I'm going to ask for a respite from this blog. I've completely lost interest in this complex. The bull that these new owners is telling us (aside from some of the good) is depressing, and I don't want to be depressed. You know what the story is, nobody has to tell you. Dogs, bicycles, scooters, crap on the ground, overflowing garbage/recycle areas, 4+ thousand dollars "rent-stabilized" apartments, messy laundry spaces, bs-ing, loud neighbors for some, it's all here and will remain that way. If it changes, let me know.
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Update Aug. 11, 2016:
I'm itching to go back, particularly as I've learned that Vanderbilt One (Dan Garodnick's favored business high-rise) is a go with more than we anticipated. Good work, Dan! Now where it that special glossy foldout that you sent everyone in your neighborhood about how wonderful Vanderbilt One is going to be? I hope I didn't throw it out, but it's possible....
Till September, but it's hard keeping me in check considering the bull that is still being spread about this complex!
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Another update, too good to pass up, Aug. 12, 2016:
The official TA Facebook: A "Peter Stuyvesant" commenting yesterday to a thread about this property: "Management has been alerted and is investigating."
STR post from February 14th of this year and undoubtedly other ST blogs about the same property:
http://stuytownreport.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-private-rental-of-stuy-town-and.html
Update Aug.17, short and sweet: They are lying to you. Or you are stupid
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Update Aug. 20: I may officially come back sooner than September and open up for commentary. This place is still a mess, despite the efforts of Blackstone to make it less so. Efforts? Well, I see speeding PS officers on mopeds more than before, but speed isn't going to do the trick. And what is it with General Manager Rick Hayduk's email: "With everyone's help, StuyTown-PCV will continue to be New York City's clean and quiet oasis." Clean and quite? Stop the BS and get real, Rick. Please! If you don't, we know you are bullshitting.
Speaking of efforts, who is the parent(s) allowing their son(s) and or daughter(s) to graffiti up the basketball courts? It's bad enough that the Oval Fountain benches (yes, plural) have permanent marks on them, but now there is writing over the basketball ground? How about saying "No!" to the little ones, if you are monitoring them at all.
And what made my eyes shoot out blood the other day? How about the headline in T&V that stated we have less dog crap complaints than before? The praiseworthy article was another low point for T&V. And I thought they were getting better. Maybe they need the letters.
The new Oval cafe? How about getting some new permits? Or are they there already, two months after you have opened? We shall check. (And, no, I don't mean the health code that's at the front of your door.)
Come September, if not sooner.
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Update Aug. 21: Please don't forget: Though it used to be that a "park runs through it," now we are like Central Park, the new "meme" for ST and PCV. We are conveniently located: "Just steps away from Manhattan’s coolest and trendiest neighborhoods, StuyTown is ideally situated for fun and convenience. From the nightlife and culinary treasures of the East Village, to the shopping and entertainment of Union Square, StuyTown is surrounded by fun and excitement."
There's more: "At StuyTown, there’s always something to do right outside your doorstep. Premium Amenities offer something for any age and interest, with an on-site gym, study center, cafĂ©, kids playspace by apple seeds, weekly greenmarket, outdoor playgrounds and sports courts, and much more!"
Think it's noisy? Well... "In a city short on space, an 80-acre private backyard is priceless. StuyTown boasts the biggest green space in NYC outside of Central Park, but without all the tourists. Our abundant outdoor space offers beautiful landscaping and lush plants all year long, plenty of clean space to walk your dog, and room to roam without ever seeing a car or hearing a siren. Where else in Manhattan can you walk outside and see nothing but grass and trees?"
And don't forget our four-legged little friends: "StuyTown is a pet-friendly property! We welcome dogs on all sidewalks and walkways, and the Stuyvesant Dog Run is conveniently located on 15th St. between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Make sure to register your pet upon move-in, and receive a bag of goodies for your furry friend!"
All quotes taken from the official www.stuytown.com!
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Update Aug. 23: I will be officially back in September and will open up the commentary section, though I will have to be more stringent in what is passed. I note that there is concern over our "rules," certain of which may violate city rules. I also see that not much is done regarding the rules already in place, though there is the "spin" that these rules are being followed. Ha! As someone who has seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears the opposite, I can speak the truth without the bs that's part of officialdom. Truth which you know, of course, having lived here for a while at least.
While I myself am a lone wolf at times, and admire other lone wolves, I will say that it is not up to us to make sure the rules are being followed. It is up to people who get a paycheck for doing exactly that. Not any of the things we bitch about should be pointed out and handled by us. But that's another story.
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Update Aug. 24: We will also be reviewing "for residents and their guests." Remember that one? Apparently most people, including Blackstone, have not remembered at all. This was the price to pay for having commercial enterprises within Stuyvesant Town. Amanda Burden of the City Planning Commission only allowed commercial activity on the basis that it was an accessory use by residents and their guests. Now, tell me, does the Farmer's Market or the new cafe have a sign up even indicating this? What about enforcement? Don't laugh. 'Dems the rules. As our Councilman Dan Garodnick will not tell you now. Or his friends at the TA.
A bit later: Oh, I will be back! As a tease, how's this for a Stuy Town apartment that's available on AIRBNB and which the powers that be can easily find out about, with photos:
I especially like the hookah pipe and the lack of carpeting! Kinda gives it that airy look.
Another update! Aug. 26th: When "the suits" visit this place, you know there are going to be changes. How else can they justify their salary? The Oval Fountain is going to get a makeover! Aside from colored LED lighting, you can bet we will see reworked benches to endure six months or less if kids and their graffiti have their way.
Carbon footprint, too. It's been the latest craze since...Tishman Speyer days. Watch "improvements" to make our carbon footprints less. No, we are not going back to the caveman days. But we will see Tishman Speyer return in a symbolic way.
Meanwhile, we have zambonis smelling up the place with their gasoline, we have Con Ed working on 20th St between Stuy Town and Peter Cooper and blocking up car/bus lanes, we have another project on the loop road at 20th St, we have over-sized dogs being walked daily, bicycles and scooters driving fast around the Oval, Stuy Town club cars going the opposite way.... And many more things that need attention. Meanwhile the suits have said that the Oval Fountain needs a makeover because it, like the entire Oval, is a wonderful "resource." Watch about a month's work on the new and improved Oval Fountain, closed to residents and their guests, of course.
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Update Aug. 28th: I'm ready in a few days to open up this blog. I will say that having seen the way this place operates (once again and once again several more times), I am ready to call bull on Rick and Blackstone. Time is certainly up. Yes, PS officers on mopeds and bikes are more, but still much is missed when they are not present most of the time. Management, unless it's stupid, has to know this. What I've seen in the past 1/2 hour at the Oval is more than enough to tell me that things have not changed here much and some things have gotten worse. Speeding bicycles around the Oval are a done deal unless a PS officer is right there. Large dogs, obviously over 50 pounds, are walked around the Oval with impunity. I even saw three dogs walked around the Oval island, right next to the Oval lawn area, without anyone stopping them, the first time I've seen that happen with rapid frequency. (What's it to you?) Forget the new cafe and any kind of complete signage. Also forget the dog urine stains that are all over this place. The stains are here to stay and, as predicted, we will see more of them.
So Rick and Blackstone are bs-masters, whether they know it or not. It just ain't working. Rules be damned if they are not enforced. Carpets anyone?
But, slowly and surely, I will again and again report this stuff. Perhaps with some city intervention, pumped by concerned residents, a few things will get better. The TA is just about useless, as is our councilman. We, the residents (the few of us) have to take matters into our hands. As I said, slowly but surely. And embarrass those who should do something, but will not.
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