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Rh Of New York Media; Recaps, Gossip, Blogs
Topic Started: Jan 17 2012, 08:51 PM (58,631 Views)
ranjake
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IcyAll
Jun 21 2014, 03:23 PM
What I've seen of Sonja's townhouse does not look rundown to me. She says the hot water doesn't work, but what is that? A faulty hot water heater? That's a less than $1,000 fix usually. SO maybe she made more of it for the show or didn't want to be bothered with the fix at that moment. All this Grey Gardens stuff is more accurately about Sonja than about her townhouse. IMO.
It seems like it needs TLC. I think it's absolutely gorgeous- but very hard to maintain. If it's an older home (like ours was) it needs even more, constant maintaining (which my Husband could do)- but it's very hard to do everything all on your own even in an tiny little house. I think I was more shocked about the hot water heater because being without hot water for 2 days last summer was so miserable- I can't imagine how they did it- and because, as you said- it's usually a fairly cheap fix.
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Finestra
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If Sonja sells her townhouse for 7 million, she would be paying 140K in property taxes in my town in northern NJ. I would rather pay for private schools. They can't cost $100k a year can they? Or maybe they do in NYC! Geez.
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weaver
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Finestra
Jun 21 2014, 03:41 PM
If Sonja sells her townhouse for 7 million, she would be paying 140K in property taxes in my town in northern NJ. I would rather pay for private schools. They can't cost $100k a year can they? Or maybe they do in NYC! Geez.
I would almost guarantee that Sonja's daughter goes to Miss Porter's like Sally in Madmen.

As we've seen from Million Dollar Listing, people spending that kind of money now don't want that kind of house. They want everything 2014, full service with concierge and doorman, etc. Now that the new apartments are so much bigger than the old ones, they can get that without the headache of maintaining a home in Manhattan with repairs and such.

My original building owner died in 2000, and his son (who lives in Bel Air) now owns the property. He does no maintenance. The problems really creep up when maintenance is neglected. We are all afraid the building will tumble some day.
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weaver
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IcyAll
Jun 21 2014, 03:23 PM
What I've seen of Sonja's townhouse does not look rundown to me. She says the hot water doesn't work, but what is that? A faulty hot water heater? That's a less than $1,000 fix usually. SO maybe she made more of it for the show or didn't want to be bothered with the fix at that moment. All this Grey Gardens stuff is more accurately about Sonja than about her townhouse. IMO.
Speaking of townhouses, Icy, I wanted to let you know that Michael Brown died. He owns a townhouse down the street. He was the one who, with his wife, supported Harper Lee while she was writing To Kill A M. I had not seen him all winter, so I guess he was confined to the house with cancer. He died about 10 days ago. There hasn't been a service yet, and we don't know if there will be one. If there is, I plan to go. I think he was around 90. His wife is still very healthy and lives in the house.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brown_(writer)
Edited by weaver, Jun 22 2014, 07:08 AM.
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cccharley
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Finestra
Jun 21 2014, 03:41 PM
If Sonja sells her townhouse for 7 million, she would be paying 140K in property taxes in my town in northern NJ. I would rather pay for private schools. They can't cost $100k a year can they? Or maybe they do in NYC! Geez.
That's what I was saying - taxes are still not crazy in NY and that's why they were raised. They were super low. Privates run from aroudn $35K-56K these days (my analysis). Parochial schools way less (less than 10K). There is FA for many of the schools running from full scholarships to some schools that give at most half. Depends on their pool of funds. The top tier schools give some kids a lot. It is incredibly competitive.
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weaver
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I was just pointing out how Sonja's salary may seem a lot, but after Fed, State, City, property taxes, water bills and oil bills, there isn't a whole lot left. Don't know how much child support old man Morgan kicks in, I'm sure he pays tuition and clothes and such. Dear Sonja's desired lifestyle comes at a nice price.
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IcyAll
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Oh, that's sad, Weaver. Blessings to his wife. I was emailing a friend about my theater days in NYC and thought to look up a friend - realizing he's old and I wondered. Found out his wife died a few years ago -- she was well known in the music publishing world -- but he seems to be still alive. I need to send him a card.

Oh, can I just say, too -- I would never want to live in a townhouse. First of all, the stairs! Second, it would feel like separate houses. I had a friend who lived on 18th Street and her townhouse/brownstone was lovely, full time maid so well looked after, redone by a professional designer … but she lived on one floor and her daughter lived on the next up and her kitchen and dining room were on the ground level with living room and library on the second … you had to tromp up and down stairs all the time! Not for me. On Million Dollar Listing Fredrik was saying townhouses go for $10million minimum, but I just don't believe it. There isn't that kind of person living in the city now, I don't think. People want bang for the buck, want the NYC lifestyle, not pretending they live in a "real house" in the country but look! right in the city … that's very retro, I think. IN fact, my friend sold that brownstone … I think she got $3.8million, but that was back in 2003 … and she moved into a gorgeous building with full services up on the Upper West Side.
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Finestra
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I know someone who just bought a townhouse on the UWS for an investment property. Probably for under 5 million. Garden apartment they are renting about. They are renting out the whole townhouse to a family. Hey I wonder if it is Aviva? Is she on the West side? I think it is only three upper stories though for some reason.
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weaver
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Frederik lies. My wonderful neighbor who died in March at 89 owned a townhouse in the next block. Her husband, a fairly well known architect had died about 8 years ago. She could not keep up with the townhouse as her health failed, so she tried to sell it for $13mil and moved in here. Of course this was three years ago when property values were not zooming. Its a double wide and six stories. She could not sell it. She rented it to an Italian UN family. Now that she is dead, I imagine her son will try to sell it, and I'm anxious to see what it will go for.

She introduced me to prosecco, and I've been hooked ever since. She was originally from Italy and never stopped having wine with her meals every night.

I too would want a full service apartment all on one floor.
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Finestra
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I guess that's why they are putting in elevators because Weaver you are right - one floor living has to appeal after a certain age. And for younger people the gym and other amenities.
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Cosmocrush
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With five stories who needs a gym? I really don't remember seeing any extra large people in NYC and I've always thought it's because they can and do walk everywhere. My dream location is to live in a town where I could ditch my car.

Quote:
 
Dear Sonja's desired lifestyle comes at a nice price.
I kind of love that she plunges her own toilets and delays all kinds of maintenance but has a private facialist that comes to her home.

weaver and Icy here's some trivia: I first heard about Michael Brown on on a documentary about Harper Lee. When I looked him up I was surprised to see that he wrote the kids books about Santa Mouse - my brother was obsessed with those as a small child.
Edited by Cosmocrush, Jun 22 2014, 04:04 PM.
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IcyAll
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I've heard of them, but never read them. Need to check them out. Thanks!

I worked for a comedian who lived in a four floor "house" on Downing Street in NYC. It had been built by an architect for his own family from an old car garage. So it had an elevator. But we never used it. Up and down the stairs all day every day. I was young then and weighed less and I agree, it's because I walked everywhere. Subway staircases were nothing to me then. Now I'd probably ride the extra stop just to get to a station with an escalator!
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weaver
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Cosmocrush
Jun 22 2014, 03:58 PM
With five stories who needs a gym? I really don't remember seeing any extra large people in NYC and I've always thought it's because they can and do walk everywhere. My dream location is to live in a town where I could ditch my car.

Quote:
 
Dear Sonja's desired lifestyle comes at a nice price.
I kind of love that she plunges her own toilets and delays all kinds of maintenance but has a private facialist that comes to her home.

weaver and Icy here's some trivia: I first heard about Michael Brown on on a documentary about Harper Lee. When I looked him up I was surprised to see that he wrote the kids books about Santa Mouse - my brother was obsessed with those as a small child.
Yes, Cosmo, he wrote those books. He was extremely talented. But what a gentleman and a wonderful person. He took interest in everyone on the block. He had a soft spoken way about him. He was always on his way somewhere or doing something interesting until two or so years ago when he became ill. Everybody loved him. He did have tragedy in his life, he and Joy lost one son to drugs. I'm going to miss seeing him on the street.
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cccharley
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Mariah
Jun 20 2014, 12:58 AM
Someone posted the "Judgmental Map of SLC" on Facebook, and I went to the site. Found this one of the Hamptons. ha.

Posted Image

http://judgmentalmaps.com/

Too big but here is what I can remember off the top of my head - missing a lot. One degree of separation from all but 1 or 2

Billy Joel- Sag Harbor
Matt Lauer - Sag but lived in another house in East - often seen in Citarella in EH town
Jimmy Buffet Noyak North Haven - big complex. Plays often in Steven's Talk house as a surprise
Jon Stewart Noyak
Steven Spielberg EH - Beach Further Lane
Ron Perelman - Georgica Pond amongst other Titans
Barry Diller EH
Elie Tahari= used to be in Amag. but now in Bridge/South but got divorced and now don't know where he is but his big flagship is still in EH town
Calvin Klein - South H on the beach - like the wasps Meadow Lane
Jerry Della Femmina East Hampton Beach
Ralph Lauren Montauk
Peter Beard Montauk
Gwynnie - Amaganset

So I personally know 2 of these people (as in they know me by name). I know one through the daughter from years ago. Who are they??? Let's play a game. I think I told you one already. I've met half of them but they don't count.

Edited by cccharley, Jun 23 2014, 03:02 PM.
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discomom
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Ah ccc.. (sigh). What a life. Still waiting for the autobiogaphy.
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