It’s always cool to see the unique, weird, grand, odd, creepy, old, new, plain, packed (for your sake I’ll stop) abodes of others. From apartments to yachts, houses that aren’t our own are curious oddities. Heck, it’s half the reason things like the Travel Channel and Architectural Digest even exist.

photo by nhanusek

I’m not sure if it’s a sense of jealousy, maybe envy, although not pejorative, when we see huge, rising marble walls and huge, never-ending pools that seemingly run off cliffs, but what about in the other direction?

Like our own Alissa Fleck examined, what about the apartments of those who are on the other side of the spectrum and employ walls where others do windows?

Here’s a quick look at a few New Yorkers who live in 500 sq ft or less:

- Felice Cohen – UWS – 90 ft. sq.

Cohen’s Upper West Side collected quite a bit of fame after AOL wrote an article on her tiny “microstudio” in April 2011. As a professional designer, Cohen put her natural skill set to the test when she endeavored to purchase the $700/month apartment, and seems to have fared well.

- A guy named Luke Tyler – Hell’s Kitchen – 78 ft. sq.

I’m partial to Luke’s rather than Cohen’s, if only for the minimalist design to match the size (though he doesn’t really have a choice).

Shown on Apartment Therapy, Luke’s apartment employs a pull-out couch that serves as his bed, a mini-fridge under his desk, and a standard A/C whose wraith is inescapable.

According to MSNBC, his apartment runs $800/mo.

Only problem, there’s no bathroom, but I’m sure he has room for a bucket (kidding) (also not kidding).

- Jordan – Brooklyn – 460 ft. sq.

Winner of the Apartment Therapy “Small Cool” contest, where contestants submit their sub-1,000 ft. sq. apartments, Jordan’s apartment has much more room than either Luke or Felice does, but does a great job with what he has.

Fortunate enough to have a lot of light, a sweet couch, and a bathroom(!), Jordan’s apartment looks extremely comfortable and homey.

- The Prokops – Morningside Heights – 175 ft. sq.

Do you cut the footage in half if two people live there? Or if there inhabitant cats? Zaarath and Christopher Prokop, as shown in an article in the New York Post, is a 16th-floor co-op that can only be accessed by a staircase from the 15th floor with two windows and a queen-sized bed.

The Prokops bought their pad for $150,000 in 2009, according to the Post.

–Nick Gallinelli

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. Photo courtesy of AMC.

BY Magdalena Burnham

Monday – July 9

Eureka

The SmartDust control unit breaks, causing the town’s communication system to go haywire. The bio-printer vanishes and Holly is acting weird. That doesn’t sound that dramatic after last week’s episode brought up the possibility that the population of Eureka might be destroyed forever.  Airs at 9:00 on Syfy.

Also On:

8:00 – Hell’s Kitchen (Fox)

8:00 – The Bachelorette (ABC)

10:00 – Teen Wolf (MTV)

Tuesday – July 10

White Collar

Finally, one of the best and handsomest shows on TV is back! This one has Neal and Mozzie being adorable on a remote island while Peter tries to find Neal and warn him about a bounty hunter on his trail. Airs at 9:00 on USA.

Also On:

8:00 – Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)

10:00 – The Glee Project (Oxygen)

10:00 – Franklin & Bash (TNT)

Wednesday – July 11

Futurama

Zapp Brannigan starts dating Leela’s mom. I think that’s weird and gross and I betcha Leela will agree. Airs at 10:00 on Comedy Central.

Also On:

8:00 – Melissa & Joey (ABC Family)

9:00 – Dallas (TNT)

10:00 – The Soup (E!)

Thursday – July 12

Suits

Harvey’s enemy returns, which will really grind my gears, but on the plus side Mike and Louis become closer as friends. BFF! Airs at 10:00 on USA.

Also On:

9:00 – Burn Notice (USA)

10:00 – Rookie Blue (ABC)

10:30 – Awkward. (MTV)

Friday – July 13

Live! with Kelly

Ray Romano is the guest and SNL hunk Seth Meyers co-hosts. Airs at 9:00 AM on ABC.

Also On:

8:00 – A.N.T. Farm (Disney)

10:00 – Common Law (USA)

10:30 – Bunk (IFC)

Saturday – July 14

Merlin

In the first episode, Camelot hosts a peace conference. Then in the second episode, a ruthless warlock asks Morgana for help. Episodes air at 9:00 and 10:00 on BBC.

Also On:

9:00 – The Suze Orman Show (CNBC)

Sunday – July 15

Breaking Bad

Season premiere! Walt must deal with the aftermath of the explosion as Hank wraps up the investigation of Gus. Airs at 10:00 on AMC.

Also On:

9:00 – True Blood (HBO)

9:00 – Falling Skies (TNT)

10:00 – Weeds (Showtime)

By Magdalena Burnham

Monday – July 2

Eureka

Eureka gets cut off from the world and the entire population might be destroyed. Wow, Eureka is not messing around with the stakes of this episode.  Airs at 9:00 on Syfy.

Also On:

8:00 – Hell’s Kitchen (Fox)

8:00 – The Bachelorette (ABC)

10:00 – Teen Wolf (MTV)

Tuesday – July 3

The Glee Project

The theme for the week is “adaptability”, which should be less uncomfortable than the “sexuality” episode.

Also On:

10:00 – Franklin & Bash (TNT)

10:30 – Workaholics (Comedy Central)

Wednesday – July 4

Futurama

This episode has Bender trying to become a paparazzo. Let’s see how many TMZ jokes they can work in. Airs at 10:00 on Comedy Central.

Also On:

9:00 – Dallas (TNT)

10:00 – The Real World (MTV)

10:00 – The Soup (E!)

Thursday – July 5

Wilfred

Ryan has to deal with the issues that arise from Wilfred’s popularity, which is a vague enough description that, considering the show, there’s a good chance some unspeakable acts comprise the main arc of this episode. Airs at 10:00 on FX.

Also On:

8:00 – Duets (ABC)

10:00 – Rookie Blue (ABC)

10:30 – Louie (FX)

Friday – July 6

Bunk

This week’s panelists are Dana Gould, Michael Che and Andy Daly. Watch for Michael Che. That is a damn funny dude. Airs at 10:30 on IFC.

Also On:

9:00 – The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO)

10:00 – Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC)

Saturday – July 7

Merlin

In the first episode Arthur duels a mysterious warrior. In the second episode, Merlin saves a beautiful girl from a bounty hunter. Episodes air at 9:00 and 10:00 on BBC.

Also On:

9:00 – The Suze Orman Show (CNBC)

Sunday – July 8

True Blood

Jason has a disturbing dream. Meanwhile, Bill and Eric want Sookie to help them look for Russell. Maybe I’m missing something, but that doesn’t sound like a lot of plot. Airs at 9:00 on HBO.

Also On:

10:00 – Weeds (Showtime)

10:00 – Iron Chef America (Food Network)

12:15 – Metalocalypse (Cartoon Network)

“I wanted to do something else and realized it’s time to start the next chapter,” Duane said in a recent interview. “I would say ‘retire’ is not a completely accurate term; I’m just not ready for re-election. I plan to continue working in my own small way to make the world a better place.”

Duane, who was elected in 1998 and was New York’s first openly gay senator, was the first senator to introduce the Marriage Equality Act in 2001 and continued to push for its support until it was passed last year. He also made waves in 1991 when he won election to the City Council after disclosing his HIV-positive status, and in the Senate he passed legislation expanding routine HIV testing.

Duane said he is proud to have passed laws that directly impact his constituents as well as serve as models for other cities.
“I supported the Midwifery Modernization Act to allow nurse midwives to practice in New York State. I’ve supported routine HIV testing and helped lessen the stigma, particularly within correctional facilities. I also supported the prohibition of insurance companies to create tier four drugs with incredibly expensive co-payments,” Duane said of his accomplishments.

He also introduced the anti-bullying Dignity for All Students Act in the Senate and fought for its successful passage, helped secure passage of a law that eliminates the criminal statute of limitations on many serious sex crimes and worked on measures that toughened laws against hate crimes and discrimination.

Duane’s announcement to leave public office after the current Senate term, which ends Dec. 31, has many already lamenting his departure and others scrambling to replace him.

“I am sad to hear of Tom Duane’s departure from public life,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district overlaps Duane’s, in a statement. “Locally, he has been a powerful and unyielding advocate for affordable housing and tenants’ rights, serving his constituents as only a truly committed and compassionate public servant can. In Albany, Tom has been a legendary champion for civil rights, sponsoring and supporting legislation over the years to benefit all New Yorkers.”
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio also praised the senator, singling out his contributions to gay rights in the state.

“Today’s generation of LGBTQ youth will grow up in a world made more free and more fair because of Tom’s service,” de Blasio said in a statement. “He will always be remembered for his pivotal role in securing marriage equality for all New Yorkers.”

Hoping to follow in Duane’s footsteps, current chair of Community Board 2 and longtime Democratic activist Brad Hoylman has already officially declared his candidacy for the seat. Hoylman is promising to bring reform to Albany and continue Duane’s legacy of fighting for equality at the state level, and political players expect him to receive the coveted endorsement from Duane himself.

City & State also reports that a woman named Tanika Inlaw has been going to local Democratic clubs to seek support for a 29th District candidacy that she announced on Facebook last week.

Duane said that for the time being, he’s focused on finishing out his final term strongly. But he said that he’ll definitely miss parts of the job.

“I’ll miss the challenges of garnering the widest possible support for issues I believe in, especially from people who have not shared my points of view,” Duane said. “I’ll miss finding that common ground and working with people in a collegial manner to pass bills that help people in a way they should be helped.”

If dodging speeding cabs, wayward cyclists, and lost tourists on the city’s sweltering streets this summer isn’t enough, here’s another thing to look out for: bees — a whole freakin’ lot of ‘em.

Honeybee swarms of cinematic proportions have terrified city goers this spring from Brooklyn to the Bronx. They bombarded a fire hydrant at the South Street Seaport, crowded the Bowery and even trapped a family in a Volvo at Pier 92.

The source of these swarms is one of the city’s fast growing hobbies: beekeeping. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani banned honeybees from NYC back in 1999 along with cheetahs, elephants and other exotic pets, but the re-legalization of beekeeping in 2010 ushered in a new trend. New York Post reports that since the ban was lifted, the number of registered hives in the city has increased from three to 161. Hives  range in size from small rooftop collections to Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, which boasts the city’s largest habitat with 20 hives and 20 million bees.

The Post explains that swarms occur unprovoked as part of the honeybees’ instinctive annual life cycle, but also from disease, overcrowding, and other symptoms of neglect. Poor beehive management has contributed to the 30 distinct bee clusters on buildings, light poles and fire hydrants across the city in recent months.

And here’s the wonderful news: “It hasn’t even started yet,” said Anthony Planakis, the police officer in charge of removing the swarms. “Within the next week, we’re going to be bombarded again.”

Andrew Coté, founder of the New York City Beekeepers Association, agreed. “There are too many hives right now,” he told the Post. “As it increases in popularity, it will be more and more difficult to control.”

The Gothamist warns city residents of a coming “beepocalypse,” but we should note that this title already belongs to the sharp decline in honeybee and bumblebee populations in the U.S. since 2006. If we’re all going down in a swarm of bees in the next couple of months, we might as well be accurate.

Homeless New Yorkers face new challenges in light of cutbacks

Some advocates and politicians say the City has turned its back on its homeless population, which had close to 40,000 people in the shelter system in Dec. 2011. PHOTO BY Patr icia voulgaris

It’s no shock that a still-struggling economy, an ever-more-expensive city and a continually burgeoning population have combined to produce record-high rates of homelessness in New York. What may shock some, however, is how difficult it is for the city to help its homeless population. In a time of fiscal cutbacks, the subsidies, grants and programs in place to help these most vulnerable people have all but dried up, leaving advocates on all sides scrambling to find solutions to keep New Yorkers off the streets and out of shelters.

According to data from the most recent available census of homeless people in the municipal shelter system, conducted Dec. 31, 2011, there were 39,787 individuals in the system, including 8,530 families with children. An Oct. 31 count found 16,934 homeless children in the shelter system, an all-time high number.

And these numbers don’t take into account homeless people living on the street or outside the shelter system. The Homeless Outreach Population Estimate survey, conducted across the city earlier this year, aims to approximate those numbers, but results are still being processed. Last year, it counted 2,648 individuals.

City officials, legislators and advocates for the homeless have differing views on what has caused these high numbers as well as the best ways to address them. “Setting aside the economy, which certainly has contributed, one of the biggest factors is the policies of the Bloomberg administration, particularly cutting off homeless families from receiving federal subsidies,” said Giselle Routhier, policy analyst for the Coalition for the Homeless. “Right now, for the first time ever, there is no housing assistance whatsoever to help homeless families get out of the shelter system.”

She’s referring to the administration’s decision in 2004 to stop giving homeless families priority for federal housing subsidies like Section 8. That decision, based on the idea that continuing to do so gave people incentives to use the shelter system as a sure path to landing cheap housing, has been loudly criticized in recent years as the homeless population grows.

Seth Diamond, commissioner of the Department for the Homeless (DHS), said in an interview that bringing back that prioritization program wouldn’t be the panacea that some groups claim. “The reality is that there are very long waiting lists for the available programs,” Diamond said. “The Section 8 program has a waiting list of 140,000 or more. For public housing, the chairman of NYCHA [the New York City Housing Authority] just testified, the waiting list is 160,000. There is a seven year waiting list for public housing.”

Diamond also spoke about how DHS has prepared for the effective end of the Advantage program, which provided rent subsidies for formerly homeless families for up to two years. When the state cut funding for the program last year, the city determined that it could not sustain the program without the roughly $68 million in state and federal aid it had lost.

The city was still paying subsidized rents for about 16,000 formerly homeless families and individuals up until last month, however, while a lawsuit brought by the Legal Aid Society was ongoing. A judge recently ruled that the city could stop paying its portion of these rents, and the fate of the families who had been benefiting is unclear.

“We have been preparing for this for a while,” Diamond said. “We’ve done a lot of outreach to people who are Advantage recipients to help prepare, to talk to them about their individual situations. Most people have been in the program
for at least a year. People have had time to establish themselves, look for options, see
what’s coming.” Diamond said that close to 85 percent of those who took part in the Advantage program have not come back to the shelter system and that it has been successful.

But others dispute that characterization and say the city and state need to not only provide more assistance programs but expand on the Advantage model to offer more long-term solutions. “We can’t just scoop people up and stick them in temporary housing, kick them out, move them somewhere else. It just doesn’t work. It’s not really a compassionate or practical approach,” said Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, whose district, which includes parts of Hell’s Kitchen and the Upper West Side, contains several of the city’s shelters as well as housing for formerly homeless individuals.

Rosenthal said that one current priority in the Assembly is to restore funding to several programs that have been axed this year, all designed to provide emergency assistance or intervention for families facing homelessness. Local not-for-profits have also noticed an uptake in need for their services, like the New York City Rescue Mission on Lafayette
Street, which provides hot meals, a daily food pantry and 71 beds for transient
stays.

Tom Hall, development director for NYCRM, noted an uptake in meals served in the past year. According to Hall, in 2011, the NYCRM doled out roughly 495 per day while in 2008 they only served 416 daily meals. NYCRM will soon break ground on an $11 million project to renovate three floors of its building to add 100 more beds.

“Usually, in mild weather like the winter we just experienced, our dorm might not be full but in this year, far more people, irrespective of the weather, have come here,” noted Hall. “We have never seen so many and there are quite a few people we have to refer to other places of shelter.”

While Hall and NYCRM public relations manager Joe Little note that their organization
handles short-term housing and hunger solutions, they did add that one factor in an increasing need for these services is a reduction in homeless service funding a few years ago. Both pointed to the 2009 closing of Peter’s Place in Chelsea, which was the city’s only drop-in center exclusively for homeless people at the time.

City Council Member Jessica Lappin, who recently chaired a hearing of the Committee for the Aging on the alarming number of elderly New Yorkers facing homelessness—up 18 percent between 2010 and 2011 for people over 65—said the best thing the city can do to curb homelessness is to help people before they’re out of their homes.

This is especially true, she said, of older people who may have extra difficulty surviving in a shelter due to health issues. “The most important thing for that population is to try to get them the services they need as quickly as possible, to try to help them remain in their home as long as possible if that’s the right thing for them,” Lappin said.

She pointed to a Department for the Aging program that pairs seniors facing eviction with legal counsel as one way the city can step in. “Maybe your landlord tried to evict you because you’re a hoarder,” she said, naming one example of the cases seniors might face. “Sometimes what happens with older people is they stop paying their bills because they get confused about what bills they’ve paid.”

All of these problems are fixable with the right help, Lappin said, but it requires outreach on the part of the city. Many advocates echo the call to focus on keeping people in their homes and providing more affordable housing options.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said in an email that the high numbers of homelessness are “directly linked to scarcity of affordable housing.” He cited a study his office conducted in 2007 that found 2,228 vacant properties in Manhattan he says could be used to build more affordable housing, as well as his suggestion that the city convert foreclosed properties into affordable housing.

Stringer also contested the administration’s rescinding of priority status for homeless families for public housing. “Each year, approximately 5,313 NYCHA units are vacated; many of these units have more than one bedroom and can accommodate families,” Stringer said. “By reinstating priority for the homeless on the NYCHA waiting list, even if it was only done on a temporary basis, the city could take immediate steps toward placing a substantial percentage of its homeless population into permanent housing,” he said.

While the city works to address the immediate needs of the city’s homeless population—New York has a right-to-shelter law that requires the city to provide a bed for every homeless person—it also has to work on preventing and reducing their numbers.

It’s a problem that won’t be going away any time soon, and some say we won’t see any effective changes until the next mayoral administration takes over. “Homelessness is a national problem,” said Rosenthal. “But New York City, which has grappled with this problem for so many years, really ought to have some new ideas about how to deal with it.”

“Handsome cabs,” the horse-drawn carriages and tourist draw that occupy much of Central Park and environs, may be about to have their “licenses suspended” indefinitely. The proposed retirement plan was brought to State Legislators by Senator Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan), who together first introduced the bill on May 16, 2011.

(Photo courtesy of AnnieGreenSprings)

Assemblymember Rosenthal, who resides over parts of Clinton and Hell’s Kitchen is advocating the bill as an effective ban of horse-drawn carriages throughout the city, further requiring “the humane relocation, sale, or disposal (where necessary) of the horses released from their service.” If passed, the law would allow an 18-day grace for carriage drivers, so that they can arrange for the safe relocation of their horses.

A string of recent events have renewed Rosenthal’s concerns regarding the horse-drawn carriage business, and the dangers they pose to both horses and citizens. On Saturday, Mar. 3, a horse pulling an empty carriage was frightened, and ran into heavy traffic, which upended its carriage and put the horse in danger among vehicles for several blocks, until it became exhausted.

“Despite an increasing number of serious accidents involving horse-drawn carriages in the last several months, the City has refused to take any action to protect the public and the horses,” said Assemblymember Rosenthal. “The City’s congested streets are no place for horses, and horse-drawn carriages pose a serious danger to the public’s safety. It is just a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed as a result of this industry.”

While several animal rights groups, including the ASPCA are in agreement with Aseemblymember Rosenthal, Michael McKeon, a spokesperson for the Teamsters Joint Council 16, has said, “No one loves the horses more than the drivers, and to suggest otherwise is outrageous and wrong. The sad truth is that Tony Avella and the rest of the crowd care nothing about the welfare of these horses…to replace them with some ridiculous antique car scheme is a business plan.”

Public opinion does, however, seem to side in favor of carriage bans. According to a Wall Street Journal survey of over 1,500 readers in Oct., 2011, the public heavily favors (76 percent) an outright ban of horse-drawn carriages. And for animal advocates, there can be no greater send off for the iconic carriage horses than a peaceful retirement away from the concrete jungle.