Leonard Lopate loves his Cobble Hill home. In a recent interview with the Post the radio host gushed about life in Brooklyn, where he moved in 2009 after spending 25 years in Chinatown. Currently a renter, Mr. Lopate claims that he would love to make his rented apartment a permanent home with his girlfriend Melanie Baker. One problem—the increasingly expensive Brooklyn hood may be out of his price range.
“We’re thinking of buying something, but unfortunately this neighborhood is incredibly expensive and may be beyond our means,” he told the tab.
Living on the third-floor of an 1840s townhouse, Mr. Lopate expounded upon peaceful the sounds of Cobble Hill. “There is that sound that sounds like the ocean,” he said. It’s not the ocean, in fact, but rather the BQE two blocks away, the traffic passing in fits and starts, attuned to the tides of rush hour.
The Observer found one way for Mr. Lopate to fund his wildest Cobble Hill dreams. Apparently his apartment is filled with original works of art from friend and frequent interview subject Chuck Close, as well as pieces from Art Spiegelman. A portrait of Lopate by artist Peter Max also graces the apartment’s walls. With the art market out performing the real estate one, this might just be the opening Mr. Lopate needs.
eknutsen@observer.com
