See each of the submitted stories below.
Micheline Watrous
Commerce
Drycleaning Business Down
I noticed that there was seldom a line anymore when I dropped off shirts at our local, and very popular ,dry cleaner. So, I asked him how much of a change he was experiencing since the financial meltdown.
His answer was at the ready. "Forty per cent off our usual business for this season." The sad, resigned tremor in his voice filled in the rest of the story.
stillwatergal
Commerce
No more SRO at Broadway hit
Went to see Billy Elliot last night. There may be "overwhelming demand" as it says on the Telecharge website, but there were three full rows of empty seats in front of us.
249 West 45th Street
Rebecca
Bright
the little block that could
I live in Flatbush just bordering Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Lincoln Road (near the bottom of Prospect Park) has become a neighborhood hub of sorts: the best community coffeeshop (with art exhibits, movie showings and civic meetings), CSA pickup locale, and 2 new nice restaurants (one just opened this month!). Things seem better, not worse here
Lincoln Road, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
Amy
Employment
Ride to Preschool
School year 2006-2007 I drove my daughter from my home near the LIRR station in Bay Shore, LI (across from Fire Island) all the way to Garden City (central Nassau), heading west toward the city in the height of rush hour, for preschool four mornings a week. Crazy, I know, but Grandma teaches there and has for almost 30 years. It took us at least an hour. Most days were horribly stressful, rolling to school, stuck behind accidents, dodging aggressive drivers, white knuckling it through total chaos. She was late a few times even when we started leaving home extra early and once missed school entirely because of traffic. Now I drive my son there four mornings a week. Same distance, direction and time of the morning. It takes us only about a half hour now. We get there early. The ride is pleasant. I can listen to NPR and not honking. Good for me, but where did everybody go?
Bay Shore LIRR, Railroad Plaza @ Park Avenue & Oak Street, Bay Shore NY 11706, Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 420 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530
Sandy
Commerce
My new budget
I have a pretty secure job, but it doesn't pay much, so I add to my income by tutoring at home. I took home the same income in 2007 and 2008; previously, I took home about 5% more each year. Of course, that unchanged income wasn't worth as much in 2008 as it was in 2007, and it will probably be worth less in 2009. I've stopped taking taxis, even if it means I'm late; I've noticed the subways are fuller on off hours. I can't remember the last time I spent more than $10 in a restaurant; I'm embarrassed to say I occasionally eat in McDonald's, which is awfully full of equally embarrassed, well-dressed people. My grocery bill is lower; I’m buying fewer packaged foods and less meat. I’ve cut my acupuncture sessions, to the detriment of my asthma. I'm still making my bills, but there's no extra for fun, and nothing left over at the end of the month. I know many people have lost their jobs, and I'm lucky to have one, but I always feel anxious. I really want to work for myself, but now it doesn’t look possible. Hold on, and hope for change.
125th Street and Broadway
Chris
Behavior
More Groceries, Less Cabs
I live in Morningside Heights. Westside market (always busy) is even busier. Even on Friday and Saturday nights! More people staying in...girlfriend and I take lunch to work every single day and have maybe taken 5 cabs in the past 6 months - total.
West 110th Street and Broadway, New York, NY 10025
jon
Behavior
smashed-glass index
started to notice shattered glass from car-window break-ins on my block, in brooklyn zip 11201 in the summer of 06 (!), after an absence of maybe 6-8 years.
Igor
Commerce
No rice
I went down to the shishkebab place on my corner in south Brooklyn the other day. They said they were out of rice. What is this, the Soviet Union?
Beth
Behavior
Recession retreat
As a way to brainstorm about career choices, I took a 2 day "recession retreat" in my living room.
First I built a fire, then lit all the candles in the living room, surrounded by my favorite inspirational reading material. Countless pots of tea later, I had several excellent ideas written in my journal which I'm getting ready to pounce on.
Swale Road, Norwalk, CT
Russell
Housing
The Team Enters...
For a couple of years I've been slowly creating an absurdist narrative loosely based on A Pilgrim's Progress and the crumbling economy around us.
Mark Schwartz
Commerce
Food Truck Mitosis
I work in Chelsea, and what used to be one halal meat truck on 9th Ave for construction workers has morphed into three: a guy on 8th and now a taco truck on 14th St. And it's not just construction workers on line; bank and tech folks from the Port Authority Bldg are taking advantage of cheap lunch.
111 8th ave, New York, NY 10011
jmpendley
Bright
Bud Boycot
Speaking of Bud.
is this boycott for real ?
http://weirdnews.about.com/b/2009/01/30/super-bowl-beer-boycott.htm
Lisa
Behavior
Police Departments as Profit Centers
I commute through several towns in Fairfield County daily. In the past few months, the towns are all publishing news of property and business tax revenues plummeting, budget shortfalls, and employee layoffs.
I've seen a distinct difference in my commute, in the form of Police setting up speed traps. I used to pass perhaps 1 car pulled over by a cop per week. Now I regularly pass 2 or 3 per day. It appears the towns are pumping up citation revenues at a speedy clip!
An informal survey of my commuting friends shows they noticed this too.
Darien, CT
Peterson
Commerce
Good Deals Get Done
We just raised $2mm in venture capital for a blogosphere-related business. There's still a lot of investment money available for the right deals.
Cita Carnival
Swindlers
When a your lawyer asks you to join a pyramid scheme
Chinatown, NY- My father recently married a woman from mainland China. He has an attorney to do the paperwork. Due to all the reasons you can think of, his business is in trouble. He is having trouble paying all the expenses. So, his attorney kept him in the office for 7 hours explaining this pyramid scheme to him. When he said he did not have enough money to go to Florida to listen to the pitch, she offered to pay for his trip. Please be ware of all get rich quick schemes!
Chinatown, Manhatten
Jax
Housing
Homes for Sale
The New Depression--toxic mortgages are the eye of the economic storm.
120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardes, Queens 11424
Jabez L. Van Cleef
Behavior
Positive renunciation
I have found a new truth in the cogitations of medieval anchorites, which tell us that we must leave aside the pleasures of worldliness and find meaning in perfect humility. (see advice on bulletin board)
20 Pine Ave., Madison, NJ 07940
Bryan
Bright
The Oak and the Iris
The Oak and the Iris is a cozy little cafe right off the F in Kensington that just recently opened up. The food is relatively cheap and delicious, and on Sunday nights, they have an open mic night! It's a great new addition to the neighborhood.
151 East 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11218
Patrick
Employment
Movin' On Up Smackdown
Myself and a co-worker were laid off last week and my boyfriend's firm laid off a dozen people. My boyfriend and I noticed that like us, everyone laid off was in their 40s.
After spending two decades working 50-hr weeks and sacrificing to get ahead in the company we finally reached a point where we don't have to worry how were we would make this month's rent. We make less than $100K, but can live comfortably; no more skipping meals in order to afford a new pair of shoes and we can take a modest trip during that meager 2 week vacation we get.
I was told that I was being laid off because I was paid, "so much more" than other people in my department.
My twenty years of dedicated hard work and institutional experience mean nothing when companies can pay some 20-something (who's willing to work long hours without pay to "get ahead") $20K less than those of us 20 years older.
That supposed $20K saved from eliminating my position isn’t going to stop the company from going bankrupt; its simply going to be portion of some executive’s bonus.
Executives never sacrifice anything but those below them.
Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn
Alex Villari
Bright
Fairway to the Rescue!
My wife live by Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope. One of our favorite pastimes is shopping at Fairway in Red Hook. With the economy in the tank, there is now more reason to stock up on yummy food from Fairway and cook yummy home prepared meals. When we don't have time to cook, we stock up on their amazing prepared foods. Their roast chicken with two sides is just $8.00! Of course, when we shop there, we time it so we have to indulge in breakfast or lunch at their counter service and hang out by the NY Harbor. All this pigging out and we are still saving more money than if we had take out or ate out!
268 Berkeley Place, Brooklyn NY 11217
