Car Guy in New York
Being a car guy in New York City definitely has it's drawbacks. A large percentage of people in this city rely on public transportation to get them around. Many do not own cars. There are several obvious reasons why people don't have cars. Parking is a real pain in the ass, especially if you live in a neighborhood that has alternate-side-of-the-street parking several days a week. Parking lots tend to be expensive. In addition, if you live in New York City and drive a car, your insurance rates will be double what you would pay if you lived somewhere outside the city. The sheer density of this city means that most things you do are close enough to wherever you may find yourself at any given moment. Walking, subways, buses and cabs are usually a much more viable option than driving, not to mention being cheaper and sometimes faster.
There are however, some people (like me) that do own cars. As a matter of fact, I own three. Two of them I drive in the city on a regular basis and the other is a long-term hot rod project. The hot rod is not here in the city though - it's parked in my Dad's garage up in Connecticut, where I grew up. At one point, my fiance Amy and I had three cars, all being parked on the street. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as you would think. This is largely due to where we live, The Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Windsor Terrace is a quiet, little-known area tucked away in the middle of Brooklyn. We live in between famous Olmstead-designed Prospect Park and the sprawling Greenwood Cemetery. Apparently, the cemetery used to be a popular spot for Manhattanites during the warmer months. People would actually go there for a picnic. Go figure.
It's a mostly residential 'hood. There's one and two-family houses, brownstones and smaller apartment buildings. We live in a two family duplex, with both a front garden and very large backyard. For this city, it's really unbelievable. Considering how much we pay for rent (well below NYC norm for a place this size), we got a smokin' deal.
Despite all this, I have no garage. I end up doing stuff out in the street or on our stoop. I also have a small work table/area in a corner of our kitchen that I do my tinkering and repairs on, but it's a less than ideal situation to say the least. Everyone has to make do with what they have, but frankly, finding the motivation to tackle projects on a regular basis without a permanent place to do them tends to be difficult. It always seems like I spend more time setting up and putting things away than actually doing what I intended to. Driving an hour and a half each way to Connecticut and back doesn't leave much time to get deep into projects.
You might be asking yourself why someone with such an avid interest in cars would choose to live here. Good question. I can't really provide a decent answer either and it's something that bugs me on a regular basis. I've lived here for a long time but only discovered the hobby after I moved here. My subsequent search for a reasonably-priced garage with amenities (elec., water, secure) garage within city limits has come up empty. I've thought about places like the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Red Hook as areas where I might find something suitable, but nothing has come up yet. Besides, everything is incredibly expensive here. One of life's dilemmas, I s'pose. Like I said before, you make do with what you have.
There are however, some people (like me) that do own cars. As a matter of fact, I own three. Two of them I drive in the city on a regular basis and the other is a long-term hot rod project. The hot rod is not here in the city though - it's parked in my Dad's garage up in Connecticut, where I grew up. At one point, my fiance Amy and I had three cars, all being parked on the street. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as you would think. This is largely due to where we live, The Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Windsor Terrace is a quiet, little-known area tucked away in the middle of Brooklyn. We live in between famous Olmstead-designed Prospect Park and the sprawling Greenwood Cemetery. Apparently, the cemetery used to be a popular spot for Manhattanites during the warmer months. People would actually go there for a picnic. Go figure.
It's a mostly residential 'hood. There's one and two-family houses, brownstones and smaller apartment buildings. We live in a two family duplex, with both a front garden and very large backyard. For this city, it's really unbelievable. Considering how much we pay for rent (well below NYC norm for a place this size), we got a smokin' deal.
Despite all this, I have no garage. I end up doing stuff out in the street or on our stoop. I also have a small work table/area in a corner of our kitchen that I do my tinkering and repairs on, but it's a less than ideal situation to say the least. Everyone has to make do with what they have, but frankly, finding the motivation to tackle projects on a regular basis without a permanent place to do them tends to be difficult. It always seems like I spend more time setting up and putting things away than actually doing what I intended to. Driving an hour and a half each way to Connecticut and back doesn't leave much time to get deep into projects.
You might be asking yourself why someone with such an avid interest in cars would choose to live here. Good question. I can't really provide a decent answer either and it's something that bugs me on a regular basis. I've lived here for a long time but only discovered the hobby after I moved here. My subsequent search for a reasonably-priced garage with amenities (elec., water, secure) garage within city limits has come up empty. I've thought about places like the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Red Hook as areas where I might find something suitable, but nothing has come up yet. Besides, everything is incredibly expensive here. One of life's dilemmas, I s'pose. Like I said before, you make do with what you have.
posted by Greg at 10:14 PM
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