Posted by Leonard Steinberg on May 7th, 2012 The Monarch butterflies have landed at the HUDSON RIVER PARK. ….but aren’t they supposed to come in June? Yesterday while strolling down the park I witnessed thousands of these magnificent butterflies scattered over the magical lavender-colored beds of Catmint, New York’s equivalent to Provence’s lavender. Were they… [Read More]
SMELLS AND THE CITY – PART 2
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on April 24th, 2012 As Summer approaches, I am reminded how warmer weather can accentuate the lovely smells of New York. I noted earlier that dog owners don’t seem to care much that the trail of pee and poop schmeers they leave behind for all others to enjoy requires buildings to… [Read More]
COVER NEW YORK ROOFTOPS WITH SOLAR FARMS?
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on April 18th, 2012 With 900+ million sq. ft. of rooftops in New York City, why not cover them all with solar panels now that they are cheaper? (The largest manufacturer of panels, First Solar just cut 1/3 of its workforce.) That’s approx. 80 TRILLION Watts of energy per day…..directly above… [Read More]
WHY IS NEW YORK REAL ESTATE DOING SO WELL?
= Posted by Leonard Steinberg on March 12th 2012 Everyone keeps asking and e-mailing why on earth I keep posting all these blurbs about how the real estate market is doing so well right now….in March’s LUXURYLETTER I called New York MULTIPLE BID CITY…. Last night I received e-mails about an article talking about how… [Read More]
THE 'TAXES' THAT, IF REDUCED, COULD BOOST OUR ECONOMY MORE THAN ANY OTHER
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on December 21st, 2011 There are certain essential expenses that Americans incur that are a form of taxation…..Here are two examples: GAS: The average American spends over $ 4,100/year on gasoline…..thats over 8% of their income! Now thats quite a tax. Gas prices are artificially high because of OPEC’s ability to… [Read More]
ITS TIME TO CHANGE NEW YORK CITY SCAFFOLDING
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on July 30th, 2011 We have covered this subject before in LUXURYLETTER: Manhattan and New York City sidewalks are constantly covered with hideous, unsightly construction sheds and scaffolding. Always dark, somewhat sketchy, and often covered with graffiti, the sheds leave much to be desired, which is why the Department of Buildings… [Read More]
ARE WE ALL GUILTY OF SEVERE HYPOCRISY?
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on July 23rd, 2011 Are we all too quick to pass judgement without taking a long hard look in the mirror? This week saw two amazing instances of mass judgement: Firstly, everyone everywhere, especially in the press, voiced their OUTRAGE at Rupert Murdoch and his organization’s hacking misdeeds….of course, NONE of… [Read More]
CO-OPS: NEW TIMES, NEW RULES
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on May 8, 2011 We live in new times, which requires adjusting. All of us are doing it. Some Democrats are talking about deficits, some Republicans are talking about energy savings and green energy. Condominiums are talking about reserve funds and closer scrutiny of buyers. Yet many co-ops appear to be stuck in… [Read More]
ENERGY SAVING NOW: DON'T WAIT FOR THE GOVERNMENT!
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on April17, 2011 New York City is a city large enough to showcase how smart business, common sense and critical mass can impact huge shifts in our daily lives: and now the focus turns to energy savings. While the world waits for ‘government’ to come up with some new invention to… [Read More]
HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR MAILBOX?
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on January 27th, 2011 If you check your mailbox, you may find a lovely envelope from the New York City Department of Finance showing the new assessment on your property. One of my assessment notices showed that the market value of a property I own increased in value by over 60%…..in 2010! WOW! That’s facinating…. [Read More]