 

right across the street.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Best Chinese spot in the city?

 

[Koya]

Best Chinese spot in the city?

Food court at the mall in Flushing.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Best Chinese spot in the city?

Wo Hop basement. Mott street. 

 

[fantasycurse42]

Wo Hop basement. Mott street. 

Not a huge WoHop fan - looking to try something else in the area. Not Joes either.

 

[RC94]

The best will be those mom and pop types of places.  If you want something different/more upscale, try Café China on 37th between 5th and Madison.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Thanks, but we're trying to stay downtown/Chinatown/close to the bridges

 

[El Floppo]

Used to work near DimSum GoGo, which was awesome. 

And I'll second the cafe China rec.

 

[PinkydaPimp]

mmm dimsum gogo is good.  Grand sichaun is solid.  Their dan dan noodles and their braised beef is ####### ridiculous. 

Heard Xi'an Famous foods is good.

Just left Momofuku Ssam and had the Bo Ssam.  Basically they bring out a whole pork shoulder, lettuce wraps, like 6 condiments, oysters, rice and you go to town.  Im so full right now!

 

[El Floppo]

mmm dimsum gogo is good.  Grand sichaun is solid.  Their dan dan noodles and their braised beef is ####### ridiculous. 

Heard Xi'an Famous foods is good.

Just left Momofuku Ssam and had the Bo Ssam.  Basically they bring out a whole pork shoulder, lettuce wraps, like 6 condiments, oysters, rice and you go to town.  Im so full right now!

I literally just drooled on myself.

 

[jamny]

Rumors of Hillary challenging DeBlasio this year. :X

 

[Koya]

Rumors of Hillary challenging DeBlasio this year. :X

???

ZERO chance. For so many reasons.

 

[RC94]

Have you guys ever been to Dhaulagiri Kitchen?

 

[El Floppo]

No.

 

[BobbyLayne]

thanks for the text, gb. 

right across the street.

3 weeks late



Couple weeks late late on the CT recommendations but Nom Wah Tea Parlor is my favorite dive. Though FC42 & fam seem more like China Grill kind of folks. Almond (12 E 22nd St - in the old Rocco's space) is great. The original CG in the CBS building (60 W 53rd St) is good fusion if that's your thing.

Lunch in late February? I'm working a lot of 18 hour days between now & the close.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Have you guys ever been to Dhaulagiri Kitchen?

Jackson Heights, yes, it was awesome. Haven't been to the UES spot. Same Nepalese woman owns both, she has an amazing story if you chat her up. 

 

[Koya]

Well, becoming more likely that I will be a (temporary) ex-ny'er  

My Dallas client is looking like a good candidate to become a business partner which will require me to relocate there for a year, possibly two.

The bright side is that this will provide me a break from my natural business ties and network here in Long Island... after a year or two I'd be in a position where being back east would be beneficial as a new office, allowing me to finally move to the City (still a Manhattan guy, sorry once legitimately cool but now played out BK.. yeah, I said it) upon my return.

While I love so many aspects of where I live (less than 45 min to the city by car or train, less so on a Sunday morning, in a house that overlooks the long island sound has a lot of the best of both worlds approach), the people on Long Island I'm generally done with and the business climate is a disaster - all the taxes and high costs of the City (well almost as high cost, sometimes even more if you consider transportation) without the energy nor business upside. 

Time to get #### back up and running with my life now that I am basically 100% healthy, and much as I loathe leaving NY, this might just be my best chance to get back and live in the heart of things. 

 

[El Floppo]

Exciting stuff Koya and BL.

 

[El Floppo]

Especially like seeing the"100℅healthy" post

 

[Redwes25]

More DOE complaints here, so if the school system isn't an issue for you, you can stop here.

Last year my son went to a private 2's program, he was the 2nd oldest and all feedback was great, he really excelled in the program, he was born at the tail end of 2012. This year he is in the same school, but a PreK program, he went from 2nd oldest to youngest in his class. The school assesses all of the children and told us while our son is okay and doesn't require any special services, a year of maturity and a repeat of PreK next year would be great for his outcome. Basically they recommend a redshirt here.

Obviously we know the NYCDOE sucks balls and have no wiggle room here at all. I'm left with limited choices as my wife does not want to move. 

• Send him to K next year and see where the dust settles - I'm not a fan of this option
  
• Send him to private for the next few years - $30k a year is also not a great option
  
• Hire a lawyer and file suit with supporting documents from current school (which participates in the NYC EEC PreK program). Hate to say it, but I'm leaning in this direction. My underlying tone/thought with this is cost/benefit/outcome. I think I can hire a litigator here and my initial costs would be sub $5k. The hope would be simple - the DOE would want to sweep it under the rug and avoid having to deal with 1000's of others who feel the same as I do and concede to us. If they wanted to battle, at that point I'd have to start weighing what the costs to litigate and go to court are and the private school option starts looking like the more viable option.
  

Any opinions on this? My thought on the NYCDOE just wanting to get this handled and away from anyone else who might be thinking the same as me has to be somewhat of a rationale thought?

Sorry, I am just seeing this now and not sure if you have made a decision yet but I went through something very similar as my son was born on Christmas Eve and the City's rules are very strict on this.  We decided to send him to K and he did alright but we really pushed to hold him back and were able to do so.  So we ended up treating K as basically free pre-K.  He is now in first grade after two years of K and doing great.  

Risk of redshirting is he gets pushed ahead and forced to go into 1st grade without going to K.  We have heard of that happening and redshirting successfully is very hard.  

 

[Koya]

Especially like seeing the"100℅healthy" post

SUPERlike.  Thanks amigo! Err... BROmigo

 

[fantasycurse42]

Sorry, I am just seeing this now and not sure if you have made a decision yet but I went through something very similar as my son was born on Christmas Eve and the City's rules are very strict on this.  We decided to send him to K and he did alright but we really pushed to hold him back and were able to do so.  So we ended up treating K as basically free pre-K.  He is now in first grade after two years of K and doing great.  

Risk of redshirting is he gets pushed ahead and forced to go into 1st grade without going to K.  We have heard of that happening and redshirting successfully is very hard.  

Actually had a meeting with our district Superintendent last month - she said just that, if you feel he isn't ready for 1st grade, the option to discuss in further detail is there after K.

 

[Redwes25]

Actually had a meeting with our district Superintendent last month - she said just that, if you feel he isn't ready for 1st grade, the option to discuss in further detail is there after K.

Also, think it makes sense to be upfront with your child's teacher that you are concerned about his age.  We brought it up with her even before his first review/report card and then scheduled a special meeting with his teacher on the topic mid-year and later a meeting with the principal so they knew our thoughts and concerns well before the end of the year when the decision gets made to hold a child back.  It was also very helpful to get the teacher on our side throughout the process and she was very understanding about a young boy and ended up being an advocate for what we wanted as he was a bit on the fence of needing to be held back and technically at level that he could be moved to first grade.  I think the teachers and the principals at the school level understand that the system is too strict at the NYC BOE level so they are pretty understanding of the Parents concern.  That was at least our experience.

Happy to discuss more if you wish.  We are also in Park Slope Brooklyn which has a very good public school and administration that understands what active Parents are.  That said you really need to be your child's advocate from day 1.   

 

[El Floppo]

Actually had a meeting with our district Superintendent last month - she said just that, if you feel he isn't ready for 1st grade, the option to discuss in further detail is there after K.

Also, think it makes sense to be upfront with your child's teacher that you are concerned about his age.  We brought it up with her even before his first review/report card and then scheduled a special meeting with his teacher on the topic mid-year and later a meeting with the principal so they knew our thoughts and concerns well before the end of the year when the decision gets made to hold a child back.  It was also very helpful to get the teacher on our side throughout the process and she was very understanding about a young boy and ended up being an advocate for what we wanted as he was a bit on the fence of needing to be held back and technically at level that he could be moved to first grade.  I think the teachers and the principals at the school level understand that the system is too strict at the NYC BOE level so they are pretty understanding of the Parents concern.  That was at least our experience.

Happy to discuss more if you wish.  We are also in Park Slope Brooklyn which has a very good public school and administration that understands what active Parents are.  That said you really need to be your child's advocate from day 1.   

that's great news- literally the first success story I've heard in that regard.

good luck, FC- hope it works out for you.

(with the continued comment that IME, the youngest kids appear to end up fully adjusting by the end of 1st grade, even end of K.  but obvious and major caveat there- IME looking at other people's kids. no idea if my perception matches their realities)

 

[Redwes25]

Ok so the reason I decided to check in on this thread was to ##### about people not cleaning up after their dogs when it snows.  Ok people just because there is this white stuff on the ground doesn't mean you get to ignore the problem because when it melts it is left behind everywhere.  This is possibly my least favorite thing in the city (followed by ####### bike riders who don't follow traffic laws).

 

[El Floppo]

Ok so the reason I decided to check in on this thread was to ##### about people not cleaning up after their dogs when it snows.  Ok people just because there is this white stuff on the ground doesn't mean you get to ignore the problem because when it melts it is left behind everywhere.  This is possibly my least favorite thing in the city (followed by ####### bike riders who don't follow traffic laws).

holy ####- I thought I was the only person who noticed this.

wtf goes through their minds?... ermagahd... snow means I don't have to clean up this mound of ####... its natural, so everything is just gravy.  

yeah- then it turns to gravy after the snow has melted.

 

[El Floppo]

Ok so the reason I decided to check in on this thread was to ##### about people not cleaning up after their dogs when it snows.  Ok people just because there is this white stuff on the ground doesn't mean you get to ignore the problem because when it melts it is left behind everywhere.  This is possibly my least favorite thing in the city (followed by ####### bike riders who don't follow traffic laws).

mine is ####### pedestrians who don't follow traffic laws

 

[Redwes25]

mine is ####### pedestrians who don't follow traffic laws

lol

 

[fantasycurse42]

I made this very complaint last year, I think it was in this thread... Snow dog poop

 

[El Floppo]

mine is ####### pedestrians who don't follow traffic laws

lol

I'd guess there are as many of each out there. dangerous and annoying both ways.

and I've written this before- I break traffic laws all the time. but if I do, I make sure what I'm doing isn't going to get in the way of anybody else. run a red light? that means going through 3 intersections where I'm yielding or stopping as needed at both crosswalks and the street. I try to make it so that the typical pedestrian shoudn't be aware that I'm even there (never cut in front of people crossing the street- always slow and veer behind them..  and brake/slow prior to getting to the crosswalk so I'm not screeching up on people). I treat riding the same way I do walking- I jaywalk all the time, but only when it's safe and I'm not going to inconvenience or endanger drivers or cyclists.

 

[El Floppo]

I made this very complaint last year, I think it was in this thread... Snow dog poop

if anything, it should be easier to clean up- they can get under it to scoop it up.

 

[Redwes25]

I want to do this to these people - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1OxEau2OS4

Honestly, the best scene in this show.  

 

[RC94]

Jackson Heights, yes, it was awesome. Haven't been to the UES spot. Same Nepalese woman owns both, she has an amazing story if you chat her up. 

The one I was going got go to is in Murray Hill.  Not sure if it's owned by the same people.

 

[Koya]

Getting my fill of NY before I head to dallas. 

Went into the City to hang with @Tremendous Upside's crew... two of whom were at the Rangers game where I was the fourth ticket that became available when a fourth friend bailed last minute... TU asked if I wanted to go and hoped it wasn't too "weird" - weird aside, free ticket to first game back after the strike? Hell yeah.  Was a great afternoon/early evening of drinking.

Hit up Mamoun's falafel on MacDougal on the walk from the subway to Peculiar Pub where we hung out. We were going to hop bars, but just stayed there.  Place really hasn't ####### changed my entire adult life.  Good stuff and good times.

Taking a cue from TU, took an Irish exit around 7 or 8, walked up to Ippudo - slammed as expected (2 hour waits for tables of two, 3+ for larger parties) - and was eating best Ramen evah within 20 min.   

Friday I got me two slices of my fav local place... rivals a good basic slice in the city, at a place where the guy making the pizza still owns the place and still has a strong Italian accent (the original, not the brooklyn nor bronx style). Tomorrow will need to grab a bagel as I make the NY Food Rounds. 

That said, I am REALLY regretting the Shack Shack on the train - as if I needed it after Ippudo.  Hurting now.  Overall though,  

 

[RC94]

Making dinner and I like to open the windows to air my apartment out a bit, even when the weather is bad.  My windows are all frozen shut.

 

[otb_lifer]

'bout 20 minutes ago, as i'm walking to hop the train in Jersey to get back, i saw this rather large black helicopter (yeah   i know) bookin' like a mofo over Midtown, and diving down at a pretty fast clip - loud as ####, to boot -  looked to be descending up around Riverside - anyone else??? Bueller?  

(yeahyeah been seeing 'copters all my life 'round here, but this looked straight outta 'Blackhawk Down')