Just a friendly reminder about my Etsy store 
I’m getting ready to move at the end of the month and I’d like to make room for more jewelry, so I’m giving a whopping 30% off code through the end of the month. You have two weeks to use this code and give me a big helping hand, and I would really, really appreciate it!
Use code SPRINGCLEANER to get 30% off your entire order, through April 30th
Yesterday afternoon, The New Yorker posted an interactive infographic about the average income per subway stop, for every line in the city (including Brooklyn and Queens, which are, in fact, still New York City). And, in a twist of brand new information, readers realized just how vast the income gap is between not just subway lines, but the individual stops on the lines themselves.
For example, you can see here on the L (one of the more popular subway lines among the younger crowd) that income disparity increases dramatically once you go through the tunnel into Brooklyn. The total income per stop is still generally laughably high, considering the fact that everything, including salaries, is almost always higher in NYC. But still, the slice through Manhattan on 14th street tells you pretty much what you need to know about the way things are structured here, which is part of the reason I chose the L for this example. I personally live just about halfway through the Brooklyn half of the graph, where median income is still fairly high, although almost everyone I know out here works in a low-paying service industry job, living in Brooklyn to make it work.
Quoth Gothamist,
For instance, despite severalarticlesto the contrary, it appears that even artisan-packed Williamsburg has a ways to go before it will even approach Manhattan’s level of wealth—the median income drops precipitously between 14th Street and the hipster belt, dipping to $23,865 at Montrose Avenue, and enjoying a brief resurgence before plummeting to $12,288 at Sutter Avenue—the lowest point of any stop in the system. For comparison, the median income at 14th Street is $150,110. In just 18 stops—an estimated 30 minutes—there’s an income disparity of $137,822. The line with the most sweeping range, however, is the 2, which shuttles straphangers all the way from Lower Manhattan (Chambers Street: $205,192) to the Bronx (East 180th Street: $13,750).
The most ridiculous part, too–though it’s hard to pick just one–is that this is from 2011. With the way Brooklyn has come into being the hip new place to live, especially off the L in Williamsburg and Bushwick, this data may be more invalid than it seems. For example, I really doubt that Montrose Ave is the second-lowest on the income step anymore. Rent increased in Bushwick almost 300% in the last year, which means the average income may be higher now and the next US Census will probably see a sweeping change in the makeup of residents.
None of this is shocking to me, I guess. Everyone knows that Manhattan is ridiculously expensive, and it’s really no surprise that Brooklyn and Queens are headed that way, too. It doesn’t change the fact that I love living here and that every day makes it worth it for me. But really, this isn’t about me, and it is worth studying. As always, things are changing in New York, and only time will tell if it’s for the better.
I know I haven’t been around much lately – I’ve been crazy busy with both of my jobs as well as hanging out with friends and maybe possibly definitely a little bit of dating as well, but here’s a really lovely picture I took a few days ago. This is from the Seneca Ave M platform out in my hood, and it was really beautiful the other day in the snow even though it was also really cold.
I don’t have any updates with regard to Etsy yet, but hopefully it’ll be back up and running soon. I’m considering a full revamp and redesign, so it may be December before it’s back, but I have a lot of really good ideas that I’m hammering out right now.
Plus, NaNoWriMo is totally kicking my butt this year. I’m behind again, but it’s okay because I’m not super about winning this year. I’m into kick-starting my writing again.
But just know that my life is really really amazing right now. Really amazing. Nothing could be better and I couldn’t be happier. I hope you’re all having a wonderful November, and I look forward to regular posting again soon.
Happy Easter! The weather here has been absolutely incredible the last few days – sunny, 70s, just beautiful. And just in time, too, since this was the opening weekend of the DeKalb Market in Brooklyn. Just off the DeKalb or Jay St Metrotech subway stops (only one stop into Brooklyn out of Manhattan, if you’re just visiting and want to come out!), this is a super fun market full of local vendors and food trucks. And you know how much I love a good food truck!
Seriously, though, this is really cool. A lot of the booths are either open-air or within converted shipping containers like the ones you see in this picture to the left. All of the shop owners have painted and decorated to make their containers look like a real mini store. And because it’s all local companies, each store has its own flavor and quirks, plus the people working really know the products – usually because they’re the ones who make them.
Not only is this going to be a staple for fun in Brooklyn this year – it’s open through December! – but I’m also working
part time in the booth for Love of Pretty. This is the company’s first physical presence, and I’m incredibly excited to be a part of it. Right now I’m working on Sunday afternoons, so if you’re free on the weekends, stop by and see me!
Here’s our shop! As you can see, we’re in a half-container, and the store next to ours sells bike accessories for ladies, which you know means I’m now dying to get a bike. I was planning to get one anyway, just so that I can bike places rather than having to walk absolutely everywhere. Now I want a bike so that I can bike to work here (rather than the roundabout train I have to take to get just a couple of miles south), and of course I would love to have a bike basket and a bell from the store next door.
Today was my first day at the booth, and I can already tell that it’s going to be an incredible amount of fun. This market is such a fun, cool idea, and this is only its second year in existence. I’ve never really been to anything like this, and I can’t believe how much fun it was.
Joe Coffee is probably one of my favorite coffee places, and it’s a local, family-owned NYC chain, so I may have jumped in the air a little bit when I saw that they had a booth. They have seriously some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted, and on a warm afternoon like today, my iced coffee really hit the spot.
For lunch today I had an iced coffee with soy from the Joe booth and a Philly cheese steak rice ball from the Arancini Bros. booth. It seriously could not have been more delicious! While buying my rice ball, I saw that the Arancini Bros. is headquartered in Bushwick, where I live, so you know I’m going to hunt them down. All of the food looked amazingly delicious, though, and I saw a grilled cheese booth, so I’m excited to be able to use this as a fun weekend food splurge – and I won’t even have to go far to find great food!
