The Stuyvesant Town Report

Comment Policy

AN OFFER: PAY ME ONE DOLLAR FOR EVERY INFRACTION THAT I SEE--A UNCOVERED MATTRESS ON THE LOOP, DOG DO-DO NOT PICKED UP, OUTSIDE DOGS BEING WALKED INTO ST OR PCV. ONE DOLLAR FOR ONE PHOTO. I KNOW MANAGEMENT READS THIS BLOG, SO ACCEPT MY OFFER. BLACKSTONE WILL BE SO MUCH BETTER.

As we see, nothing much is being done about the many complaints residents have: the discarded furniture on the loops, including the illegal discarding of uncovered mattress; the outside dogs that are infrequently checked for that blue ST lanyard, and their owners escorted out if they don't have one; the lack of R7-2 clarity from our local politicians who seem to be delaying and delaying; the club cars that go this way and that, and many times against regular traffic rules; the failure of our TA to even address those issues, etc. On top of that, residents near the building of the subway extension on 14 Street have had to endure noise and health issues at all hours of the day and night. This is not the way to live. Because of these facts, and a few more, a new representation has to happen. This is where Stuyvesant Town Tenants Advocacy comes in. There are no dues, and plans are underway to get the group doing something proactive about our complaints. The time for submitting our complaints to Management, Public Safety and Blackstone is over.

All comments to posts have to await approval. Approval does not happen immediately. NOTE: Comments reflect the opinions of the person writing them and should not be assumed to reflect the opinion of the blog.

Management has two priorities: 1) Making sure money is made, hence upgrading and filling up apartments is their goal. "Amenities" are important in selling the place, though few residents use them. 2) If someone needs medical attention, Public Safety will be there, if alerted.

Quality of life issues are not that important, however. Things like the carpet rule or outsider dogs. These "rules" tend to be ignored, on purpose it seems. So you will see a lot that isn't taken care of properly, and complaints will be met with a creative excuse and a smile.

"Peace and quiet" must be a cruel joke, though this property is sold that way. There can be no peace and quiet as ALL apartments must be upgraded, which includes the installation of an AC unit below the window. Aside from the continual construction about the neighborhood, there is a new and noisy subway extension being built along East 14 st and the shut down of the L line. "Choosing" to live in NYC, now the newest mantra, is a fabrication when the talk is of ST and PCV, which was traditionally quiet, with no construction noise.

Though money was always important, it is now more important than ever. Money rules many things, as you will find.

At this point, 30 years into living here and seeing many things, I can state that Management and their reps are BS-ing us. I can't say that loudly enough: We are being BS-ed. I don't see any genuine change, though the "selling" of this place is intense. Few of the "rules" will be enforced, as Management doesn't want to lose customers or potential customers. Where personal integrity is a hallmark of an excellent management style, this integrity is not seen in enforcing some of the rules.

Our Tenants Association is, basically, null and void. Oh, it is still around, but it lacks the will power to confront much of anything. The TA will ask for your dues, however. By now, the TA is a charade.

About those "club cars" we see going this way and that way, and outside of Stuy Town or Peter Cooper Village:

https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/motorized-devices-cannot-be-registered-new-york

Tenants' Rights: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/tenants_rights_and_obligations.html

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Drink Booze and Screw Around - Adults Only at Playground 3

Gumby must be working overtime. Gumby is in Management. (Yes, he is; it's in their job descriptions.) Anyway, just when I thought that Management couldn't be more out of touch, here we have a notation on that costly flyer that came with our current rent bill of "The Village Vampire Ball"! Yes, wine will be served and cocktails (Signature Apple Cider, what's that?) at... Bet you thought it was somewhere in the Lower East Side. No, wrong! Our very own Playground 3! Yes, a playground! Just one step away from Sodom and Gomorrah.

Unbelievable, but believable.

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Updated 10/16:

I'm so excited. Adult drinks, hookers (well, you can dress whatever), bad boys.... Did I say "adult drinks"? In a playground, too!

Now Management is advertising all over the place. In front of Five Stuy Cafe:

Friday, September 28, 2018

Tenants Meet on 2-4, Saturday, September 29th - NEW LOCATION!

This is to notify tenants of Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village that there will be a meeting this Saturday, the 29th of September, from 2pm to 4pm, at a new location: the MSBI Bernstein Pavilion, Podell Auditorium, 10 Nathan D. Perlman Pl. between 15 and 16th Streets. The location is one block west of 1st Avenue. Though it will be hosted by the TA and have as many politicians as possible (bring good cheer and a working BS meter), I will try to be there. Since it is a new location, chances are that a number of tenants will not go there (Perlman Place?), but this may be the only chance to "meet" some of the representatives of you, the residents of this community.

To get you into the mood, I am posting two photos I took just yesterday. Uncovered mattresses. Two different locations. As you see, Management doesn't care.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Electric Fire? Photos from Last Night. (The City is Falling Apart.)

I took my camera the second time, which is when I took these photos. And below I had to take the "industry standard" for our building. This is NOT professional work. No way.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

For a Moment, I Thought...

The mattresses I saw at the loop near me were covered! So, the photos are working and Management is listening!

Silly me, though. Just now, I went to Associated. This is what I saw:

I was not going to post the photos I took the other day, figuring that the new mattresses had finally been covered, so what the hell? But, since I was wrong, these are the photos from the other day:

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Taping It Up

Okay, I'm angry. Reading about what is happening here or on the borders of this property (thank you, subway extension), I continually realize that this is "not the way to live." And, sorry, but I'm not moving.

Yesterday, I saw a woman with a baby almost trip over the make-shift "padding" on the main entrance of my building. I called in what she almost tripped over, and the loosened tape and padding was fixed eventually. But the padding is still there, and it's a shit job. (Sorry, there is no other way to describe it.) It's always a shit job.

This morning, before 10 am, I took photos of what I see. And here they are:

The silver tape covers the loosened other tape that was there yesterday. As you will notice, the "padding" used is cheap with several areas of "hills."

The last photo is the inside of one of the elevators. As you will see, it is dirty (in the morning!), but also there is cheap tape sticking out in the front.

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Updated 8/31: I just received a comment from someone who wants this blog shut down and doesn't like our photos. The person complained about the cheap plastic covering and called it the "industry standard." I've seen a woman with a baby carriage nearly trip over this "industry standard." Here are more photos, taken today, of this "industry standard."

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Perhaps It's An Amenity?

I may have figured it out... Those mattresses, rugs, sofas, desks, etc, on the loops are actually amenities! Yes, residents are free to pick up what they want and put it in their apartment. (Who needs Ikea?) And if you need a rest, why there's a sofa or mattress on the loop!

I may have gotten it all wrong previously. Management is doing us a big favor, and we are bitching! Figures!

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Stuy Mess - What We Are Living With

These first four photos were taken yesterday. The fourth one shows glass in the debris. I heard a crunch sound when a car went over it.

Below is the 20th Street Loop, closer to 1st Ave.

Further long the loop:

Below: Workers are making new rooms in the one of floors above. This is how the elevator looks. Sorry for the fuzzy pic. Dirt all around and the padding smells. But you know that.

In the morning, a sight I frequently see. The refuse picked up is a lot, so that the back has to be opened and the remaining refuse has to "ride" this way, with the back fully opened and "something" trying to hold in the refuse. In another world, a manager would say, "Make two trips." But, no.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Here We Go Again

Photos taken earlier today. By now, seeing something like this should be very familiar. Of course, there are Blackstone workers, porters, club cars, Public Safety officers that pass scenes like this all the time.

I write this on May 3, 2018: Since this year, there have been three suicides in ST/PCV. Aside from silence by almost everyone, there occurred a suicide where sulfuric acid was used and the city had to be called in, including the Fire Dept. As of now, there has been a general state of silence about this suicide, even though other resident lives were at danger. Yes, our councilperson is silent. The TA is silent. Obviously, Management is silent, too.

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"We'll be introducing a new process to identify registered dogs thus enabling Public Safety Officers to clearly approach offending dog owners. The registration will hang from the leash handle; clearly identifying the dog as registered.

"If the dog is not registered by May 1; a summons will be issued at the point of contact. If we learn the dog owner is not a resident, they will be escorted off the property."

Rick Hayduk, CEO and General Manager of PCVST. Letter to Barry Shapiro, February 2016.

STR here: I have been around since the inception of this dog policy and I have NEVER seen anyone escorted out of ST or PCV with their non-lanyard dog. But I have seen, many times, a dog owner from outside, and his/her dog, casually walking through ST or PCV.

BICYCLES, MOPEDS, SCOOTERS, ETC.

What is legal?

Something for everyone to read:

Motorized vehicles:

The direct link:

https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/motorized-devices-cannot-be-registered-new-york

And...

Of course, "private property" but "public access" - whatever that means! And if a part of it is public access, do the rules of the city apply to our roads and sidewalks? Or does anything give because this complex is "private property"? Who comes here in case of a fire in one of our buildings? The Stuy Town Fire Brigade?

Hint: Look both ways if you are in the complex. Look on the ground, too!

61.03 Control of dogs and other animals to prevent nuisance.
(a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway, sidewalk, lawn, garden or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public, or on a fence, wall [or], stairway or entranceway of a building abutting on a public place

Banned & Oversize Dog Breeds in Stuy Town

Message from now EX-Landlord Rob Speyer to Stuy Town & Peter Cooper Tenants 11/06

I am writing on behalf of everyone at Tishman Speyer to express how honored we are to become part of your outstanding community. We are a business with deep roots in New York, a true love of our city and a great respect for the neighborhoods that make it special. We are committed to maintaining the unique character and environment that have made Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town such a wonderful place to live for so long. We look forward to providing you an extraordinary level of service and attentiveness that will be the source of pride and satisfaction for the entire community.

Neighborhood Recommendations

New to Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village? Here are some basic recommendations.

Best supermarket: Associated on 14th St. between 1st Ave. and Ave A. The cheapest prices, fantastic weekly sales, very affordable lunches; solid, responsive management, but earthy. Some of the young female cashiers have attitude to spare, though. May be too far for Peter Cooper residents.

Best gym: Don't waste your money on the Oval Fitness Gym. Instead go to the earthy but real Asser Levy Recreational Center, right above 23rd St on Asser Levy Place (near the FDR Drive). $75 for a year's membership; seniors are almost free. Contains seasonal indoor and outdoor swimming pools, ping-pong table, two pool tables. Called by some rich people who wouldn't get caught going there "the prison gym," and you know why.

A Stuy Town favorite is Lenz's on 20 St. between the 20 St. Loop. The way New York used to be. Be careful of unwanted "pepper" in your food, however. Lenz's got a B grade rating and was temporarily closed down due to an order from the Health Department. Bruno's on First Avenue is more upscale, with a greater selection of food items (higher-priced, too), but was closed down temporarily by the Health Department. Stuy Town's own cafe was closed, too! And not because of all the dogs that hover and piss outside.

Gracefully has two locations, but we prefer for its size the one on 1st Ave. Prices are high and reflect the new tenants that are currently renting Stuy Town and Peter Cooper apartments. ("Do you have a credit card?") We like Gracefully's lunch specials, which are somewhat affordable.

I priced the CVS on 1st Ave near 14st. The non-aerosol hairspray was 20 cents above CVS' own website price, and one of the highest in NY. (Yes, I have hair.) You can save at least a dollar or more buying at another place. So beware. Look around for a better deal on all your items.

I love warm Quaker Oats in the morning. Gristedes is not the place to get it, nor is Associated, though their price is less. Look around!

Macular Degeneration Support Group

If you are currently diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary is offering a support group for you. Conveniently located next to the Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town apartment complex, our group offers the opportunity to share stories with other members, listen to expert guest speakers, and learn coping strategies to reduce stress. Our group runs on the first Wednesday of every month and we would enjoy seeing you there. Please contact Baptiste Nicolas, Social Work Assistant at 212-979-4105 for further information and to see if this group is right for you!