It is incredibly easy to take central heating for granted – which makes the inevitable upheaval when your boiler dies all the more stressful to navigate. With reports that major energy companies are finding it difficult to deliver maintenance and service, it’s more important than ever that you log any issues you’re having with your own boiler as soon as you possibly can. But how can you tell that your boiler is on its way out? Continue reading Homeowners: Five Key Signs You Need a New Boiler
Photo By John Cliett Courtesy of the Dia Art Foundation
Do you like discovering weird stuff in NYC that hardly anybody else seems to know about? I sure do. A couple of years ago, Geoffrey told me about a visit he made to an art installation in SoHo which consisted of one loft apartment filled, wall-to-wall, with a waist-high layer of dirt. And I was like, “That sounds pretty weird.” Then I basically forgot all about it, until earlier this week, when I was looking for a way kill an hour between leaving the office and attending an art opening. The gallery I was going to just happened to be located around the corner from what I had been referring to as The Dirt Apartment, which is officially called the New York Earth Room, so I decided to check it out.
Photo By Gail
The Earth Room is located on the second floor of an otherwise nondescript building on a block mostly occupied by prohibitively expensive designer clothing boutiques, and you have to be buzzed in from the street. A sign in the lobby tells you to walk one floor up the narrow stairs to reach your desired destination, and then you really can’t miss it. There’s a small reception area at the far end, with the viewing area of the Earth Room just past the entrance, on your right. When you first enter the space, it feels like you are in a sauna: hot, humid, almost stifling — but, despite the obvious lack of air-conditioning, the docent on duty, Brian, who was wearing a wool sweater, told me that after being in the room for a few minutes, it actually starts to feel cold in there. I was skeptical, but he was right.
The Earth Room is a loft space that spans half a city block. There are two support columns piercing the soil to your left and you can see windows on both sides of the loft. The windows on the right face Wooster Street, and ones on the left probably face a courtyard or airshaft. There’s a small, separate room directly across from the viewing area. The dirt is restrained by a Plexiglas barrier
What does it smell like in there? It smells like the earth.
Some Statistical Background:
The New York Earth Room (1977) is the third Earth Room sculpture executed by the artist Walter De Maria (1935 – 2013), the first being in Munich, Germany in 1968. The second was installed at the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt, Germany in 1974. The first two works no longer exist.
How Much Dirt Is in This Room:
250 cubic yards of earth (197 cubic meters)
3,600 square feet of floor space (335 square meters)
22 inch depth of material (56 centimeters)
Total weight of sculpture: 280,000 lbs. (127,300 kilos)
Brian was very enthusiastic about answering all of my questions and he explained that the space was formerly a commercial gallery, where the Earth Room was created as a regular exhibit. Somehow, the gallery owner decided to donate the loft to the Dia Art Foundation so that the work could remain on long-term installation (or something like that. I am likely omitting many details). The New York Earth Room has been on long-term view to the public since 1980. This work was commissioned and is maintained by Dia Art Foundation.
The New York Earth Room is a work of art meant to be viewed, not entered. You are asked to not touch the dirt. Photography is not permitted, in accordance with wishes of the Artist.
Another interesting fact: the caretaker, Bill Dilworth, has taken care of the dirt for 28 years. The dirt is watered on a regular basis, and churned, so that the soil looks fresh.
You may not think that many people want to visit a loft apartment filled with dirt, but you would be incorrect. Brian told me that I was the 100th person to visit on that day, and most days there many more visitors. I am not fronting when I suggest that being in the Earth Room may inspire you to engage in deep contemplation of the meaning of life and the existence of all things. I am now in love this exhibit and can’t wait to visit again many times. Earth Room!
The New York Earth Room is Located at 141 Wooster Street (Between Prince and Houston), 2nd Floor, SoHo, New York City. Hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 12–6 PM (closed from 3–3:30 PM). The New York Earth Room closes for the summer on Sunday, June 17th, 2018. It will reopen on Wednesday, September 12th, 2018. The installation is also closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Admission is Free.
All Photos By Gail
If you live in a NYC apartment, then you understand that the phrase Spring Cleaning doesn’t so much refer to a yearly ritual as it does to an ongoing process. Some type of deep-cleaning in one room or another is really necessary every couple of weeks in order to combat the dirt and grime that sneaks into the home from the street. Because it really is a jungle out there. Ugh. Don’t even get me started on the Sisyphean task of keeping the dust off of every interior surface, because it’s a pain in the butt.
Continue reading Spring Cleaning in the Chickpad: New Products to Help Keep Your Home Looking Great!
All Photos By Gail
This gorgeous Pink Brownstone sits at 218 East 5th Street with Good Records and Blush Nail Lounge occupying the ground floor retail spaces. Looks like it’s for rent. I want to live there.
(This is a Guest Post By Nicole Paikoff, Licensed Real Estate Broker and Good Friend of Gail’s)
Date of Open House: Sunday October 6th from 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM
Location: 135 Clinton Avenue, Apartment #3 (Second Floor), Brooklyn NY
Listing Price: $895,000 ( Bonus – Free movers from www.shortnoticemovers.net)
Super bright and spacious, this convertible three bedroom floor-through is a real ‘home’ with room to grow. The open and airy living room sits among the treetops with the sun shining through three very large framed windows.
Looking onto the living room there is a wide renovated, windowed, open kitchen with maple cabinets, soft-close drawers, marble countertops, ceramic tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances including a dishwasher.
The master is a true ‘brownstone bedroom’ with giant framed windows as well as original moldings and details galore including a stunning decorative marble fireplace.
The second bedroom is a great size with a big window, French doors and lovely details. The room off the master also contains a window and is perfect for a home office or nursery.
Renovated and large, the bathroom has a skylight and radiant heating under the ceramic tiled flooring. This apartment has many original details throughout including stunning original pine floors, built-in shelves and excellent closet space. There is also a walk-in laundry closet with a washer and a built-in tumble dryer. Located in a 25 foot Townhouse in beautiful Clinton Hill, one of Brooklyn’s prettiest neighborhoods, this apartment is a special find. It is also one of the few homes where the monthly costs are expected to go down! The building’s underlying mortgage and home equity loan will be paid off in Spring of 2017 when the maintenance will drop to approximately $500 a month. Speaking of a loan, go to this website http://www.ideapractices.org/payday-loan-debt-consolidation if you want loan offers that have a low-interest rate. Also, their professional brokers can help you find the best lenders that will match your needs. (Wow! – Gail )
Check out the listing online at Corcoran Dot Com for more information, you might notice a charity raffle sponsored by Toronto movers, try your luck for a free move! Contacts us for directions to the open house!
Video tour provided by: http://www.invelopnow.com