Speaking of North Ave. the crossing from the Metro North platform across North is an absolute joke as well.  There is no crosswalk, no yield to pedestrian signs, no police ever helping people cross and many people stranded in the middle of North trying to cross as cars dart down the street with no regard at all for pedestrians.  Again, the right turning traffic from Huguenot to North is a huge issue.  Since they installed the no turn on red sign drivers treat this as a racing turn to beat the red light with absolutely no regard for pedestrians.

Not only could the City make a mint ticketing reckless drivers on that corner one afternoon a week, but they could actually prevent a future death by making drivers more aware of pedestrians.  I do think that New Rochelle is negligent on enforcing these laws, especially on this corner, and lets hope that it does not become criminally negligent if someone is killed crossing that corner.

Even in front of my building on Memorial Highway I have seen cars actually speed up when pedestrians are crossing to catch the green light across Huguenot.  NRPD could be helping to save lives by ticketing reckless drivers on this street but instead they park their cars to block traffic on Memorial and the entrance ramp onto 95 rather than working.  NRPD seems to be unaware of the fact that there are automated signs for this purpose. Though I am aware of state laws that require some police presence it seems very stupid to waste police resources on blocking traffic when they could be helping to promote a safer community and potentially saving lives.

It seems to be a zero priority for the New Rochelle Police Department to enforce pedestrian access laws but I do hope that this can be changed before someone is killed crossing North Ave.,

Time after time the small business owners I speak with are disappointed with downtown New Rochelle.  Dentists, real estate brokers, hair shops, coffee shop’s, restaurant owners, bar owners and others are asking the same question, “Where’s the traffic?”  The small businesses that seem to be succeeding are the old-line stores like Mexican restaurants, dollar stores and Merry Go Round.  But newer ventures are having a very tough time getting traffic.  Of course New Rochelle has it’s share of very successful businesses such as Cross Cultural Solutions, Tempranillo Inc., Sidney Frank Importing, Steiner Sports and others, but these successful companies don’t rely on the foot traffic economy.

The Trump building which was supposed to have heralded in a new era for New Ro remains largely empty. The view I have from my office confirms that more than 75% of the 30 or so apartments I can see are vacant and the pool is mostly empty.  At night the building looks like a lighthouse, tall and dark,  with a few lights guiding people here.   The doormen stand mostly idle and it has turned from a hot buy to rent to own.   The rumored stores like Wholefoods never materialize and cavernous empty retail caves echo with unfulfilled promises.

The Avalon communities are a different story, nearly filled to capacity and breathing life into downtown. But it is not enough.  Most of the people in the Avalon are college students or city workers, neither of which venture too far off the block to find interesting things in New Ro.  My incredibly informal survey shows that many venture to White Plains, the City or neighboring towns to shop, though it is far from universal

Habitat for Humanity is working very hard to breathe some life into downtown with street music from local high school students, street sales and a trolley.  A new upscale food market on Main may give more reasons to shop in New  Rochelle and slowly some of the poorly run dollar stores are turning over.  The farmer’s market limped back to South Division, though it is down from more than 4 vendors to about 2 this year. In spite of these small signs of life,  the impression remains that big redevelopment projects such as the Church and Prospect Street parking lot redevelopments, the second Capelli high rise, New Roc City redevelopment and the ‘New Street’ project all seem to be off track or off the table.

I’m sure that New Rochelle will deliver on it’s promise as it has done for nearly 100 generations but for now it seems locked in a cycle of perpetual promise that never quite delivers. Certainly it is not failure though as the base of New Rochelle is far beyond the events of the last five years and there is a lot of good to check out.  Maybe New Rochelle is just a reflection of the general malaise of the economy, but regardless, I can guarantee that for those that venture off the block and make it down here you won’t be dissappointed with what you will find here if you keep your eyes open.

The Avalon, and White Plains, Scarsdale and most of lower Westcheseter seems deserted and I’m sure the crap weather is further dampering the festivities.   I grew up in the DC area and this is nothing like I remember, especially the old ’smoke-in’s at Lafayette Square, but that’s a different story.

Enjoy yourself!

Matha grocery is in the same building as Shirley’s and is a nice Indian grocery with  a quiet owner.  There are great dishes to keep in the freezer and all sorts of incense, spices, etc.

Two small places to check out, but definitely part of the bigger picture of the fascinating locale of downtown New Ro.

On an impulse I increased my cost of living by $1000 a month for a 2BR in the Avalon Sound East.  I was foolish and didn’t shop around at all, but after moving in and reading all kinds of whine and complaints on the Internet, I can say that except for the voluntary rent increase that I signed up for the place is nice.   I have not experienced any of the things that were mentioned on other sites such as slow elevators, loud pipes, crap service, rude employees and shoddy construction.

Elevators seem to be fast whenever I need them, apartment is in good shape, all of the minor issues I have called maintenance for were fixed in hours, staff has been friendly and easy to deal with and there is a nice youthful feel to the building.  It’s a pretty attractive crowd and very diverse - students, divorcees, rich couples living through renovations, singles, young couples, young families - it’s a nice mix.

I see where people are coming from when the speak about cheap feeling construction, but I don’t think you will find a ton better anywhere else now-a-days.  I don’t hear any neighbor noise, all of the appliances work, the flooring is nice and with the exception of no overhead light fixtures in the bedrooms I see no issues as a layman.

New Rochelle feels a lot different coming from the Avalon to Main St. then it does from Prospect to Main, but for anyone considering moving to the Avalon, as long as you sign your name to the rent, I don’t see any major issues that should drive you away.  If you want tight security you may be better off in other locations, but if you are looking for a nice building with interesting, young people, a pool and a clean environment the Avalon is for you.  Regarding parking, I don’t use their garage because I park 1 block away in the Church St. lot for 6 months for what they charge for 1 month.

In any case in a stupor of boredom and happenstance I stumbled onto this article that shows how much incredible history is everywhere in downtown New Rochelle, including the old yacht club.

2) Hudson park actually has people who aren’t fishing in the parking lot.

3) New ads about movies at the New Rochelle Library.

4) Memorial Day parade came and passed.

5) Glenn Island park is getting packed and the beach is open.

6) Sidewalk sales came and went.

7) Five Island Park has more than zero people walking around.

I think that there is an attempt to clean the fields of goose poop at some parks.