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Uncommon Economic Indicators

The Brian Lehrer Show's online and on air collaborative project on the economy

Banks pay peanuts

Story submitted by: Jennifer Heckart

Saturday, September 12 2009

2861 Broadway New York, NY 10027

I just looked at my bank statement, and realized that I earned more money last month by picking up change off the sidewalk than I did from interest on my savings account!

WNYC hit by the downturn?

Story submitted by: Mort Harries

Friday, September 11 2009

My uncommon economic indicator:

WNYC has to use the same spot over and over and over again to promote its "uncommon economic indicators."

Times must be tough if they can't afford the time to record a new spot.

How many times do we have to hear about a 23ft ski boat filled with trash???

Surgical "Specials"

Story submitted by: Chuck

Wednesday, September 9 2009

160 Varick St. New York, NY 10013

I've tried by phone and email to get the station to withdraw their silly promo with the woman amazed to find a "special" on her husband's surgery. Even the threat to cancel my membership didn't work. Here's my Uncommon Economic Indicator-NOT: A "Special" in operating room lingo refers to those occasions when one type of procedure shows up on the schedule in an unusually high amount. Like: "It's the 10th appendectomy today, we must be having a special!" Maybe your local plastic surgeon is having a special, but your friendly neighborhood general surgeon can't give you any special on their fee for your breast or colon cancer operation-- that fee is set by your insurer. I would hope that a news organization would check the facts before spreading false ideas, and while this promo is not news, coming over and over on the air during news shows suggests it is factual- when it is not.

Empty restaurants

Story submitted by: Gaye Leslie

Wednesday, September 9 2009

I can't give an exact address, so many places do not have a building # on the door. The Classic Diner on Smith St near Bergen st in boerum Hill, Bkln, has a bright and interesting decor; It's medium-priced, VERY nice wait staff, but recently only 2 or 3 tables occupied in the main room, perhaps 1 or 2 more in the mostly glass-walled back room, no one out on the terrace. The Lisanne Restaurant on Atlantic by Nevins St completely gone. Downtown Atlantic restaurant betwn Hoyt & Bond Sts gone. The owners were my friends & neighbors when I lived in Boerum Hill, I don't know where they are now, we were all first names & I have a bad head for names anway. Even along Montague St in Bkln Hts, many restauratns are almost empty on w/ends, and have unbelievable lunch specials on weekdays. You wonder how long they can continue.
These are not "projects" that can go on a map, they are stories tho' about struggling businesses, hoping to survive through this bad time.

Closed stores

Story submitted by: Gaye Leslie

Wednesday, September 9 2009

Atlantic Ave between Nevins & Court

Part of Atlantic Ave in Dntn Bkln is known as Antique Alley. When I lived in Boerum Hill w/my own business, these store owners were my friends & neighbors. Recently, alas, I noticed several of them closed, my friends gone who know where. Tho' I cd not buy I loved to look into the stores, one or two had cats sleeping in the windows. There was a lovely restaurant furnished w/linen & silver from the QE2! I cd just now & then squeeze out the $ for Sun brnch w/my then 7-8 yr old son. Another friend is a realtor, who had an art gallery next door. The gallery is closed w/some sort of display in the window. I miss too the annual Best Window Decor competition, the displays were fabulous!

Shopping

Story submitted by: Gaye Leslie

Wednesday, September 9 2009

Fulton Mall, Downtown Bkln

In Downtown Bkln and in my part of Bed Stuy, I see plenty of mostly Caribbean Americans, some Latinos, w/large bags from Target, Footlocker, Dr. Jay's, Conways, Cookies almost every day, but much bigger on Fridays & Saturdays. Pehaps they're spending their stimulus checks & as much on the latest tech innovations for computers, Ipods, etc., as clothes, school supplies.

College students reluctant and/or unable to buy their books

Story submitted by: Gretchen Lieb

Tuesday, September 8 2009

I'm an academic librarian at an "elite" liberal arts college up the river. This year, more often than ever before, I've had students ask for help getting their textbooks from the library. Today a student said she was planning to read Angela Davis' Women, Race & Class IN the bookstore, in order to avoid paying for it. I'm going to take my own copy tomorrow and share it, of course. But this has been happening every day, and is definitely a shift both in behavior and openness about being strapped for cash.

Story submitted by: downtown

Tuesday, September 8 2009

Need an Economic Barometer? Check These Four Indicators
Some days, the economy's dips and rises rival Coney Island's Cyclone. Here are four unusual indicators of recession and revival.
http://ct.fastcompany.com/go2.shtml?MfGju4i9fu1XRa6U/bbabe3eef882f5c8/1187bbf57bfa1a44/

Unlimited Free Wine

Story submitted by: Courtney Hirsch

Tuesday, September 8 2009

Irving Place at 16th Street

Space Available

Story submitted by: Courtney Hirsch

Tuesday, September 8 2009

10th Avenue at 18th Street

Illegal Apartments

Story submitted by: Paul Ruffin

Monday, September 7 2009

I am staying at my sister's house for a while, in an upscale NYC suburb. Her neighborhood consists of large, single family homes on minimum 2 acre lots. I was surprised to learn that a majority of her neighbors have tenants and often have added separate entrances to their homes to accommodate the tenants. This is understandable considering that many homeowners here are 'empty nesters'. There are few or no children in this area, most of the tenants are childless, single or divorced adults. These rentals are illegal but seem to be common knowledge. The neighbors understand or empathize - the tenants work, are quiet and for the most part, childless. Income is provided to the homeowner and affordable housing to the tenant, but I had no idea how widespread the practice is in this particular town and neighboring towns.

Drove to Pittsburgh

Story submitted by: Jon

Sunday, September 6 2009

PA, NJ Turnpikes

with my family for a bat-mitzvah and the whole way there and back it seemed like one in two billboards on the side of the road were advertisements for advertising on billboards.

Lunch Savings

Story submitted by: Adam Watson

Tuesday, September 1 2009

130 W57th Street

I thought I was biggest cheap skate yesterday when, with great restraint, I split my $8 Thai food lunch into two $4 portions. Leaving the the leftovers in the office fridge. But the coworker who stole it takes the prize!

Out of State Plates

Story submitted by: Ron

Tuesday, September 1 2009

44th Street, Sunset Park

Walk around my block and you will find 40-50% of the cars are registered outside of New York. A recent survey - Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Rhode island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, tons from Pennsylvania (that is a recent pehnomena), Maryland - What gives?

increased student babysitter supply

Story submitted by: Rebecca Wright

Tuesday, September 1 2009

19 W. 4th St New York, NY

Every Fall, I advertise on the NYU job boards looking for a babysitter for my son. In the past, after posting my position, I typically got around 5 responses during the course of the following week or so, primarily from NYU undergraduate students. This year, I received a dozen responses in the first day, and they are still coming in. This year's responses also include more students in NYU's graduate and professional programs who already have a bachelor's degree.

My Junk Mail Has Changed

Story submitted by: Ruth Olsen

Tuesday, September 1 2009

7004 Boulevard East (26F) Guttenberg, NJ

Every morning I have my first cup of coffee and check my email, spending a few minutes deleting the spam that seeps in, no matter what preventive steps I take.

This mornig, I realized that since the tanking of the economy, my junk mail has changed drastically. When times were good, the common thread was porn: from great ways to meet 'swingin' singles' to exciting offers for viagra and other medical or physical ways to enhance me.

Now, I get almost none of these; instead I am deluged with offers to refinance my mortgage, pay down my credit cards, make bundles of money online in practically no time -- and something brand new in the last few weeks: offers for amazing savings in health care!

I guess as goes the country, so goes the spam!

Code Shred?

Story submitted by: Emily Williams

Friday, August 28 2009

Financial District

Walked past a large industrial "Code Shred" truck parked outside of the Federal Reserve building this evening. I guess everyone is in need of cheap and speedy "document shredding solutions" sometimes...

M.T. Food Store

Story submitted by: Courtney Hirsch

Thursday, August 27 2009

293 Third Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets

Avant-garde begging

Story submitted by: Christopher Caines

Thursday, August 27 2009

near 14th Street and Fifth Avenue on the Village/Chelsea border

Three recent sitings, all near 14th Street and Fifth Avenue on the Village/Chelsea border, of imaginative recession-era humor-driven begging strategies:

A young guy, hiphop-stylin', on the move, with a sign on his chest reading: "Keeping it real: Need money for weed" and a small pizza box with a slot in it, with "Donations" written on top attached to the sign.

A sad-looking heavyset woman sitting on a fire hydrant holding up a crude corrugated-cardboard sign that says: "Tired of prostitution. Need money. Please help."

A trustafarian Indie rock type—many tattoos and piercings, scruffy, bearded, Williamsburgian—sitting on the sidewalk holding up another crude corrugated-cardboard sign, this one reading: "Need money for beer. Had to be honest. Please help."

Every New Yorker needs to devise a triage system for beggars. Mine is, I always give money to street musicians (unless their music is unbearably bad, which is rare) and people missing a limb or limbs. So I didn't "donate" to any of these three. But I appreciate their efforts.

parking-lot-office

Story submitted by: kevin

Wednesday, August 26 2009

12th street, 2nd avenue brooklyn, ny

a few weeks ago, i was walking across the parking lot of a home do-it-yourself building supply store. it was raining, and there was a guy who looked like a contractor sitting cross-legged in the back of his parked pickup truck, with the truck bed cover raised over him -- cell-phone in one hand, notebook in the other -- making his calls. i commented, "nice office!" he said "yeah, well it keeps me dry...."