June 2009 Archives

Stuyvesant Town residents are calling out sick from work in record numbers, using the complex's possible West Nile outbreak as an excuse to take time off of work. New York City's recent bout of excessive rain coupled with the property's insistence on running their sprinklers twice daily have left most of Tishman Speyer's problematic Stuy Town drenched in water.

Lawns, playgrounds, and planters are full of standing water which create a perfect storm for breeding mosquitos that carry the potentially deadly virus. Residents brave enough to lay on the muddy Oval lawn to sunbath are coming down with high fevers that frequently result in trips to the emergency room giving some an excuse to call out sick for work. "My roommate had to go to the ER after she got that awful Oval mud on her the other day," says Jasmin Jamesson, a resident of 19 Stuyvesant Oval. "I totally called out sick from work. I told them I lived in Stuy Town and they insisted I stay home. They know all about this place."

Residents have taken to Facebook and Twitter to tell others residents to use the West Nile outbreak as an excuse to get some time off of work. "Before I could even tell HR what was wrong with me they told me to stay away from the office," says Amber Ambermyer, a resident at 449 East 14th Street. "They know all about the rats, the roaches, the spiders, and bed bugs in Stuy Town from the photos I showed them on Facebook. They don't want to take the risk of me bringing any vermin or airborne viruses to work. I went to Coney Island."

When asked for comment on the West Nile virus scare, Tishman Speyer spokesman, Bud Perrone said, "Get some Deep Woods Off! and grow a pair."

Stuyvesant Town residents brave enough to sunbath in what was once the Oval lawn are coming down with a mysterious condition known as 'Oval fever'. The mud-skipping tenants are finding large welts and red discoloration on their arms and legs in addition to raging fevers after exposing themselves on the complex's swamp-like lawns.
   
Beth Bigbone and her friend Rachel Heft both caught Oval fever after sunning themselves in the putrid park yesterday afternoon. "There's not much grass left so we threw a blue tarp down on the mud to get some sun," Beth tells us. "When we got home we noticed these large red patches on our skin and some sort of bug bites. Later I went to the ER when my fever hit 104 degrees. They said it looked like West Nile virus but couldn't be sure without more tests."

Another resident came down with a fever after she spent an afternoon reading a book by the fountain. "My chest was really tight. I thought I might have breathed in too much of the chlorinated water coming from the fountain," the tenant says, asking to remain anonymous. "But my husband noticed a swarm of mosquitoes in a nearby planter that was full of water. He told security what had happened and they said, 'what do you want us to do?'"

The non-stop rain New York City has experienced in the month of June, combined with Stuyvesant Town's disinterest in taking care of the lawn, has left the park looking like a large, muddy puddle. The water logged lawn is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes that are known to carry the West Nile Virus.  Symptoms of the disease include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 150 persons infected with the West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of disease.

Residents insistent on enjoying the brief moments of sun in the park must bring lounge chairs, tarps, and in one case, a large piece of plywood to lie down on due to the bug-ridden mud. "It's really gross over there," says Miss Bigbone speaking of the Oval. "It reminds me of that muddy Woodstock concert. Not the old one, the one in the '90s where everyone got raped."

A Stuyvesant Town resident makes the most of her bleak surroundings by relaxing in a puddle.

"Stuy Town Bans Photography

Stuyvesant town, an apartment complex in Lower Manhattan, NY, appears to be enforcing a new and unwritten policy banning photography of its property by the very same residents who pay rent to live there. Residents are no longer allowed to take pictures of their friends or relatives who come to visit them unless they go outside to another part of town."

Stuyvesant Town Bans Photography [NYC Photo Rights]

Update: Stuyvesant Town spoke further to NYC Photo Rights on this subject:

"According to a spokesperson from Stuyvesant town:
Personal photography is permitted at Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. After receiving a number of inquiries, we circled back with our staff to make sure everyone is clear on this."

Now that Stuyvesant Town has taken the time to educate the general public on this matter hopefully they will spread the word to their own misinformed security staff who are telling people there's no photography in Stuy Town because it ends up on the "Internet" and if they don't comply they will be thrown off the property and their cameras will be confiscated. Just saying.

Via Town & Village

Yesterday Lux Living told you about several Stuyvesant Town residents who were recently harassed by security for taking photos in Tishman Speyer's mangy mismanaged complex. Judging by the photos submitted by Sty Spies, Stuyvesant Town has bigger problems than people taking photos of their friends at the Oval!
 



Updated 11:59PM

There are many things that puzzle Stuyvesant Town residents these days. Why do voicemail boxes outnumber employees at the management office? Why are my elderly neighbors continually being mugged if Stuy Town has security? How are six washing machines expected to service a building with over 100 apartments? Today Stuy Town residents have another question:  Why can't I take photos in Stuyvesant Town anymore?

Stuyvesant Town residents are contacting Lux living about a new "rule" that prevents residents from taking photos on the college dorm. Last week a resident was sitting by the fountain in the Oval which he was about to take a photo of when security showed up and told the resident he needed a permit from the management office to take photos on the property.

Today Lux Living got an email from another resident who was taking pictures of a friend in town for a visit when security butted in, the tenant writes:

"I was out recently on the property with my DSLR in hand, and accompanied by a friend of mine from out of town who was visiting me, when I was accosted by a Peace Officer (whom I'll refer to as "Sergeant Schulz" because I'm still annoyed at him) who first demanded that show proof that I was a resident of Stuy Town.  When I was able to do so, he then demanded to know if my friend - whose picture I was taking - had given me permission to take his photograph.  When my friend said yes (obviously enough), Sergeant Schulz then launched into a sermon about how people were "very touchy" about pictures being taken of them, stated that there was a rule that prohibited picture-taking, and then told me that I could only take pictures of my friend, but not of anyone else or of the property.
 
When I started to object, Sergeant Schulz told me that I could either follow his rules (yes, it went from management's rules to "my rules") or I could leave the property, with the rather clear inference that if I did neither, he would confiscate my camera.

Putting aside the ethical and legal issues (including the fact that, as commissioned Peace Officers, Sergeant Schulz and his cronies are state actors and, as such, are subject to the strictures of the Constitution, including that they cannot prohibit me from exercising my First Amendment rights without very good cause), the practical effect is this:  If you carry a camera into the Stuy Town (and presumably also PCV), and it is visible, be prepared to be grilled over your use of the camera, your right to be on the property, and be forewarned that the little Nazi confronting you may attempt to seize your camera."

What have we learned? Stuyvesant Town's security is useless at catching criminals who mug residents on the property, even with the aid of an expensive, intrusive security system, but watch out of you want to take photos of your friends in Stuy Town! They have "rules" that prevent that sort of thing.

Via City Limits

Even as developments in the housing landscape look uncertain on the state legislative, local rent-setting, and city budgetary fronts, one ember glows among the shadows for middle-income tenants.

Come September, the state's highest court will consider Roberts v. Tishman Speyer, a suit challenging rent deregulation at Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. If the Court of Appeals upholds the decision of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division, mega-developer Tishman Speyer will be deemed to have illegally deregulated apartments, promising financial compensation not only for the residents of Stuy Town, but for tenants throughout the city.

"The decision is hugely significant," says Patrick Coleman, director of organizing and advocacy for tenants' rights group Tenants & Neighbors. "There's an opportunity for tenants to be repaid some of the funds they've improperly shelled out."

Nobody, however, is quite sure of the full ramifications of the decision - should it be affirmed. "There's going to be a hell of a mess sorting this out," says Harold Shultz, senior fellow at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, a nonprofit research center. "And that mess is going to be big."

Stealing a stranger's clothes from the laundry is a creepy act unto itself, but stealing a toddler's clothes seems a bit...psychotic? A tenant at Stuy Town's 447 East 14th Street was doing her child's laundry yesterday, that is, until a "disgusting creep" swooped in and snuck off with the miniature fashions.

Needless to stay Mom's clams were steamed so she penned this note for her deviant nemesis soon to be seen on America's Most Wanted.

:

"[Tishman Speyer is] like a spouse that abuses their girlfriend and thinks expensive gifts make it all better."

- 447 hell, in response to "What does Desperation Smell Like? New Car Smell!"

Submitted by Edna Doodle

Move over New York Living Solutions' Nick Hetherington, there's a new unstable leasing agent in town. Richard Wernick, Executive Leasing Director at The LeFrak Organization, has a lot to say about frustrated Stuy Town residents who question Tishman Speyer's latest attempt to recruit new tenants.

Yesterday, Lux Living posted a new Stuy Town advertisement which offers a free one-year MINI Cooper lease to the resident who refers the most new tenants to the middle class housing complex turned college dorm.  When residents questioned the fine print, the rogue leasing agent went off on an angry tirade:

 "You people are all pathetic. Met Life and/or Tishman Speyer are not your benefactors. Most of you just whine and whine that your undeserved charity is being taken from you. You complain that this country is like Iran but then contradict yourselves by saying Companies should not be allowed to make money off of their investments and should provide people with cheap housing. Seriously, you are all pathetic whiners who are living off of my tax dollars.

...you have parks and playgrounds. How many of you are illegally living in your dead grandmothers apartments??? And students live near you? Oh poor you.

And now they are giving away a car. While most people would think that was a cool thing, no, you now need to complain about the fact that you need to pay taxes on it???? Good. Your tax dollars can go to help pay your neighbors government-subsidized rent. And you even have to pay tax on the free parking as a gift, man that sucks. You already don't pay utilities. Should Tishman Speyer pay for your damn groceries and health insurance too? Or maybe you should have government regulated caps on your drinks and dinner when you go out at night so that we have a dining control board."

He went on to call one Stuy Town resident a "...money grubbing, charity leaching loser" and suggested he "...grow up and stop complaining. Get a better paying job or move out of the city. Are you on food stamps as well???"

A Stuy Town resident fuming over the incoherent tirade fired off an email to LeFrak saying, "If Richard doesn't like what he reads that's fine, but to start making blanket statements like this about Stuyvesant Town residents is disgraceful. I have lived in Stuyvesant Town for 25 years and have seen the rapid decline since Tishman Speyer purchased the property. I don't know if Richard lives in Stuyvesant Town or not but please feel free to let him know we aren't all living in our dead grandmother's apartments."

This latest publicity nightmare for Stuy Town comes just one week after an employee at New York Living Solutions said he was "hunting" humans.

Submitted by Edna Doodle

Stuyvesant Town has been called a lot of things. Slum. College dorm. Insect zoo. But muse?

Last month we told you about the new breed of Stuy Town spokes skanks who pranced and paraded throughout the complex in various stages of cross-undress as they shared their career aspirations and vacuumed up chips. Quite classy!

Today our friends at EV Grieve tipped us off to a new photo spread for Bergdorf Goodman Magazine which has models wearing fur (rat, squirrel??) while they pout and skulk their way around Stuyvesant Town.

We can't wait to see how Tishman Speyer embarrasses the complex next! The 4th of July is right around the corner!

Stuy Town residents at 18 and 20 Stuyvesant Oval have been dealing with a rat problem of bubonic plague proportions. Tenants have reported seeing rats around their building in broad daylight, in the elevators, and in one case, a rat sprung out of a recycle bin landing on a 10 year-old child. Two dead rats were even found in the wall after a horrible odor led maintenance on a grotesque treasure hunt. Tenants are growing frustrated.

For months residents have called management about the rats that have the run of their building. "It's awful," says Irene Rizzo, a resident of 18 Stuyvesant Oval. "I won't take my recycling downstairs anymore because as soon as I open the door, the floor in the dark room starts moving and I hear them squeaking. One night I was so afraid I threw my recycling at the door and ran! I've called management but I just got voicemails."

In May, tenants reported a repulsive smell coming from the recycling area in 20 Stuyvesant Oval. Management quickly responded with a can of Febreeze and called it a day. When the stench persisted, tiles were removed from the wall revealing two decomposing rats.  "It's absolutely disgusting," says a tenant in the building. "I have called management but it's impossible to reach anyone of importance because those nasty children they have answering the phones, Holly and Andrew, just connect you to random voicemails, when they are not hanging up on you. I hate them."

The rat sightings are not limited to the recycling areas. One night a resident had a large rat fall from the ceiling in her elevator and had to ride with her diseased traveling companion, playing ring-around-the-rosie for 8 floors. "I have never experienced anything so traumatic in my entire life," she tells us, asking to remain anonymous.  "There's so much food and garbage lying around from the people constantly moving in and out it's like heaven to them, hell to me."

Adults are not the only ones terrified of the scurrying scavengers. "I'm teaching my daughter the importance of recycling and taking care of our planet," says Janette James of 18 Stuyvesant Oval. "Each night we sort our recycling and bring it downstairs but last week as she was tossing her Highlights Magazines into the bin, a rat sprung out, ran down her overalls, and took off behind a storage unit. She's had waking nightmares ever since."

When asked for comment about the rat population and the growing concern tenants have for their health, Tishman Speyer spokesperson, Bud Perrone, said, "Rats leaping on little girls? She was asking for it."

The transient community Tishman Speyer has created at Stuyvesant Town is making quite a mess! Seemingly no longer interested in long-term tenants, Stuyvesant Town's high turnover rate has left the already disheveled looking complex looking like a poverty stricken pig pen.

Tishman Speyer's response to the garish garbage? Blame and punish the tenants, naturally. Rather than take care of their property Tish-Spey is now placing the burden of trash removal on the residents. Stuy Town's inept management team is hard at work covering the buildings with with classy looking orange stickers which read "No furniture dumping violators will be prosecuted." (At least there's no typos!)

But what to do with your old furniture? Leave it outside your building? Stash it near a NTT Services storage unit? It's anyone's guess since management has yet to instruct tenants as to what the procedure is to dispose of old furniture. Business as usual.

"Like, the Stuy Town website is, like, wicked useful and stuff. Not only does it tell me where, like, the Chase bank, Citi bank, Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, and Tampon Hut are, but like, they have photos of that super funky park, what's it called?" Tompkins Square Park.

Tishman-Speyer's disgruntled tenants are now taking to the subways to warn people about the company's virgin residential real estate venture gone horribly wrong. This advertisement featuring suspiciously spacious photos of a Stuy Town apartment has been updated to include Stuy Town's suggested tagline, "loathe your space."

Stuy Town residents forced to go green thanks to Mac-Gray's energy "efficient" "washers" are thrilled to learn the saved water is going to good use. A Sty Spy who regularly white water rafts in and out of his building sent us these photos of Tishman Speyer ill-conceived irrigation system which frequently washes away the construction sand the slumlord uses to landscape.

Only $2,700 a month to live in a building that's poorly landscaped, minimally maintained, and right next to the Con Ed power plant? Dumpster included? Just like Rockefeller Center! Sign us up!

Windowless rooms, filthy living conditions, wrecking balls! Tishman Speyer's plan for Stuyvesant Town / Peter Cooper Village seems heavily inspired by this 1947 documentary on the Gas House District.

Manhattan's Gas House District - 1947 [Prelinger Archives, via Flickr]

"Police released a video Thursday of a mugger who's been preying on the elderly in Manhattan, roughing them up in their apartment buildings and then running off with their wallets.

The crime spree began on May 25, when the thug robbed a 77-old man inside a Stuyvesant Town apartment lobby on E. 14 St.

The senior was treated at St. Vincent's Hospital for a cut on his right forearm after the 9:30 a.m. struggle, cops said.

Four days later, a 91-year-old man was attacked by the 200-pound punk inside an elevator in the Greenwich House on W. 12 St. in Greenwich Village.

Police said the victim refused to go to the hospital, although his head was cut and bruised during the 1:40 p.m. robbery.

The most recent mugging was on Sunday, around 3 p.m., inside a building in the Peter Cooper Village apartment complex on E. 23 St.

Police said a 62-year-old man was bruised during the attack but declined to go to the hospital.

Anyone with information about the crimes can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting 274637, and then punching TIP577."

Police release video of suspect in mugging spree victimizing elderly in Manhattan [NY Daily News]

Via WCBSTV.com

"Less than two weeks ago, CBS 2 HD interviewed a 91-year-old man who had been mugged in the afternoon in his West Village building. Well, now the police say that man is one of three elderly citizens who have all been mugged by the same person.

And he will probably do it again. The only problem is he's been caught on video.

The victims all say the same thing: It was daytime. He followed them down the street and into their building.

"This fellow sorta just slipped in. as I went out, I got grabbed from behind and he, somehow, was able to hold my arms down and then go through my pockets," Eugene Schaffer told CBS 2 HD on June 1.

Schaffer told us how the man -- short, less than 5-foot-8; maybe 200 pounds; bald head -- grabbed over $400 from him. But on Friday CBS 2 HD talked by phone with another man who was mugged this past Sunday afternoon as he went into a lobby, near East 23rd Street by Peter Cooper Village.

"He came in right behind me, and I actually held the door open for him," the man said.

"I was walking, and apparently, the Peter Cooper security tape does show that he was trailing me for about a block or so."

That man was actually the third victim. The first, on May 25, was at the opposite end of the complex -- in Stuyvesant Town near 14th Street.

And in each case, they are men of a certain age: 62, 77 and 91 years old.

"I think you have to be very careful," said Clara Fay of Peter Cooper Village, adding she thinks senior citizens are being targeted because they are senior citizens. "I think so. I think so. And that is why my friends don't go out at all."

"I saw him take the money and said, well, leave me the wallet," Schaffer said.

And the robber did, leaving the credit cards. He does not show a knife or a gun, but after stalking a target he pounces quickly.

No one so far has been seriously hurt. Each time this man strikes, it happens during the day, when he's probably hoping people have their guard down."

Serial Mugger Targeting Elderly In Manhattan [WCBSTV.com]

Via Gothamist

"According to police, a man has been mugging elderly people in broad daylight. WABC 7 reports that all muggings took place in Manhattan: "In each incident the suspect grabs the victims and forcefully removes their wallets. The suspect then flees the location on foot. Minor injuries have been sustained in each of the incidents."

The first was on May 25, when a 77-year-old man was attacked in the lobby of 447 East 14th. Four days later, a 91-year-old man was mugged at 1:40 p.m. in the elevator at 247 West 12th Street. And this past Sunday, a 62-year-old was robbed in the lobby of 440 East 23rd Street at 3:10 p.m.

WABC 7 says, "The suspect is described as a man in his 40s, bald, 5'5"-5'8" tall, and 200 pounds." Police are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers 800-577-TIPS, to visit the CrimeStoppers website or to text info to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577"

Police Search For Mugger Of Elderly In Manhattan [Gothamist]

Via Town & Village

"Authorities are investigating an attack on a Peter Cooper Village resident on Sunday, June 7 at around 5 p.m. Police reported the 61-year-old victim was accosted and mugged in a vestibule at 440 East 23rd Street. Further details were not immediately available due to an ongoing probe."

Via Town & Village

Dads, enjoy the "warps" at the "Essentals" this weekend!

Tonight Stuyvesant Town launches their 3rd Annual summer concert series, Music on the Oval. The weekly series will run from June 10th through July 15th and feature a variety of acts including Jay Reatard, Kaki King, and The Budos Band who kicks off tonight's first show. The heavily promoted event is expected to draw a weekly crowd of 15,000 - 25,000 people to Stuyvesant Town, a staggering number that has local police concerned for residents' safety.

In years past the Music on the Oval series has drawn a sparse crowd at best. Lackluster acts like Don Wallace's Swingin' Doo Wop, Lilly Merchant's Pan Flute Serenades, and Pastor Patrick's All-Puppet Choir have confused more than entertained residents. "Those damn puppets frightened my kids," says a Janice James of 16 Stuyvesant Oval. "Puppets should not be teaching children about puberty at a public music show! My son locked himself in his room for a week."

This year Stuyvesant Town management along with their hard-thinking summer intern Jennifer Anderson, decided to find younger, more relevant acts for their summer series. "If like, they could put Sonic Youth in that hipster pool, we can stick Kaki King in the Oval fountain," Jennifer says, referring to the McCarren Pool in Williamsburg. Like any good intern, Jennifer locked herself in her office and spent all of her time promoting the series on the Internet.

"I got online and did some of that viral marketing stuff like made a Friendster page and started a blog since I hear they are popular around here," she says smirking. In all totaled the Red Bull chugging recluse managed to get the summer concert series mentioned in four local newspapers, three local magazines, thirty-nine websites, ninety-seven blogs, and nearly two thousand Twitter mentions.

The publicity blitz has residents and the local authorities concerned about Stuy Town's Oval park and if it can accommodate the influx of thousands of New Yorkers. "I have a hard enough time getting around the Oval as it is with those wild gangs of scooting children and now this," said an elderly resident who voiced her concerns at a recent community meeting quickly organized to address the problem.

"This is a rough neighborhood. It's a bad idea to mix thousands of rowdy people into an already volatile situation," says Sergeant Joey Frank of the NYPD's 13th Precinct. He told those attending the meeting that "backpacks or bags of any kind will not be allowed. Alcohol, drugs, liquids, knives, and fire arms are also not allowed into the concert. We'll have security check points at each entrance and officers in riot gear prepared for the worst."

When asked if he felt the 13th Precinct officers are ready for the 25,000 people attending tonight's concert, Sergeant Shamus Hannah said, "For f*ck's sake! We have tear gas, mace, tazers, rubber bullets, horses, and tire spikes. I'd say we're a wee bit prepared!"

From:  <no-reply@stuytown.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 9, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Subject: Stuyvesant Town Property Alert
To: xxxxx

Property Alert

June 09 , 2009: Managment Office Power & Phone Down

Please be advised that due to a temporary partial power outage, the PCV/ST Management Office cannot be reached by phone.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank You,
Stuyvesant Town Management

Good news Sty Spies, "The Rental Hell Video Contest" has been extended to this Friday. Get out those video cameras and do Stuy Town proud!:

A Lux Living reader just tipped us off to a contest Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village residents can sink their bitter, grinding, sleep deprived teeth into! New York Working Families is sponsoring "The Rental Hell Video Contest" and want your submissions.

"We're holding our first ever video contest, where you have a chance to win a month's free rent just by telling your rental hell story on camera. You'll also be raising awareness about an important issue that affects millions of New Yorkers: the need for stronger rent laws.

Everyone who has ever rented has a story: rent increases, broken heating and cold showers, new owners trying to break your lease, that one bedroom next door rented to four budget conscious students, or waking up to discover that you building is turning into an illegal hotel.

We know it was awful, and we're sorry.  But guess what? There could be a silver-lining! The Working Families Party is teaming up with millions of renters across New York City for the first ever video contest highlighting Rental Hell."

Chop! Chop! The deadline is now Friday, June 12th, 2009!

The Rental Hell Video Contest [New York Working Families]

Stuyvesant Town residents love Monday mornings! While the rest of the city wakes up bleary eyed and unwillingly begin another work week, Stuyvesant Town residents rejoice for this is the day they can see their front doors again!

Tishman Speyer's staff cutbacks have left most buildings without resident services on weekends which mean garbage, recycling, and furniture pile up in hallways and lobbies. Thanks to all the Lux Living readers who kindly shared their buildings' Kodak moments. 

"On June 4th, I noticed that TS had placed a lovely dumpster right in front of my building on the corner of Ave C and 16th st. [Here] is a picture of the dumpster, filled with unsuccessfully planted trees, giant branches cut off of other trees, garbage, and other random stuff.  I think it is extremely irresponsible for TS to leave this dumpster here - three days later and it's still here.

Personally, I don't mind the dumpster (I enjoy the graffiti and the disgustingness of the dumpster), but this is not "luxury living" by any standard."

Stuyvesant Town residents are elated to learn of a new service landlord Tishman Speyer is offering to the exclusive community of 18-24 year-olds. Oval Private Events, a re-branding of Oval Essentials, which is a re-branding of the Oval Amenities, is open for business and eager to host your next special event!

Stuy Town tenants received the exclusive offer in the form of a silver postcard slid luxuriously under their apartment doors. The chic advertisement, which makes heavy use of the most alluring stock photography the Internet has to offer, hopes to reintroduce Stuy Town's exclusive Private Event Spaces / Essentials / Amenities to residents with an offer that sounds too good to be true!

Oval Lounge is "open" and "inviting" and your guests will "feel right at home."
Oval Kids is the ideal place for children to "have fun" and "enjoy being with family and friends."
Oval Study is perfect for a "tasteful and thoughtful gathering."
Oval Film will allow you to get "everyone together to watch a sporting event."

Residents are already fighting over the exclusive spaces! "My six year-old daughter likes to play dress-up with a few of her friends on the weekend," says Allison Duprave. "They usually play in her bedroom but then I saw the exclusive offer for the Private Event Spaces / Essentials / Amenities and I called right away. Why should they play quietly in my apartment when for $2,500 I can rent Oval Kids for three hours? Just because the economy is bad doesn't mean we have to like paupers!"

The sentiment is shared by Bill and Veronica Mayfield who reside in the apartment directly above Oval Lounge. "We didn't like the idea of having a lounge directly underneath our bedroom window," says Veronica. "As a cancer survivor, I wasn't too keen on having my apartment filled with secondhand smoke night after night after night. But the space is so exclusive there is never anyone in there," she tells us. "It's great," says Bill. "I called the office for the Private Event Spaces / Essentials / Amenities and booked it for my Tuesday night poker game. It's worth the $3,000 to not have this one throw the boys out at 11," he laughs, pointing at Veronica.

Even Stuyvesant Town's new crowd of elite 20-somethings are looking forward to renting the exclusive Private Event Spaces / Essentials / Amenities. "Like, I was in Starbucks and I ordered, like, a Venti, double shot, half-caf, frozen macchiato split with extra foam on the side, and like, the cashier was like, do you want your receipt, and I was like 'uugh, NO!,'" says Ashley Murphy who recently made the move to Stuy Town from Mineola.

For more information on the exclusive Private Event Spaces / Essentials / Amenities contact a sales representative at the Oval Amenities Sales Center at (212) 614-5801.

Jerry and Rob Speyer of Tishman Speyer infamy recently made the New York Observer's The Power 100 list. The power couple responsible for transforming the Stuyvesant Town housing complex into Stuyvesant University came in at number 5, (Jerry at number 1, and Rob at number ...69) on the list that boasts "the most powerful people in New York real-estate." More surprising was the revelation that the word "powerful" is now synonymous with "directionless."

The Power 100: The Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate [NY Observer]

"Electronic key card system in my building started failing yesterday. This morning it was totally out. When I went out earlier they had a security guy outside my building with the door propped open, he told me it would be fixed shortly. Just came home (3 hours later) ,security guy gone, system still broken , there is a sign telling people to call security to be let in.

Guess they don't want to pay weekend rates for a repairman."

"What is the point of hunting or revealing the identity of anyone? Will that some how negate TS's inept management? Will it eliminate rats, insects or pubescent suburbanites from vomiting in the stairwells? Yes Nick, this has ALL been a reality here. If you want to focus on only the benefits that you experience than do so. But that seems to be the kind of one-sided bias you profess to be against. And good luck filling your site with sunny little stories. They are becoming fewer and farther between.

Is Lux Living snarky and dark humored? YES. It also has demonstrated an ability to enact actual change and bring management out of the dark. Lux is not receiving the Lion's Share of the press because they go to so many cocktail parties and wear revealing couture. It is because they bring up and address genuine issues that are often symptomatic of a much greater socio-economic / political conundrum that is seizing our city at an alarming rate.

So Nicky, while you ardently stalk the Oval ready to pounce on every guy who walks across it hoping to find your urban Yeti, perhaps you might take some time from your busy secret mission to actually ponder why Lux has gotten the kind of attention both in the media and private sector that it has. Although with your astute attention to detail and laser-like vision on worthwhile goals I have no doubt that you will be a shining example of a Private Dick."

- Park Avenue Grinch, in response to "Tishman Speyer Enrolls Bloggers, Attempts Damage Control For PR Nightmare Stuy Town"

Dear Ovil Consearg Member,

Thjis month which is June your consearjes have thought about the month of June and what those four simple letters convey and what people like yourself may or may not be perhaps wanting to do. Stuyvesont Town and Peter Copper Village are both near an unstable power plant and a large flowing river and one of those things is a very key ingredient to making the most of enjoying the summer of season which not has not even started yet! Water!

While it is true there is a fountain in the heart of Stuyvesant Town did you know there are hearts on the east river walkway? Manny saw a homeless man eating a pigeon on a bench and it's heart was just laying there on the ground in all of its red beating glory. So we thought that you thought that we should be thinking up some more water related activities for you to partake in. After all there are water pipes broken in the building, waterboarding taking place at the management office, and water sports taking place mostly at night in those most popular of stairwells!

So get your water-fix on and enjoy this most eclectic cornucopia of a potpourri of water related activities for youto partake in. After all we your earger conceiregs put the J in june ;) Don't forget to tell them Manny sent you!

Manny
Ovail Conceirje
American leasure
Italian ice

Or so this ridiculously written email coming from the overpriced Oval Concierge should read.

A Lux Living reader just tipped us off to a contest Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village residents can sink their bitter, grinding, sleep deprived teeth into! New York Working Families is sponsoring "The Rental Hell Video Contest" and want your submissions.

"We're holding our first ever video contest, where you have a chance to win a month's free rent just by telling your rental hell story on camera. You'll also be raising awareness about an important issue that affects millions of New Yorkers: the need for stronger rent laws.

Everyone who has ever rented has a story: rent increases, broken heating and cold showers, new owners trying to break your lease, that one bedroom next door rented to four budget conscious students, or waking up to discover that you building is turning into an illegal hotel.

We know it was awful, and we're sorry.  But guess what? There could be a silver-lining! The Working Families Party is teaming up with millions of renters across New York City for the first ever video contest highlighting Rental Hell."

Chop! Chop! The deadline is tomorrow!

The Rental Hell Video Contest [New York Working Families]

When Nick Hetherington isn't spending his fruitful days as Managing Director of New York Living Solutions, he's on the Internet hunting humans! The actor turned...eh, Managing Director... has taken the opportunity to use his company's website to publicly announce he is stalking me.

Yesterday, Hetherington tucked his penis between his legs, slowly danced over to his computer, and took control of the New York Living Solution's dormant blog to use as a platform to inform readers he is hunting me. He writes:

"I am a managing director with NY Living Solutions who also happens to be a resident at Stuyvesant Town and I would like to offer some weekly reporting that will aim to show both sides of the story and ongoing daily disputes at PCVST.

While it is true there is a pending lawsuit that has uncovered scurrilous activity with the unlawful deregulation of thousands of rental units there are many other stories which are hysterical at best, vitriolic at worst...

The stories are written in particular by one blogger who is hogging the blogwaves, who has the lion's share of attention, and this person is a resident (or was once a resident for 10 years until last April) who thus far has remained elusive. A NY Times article that was published last July 2008 gives some background.

As a resident myself I have had the opposite experiences of said mystery blogger who finds the time each and every day to dish the dirt on all manner of topics that may occur in the community of (PCVST).

I will give my perspective on what it's like to live in the PCVST community. After all it is only fair for there to be an alternative voice to the one blog that exists merely to routinely inflict countless blows to Tishman/Speyer. I will also begin the hunt to uncover the identity of this elusive resident blogger that is until they find the courage to reveal themselves.

According to the NY Times article from July 2008, the blogger makes daily routine trips to PCVST...

Well, so we know it's a guy and he makes routine visits. Let the hunt begin."

Publicity this bad is usually reserved for Tishman Speyer and their prestigious Oval parties. If I had a choice between being smashed in the face with a bottle of Amstel Light and being tossed into a well by a pasty Hetherington whispering "I'd f*ck me" while he shoots an intimate video for his New York Living Solutions blog , I'd choose death by cheap beer.

Who is the mystery Stuyvesant Town blogger/resident? [New York Living Solutions]

Not all of the damage control bloggers in the world can change the way New Yorkers feel about Tishman Speyer's version of Stuyvesant Town! Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, a blog we are quite fond of, posted a photo of vandalized subway ad for the middle-class housing complex turned tabloid sensation. Even morning commuters are loathing the space!

Anti-Stuy Town Graffiti [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]

Tabloid-friendly Tishman Speyer is speaking out about a leaked internal memo that discussed the possibility of leveling Peter Cooper Village to develop the land for residential / commercial use. Earlier this week Lux Living received a leaked memo from an anonymous source that showed Tishman Speyer and a Hong Kong based company, The Maxdo Group, discussing their options to displace thousands of Peter Cooper Village tenants. A nameless Tishman Speyer spokesperson, Bud Perrone,  called the document "bogus" in an article published in today's Town & Village, a local newspaper that caters to the ST/PCV community.

The Stuy Town leasing agents must be fielding a lot of tough questions regarding the disastrous Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village these days. Do people really sh*t in the stairwells? Have broken water pipes really caused an Aspergillus outbreak? Is the PCV apartment I just moved in to getting torn down next year? And what about all this garbage I keep seeing pictures of?  Tough questions and getting showered with roach traps? It is hard out there for a pimp!

Tishman Speyer has enrolled a few new bloggers to do their damage control dirty work, (and take on a part-time stalking gig), for the PR nightmare that is Stuyvesant Town. The Daily Intel doesn't think people deficate in the hallways, while the managing director of a dormant blog over at New York Living Solutions attempts to "hunt" Lux Living. Another lawsuit waiting to happen?

It must be hard being New York City's most mocked landlord.

I Really Don't Think People Defecate in the Hallways of Stuyvesant Town [Daily Intel]
Who is the mystery Stuyvesant Town blogger/resident? [New York Living Solutions]

Next week Stuyvesant Town launches it's Summer Concert Series sponsored by Verizon. Aside from hosting it's usual guests, used condoms and dog feces, the Oval lawn will graciously greet acts such as The Budos Band, Phenomenal Handclap Band, and Jay Reatard seen below punching an audience member in the face.



This instructional video will prepare residents for dealing with Verizon's pushy FIOS pimping sale team who will no doubt be on hand.

NYC Apartment Complexes Offer Free Concerts This Summer [Sentimentalist Magazine]

So much for keeping the integrity of the neighborhood! Lux Living received this document from an anonymous source which discusses the possibility of  Tishman Speyer tearing down the massive Peter Cooper Village housing complex to develop the land.

With the help of The Maxdo Group Limited, the document claims Tishman Speyer is considering relocating the thousands of Peter Cooper Village residents by the end of 2010.

"TSP proposes that the JV acquire from the district the plots in four phases (with plot A-
2 divided into two parcels defined by the area approved for clearance versus the area containing the Chase Bank branch and residential dwellings) with final payment on the land occurring only after each phase has been delivered with vacant possession. The fourth and final phase will include demolition of the current PCV and compensation to residents at a rate of 25% of the per-annum rent, divided by 12 months, times the number of months remaining in the year from the month of eviction."

UPDATE:

Tishman Speyer spokesman, Bud Perrone, just spoke with Curbed about the document and would only say it is bogus. Since Tishman Speyer's stance is that it's a fake, here is the original, unedited document. QUITE the elaborate "hoax".

Stuyvesant Town, the middle-class housing complex turned college campus, lost 56 adult residents this past weekend in what's becoming a reoccurring scene - middle class families moving out, college kids moving in. With the latest influx of bourgeois, suburban party goers, Stuy Town residents are wondering what's become of their once family-orientated neighborhood.

"I can't take it here anymore," says Mary Ann Driscolle, as she packs the rest of her furniture into a nearby moving truck. "I can deal with the rats and roaches and I can almost deal with the rogue elevators and the broken laundry machines. But the one bedroom apartment next to me has six NYU students crammed in there and they party non stop," she tells us. "I haven't slept in weeks and I am tried of stepping over puddles of vomit in my hall each morning. Do you know what pizza and Jaeger looks like regurgitated? Not pretty! So that's why I'm moving."

To get their staggering 30% vacancy rate under control at Stuyvesant Town, owner and property "manager", Tishman Speyer, began advertising at local colleges and now has exclusive deals with NYU, The New School and The Art Institute of New York to house their college kids.

"We think it's a brilliant idea," says a nameless Tishman Speyer spokesman. "At one point the vacancy rate was so low even the Bowery flophouses we reached out to started turning us down," says the masked representative, too ashamed to show his face. "But college kids aren't picky. They don't complain when the washers and dryers catch fire. They couldn't care less when the elevators free fall to the ground. And even if they did, they're so damned stoned they have forgotten about it in a day or two. It's hard to file a complaint when your head is in a toilet."

Ellen Stevens, a resident of 6 Stuyvesant Oval tells us how here building has drastically changed within the past year. "I don't know my neighbors anymore. I was in the elevator the other morning when a girl snapped at me when I said "good morning". I guess I interrupted her cell phone call because she turned her back to me, let out a heavy sigh, and said "the people here are so fucking lame" to whomever she was speaking with. I'm moving to Waterside Plaza where I can live with grown-ups again."