m~/k~ uo<br > ~ ~s~/Xk !dd!ss!ss<br >~H:l jo ~uo!~d~3<br > Mo:ls!H u~a!i~<br > he fact that Queens is looked down upon by<br > Manhattanites, mainly because the borough remains a<br > predominantly working class area, is good news for<br >would-be bargain hunters in the housing game. This preju-<br >dice has meant that the surprisingly quaint neighborhood<br >of Astoria has yet to be dobbered by the housing boom that<br >has hit most of Brooldyn s boroughs. Consequently, if you<br >venture out to Astoria you can still get a sizeable bang for<br >your buck.<br > Astoria has a rich history. In 1652, William Hallett, an<br >Englishman, purchased 1,500 acres of land from the<br >Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant. Though the region s<br >natives did not relish in this sale, they were coaxed by<br > t<br >beads, seven coats, four kettles, a blanket and a bit of<br >HaUett s smooth talking into a peace treaty with the<br >Englishman. By the 1830s, this small community had<br >been elevated to the status of a village and named Hallett s<br >Cove. In 1839, a local fur trader named Stephen A. Halsey,<br >who dreamt of making Hallett s Cove an affluent and<br >bustling sector, proposed that this site be called Astoria in<br >an attempt to lure the wealthy John J. Astor into investing<br >in this developing community. Astor was not impressed<br >by Hallett s sycophantic attitude and contributed nothing<br >to Astoria s development; nevertheless, the name stuck.<br > Bound by the East River in the North and the West,<br >Grand Central Parkway, the Brooklyn-Queens<br >Expressway, and LaGuardia Airport in the East, and 35th<br >Avenue and Sunnyside in the South, most of Astoria s<br >charm has to do with its proximity to Manhattan and its<br >reputation for being a safe yet sprightly neighborhood.<br >The area can boast two major claims to fame: first, the<br >penchant of Hollywood film makers for featuring this<br >friendly neighborhood and second, the fact that Astoria,<br >often referred to as "Little Athens; houses the largest con-<br >duster of low-rise tenements and<br >brick row houses. Dark-suited<br >older men retire to the benches lin-<br >ing the sidewalks, and mingle ant<br >socialize with their acquaintances.<br >Greek pastry shops and cafes<br >around 31st street and Ditmars<br >©³©¥©·<br >©§ ©§<br >©»©¥©¿<br >Boulevard beckon any passerby -- <br >with goodies, pastries and some strong<br >Greek coffee. Although you do not have to be<br >Greek (or Italian) to fit in here, it doesn t hurt since thel<br >are quite a few exclusive social clubs and many of th<br >shops are lined with alphabets foreign to the America<br >reader.<br > Astoria may be proud of its roots and cultural he1<br >itage, but it is by no means unwelcoming or xenophobi~<br >The people are always ready to lend a helping hand, an<br >once settled, one cannot help but love the community fe~<br >of Queen s little treasure.<br > "Lots of profe,,<br >sionals, amenities everywhere," but "not entirel<br >clean--it ain t the upper Westside, here, but it <br >not awful." "Starbucks is coming, a sure sign th~<br >the neighborhood is being ruined." Also, the "1<br >(Never) and R (Rarely) trains are a big reaso<br ><br >
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这本书的叙事节奏极其跳跃,读起来就像是跟着一个嗑了咖啡因、精力过剩的向导在城市里跑马拉松。它不像我之前读过的任何一本城市指南那样有着清晰的章节划分,比如“交通便利性分析”或者“学区评分”。Zany似乎完全不关心这些。他会突然从对下东区一家古董店的描述,无缝切换到对上西区一栋豪华公寓楼电梯里光影变化的哲学反思。我记得有一章,他花了整整十页纸来分析一个特定的百老汇剧院后台狭窄的化妆间,描述了不同演员留下的各种气味和残留物——这简直就是对“空间记忆”的极致挖掘。我甚至怀疑作者本人是不是个真正的地产经纪人,他写得太过于关注那些“非物质”的体验了。对于一个急需搬家的人来说,这本书的实用价值几乎为零,但对于一个热爱纽约、渴望感受城市脉搏的人来说,它提供了一种独特的、近乎迷幻的沉浸式体验。我甚至开始在自己住的地方寻找那些“Zany式”的瞬间,比如清晨阳光穿过百叶窗投下的条纹,或者邻居半夜传来的奇怪噪音,试着用他那种夸张的笔触去重新解读我的日常生活。
评分这本书的视角充满了强烈的、甚至可以说是偏执的主观色彩。它完全没有试图做到中立或全面。如果你期待看到关于金融区或新开发的世贸中心周边区域的任何信息,你恐怕会大失所望。Zany似乎对任何“太干净”、“太新”或“太商业化”的地方都抱有一种本能的排斥。他的笔触聚焦于那些正在衰败但充满生命力的社区,那些历史的包浆厚厚地覆盖在油漆剥落的门框上。他似乎在歌颂一种“反资本主义”的居住方式,或者至少是对主流中产阶级生活方式的温和嘲讽。他记录了在某个废弃仓库里搭建的临时住所的结构,详细描述了房东如何用铁丝网和旧床垫来“加固”阳台。这些细节的堆砌,不是为了教你如何效仿,而是为了让你体会到,在纽约这座钢筋水泥的丛林中,人们是如何以一种近乎野性的方式,去抢占和定义属于自己的生存空间。这是一种对“安居乐业”概念的彻底颠覆。
评分从装帧设计的角度来看,这本书也透露出一种明显的“非主流”倾向。纸张的质地粗糙,不是那种光滑的高级印刷纸,更接近于早期的平装书或者地下刊物。书中的插图——如果可以称之为插图的话——也更像是用老旧的激光打印机扫描出来的素描或者速写,线条粗犷、对比度极高,常常让人看不清细节,但情绪表达却异常强烈。我记得有一张图,据说是某个布鲁克林区屋顶的俯瞰,但看起来更像是一张烧焦的地图,充满了混乱的几何形状。这种低保真(Lo-Fi)的美学选择,似乎是作者刻意为之,与他文字中对“真实”和“未经修饰”的追求保持了一致。它拒绝了商业指南应有的那种清晰、明亮、令人感到安全的视觉体验,转而提供了一种带着颗粒感的、仿佛是偷窥来的城市侧影。阅读它,就像是透过一个布满灰尘的旧望远镜,艰难地窥视着一个逝去时代的纽约居住图景。
评分语言风格上的对比是我印象最深的一点。如果说市面上大多数指南都像是用行政公文的腔调写的,那么Zany的文字就是一场永不落幕的百老汇独角戏。他大量使用了俚语、时代性的流行词汇,甚至夹杂着一些我需要反复查阅才能理解的法语或西班牙语词汇。这使得阅读过程充满了一种探索的乐趣,但同时也增加了理解的门槛。在描述格林威治村的公寓时,他没有用“温馨”或“舒适”这种老套的词汇,而是用“一种被时间腌制过的、带着烟草和旧书霉味的幽闭感”。这种表达方式让我不断地停下来,不是因为信息量太大,而是因为我需要时间去品味他用词的精准和大胆。这本书更像是文学作品,它试图捕捉的不是“在哪里可以住”,而是“在纽约的某个角落,人是如何存在的”。它强迫读者放弃对“标准答案”的期待,转而拥抱居住环境带来的不确定性和荒诞感。
评分这本书的封面设计着实抓人眼球,那种带着点蒸汽波未来感的霓虹灯配色,在书架上一下子就能跳出来。我当时在一家独立书店里随便翻阅,被这个略显夸张的标题吸引了——“Zany’s New York City Apartment Guide 2001”。光是“Zany”这个词,就暗示着这不是那种循规蹈矩的指南。我原本以为里面会充斥着如何在高成本的曼哈顿找到一间“物美价廉”的Studio的实用建议,毕竟2001年那会儿,纽约的房地产市场还带着点世纪之交的狂热劲儿。然而,翻开内页,我立刻意识到我错了。这本书似乎更像是一本散文集,或者说,是一本关于“居住哲学”的探讨。它几乎没有提供任何中介的联系方式,也没有详尽的“租房合同注意事项”章节。相反,它用一种近乎诗意的语言,描绘了布鲁克林威廉斯堡那些废弃工厂改建的Loft里,艺术家们如何在漏水的屋顶下举办即兴爵士乐派对。作者似乎对传统的“好公寓”标准嗤之以鼻,他热衷于挖掘那些隐藏在皇后区偏远角落,或者布朗克斯那些充满历史回响的公寓楼里的“灵魂”。
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