Touring The Heights Houses

This weekend was the annual Brooklyn Heights Association House tour. We took the opportunity to wander through the various multi-million dollar town and carriage houses. Two noteworthy sites were the house pictured above that is heavily featured in the new Coen Bros./Clooney joint, Burn After Reading. The other was the Bossart Hotel, shown in the thumbnail shots. It was once the "Waldorf of Brooklyn," but is now a residence for Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm not sure what that means, but it must include lots of dough, because the Italian palace facade of the lobby was well restored.

4 out of the 5 houses had marble-topped wine bars. Most had children's room. My favorite was a brownstone on Grace Court. The mlw loved a restored carriage house in an alley. That one had the only turntable I saw, complete with an original pressing 'London Calling' on it.

Like last year, the volunteers were courteous and friendly. Also like last year, there was a bit of snarky gawking on the part of the people on the tour. A few times somebody would guffaw, "Not how I would decorate!" Money doesn't buy happiness or taste. Not having money increases a need to point out that fact. I wanted to retort to that person, "It doesn't matter how you would decorate, you are poor and on a house tour," but the wife pinched me.

Links:

This weekend was the annual Brooklyn Heights Association House tour. We took the opportunity to wander through the various multi-million dollar town and carriage houses. Two noteworthy sites were the house pictured above that is heavily featured in the new Coen Bros./Clooney joint, Burn After Reading. The other was the Bossart Hotel, shown in the thumbnail shots. It was once the "Waldorf of Brooklyn," but is now a residence for Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm not sure what that means, but it must include lots of dough, because the Italian palace facade of the lobby was well restored.

4 out of the 5 houses had marble-topped wine bars. Most had children's room. My favorite was a brownstone on Grace Court. The mlw loved a restored carriage house in an alley. That one had the only turntable I saw, complete with an original pressing 'London Calling' on it.

Like last year, the volunteers were courteous and friendly. Also like last year, there was a bit of snarky gawking on the part of the people on the tour. A few times somebody would guffaw, "Not how I would decorate!" Money doesn't buy happiness or taste. Not having money increases a need to point out that fact. I wanted to retort to that person, "It doesn't matter how you would decorate, you are poor and on a house tour," but the wife pinched me.

Links: