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uptowngirl
uptowngirl

Ugly Streets of New York

Recently the Municipal Arts Society declared a stretch of 35th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue to be aesthetically deficient and thus qualify for the ugly street in New York position. Do you know of a similar street/ streets that fit the bill

http://www.dnainfo.com/20101022/midtown/west-35th-street-declared-ugliest-street-midtown
Question asked via StreetAdvisor The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
I think all of the streets in Gowanus qualify! It's a shame, since the neighborhood's location lends itself to some (somewhat tainted by IKEA) views of the Statue of Liberty. But just about all of the streets in Gowanus are just so industrial and dirty.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Haha! I like to think that New York City's charm gives every street its own unique and special brand of beauty...
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@ajadeidealist Naw, I agree with the Municipal Arts Society, that stretch of 35th is just...deficient. And being in Manhattan doesn't make up for it. I agree about Gowanus too, though a few of the streets manage to be kinda industrial-charming. Not all, though.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps @Uraniumfish Indeed, Gowanus is lacking in aesthetics. Especially that stretch of Hamilton Ave under the BQE. Why is it always raining down there? My car always emerges covered in dirty BQE acid rain.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish: I agree with you. However, have you seen the Bronx. I live there for three years and let me tell you, some streets are downright ugly.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I admit that Gowanus offers an interesting perspective on the Statue of Liberty, which can be seen through rusty fences and in between huge commercial tankers and steam pipes.

@BroadwayBK I once Googled "Why is it always raining under the BQE?" but found no sufficient answer. I've actually walked under there, so I can say that being in a car is the preferable way to chug down Hamilton.

@everyone Brownsville offers a really ugly take on Brooklyn. I guess any neighborhood where people tend to be poor is usually not the prettiest.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Everyone perhaps we should now conduct a survey on the prettiest streets in NYC?..
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
This isn't so much about aesthetics, but I thought it was an interesting read: http://www.thelmagazine.com/gyrobase/the-50-best-blocks-in-brooklyn/Content?oid=1792395&storyPage=4
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Great:

"Best Block for Urban Detrital Discoveries (by day), Lynchian Encounters with the Unheimlich (by evening), and Profound Malaise Bordering on Fear (by night)
Meserole between Bushwick Ave and Morgan Ave
This one wrote itself."
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish LOL .
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish So you're not coming to visit me anytime soon....?
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Ah, BroadwayBK! There was a time when I was such a snob that I shunned Brooklyn altogether. As we know, I have come to love a good many neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and have lived there happily and with some aplomb. However, my magnanimity hasn't extended quite as far as Bushwick just yet...
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish If you can believe it, I used to shun Brooklyn myself. Ah, those were the days in my tiny tiny tiny LES apt.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps I think the BQE just has a really crappy drainage system that likes to rain down its filthy water at unexpected times. Driving under it, I've seen what looks like torrential rain coming down when there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
All of north Brooklyn is heinously ugly! Those abandoned condo buildings at the waterfront definitely don't help either.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@JenMac Is it still that bad? know of a pompous friend who bought a penthouse (!) in one of those buildings by the waterfront.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Having spent time in London, I can definitely say that New York look even more gorgeous to me now! Something about the London architectural style really doesn't click for me - I find it oppressive and disenchanting...
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist I can relate, some years ago my husband's cousin got an offer to move to London with Barclay's bank. She lives in Princeton and when she went over for her look see trip she was most disappointed at how 'old' everything was in London. She ultimately opted out of the assignment for financial reasons and is still happily residing in the US.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Ajadedidealist: Isn't it true there is always fog in London, especially at night?
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Haaa... I just watched in episode of Mad Men - post-British buyout of Sterling Cooper - in which they talk about how there is actually no fog in London. Apparently what Dickens was referring to was all the soot in the air from all the burning coal of the era: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea_soup_fog
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@JenMac Agree about Northside Brooklyn - but I wouldn't call those condos "abandoned," as it seems like most of them have never known what it's like to have a tenant.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
NeverSleeps: Every time I watch a movie or TV show and the location is London, the area seems to be full of fog. I asked someone who visited NY not too long ago, and he told me there is fog in London, but mostly at night.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Um, no. Sorry but you and your "someone who visited NY" are incorrect. I've been there personally and fog in London is rare in modern times. Sorry. Hollywood lied to you. But obviously you are going to believe whatever you have decided is correct no matter how many facts, historical articles, or quotes from actual, nonfictional people who live there I spew at you.

It does live up to its reputation for rain, in any case.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186338-s208/London:United-Kingdom:Weather.And.When.To.Go.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2542315.stm

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090127233338AAUNJ4C

I like this forum where one guy says "I think you have been watching too many Sherlock Holmes films": http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question31059.html

And this Times article from 1889: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F70D12F93F5E1A738DDDA00A94DA415B8984F0D3
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Jeez.

@ajadedidealist I lived in London for a little while as well and I actually loved it. It's much shorter than New York, so it's hard for me to understand why London is the more oppressive city! Looming skyscrapers fit that description more for me! Not that I don't love the architecture here as well. One thing I did not love about the London skyline? That Great Gherkin. Such an atrocity!
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: Are you calling someone, who lived in London for more than 30 years, a liar? I don't think so. Plus, he did tell me that fog occurs more often at certain times a year, than at other times. Perhaps the time you were there, the time for the fog not to show was active.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@hhusted Yes, if that person exists, then they lied to you. Obviously you didn't read what Trip Advisor has to say on the subject, which is this: "Contrary to the popular historical image, fog is a rare occurance, sometimes seen early on winter mornings but usually dispersed by the time people get to work. Any fog that does appear is usually high in the air and not at ground level, so the only thing it will affect is your view from the London Eye."

You are the one who asked if it were true that there is always fog in London and now you are suddenly an expert on the topic, which I find pretty strange. All I did was answer the question that you posed. Sorry it wasn't the answer you wanted. But it's the correct one.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
I'm gonna go ahead and say that all of the streets in the 30's around 7th Ave can take a dirtnap. My school is right there so I'm pretty well versed on how gross that area is.

I'd say one of the foggiest areas of all time is in California. We used to have "Foggy Day Schedule" in school. If it was too foggy in the morning for the school buses, we wouldn't start school until 11 am.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps and Uptowngirl: I know I asked the question. I was just busting your chops. Actually, the guy that told me that was made up. I never spoke to anyone about London. I just wanted to see if you would stick to your story. Thanks for sharing your knowledge about London. It was very helpful.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
8th Avenue is pretty grotty as well....
As for London, it's not foggy really - just smoky/gross because of cars, smog, et. al. I think the short height is oppressive; without tall buildings, people are sort of shoved/smushed into a much smaller space...it gets cramped!
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Ajadedidealist: Thanks for sharing.
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