I’ve been spending some time in downtown Brooklyn recently, and as I was walking down Fulton Street last week, I was suddenly reminded of an experience from way back when I first started scouting. Back in 2007 or so, I was in the same area searching for vacant storefronts for a movie when I happened…
Last week, I was scouting downtown Brooklyn for apartments when I happened to turn onto Duffield Street and come across a great little surprise I’d forgotten about… In fact, the best part is that it’s almost invisible when you first start down Duffield. Then, as you near the halfway point, something quite surreal suddenly comes…
I was walking up Wythe Ave in Williamsburg last week when something caught my eye… Wait for it… Getting closer… Almost there… And here it is: the fanciest mouse hole in New York City, featuring a Federal-style doorway complete with pilasters and a pediment! Alas, a scan of the code in the doorknocker area reveals…
The path to New York City’s weirdest beach is actually quite pleasant. After walking some distance along the quiet trail, the trees gradually disappear, replaced by reeds swaying gently in the breeze. When you finally arrive at the beach, perhaps passing a couple of bikes leaning against an old wooden bench, you might feel as…
A year ago, I heard that plans were in the works to remake Rosemary’s Baby, and my reaction was exactly what you’re thinking now: NO. The film is a masterpiece, and to remake it would be nothing short of cinematic blasphemy. In the days that followed, however, I found myself mulling over the central question:…
A few months ago, I was researching Brooklyn’s Hotel St. George for my article on The Godfather’s shooting locations… …and found myself fascinated by its former indoor pool, now long gone: Once the largest hotel in the United States and occupying an entire city block of interconnected buildings in Brooklyn Heights, the 30-story Hotel St….
In my travels through the city, I’ve driven down the northern end of Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn roughly eight billion times… …and I have never once given a second thought to the nondescript office building at Dekalb, part of the Long Island University campus. And I don’t think I ever would have if I hadn’t…
The other day, I was driving down Flushing Avenue in East Williamsburg when I happened to look over at this strip of abandoned storefronts near Varick… …and something very peculiar caught my eye…
Last Saturday, I had the always enjoyable task of going to Time Warner Brooklyn, where I waited for an hour in line to exchange a broken cable box, only to get one that turned out to be worse than the first. I figured the afternoon was a bust, until I realized I’d parked across the…
I always enjoy scouting apartment buildings around the Prospect Park South area. They don’t look especially interesting from the outside… …but you’d be amazed at how many have an almost regal tone to their lobbies. Sadly, most of them are pretty run down, but the details often persist, and every once in a while, you…