The Bay Ridge Digest Podcast - EP019: Easy Living

Out now on all podcasting platforms, The Bay Ridge Digest Podcast episode 19. Summer rolls on as we highlight local businesses from then and now. 

Featured in this episode are these segments: 

• News from Fort Hamilton and Bay Ridge in the post-World War II world

• The benefits of acupuncture with Dr. Mary Elizabeth Micari (@acupuncturemaryelizabethmicari) 

• Jess from The Bookmark Shoppe (@thebookmarkshoppe) with some hyper-local reads

• Ness from July of 1956 at Mitchell’s Drive-In

• Hyper-local home owning with Rob Burnett (@burnie_re) and Luisa Zapata (@luisa_inbayridge) of Revived Residential

• Bay Ridge coffee with Ron Kavral of Latte Da Cafe (@lattedacafes)

• Hot summer jokes with Freddie Friday (@freddiefridaystoryfuntime) with a PSA for the Itty Bitty Kitty Bay Ridge Cat Rescue (@ittybittykittynybayridge)

• News from July of 1966 on the Verrazzano Bridge

• Looking ahead to the harvest season and local old homes

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For more info on how to submit a story lead, please go to BayRidgeDigest.com. You can also get in touch by emailing BayRidgeDigest@gmail.com.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_18 0:03

You have all kinds of people here. It's everybody you can imagine from everywhere and just all coexisting, which sounds like any place in the world, but it's not. I think it's very special that we have that, and you still have that sense of small town. I know the mailman, I know the guy in the fish store, Anthony's at the butcher. Like, it is a small community for me. Because in these places you have the relationships, and it does feel like a small town that's still a wrap, despite how large we are. It's worth calling that out. You may not have that in other places. I think Park Slope is more transient. Bay Ridge, you still have roots and you have newer people coming in, old time waves. That's very special and it's a wonderful thing.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Welcome to the Bay Ridge Digest Podcast, episode 19. My name is James Scully. Tonight, summer rolls on as we highlight local businesses from then and now. Subscribe to the Bay Ridge Digest Podcast everywhere you get a podcast. For more info on how to submit a story lead, please go to BayridgeDigest.com. You can also get in touch by emailing BayridgeDigest at gmail.com. And follow on Instagram at Bay Ridge Digest. Have you subscribed to the Bayridge Digest Monday morning roundup email yet? If not, what are you waiting for? It's free. Subscribe at BayridgeDigest.com, and every Sunday night, you're going to receive my weekly email of important news and events happening in the Bay Ridge area. Know of some important things going on? Send them to me. My goal is to make this the most jam-packed Bay Ridge email out there. You can submit things to me in the forms at BayridgeDigest.com. And though you're like me and you're ready for fall in the spooky season, I'll be leading at least eight Halloween walking tours around Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst this October. For ticks and more info, please go to BayridgeDigest.com and click the tours and events tab at the top. Or follow at Bayridge Digest on Instagram and click the link tree slash the wall breakers in my bio. Sunday, July 21st, 1946. It's about 1.15 in the afternoon. I'm a reporter with the Brooklyn Eagle. It's my job to go around taking the temperature of how people feel about post-war life.

SPEAKER_09 3:04

The wind brings it from the Capitol.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

We're in the midst of what's supposed to be four consecutive days of torrential rain. So I'm at Kelly's Tavern at 9259 Fourth Avenue for an afternoon bite and beer. The bartender John has the radio tuned to ABC.

SPEAKER_09 3:24

The compromise legislation provides for a three-member B-Control board, which could determine whether to lift controls on individual items after controls are restored on August 20th. What it amounts to is this three-member B-Control board will be empowered to overrule OPA. In fact, OPA won't amount to much except for its authority over rent. The legislation now goes back to the Senate and House for their approval, then to the White House. Although President Truman doesn't like the bill, it seems to be about all he's going to be able to squeeze out of Congress, and he's expected to sign the measure with reluctance.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

The transition back to peacetime hasn't been an easy one. The U.S. has emerged as one of the world's leaders. Now we're expected to have the largest hand in rebuilding Europe. But our war debt is more than $240 billion. The war has created fundamental changes in society. While men of all races and creeds were overseas spilling the same colored blood. Women mobilized and took charge of the workforce. Most veterans have collected enough points for an honorable discharge, but they've returned home with different ideals. Many struggle to sleep at night. Although more than five million babies have been born in the last 18 months, with several million more expected. Women don't want to just go back to being homemakers. Fort Hamilton has been one of the East Coast's primary centers for processing returning troops. Local families gather near the base daily to welcome home neighbors and relatives, turning the neighborhood into a central hub for post-war family reunions. These veterans have come home to a housing and food shortage. Today Congress is arguing over the reinstating of the Office of Price Administration. It was established in 1941 to help keep inflation down with the country at war. Congress allowed its powers to lapse on June 30th. Prices on nearly everything have skyrocketed in the last month. Here in Bay Ridge, people are fuming, just as Robert Moses is renewing talk of a bridge connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island. Homes would have to be torn down. And people are skeptical, since there isn't enough housing to begin with.

SPEAKER_09 5:57

That wasn't the general story. Average prices tell that. And at the end of this week, most stairs were bringing $19 to $23 and a half. At the weekending June 29th, the average cost was $17.45.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

More than five million have struck for better wages and benefits. It's debilitated key sectors of the economy and stifled production. Consumer goods in high demand have been slow to market. It's frustrating Americans who desperately want to buy items forsaken during the war. President Truman is seemingly at odds with Congress over every domestic policy. And his approval rating is plummeting. People are longing for the days of FDR. And a Republican wave might sweep through Congress during this fall's midterm elections. With this much rain, the only thing to do is listen to the radio, and I guess write my story.

SPEAKER_17 7:20

My patients find me. And when my patients find me, they have things I have. Or my son might have. They may come with a disease I have. Which I have. Somebody with rheumatoid arthritis. So what your patients are saying is stuff that you've had experience and that you know what to do or I've already gone through in my life. It's just like they're my people. I understand what they're going through. That seems to be what's coming in the door. That's fine with me. So I would say anybody who's like anything from the digestive problems to insomnia to anxiety. I've had people with panic attacks, high blood pressure, pain in general. Post-surgical, I'm getting a lot. I've gotten a few of those. I've had people with hermeated discs, frozen shoulder. Today I treated anxiety, severe anxiety, grief. I think what would be best if people wanted to find out about what I do is to write to me or call me and I can tell them because it's much easier.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

This is Dr. Mary Elizabeth Macari.

SPEAKER_17 8:23

Hi, I am Mary Elizabeth Macari. I am a doctor of acupuncture. I am now resident in the Green Spa at 8804 Third Avenue.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

For those who don't know, what is acupuncture?

SPEAKER_17 8:37

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese art, at least 3,000, if not more years old, but it comes from other places too. We're pretty sure the Egyptians had some needles. You insert needles into the body, which are very thin, thinner than a cat's whisker, and you use them in certain places on the body that are called points, and those points move energy. People call it qi. Chi is more than energy, but you can say it's energy, and that helps smooth stuck energy or stagnation or whatever's in your body, or move energy to the proper places to heal what needs to be healed. That's pretty much what acupuncture does. It also calms, it can do emotional stuff as well. You feel a little, maybe sometimes a prick, but most of the times if your acupuncturist is right, you won't feel anything, most likely. And then you feel several things. You could feel a shock, which means that maybe we grazed a nerve, but it goes away quickly. Or you feel something we call dachi, where the chi arrives. You can feel pressure or an achy feeling, not like a bruise, but just sort of like something's laying on you, and it gets a little tiring sometimes. Like it's literally pushing down into your body. And that's pretty much what people feel. What they will feel when they get off the table is another whole story.

SPEAKER_22 9:54

And wishes what?

SPEAKER_17 9:56

Sometimes extremely, extremely relaxed. I had somebody I treated the other day was very tense and had left and said they wept for hours because they finally got it out. Yeah. Stocking them. Exactly. Or the pain that they had is less. Or we have like, you know, I couldn't believe how much I used the bathroom, you know, stuff like all that, of course. Yeah, of course. Stuff like that, or I could eat again, or you know, I feel pain in my ankle is gone. Or I could sleep through the night. But generally, when they first get up, sometimes people are a little dizzy because they're tired or they haven't eaten, but it goes away in seconds, and then they're fine. How much more aware are people of acupuncture today than they were, say, on December 31st, 1999? Oh, I think a lot more. I think a lot more. I had a neighbor, he's a funny guy. He lives on my block. He says he doesn't want to see an acupuncturist unless it looks like, you know, some kind of interesting Asian in his mind, you know, back in the 1800s. Some people think that way or did think that way, or it's just frightening to people. It was just frightening. It's become much more mainstream because you have people like Gwyneth Poutrow, of all people, plus a lot of stars. Robert Downey Jr. uses it all the time. And he actually used it to break his addiction to heroin. So that's out there in Hollywood, and they talk about it. So it becomes more normal for people to say, okay, I'll try it. And there's been many, many, many more studies. There is lots of scientific studies, and I can give you all you want, proving different, like especially for pain care. And especially since the problem with these drugs that caused addiction and death that so many people were just taking because they had backaches, they now want to get away from opioids. Acupuncture does help pain, and many insurance companies are now starting to cover it, and doctors are recommending it. So it's starting to become like chiropractic was. When we were talking about when we were younger, that was like spooky too. You're cracking my neck? What is that?

SPEAKER_22 11:54

So, what are the certifications and expert level things that you I'm a doctor of acupuncture.

SPEAKER_17 12:00

I have a doctorate in acupuncture and integrative health. So I work with Western and Eastern medicine. In that sense, I'm also an Eastern herbalist because that's part of being a Chinese medicine practitioner. I am a Western herbalist, certified in Green Medicine, and I'm also a certified Reiki master, and I am also a certified sound healer.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

How did Mary's journey begin?

SPEAKER_17 12:25

My day job was working in veterinary hospitals. Working in veterinary hospitals for many years. I was a practice manager for many of them. First here at the Brooklyn Veterinary Group when it first started, and when they expanded their space, I was working with Dr. Mealy specifically at that time, and then I moved to different places in Manhattan. I say this because there was a bookstore across the street from where I was doing my work. They had herbal books, and I was very interested always in plants. Come from an Italian-American family. They're always planting something, they always like their plants. So I was always involved in that. And so when I started, I got my first book about 1996, just on herbal medicine. I never looked back. Plus, I started to work a lot with spirituality. It wasn't what I grew up with. It was a different kind of spirituality, a more nature-based spirituality. So that was based in the herb and the whole earth movement and the moon and all this kind of woo-woo. And so one thing led to another. But the first was the herbs, and for a very long time, and I ended up doing work with aromatherapy also, which is herbs. Then I also ended up making my own stuff, selling my own things. I had something called the magic apothecary, where I made soaps and lotions and baths and like a lot of similar things to this product line in here. And that was for a long time and sustained me somewhat too as a secondary day job. And I had some healing work I did and started to do more and more herb, which led to other things.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Mary is skilled in both Reiki and herbalism.

SPEAKER_17 14:00

This is a place called the New York Open Center, and I studied with somebody named Pika Trinkle, and she ran a thing called the Green Medicine Whole Foundational thing. I went deeply then into herbs, became an apprentice of hers and studied with her over a year. Also in New Jersey, used to dig up our own herbs, make our own medicine. And because I was at the open center, suddenly, hmm, Reiki. Let me try that. And then I took that with a very great course with somebody named Joanna Crespo. It was a year-long Reiki, not like on a weekend. It was long. And it incorporated herbalism and movement and family dynamics and all this stuff. And then sound healing. So that was the last of those ones. They had a thing called the Sound and Music Institute in the same place. And that was another year-long study with these great, amazing healers. Every month you'd go for like four days and stay. And every single time it was a different type of healer. Sometimes it was percussion, sometimes it was, you know, chanting, sometimes it was harps or whatever you could use, piano, anything. And so that all started blending. And all of that blended into my voice teaching. All of it. From there, I opened a little studio here in Bay Ridge called the M Center, 83rd or 5th. So all of that was going on. I was teaching kids, I was teaching adults, I was teaching astrology, which I've also studied. I was teaching Reiki. I was doing Reiki circles. 17, 18, 19. 2017. Yeah. So okay, so not that long ago. Yeah, not that long ago.

SPEAKER_22 15:39

At the studio at the time when you had your what's your clientele?

SPEAKER_17 15:44

Like what kinds of people it was a combination. It was kids learning guitar. Because my son was teaching guitar. It was adults learning to sing, kids learning to sing, and it was people coming in to take psychic nights. We'd do tarot reading. That's something I've done since I'm a kid, because of my grandmother who was from Italy. You know, that whole Strega grandma thing. So I learned that when I was young, I did that. We did astrology classes, and those were mostly adults. My own products were sold there and made there. So it was like I sort of tried to I had an idea that I could do it in I need the green spa is what I need. But it was like I can do it in one space.

SPEAKER_22 16:24

What is the difference between a Western and an Eastern herbalist?

SPEAKER_17 16:28

Not so much as you'd think. It's all plants. Chinese have been doing this for 3,000 years. Not that our people in Europe weren't also, but they were, and they and also in the Middle East. But Chinese developed a whole system of what herb does what specific thing based on what part of your body it goes to and what temperature and taste, all that stuff. And then they blend things into formulas based on sort of a mathematical equation. Western herbalism is more what they call simple. Pick one and you work with it. You don't necessarily mix. So if I'm very anxious, I might pick something like, I don't know, lemon balm, which is a good thing to think about. It's very easy to take. So I try that first. If that doesn't work, I try another one. Chinese medicine's like, nah. Here's how we've been doing it for 3,000 years. Do it that way. It's harder to learn because it's all of this mixtures and whichever works with this one. And there you have other things like I do bachflower remedies and also homeopathy, which is sort of herbal, also. That's our Western tradition. Some are German, some are British. And those things all are a little more easy to assess, and especially for Americans. They're like, oh, I can see what that is. I know uh tea. Chinese medicine is a little harder for people to understand.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

So how did Mary meet Sheila and Maureen, the green spa?

SPEAKER_17 17:49

I already had come for massage for Christmas presents.

SPEAKER_22 17:53

As a customer.

SPEAKER_17 17:54

Yeah, I knew about them. And I wrote to Sheila just before I got my license, and I said, I want to work in your space while you rent me a space. In uh March? We had a meeting.

SPEAKER_22 18:05

Of this year.

SPEAKER_17 18:06

Yeah. And then I started in May.

SPEAKER_02 18:11

How can people book time with Mary?

SPEAKER_17 18:15

The website where they can get the also about things about me, and the booking link is there, is M Center. M, just the M center, acupuncture and wellness.com. And on that site, there's a big button that says book here if you want to, and you can just do that. And I have an app that just gives me your information, and then you fill out papers and we go.

SPEAKER_22 18:36

Okay, so but just to make something clear for myself, which people could just come in for a consultation with you and I'll make it like you would with your chiropractor. Like I'm gonna in in my mind as the patient, I'll make it every other week appointment.

SPEAKER_17 18:47

Absolutely. Right. Absolutely. And I can recommend more or less, depending on what you need. Sometimes you need more, you know, sometimes it's okay to do every other week or something. It depends on what's going on. But yes, once is fine. First consultation is usually an hour and a half, and we go into really deep detail about your health. Then we know what you want to do from there. And it's always a we. It's not a me tell you what to do. With acupuncture, with all the things I do, it's you are healing yourself. I'm just sort of with you in the water.

SPEAKER_22 19:14

You're the guy.

SPEAKER_17 19:16

Exactly the Sherpa.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

We'll be back with Dr. Mary Elizabeth MacCari on the next episode of the Bay Ridge Digest podcast, talking about growing up in Bensonhurst, her background in theater, and more.

SPEAKER_14 19:45

This is Jess from the Bookmark Shop, your local Bay Ridge bookstore. We're located at 8415 Third Avenue. So we are open from 10 to 8 every day, and I have a few book recommendations for you. One is Bay Ridge Etc. by Ted General, Jack Latour, and Peter Scarpa. They're from the Bay Ridge Historical Society. Also got Old Bay Ridge in Ovington Village: A History by Matthew Scarpa. And then this one is slightly less local, but still pretty local. Haunted Staten Island by Mariana Biazzo Rendazzo. Perfect if you are already waiting for Halloween. We're on Instagram at the Bookmark Shop. T-H-E-B-O-O-K-M-A-R-K-S-H-O-P-P-E. We are also on Facebook, but I'm not gonna lie, everything you see on Instagram is on Facebook as well. We also have a newsletter that you can sign up for. Just scroll to the bottom of our website. And we have a lot of events coming up, so keep an eye out for those. You can also see those on our social media and on the homepage of the website. Alright, that's it for me.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

Hi, Johnny. Say, didn't you tell me one time that you're quite a nut about fishing? Who's that? Pat McCracken at Universal Justin Bureau.

SPEAKER_13 21:36

Dog on it, you know you spiked my plans for a fishing trip just a few weeks ago. Oh yeah. All right. What's on your mind?

SPEAKER_03 21:43

Big fish, real big fish. You ever hear of Douglas R. Landfair?

SPEAKER_13 21:46

Uh millionaire Playboy, Sportsman Yacht. Well, didn't I read somewhere that you're Monday? Johnny at the bottom of the deep blue sea.

SPEAKER_02 21:54

July 30th, 1956, at about 9 15 at night.

SPEAKER_13 21:58

An expense account based on that? Will be a pleasure.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

We're at Mitchell's Drive-In at 6501 86th Street near the corner of 7th Avenue.

unknown 22:07

Tonight and everyone.

SPEAKER_02 22:09

But Mitchell is for Mitchell Mossel in the 929-83rd Street. He's not only the owner of this drive-in, but he's heavily involved in charitable organizations, little league baseball, and other community activities. And his drive-in here is famous for its cheeseburgers.

SPEAKER_13 22:33

From Special Investigator Johnny Dollar to Universal Adjustment Bureau, Hartford, Connecticut. Following us in accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Sea Legs matter.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

And uh, there are the roller skating waitresses that bring you your food. It's a rockin' concept for these 1950s. TV's growth has been unprecedented. In just six years, it's gone from novelty to household staple. But radio broadcasting has reached mass distribution. Nearly every home in America has one. Radio's leading network? It's CBS. Their president Adrian Murphy recently claimed listening was growing again. TV's made the media more dynamic. News, music, and sports are beginning to dominate the dial. They're the cheapest forms of content to produce. Car radios have become standard, and transistors are growing in popularity. Richard M. Mole in the Journal of Broadcasting has speculated that the days of families listening together in the parlor are over.

SPEAKER_11 23:44

$85,000. Total loss happened in a spot where not one bit of the wreck could be salvaged. Where'd you learn that? Local authorities in the small Nicaraguan seaport, and Mrs. Lanfair, she was with him on that trip. But she wasn't with him on this one. Aboard the seaport.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

I spent a lot of time in my car listening to all kinds of programs. And dramatic radio is still my favorite. I'm tuned at the WCBS on 880 AM. Yours truly Johnny Dollar is on the air. Dollar is the man with the action-packed expense account. He's a freelance insurance investigator.

SPEAKER_13 24:17

Item two, 2120, fair and miscellaneous to Kutchong Long Island. Item three, a buck even for a taxi from the little station to the Lanfair estate.

SPEAKER_05 24:27

Estate, did you call it, Mister?

SPEAKER_13 24:29

Well, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_05 24:30

Well, it used to be. Before the Lanfier sold off a lot of it. That's okay. Yeah, I guess there wasn't nothing else we could do to keep up with that high way of living. Keep talking, fella. Well, the old man, Lanfier's father-in-law. He had plenty, I guess. But after he died, all the kids seemed to do was spend it. You know what I mean? Fancy yachts, let's polo playing, Florida in the winter, Maine in the summer, all that sort of thing. Oh, there's a place now. Right up ahead there on the right. I looked.

SPEAKER_13 25:03

And what I saw apparently bore out what the taxi driver had said. A big stone wall surrounded what had evidently been the original rather vast property belonging to the estate. Square in the middle of it sat what was probably once called a mansion. But small new modern homes were crowding in on the old house.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

If Robert Moses gets his way, this stretch of land along 7th Avenue will be heavily altered. He's determined to build a bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn, with Bay Ridge as its main artery. Several hundred homes will be torn down from a giant trench dug where 7th Avenue is to make way for the bridge approach.

SPEAKER_04 25:40

Won't you come in, please? Right in here, Mr. Dollar. And do pardon the looks of the place. I'm afraid I've neglected.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

People who fish off the pier in the belt parkway are worried about what the construction of the bridge will do to their ability to catch anything from striped bass, bluefish, porgies, and fluke. But since you've already filed claims on the bottom of the state of the case, this week's edition of the Bay Ridge Home Reporter published a letter from Democrat State Senator John F. Fury, who admonished the same Bay Ridge Committee and their leader J. Gerald Shea for endorsing both Democrat and Republican politicians who support the stance of altering the bridge's intended course. Fury feels only one side of the aisle should be courted. And naturally to him should be the Democrats. Now enjoy this teacher for Burning Gotham. What's Burning Gotham? It's an historically accurate audio fiction soap opera set in 1835 in New York City. I created, produced, directed, and co-wrote it. The first eight episodes are out anywhere you get a podcast over at Burning Gotham.com. Episodes are ten to fifteen minutes in length. Burning Gotham made the 2022 Drebecca Film Festival as an audio selection. Right now, experience New York City like you've never before.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

The speculation is out of control. The whole economy is going to come for you make the right deal.

SPEAKER_16 27:52

Memories are short in New York.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

If you don't make a fortune, someone else will.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

I know you've been bringing rosemary into port illegally. I have eyes and ears and noses and tongues everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Or fall to greed.

SPEAKER_00 28:07

If I was caught with diamonds at any time, any time, my sister and I would have been gang raped and murdered. I do this for you. Look at what we got here, bricked up.

SPEAKER_16 28:17

Looks like we're caught as a dandy and a whore all alone on South Street with nowhere to hide. Ain't that right, boys?

SPEAKER_02 28:25

But whatever you choose, there's the choice. You just always make the same choice. The one for yourself. Just make sure you get out in time.

SPEAKER_21 28:38

Lord, have mercy on us all.

SPEAKER_02 28:41

Out now on your favorite podcast app. Burning Gotham, the 2022 Tribeca Select Guardios Soap Opera. About the fastest growing city in the world and the opportunists who shaped it. To find out more, go to Burning Gotham.com.

SPEAKER_08 29:17

I mean, I feel like we almost run our relationship like a business.

SPEAKER_19 29:19

Like everything is numbers.

SPEAKER_15 29:21

We kind of just talk about it all day, every day.

SPEAKER_19 29:27

We're driving around, you're looking at buildings, you're looking at properties. You know, it could be a Saturday or Sunday. We're like, oh, look at that building. We should call that building on Monday. It's more of a lifestyle. That means the furthest thing from a nine to five.

SPEAKER_08 29:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_19 29:39

I wake up at four in the morning, five in the morning, and like I'm on various sites. Let's see if there's any new listings, new list. Thinking of who to call, why to call. It's more of an obsession. This is Rob Burnett and Louisa Zapata. I'm Rob Burnett. I'm with Revive Residential, a real estate brokerage based in Brooklyn. We operate out of an office here in Bay Ridge at 4156th Street on the second floor, above what is the new wing stop.

SPEAKER_15 30:05

And I'm Louisa Zapata. Also work with Revive Residential, and Rob and I are partners. We're partners in life and partners in business.

SPEAKER_02 30:13

Louisa's a Brooklyn girl.

SPEAKER_15 30:15

I guess you could say like all over South Brooklyn, but mainly Bensonhurst Bay Ridge is where I spent most of my life. I went to PS 102 actually in Bay Ridge. I lived on 68th and 3rd for a while. And then I eventually moved back to Bensonhurst, and I was there for many, many years. And then I didn't move back to Bay Ridge until nine years ago.

SPEAKER_22 30:38

But real estate wasn't something you were planning on doing.

SPEAKER_15 30:41

Yeah, I feel like a lot of people who are in real estate kind of have that same story where you kind of end up there somehow. I ended up going to college. I went to Brooklyn College for TV radio production. Was in marketing for a long time. So I started working at NBC. Then I moved to a different company, Zif Davis, who's a parent company for all these other, I guess, like marketers. I did marketing for a long time. And then I shifted over to real estate.

SPEAKER_19 31:07

Rob comes from Long Island. I moved to Beerage the weekend of Sandy. I moved in and then I moved out because the storm was coming. I knew no one here. I was like, oh, if I lose power, what am I gonna do? So I literally moved in all my shit and then I went back to Long Island. At the time, my parents were in, well, they still are, they're in West Iceland. I think I was with my brother. He had a house in North Babylon at the time.

SPEAKER_22 31:30

So when did you first come hang out in Bay Ridge?

SPEAKER_19 31:33

I've been coming to Bay Ridge since college. So my best friend is a Zaverian high school grad. I identify as a Zaverian graduate. What does that mean? I didn't go to Zavarian, but everyone thinks I did, because those just seem to be who the guys that hang out with are. Really, I just went to college. And my best friend was from here. So I've been partying in Bay Ridge since I was 19 years old. I mean, one of my good buddies had a cousin that bartended at every single bar in Bay Ridge. So like everywhere he went, he was one of his cousins. But I mean, I was going to the bars when the guys who owned Kettle were, I think they were just bartenders there.

SPEAKER_22 32:03

I remember Kettle's opening.

SPEAKER_19 32:04

Yeah, I mean, we used to go to Kettle, Salty, Peggy O'Neill's. My friends lived down the block. After college, they moved to what is now Muscles and Moore, used to be called Cantina.

SPEAKER_15 32:13

I went to the club with my fake ID at that spot that used to be where Pippins is, the new Pippins. Trace.

SPEAKER_19 32:19

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_15 32:19

That was a crazy, crazy spot. How do they meet? So Rob and I met working together. So when I was going to Brooklyn College, I was working during the day at Admiral Insurance, and that's where I met Rob.

SPEAKER_19 32:32

Corner of 69th and Shore Road, Admiral Insurance.

SPEAKER_15 32:34

We met in 2016.

SPEAKER_19 32:35

No plug. Is that when you started working there?

SPEAKER_15 32:37

Yeah. November 2016. It was a few like days before Thanksgiving. I remember that.

SPEAKER_19 32:42

And I've been tied to them since 2011.

SPEAKER_15 32:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_19 32:45

We were working together in the insurance world.

SPEAKER_22 32:47

So you go into real estate first.

SPEAKER_19 32:50

Correct. So what was the thought process behind when you're I mean, I always wanted to get into it in some capacity. And then 2020, like the writing on the wall came. You know, I was friends with some people that were in real estate and they were looking to do something else, make a move. And I kind of got brought into it. And here I am five years later.

SPEAKER_22 33:08

And you were at that time still working in TV marketing?

SPEAKER_19 33:12

You were at NBC in 2020.

SPEAKER_15 33:14

Yeah, I was.

SPEAKER_19 33:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_22 33:15

And did you get furloughed or no?

SPEAKER_15 33:17

I stayed on. It was my decision to leave, actually. Shifted to another company. And then I was there for a few years too. And then that company was actually merging with one of their main competitors. I specifically wanted to get into real estate once I left marketing because it just made sense for us. Rob and I kind of like working together again and to use all the things I learned in my corporate career and take them with me to work at Revive with Rob.

SPEAKER_02 33:45

When did Louisa get a real estate license?

SPEAKER_15 33:48

Actually, last July. It's been a year, yeah. I found that I passed my test, I think, on July 4th. We were like gonna go to the beach or something, and I was all nervous because I was wanted to get my test score, and I could say like officially licensed in July, because then you know, attached to your brokerage, and then you're good to go.

SPEAKER_22 34:04

Before you're doing it, he's doing it, and you're around him while he's doing it, right? But so I guess there is a difference between that and now you're doing it too. It's your livelihood also. Has there been anything that's been very surprising to you, if anything, this year?

SPEAKER_15 34:16

Oh my god, literally everything I think is surprising. It's a whole new world. There's no guide, you're figuring it out every single day, every hour. I guess it's surprising to see how expensive having a home is, or how much some of these like beautiful properties in all these Brooklyn areas are even selling for, and how many real estate agents there are. You know, you have to really like differentiate yourself.

SPEAKER_22 34:43

You kind of have a brand and you can't go on with partners in life. Yeah. And beautiful shoes, Titan Dumbo, yeah, bridge.

SPEAKER_19 34:52

So we did that last year, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_22 34:54

How much of that kind of planning is happening when you're here? How much of it is when you're on your own plan?

SPEAKER_19 35:00

That was actually company stuff, which has helped the support with the revive behind us, is huge. Yeah, they're a great team. The guys that we look up to, like Lou Belsario and Joe, that run the company, they're kind of like guiding us. So it's almost like they've been in the business so long and they're so successful with it. It's just do what they do. Listen to their guidance and some of the stuff.

SPEAKER_15 35:17

Like, and you want to make sure you're polished and you have a brand.

SPEAKER_19 35:20

It helps you because yesterday we had our office meeting and we were at a brand, like a new property, right? What was it? 208 Lincoln Road. Yeah. Lou Belsero just picked up the listing there. The property is mint. It's beautiful. A lot of the other brokers in the office were doing like content shoots, photo shoots. You want to show yourself in beautiful properties and things like that. So it relates to other people that are trying to sell their property. And for me, that's a difference because I was always like more focused on the commercial aspect of things, which is not really pretty. A lot of times we're going into basements, but it's just bugs and we're dealing with stacks of paperwork of rents and leases and bills, and you're trying to put it all together. Since she's come on board, we've kind of both transitioned into like the more glamorous, pretty world of the residential side.

SPEAKER_15 36:03

People have to remember your face. They have to know, oh, this guy's a real person. When I see James Scully, I remember your face from seeing you on Instagram, from seeing your ads in other places. You connect the two and it helps your brand for sure.

SPEAKER_19 36:15

So, how are they doing property evaluations? I mean, it depends on the type of property. Typically, we're going, we're usually, you know, we'll pull comps. If it's a rental property, we're gonna get income and expenses on the property. So I usually will gather all that information and data and then usually pass it on to Louisa to put together the pretty package.

SPEAKER_22 36:32

Yeah. What's the percentage of things coming to you? Some of it is uh do you just go out and see things? You make a old call with somebody?

SPEAKER_19 36:40

Most of the time it's cold calls, yeah. Like looking for opportunities, but a lot of times it's calls. Right now we're working with some investors that they're looking for vacant or close to vacant properties in prime neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn. We're not even fully really just targeting Bay Ridge right now. Like we're looking in Clinton Hill, Bed Stock, Crown Heights area. There's a lot of investors that are operating in that space right now. Some of the bigger guys that were purchasing the multifamily properties and the rent stabilized buildings, those properties aren't what they were. So that market kind of like slowed down a little bit. And a lot of these guys are going back to their basic playbook of buying smaller, non-rent stabilized properties and renovating them and adding value to them and putting them back on the market.

SPEAKER_02 37:24

You heard at the top of this segment that Rob and Louisa are both partners in business and in life. So how does their synergy work on a day-to-day basis?

SPEAKER_19 37:33

I feel like we have different roles. She's better at the social media, the making things look more presentable. I'm more of the sales guy. I like to get down and dirty, make the calls, deal with all the bullshit, whine and dine.

SPEAKER_15 37:47

Rob just has a way with people. He talks to you like a real person, keeps the same energy he has for a stranger in the street for anybody else. And I think that it's perfect for, of course, any sales rule, but just in general. I have my own things that I'm really good at, but he's really good at that.

SPEAKER_19 38:05

We worked good together in the insurance world. Like that's when I started doing really well on insurance when we started working together. My real estate career could use some polishing, so that's kind of what we brought her in to do.

SPEAKER_02 38:16

And they're not alone. Their dog Bailey rounds out the trio.

SPEAKER_15 38:20

You definitely heard Bailey barking probably between us speaking, but we do bring her to the office every day. When I was little, I always said like I knew I was successful in life if I ever got a dog, because I always lived in an apartment growing up. Me and my mom, my brother shared these tiny apartments, and I always wanted a dog. And then finally, we got a dog last February. She's a Bernie's mountain dog. She's my dream dog. And she pretty much comes to work with us almost every single day. There's definitely a few days where we leave her home. We're running around, maybe we have meetings, we have things going on, so we just leave her home. But if we're at the office, she's usually here.

SPEAKER_19 38:53

I'm a Bernie too. Burnett, Rob Burnett. All my friends from college still call me Bernie. So Louisa has two Bernie's in her life.

SPEAKER_02 39:02

When you're an industry insider, it obviously affects the way you think. In this case, what are Rob and Louisa looking for in terms of buying a house for themselves?

SPEAKER_19 39:13

We don't have kids right now, so if we were to buy anything, I would probably want to start with like some sort of investment property. Yeah. I don't know if I would want to go into something maybe rent stabilized, which is the building we live in. I would consider it, but most likely I would look something maybe like less than six units. Three, four units would be ideal. We've lived in a two-bedroom apartment since we started dating, so like we can survive in another two-bedroom apartment for quite some time, I think.

SPEAKER_07 39:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_19 39:39

Maybe give her room for a kid or their dog for now. I think if we get an investment property like cash flowing and covering the bills there, then maybe we would look to buy something for ourselves. But for now, I'm thinking more investment.

SPEAKER_22 39:54

Okay, so French doors exposed to I love it.

SPEAKER_15 39:57

I do love your French door. I definitely would love the first thing I think of is an outdoor space of any kind. We're in Brooklyn, so I mean it's not so easily accessible depending on where you are, but I simply just want to go outside in the morning and have a cup of coffee.

SPEAKER_19 40:13

Yeah, that would be nice.

SPEAKER_15 40:14

Look up at the sky outside of my backyard instead of having to go onto the sidewalk and doing it. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_19 40:20

Our apartment's a duplex. We got lucky, and that was like one of the things on my checklist. We were looking at condos a couple years ago, and it was just tough. All the good condos, I feel like, are the ones that we were looking at, we're all on Shore Road, and it was like a couple hundred grand between if it had parking, it didn't have parking. Parking was key for us. And then the office was on 86th Street and between 4th and 5th to have a condo all the way on Shore Road. It was like so far away. And then we got lucky. We found a two-bedroom duplex.

SPEAKER_15 40:49

Yeah, I'll never forget.

SPEAKER_19 40:50

On 80th Street that we just love.

SPEAKER_15 40:52

I was still working at MBC at the time, and I was working from home because it was during COVID, and I was losing my mind working on the couch, eating on the couch, watching TV. I was just always on the couch, and I just we needed like more space.

SPEAKER_19 41:04

And I was never home.

SPEAKER_15 41:05

And uh I was running around please, we need to move. Like, I we just need something new, maybe something a little bit bigger. And we were at the office, and Rob was like, I found something. Because we were getting like the alerts sent to us every time there was something that matched what we were looking for. He's like, All right, we're gonna go see it in 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_07 41:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_15 41:21

And then we went to go see it, fell in love, put in our application right after, came back to the office, put on our application, and then not to sound too cliche, even as real estate brokers, it's not easy. No, it's not.

SPEAKER_19 41:32

You gotta be really We were looking for condos for probably a year. There was like some buildings that we really liked, but we were just nervous to pull the trigger, and then one day I think you were like, why don't we just go look for an apartment? Because I need to get out. We were living in a one-bedroom apartment, and really she was just home all day working on ad sales.

SPEAKER_15 41:49

It was working until like 12 o'clock.

SPEAKER_19 41:50

We started looking for apartments. I think that day you found an apartment on like Fifth Avenue. The building was just fully renovated, it was right on Fifth Avenue. Apartment was beautiful. We called and the guy was like, Yeah, we rented those like two weeks ago. Shit.

SPEAKER_15 42:02

Yeah, it is tough.

SPEAKER_19 42:04

Let's look for both. Let's look for both. And then we found, yeah, the building that we live in now, and we love it we walked in when you know, you know, we were like, yeah, we looked at it on a Friday, we signed a lease on Monday morning.

SPEAKER_15 42:12

Yeah, we're like, we need this one.

SPEAKER_19 42:15

Their door, it's always open.

SPEAKER_15 42:17

I love my neighborhood and I love meeting new people and just our people. So our door is open, like Rob said. We're at 415 86th Street on the second floor. We share a floor with Milano Taylor. I feel like he's like a neighborhood staple.

SPEAKER_19 42:30

Everybody gets there, yeah.

SPEAKER_15 42:31

So if anyone ever wants to come say hi, talk shop, talk about life. Rob's really good at therapy sessions. I'm good at listening to. And Bailey's pretty cute. So if you just want to come pet a dog, come upstairs. Sometimes you just want to pet a dog, come to our office.

SPEAKER_19 42:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_15 42:48

Come schmooz.

SPEAKER_19 42:49

If anybody wants to get a cocktail, always available.

SPEAKER_15 42:52

We're just normal people who we're here to help. If anyone ever needs any help, any guidance, anything like that. We know a guy for everything. Rob knows a guy for everything.

SPEAKER_19 43:00

Yeah, we got a guy for everything.

SPEAKER_15 43:01

So even if it's not a hundred percent in the real estate realm, we know everyone.

SPEAKER_19 43:06

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 43:06

We do know we know a lot of people. Hey Louisa, give the people your socials and contact info.

SPEAKER_15 43:12

My Instagram is Louisa underscore in bearage. So it's L-U-I-S-A underscore in bearage. And I'm always posting about, you know, what's going on in my life, neighborhood highlights, good restaurants, good shops. And Rob's Instagram is Bernie B-U-R-N-I-E underscore R-E. So we also have a website.

SPEAKER_19 43:34

www.reviveresidential.com.

SPEAKER_15 43:39

You can always reach out to us on our cell too. Mine is 917-832-5532, and Rob's is 631-872-8265.

SPEAKER_12 44:14

Hey Bay Ridge, this is Ron Cavrau, partnered with Joe Mayori at Latte da Cafe on 280 86th Street, right off of 3rd Avenue, next to the corner. Joe and I have been childhood friends, born and raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We source a premium coffee from Columbia and work with these roasters in Williamsburg that obtain the coffee within a week via FedEx. These are the freshest beans you're gonna have in your coffee, without a doubt. There's a scientific process to this. Extracting the bean isn't very easy. And you could probably only pull out the max 30% of it. And most places are pulling out 5-10%. You're not getting the full flavor of the bean. And on top of that, the industry averages that there's nine months of coffee sitting in storage before it gets to the roaster. And the coffee that we're sourcing comes from independent farms in Colombia throughout the region because of the many tough climates that Colombia has. This company just FedExes it right over to Williamsburg. It couldn't be fresher. It's a 10-day process from the origin, the farm to your cup. So it's less than two weeks by the time it gets to us and it's in your coffee. We are open from 7 to 5 p.m. during the weekdays and 8 to 5 on the weekends. We are accessible on Instagram. You can DM us at any time at latte.cafes. We have a website, www.latte.cafes.com. You can find us on Facebook or you can give us a call. Phone number is 347-492-0223!

SPEAKER_02 46:19

Hello everybody, it's Murr, Frederick Fred Freddy, back with another popular joke series. Here on the Beyridge Digest Podcast. You know what I'm saying, producer? Dog days of summer, producer! The dog days of summer, Freddy. Say owner, James. That's my producer, James. You know him pretty good by now, people. And tell him why we're here. Tell him tell the people why we're here. Well, before our jokes, what do we want to mention, Freddy? The Itty Bitty Kitty Bearidge Kate Rescue. Yes, so if you stop into Henry Hardy's at 9314 Third Avenue, you can donate 25 bucks and get a free t-shirt for helping to save these cats. All the proceeds go towards vet visits, cat food, and supplies. I was actually talking to Wayne Parris the other day of Henry Hardy's and the Itty Bitty Kitty Bear Ridge Cat Rescue, and he told me in June and July they've TNR 21 cats, and he also just got 75 new t-shirts printed. Yeah, so you can also go to their website, ittybittykitty ny.org, and donate that way, you know? Yeah, and t-shirt shipping is available if you live out of state. So to see more this cat there helping, where do they go? Well you can visit the Instagram page at itty bitty kitty ny Bay Ridge. Yeah. What about that cat you've been seeing lately? Yeah, I've actually been seeing this cat on Marine Avenue and uh around 97th Street that just hangs out in the middle of the sidewalk. Some people around the area call him goofy. He's an all-black cat, very friendly. He's definitely a stray, he's got his ear tipped, but he seems very domesticated and so if anybody really wants a lovely cat, I can't take another one, I already have one. Yeah, you got the doggy too. And I got a dog too. Yeah. You know, reach out to Henry Hardy's or reach out to me as well. Yeah. You ready for some jokes, Freddy?

SPEAKER_20 48:00

Yeah, you know, I was thinking, people, Lilon, you only get so many summers in life, you know, and this one, the weather has been basically beautiful, you know? The last bunch of summers before this have been disgusting, basically, you know. It's humid, 90 degrees for like six weeks straight. But this one has been so beautiful, it's scary, you know? Why is it scary? Well, Lilon, I don't know. It just seems like, you know, it's a New York thing where if something's going good, you're like, well, it must be better around the corner. Is that true? Yeah. So, you know, along with those nights, I at least I got some hot summer jokes for you and a camping joke. Alright. You wanna tell them? Yeah. Okay, listen, people. What did the pig say on a hot summer day, you know?

SPEAKER_02 48:44

Before he like rolled himself in the mud or took a bath in the water, you know? What did he say? I don't know, Freddie, what did he say? He said, oof, I'm bacon! It's a good one, you know it's a good one.

SPEAKER_20 48:59

Hey, listen, listen.

SPEAKER_02 49:01

How do you know that the ocean is friendly, people? How do you know that the ocean is friendly? Yeah, how do you know it's friendly? I don't know, Freddy, how?

SPEAKER_20 49:11

It waves. It waves. Okay, listen, later, later.

SPEAKER_02 49:16

I got a more long form joke here. Cause I know people in the summertime they like to go camping, so I got a camping joke.

SPEAKER_20 49:23

And it's kind of a bathroom joke. Bathroom joke? Yeah, later. Okay. So three friends are going camping, you know? And one of them, well, he gotta do a number two really badly. Oh no. And of course they're out in the woods, you know. There's no sharming around. So his friend tells him, well, listen, you gotta use a dollar. Wipe your butt with a dollar. Oh boy. So what happened? Well, the guy goes and he comes back. And it's of course it's a guy, because ladies, you're too classy for this. But he comes back, and he got, you know, the poopies all over his hands. Oh, Freddie. And the friends asked William, what happened? And he said, Do you know how hard it is to wipe yourself with three-quarters, two dimes, and a nickel? Oh god.

SPEAKER_02 50:09

Yeah. Oh yeah, people. Well, come on, Freddie. We'll play us out. Okay. Well, if you'd like us to mention a specific animal rescue center, please email BayridgeDigest at gmail.com or DM at Bayridge Digest on Instagram.

SPEAKER_20 50:23

Yeah, you can also see my archives of jokes and stories that I used to tell. Freddy Friday Story Fun Time on Instagram and Freddy Friday on YouTube. And I spell my name, you should know by now.

SPEAKER_02 50:32

F-R-E-D-D-I-E, you know. Like Frederick, you know. Yeah, yeah. I say yeah.

SPEAKER_20 50:39

Well, until the middle of August, Freddie. Yeah, until the middle of August in the harvest season, you know. Some are kind of wearing on, you know. You know what I always say, people. Toodos to the one you love, which is you. I say to those to you, toodos, and lots of gears.

SPEAKER_02 50:56

Toodles Toodles, Freddy. Toodles, my producer. You can contact me for a consultation at James at the Wallbreakers.com. If you're a regular listener of the Bavers Digest Podcast, and you hear everything from fully produced history segments to wacky jokes, thanks, Freddie, to narrative interviews. Here's a commercial spot. Special thanks to Brett Solomini for lending his vocal talent. See what else he's been up to at Brett Underscore Solomini on Instagram. That's B-R-E-T-T underscore S O L I M I N E think I finally lost.

SPEAKER_21 52:27

Hello, sir. You what do you want? You know what I want. How could I possibly?

SPEAKER_02 52:37

You're roaming through the city. You have a voice, use it. I'm trying to use it! Ah but are you using it correctly? What do you mean? Isn't it obvious? Script writing, narrative non-fiction, audio fiction, editing, producing, mixing, directing, acting.

SPEAKER_21 53:03

What does this have to do with you following me through the street on a rainy night? Have you utilized any of this?

SPEAKER_02 53:12

No? Well then, it's time you launched a podcast or at least some kind of audio production.

SPEAKER_21 53:20

Why would I need to do that?

SPEAKER_02 53:22

You're in one already. I am? What do you think this is? Stalking! No, you're in my commercial spot. I'm James Scully, I do all these things.

SPEAKER_21 53:35

Wait, you mean you wrote, directed, produced, and mixed this?

SPEAKER_02 53:39

Yep. Reach me at James at the Wallbreakers.com.

SPEAKER_21 53:45

Well do I get paid for my time at least?

SPEAKER_08 53:51

I hope you like pepperoni on your pizza.

SPEAKER_09 54:03

Correct Eastern daylight saving time is now 15 minutes past 10 o'clock.

SPEAKER_02 54:13

Thursday, July 28, 1966, at about 1015 at night. We're driving on the belt park right towards the Verizano Bridge. Gene Shepherd is on WOR. He's been on the station since 1955. Has been airing at 1015 since 1964. Has a lot of things to say about most things. And he's got a book coming out this fall. It's called In God We Trust, while others pay cash.

SPEAKER_10 54:41

Speaking of Janet, hey, listen, did you hear that? What a great story. I'll tell you it is right out of a black comedy. You know, you know, black movie type comedy. Did you hear the story the other day? In fact, I think it was yesterday on the news. Of these two cops having a giant fist fight, and and one cop wound up by belting the other cop on the top of the head with his knife stick. They were arguing over who was gonna drive the squad car. Would you please bring me on some rotten piano music when you please bring it on there?

SPEAKER_02 55:21

His first full year of operation in 1965, the Verizano carried nearly 18 million vehicles, averaging almost 50,000 daily crossings, with a 50 cent total. Traffic is 35% higher than expected, and his planners are fast-tracking the construction of its lower deck. Real estate on Staten Island is booming. Meanwhile, in Bay Ridge, the last two years since the bridge of open have done little to heal the wounds of construction. Robert Moses used eminent domain to demolish over 800 buildings and displaced roughly 7,000 people. All that unanticipated bridge traffic is bringing more trucks, fumes, noise, drag racing, and traffic jams to the neighborhood. With the ferry to Staten Island now out of business, establishments on Bay Ridge Avenue leading towards the pier are going under. The Say Bay Ridge Committee is fighting Moses in his attempts.

SPEAKER_10 56:25

Don't make them cop. What do you mean you'll drive? You throw it last night, Captain! Right, move over Radican. I'm driving again tonight. Come on now, Captain! The next thing you know, I see that cartoon. You see that that that cartoon of the New Yorker, I think it was Stanley. It shows his car, this guy sitting in there, it's a convertible, he's a businessman type, he's sitting at the wheel. And you see standing next to the car, over on the driver's side, or something.

SPEAKER_17 56:59

And she is simply saying, It was just a little more relaxed, I think. A lot of people were immigrating. This may be first generation, maybe mostly Italian. There were some Asians in the neighborhood, some Jewish people in the neighborhood. But everybody kind of it was almost like provincial, more relaxed, more country-ish, more in a way rural, you know. You kind of knew everybody.

SPEAKER_02 57:35

Next time on the Bay Ridge Digest Podcast, we welcome the harvest season, an old home week, with stories of Bay Ridge days of yore, with people who care deeply about this neighborhood and their homes. The reading material used in today's episode included articles from the Bay Ridge Home Reporter and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Thank you to the guests: Rob Burnett, Amy Pagano Collin, Jess Goodwin, Ron Cavrell, Dr. Mary McCari, and Louisa Zapata. Subscribe to the Bay Ridge Digests Monday morning roundup email for free at BayridgeDigest.com. And join the more than 3,500 people who want more info on everything going on in Bay Ridge. For more info on how to submit a story lead, please go to Bayridge Digest.com. You can also get in touch by emailing Bayridge Digest at gmail.com. So until August 13th, my name is James Scully. This has been the Bay Ridge Digest Podcast episode 19. And I'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you very much.