Next time you’re passing through Chinatown, take a look at some of the business signs on buildings and you’ll notice that most have a phone number posted, many with two or even three. Not that unusual in New York, and I never gave it a second thought until a few years ago, when I was…
Last fall, I was scouting Westchester for period upscale homes when I happened to find a gem, located far back from the road on an enormous plot of land. I try not to get my hopes up for this type of thing – for a property of this sort, most of the time, the owners…
In 1958, 57 notable jazz musicians gathered for a legendary photograph entitled A Great Day in Harlem on the steps of an unassuming brownstone at 17 East 126th Street. The building hasn’t changed much since then, and of the hundreds of correct responses, I was thrilled to see how many went the distance and either…
I’ve been scouting swimming pools at country clubs in the New York area recently, and I’m pretty amazed at how graphic the Pool Rules signs can be. Like this one, spotted at a country club with a $30K initiation fee and $30k/year membership dues: “Discharge of fecal matter” – are you kidding me?? I know…
Just a reminder – July 4th at 11:59p EST is the deadline for entering the Scouting NY/The Jazz Session contest to win $100 to The Jazz Standard, one of the best jazz rooms in New York City! So if you’ve been thinking about entering, now’s the time to do it! How to enter? In 1958,…
It’s been a while since I last scouted in Jersey, but this past Friday, I found myself searching the Morristown area for a country road. I happened to turn down a residential street… …passing a handful of your typical upper class houses that can be found pretty much anywhere: Nothing particularly of note here… And…
I was driving down 110th Street the other day when I noticed an unusual truck up ahead…
This property was demolished in April 2013. Growing up in Massachusetts, there was never any shortage of ghost houses: crumbling, hundred year-old derelicts that would fuel many a sleepover double-dog-dare (“I double dog dare to you to knock on the door!” “No way!” “Wuss!”). One of my favorites was just a few blocks from my…
Sorry if it’s been a little quiet this week, I’m in the midst of a big apartment move. Ha, while I was cleaning out some old college boxes, I found this card that someone gave me the first night I was in New York. I was 18 and still scared to be out in the…
Scouting NY and The Jazz Session have teamed up to bring you a contest with a really fantastic prize: a $100 gift certificate to The Jazz Standard in New York City! Not only is the Jazz Standard one of the best jazz rooms in New York, they also serve up some great barbecue from The…