By Kim Velsey 1/21 5:46pm

Things that give us hope

Artists still live here!

Artists Still Live In John Cale’s Old Ludlow Street Apartment

Luxury lofts and a gourmet deli now occupy the former home of Max’s Kansas City and Warhol’s Factory in the Decker Building has been replaced by a Puma Store and yet more luxury apartments. But here’s some news that’s not completely disheartening: John Cale’s old apartment on Ludlow Street is occupied by artists, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Velvet Underground co-founder fled the Lower East Side and New York City long ago (he now lives in L.A.), but we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief that the cultural geography of the city has not been completely eroded by wealth. Read More

By Kim Velsey 10/05/12 3:20pm

Red Carpet Real Estate

Maybe the house in Hastings-on-Hudson was inspiration for Mr. Shatner's lyrical masterpiece "I can't get behind that?"

In the First Issue of The Journal’s Mansion Section, William Shatner Reminisces on His Old House

Finally, a celebrity house that doesn’t fill us with feelings of longing and sadness! And it’s written about in The Wall Street Journal, that organ of the upper classes. What gives?

No, this is not a new turn for the paper that brought you that video segment on whether or not rich people should buy yachts. Nor is a paean to Bloomberg’s plan to bring micro apartments to Manhattan. It’s William Shatner, remembering fondly the shithole he lived in back in the late 1950s. Read More