It appears the Honorable Charles Rangel, powerful Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has an ethics problem.  Serious questions have been raised about his living arrangements, specifically his lease of not one, but four, rent controlled New York City apartments. Rent Control is the local... read more

The New York Aquarium has been in Coney Island since 1957 so it is often referred to as the Coney Island Aquarium, a case of closeness breeding familiarity. It is located adjacent to the Riegelman  boardwalk.  In the old days well before the recent expansion, it was possible to peek in between the... read more

On Tuesday, I attended a public hearing on the proposed redevelopment of Coney Island. It was held at nearby Lincoln High School, a building that has a larger auditorium than the one in Coney Island Hospital, also nearby. I have been in the building multiple times over the past many years for various... read more

Shopping in Manhattan is more stylish compared to the outer boroughs, including Brooklyn, where I live. There are more big stores and better known brands, perhaps related to the heavier traffic, better jobs and greater access to money. So if you’re interested in fashion, it’s Manhattan. If you... read more

Warm weather is here.  The local beaches are open.  The lifeguards are on patrol.  It is summer even if it is not officially summer yet. By his count,  Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe runs seven beaches.  But where I am I can count five and that does not include the beaches in the Rockaways or... read more

Even in quiet, remote Brooklyn, the name Trump is associated with multiple dignified multi-story buildings. I live in south Brooklyn, a few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, in a co-op named Warbasse.  Surrounding this five building complex are two much bigger clusters of high rises, one called Beach... read more

I recently took a bus ride from my home to the end of Coney Island and back to scout out the neighborhood and refresh what I remembered of the area. Little has changed in the two years since last I rode through. There are still lots of buildings, still lots of empty lots, much of it the responsibility... read more

The entertainment area of Coney Island appears headed for a major overhaul according to news reports. I have lived nearby on West 5th Street, actually West 6th, which also goes by the name Shell Road, for around forty years, give or take some stops on the way.  The main drag in Coney Island is 14th... read more

I last wrote about the stock market and finance at the end of February.  Since then, time has played ahead and the markets have traded in their fashion but whether anything has changed depends on where you come from and what you bring to this discussion. The Dow is at twelve thousand five hundred approximately,... read more

Have you ever wondered why so many people use real estate agents to sell a home? Have you ever thought that the real estate agent is overpaid? If you have, you’re not alone. Many people believe that the real estate agent is extremely overpaid for what they do. The following will put you in line with... read more