50. On trying to buy my first house
I have opinions about tin roofs now.
Today's letter includes: Spirit Air has a new daddy, an exclusive with a new bar in Crown Heights, Lena Dunham's very specific TikTok algorithm, the A24 merch drop that crashed a website in under 30 minutes, a vegetarian dinner from an Eleven Madison line cook, Beck on why making things for five people is enough, dedicated counter space for your coffee situation, and more.
Hi friends.
My husband Ben and I spent the weekend upstate, looking at five houses. We have never owned property before. Not a condo, not a co-op, not so much as a storage unit. Which meant that every conversation with our real estate agent required a small, private act of translation.
The vocabulary wasn’t the problem. I know what a septic tank is. I did not know that you’re supposed to ask when it was last pumped, or what the answer implies, or what it means for future expansion if you want to build. Tin roofs, I’ve learned, are desirable. They don’t need replacing. I have opinions about tin roofs now.
The five houses were a tour through other people’s decisions. One read so specifically as 2010s Austin, Texas that I could construct the owner’s entire personality from the entryway: white, male, elder millennial, newly interested in cold plunging.
Another had a kitchen island of alarming scale, dominating the room with something close to aggression; underneath it, we eventually learned, was a staircase to the basement (creepy!).
One had the most beautiful mountain views, though the mustiness of old furniture made them hard to enjoy. The shelves held bottles. The window sills held bottles. Above the cabinets: more bottles. No wifi. It’s giving drives up on Fridays, looks at the mountains, and drinks until Sunday. One can certainly understand the desire in today’s world.
A house in the flood zone sent us back to school. I did not know, before this weekend, that “flood zone” and “floodway” are different designations with different FEMA ratings and meaningfully different build implications.
I know this now because I kept asking our realtor what flooding would actually look like — would furniture get wet, specifically — and she kept explaining that she couldn’t predict the behavior of a flood, and I kept asking anyway, because I have never owned a home and the question felt important. She told us to call the town.
So, we called the town, pulled the FEMA maps, and chatted with a spunky woman who said our zone was bad (in the floodway!) but in the zone to the left you could do “whatever you wanted” because it was unregulated and “by the time things get bad,” she declared, “I’ll be dead!”
By house five, we were asking better questions. Not the right ones, necessarily, but better. The process has a learning curve that no one quite prepares you for, which is part of why I’ve been documenting it on Instagram.
Rumor has it that Substack is suppressing free content. If you’d like to resist the algorithm pushing paid content only, then liking, sharing, quoting and restacking this newsletter will help! <3
A new bar called Richie’s. Some weeks ago I got a text from our neighborhood group chat about a new bar that was opening in the old Catfish space. It was simply an empty storefront with a cryptic website and Instagram. I wanted to know more, so I reached out and, enjoyably, got a reply from the industry vet and owner, Andrew.
Here’s the exclusive on Richie’s Crown Heights.
Q: What made you want to open a place in Crown Heights?
A: I’ve lived in the area for nearly 15 years and have always dreamed of opening something in the neighborhood. Crown Heights is a vibrant, community-minded area, exactly the kind of place suited for the neighborhood-centric bar and gathering space I envisioned. When the former Catfish location became available, it checked all the boxes, and we couldn’t be happier to be here.
Q: Is this your first NYC establishment or have you opened other places before?
I have been in the industry for nearly 30 years with experience ranging from family restaurants to high profile fine dining and cruise ships to 28,000 square foot+ indoor/outdoor venues. I have opened restaurants and bars for other restaurant groups large and small but this is the first project I am doing solely on my own.
A: What is the intended vibe of Richie’s?
Richie’s will be a friendly neighborhood bar with good music, cozy vibes, large TVs and eclectic decor.
Q: Plans for just drinks, or will you have food too?
A: We will have bar bites and desserts as well as a free popcorn machine. We also intend to be a very easy place to bring food in by supplying plates utensils etc. In the future we would love to host rotating popups as well.
Q: What kind of beverage program can we expect?
A: We will feature local and craft beer along with import and domestic favorites. The cocktail program will focus on well executed classics and we will offer wines on tap available by the glass and carafe. We will also have a solid selection of NA beverages and beer and are planning on incorporating a coffee program.
You heard it here first, Richie’s Crown Heights is going to be a perfect Birthday Party spot. Hopefully he will let us watch Michigan games there because apparently that is a major form of socialization for my friend group now.
Is Coachella still relevant? In any case, I think Geese’s rendition of “Baby” was better than Justin’s.
In just one week, the BAM Ball After Party returns, and tickets are nearly sold out. A restaurant I personally love is celebrating 4 years with Place des Fêtes Four Year Fête, $100 for fish sandos, wine, and beer.
SpaceX wants to buy Cursor. SpaceX said it has an agreement to either acquire AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion later this year or pay $10 billion to work together.
Ever wondered what Lena Dunham’s TikTok algorithm is? She told Feed Me that it is pretty much, “chronically ill women languishing to Lana in hospital beds, Australian sex workers counting their cash, and piglets learning to trust.” Dunham is having a moment on Substack and other platforms due to her very successful marketing for her new book Famesick (she was literally featured today by Substack). Caroline Mill’s Zula Jean Heirlooms handmade the eye masks for the campaign, and it’s been so fun seeing them get posted by celebs!
The federal government may soon be Spirit Airlines' largest shareholder. A reported $500 million loan would give the Trump administration up to a 90% stake in the bankrupt budget carrier. The middle seat, now nationalized.
An evening with Imogen Baber. The Lineup is a cool Resy program that creates opportunities for up and coming chefs who work in world-class kitchens. As someone who just recently ate at Eleven Madison Park and found their vegan menu to be insanely good (and I love, love, love cheese), Imogen’s dinner looks intriguing. She’s a line cook at Eleven Madison, her dinner is on June 4th, and is fully vegetarian. Grab a ticket.
Time to start your own Substack? Loved this clip of Beck talking about the importance of building your own world. He references Jack White and how true creativity comes from just doing things for 5 of your friends. Hello to my 5 friends! :)
Your favorite show is now a garment. I'm not sure I fully understand the trend, though I do own a hat from “The Studio” (I got it free at the SXSW premiere, so I'm not sure that counts). New York-based designer Emily Dawn Long partnered with A24 on a 60-piece run of vintage graphic tees for "The Drama"; they sold out in 30 minutes and crashed the site on the way out. Hats are still available on A24's merch site but have a waitlist. Balenciaga, not to be outdone, tapped Euphoria creator Sam Levinson to turn its entire Fall/Winter 2026 show into a cinematic experience. The fashion industry has discovered IP and is not letting go.
William Vale and Othership are teaming up for Williamsburg Wellness Weekend, taking place May 8 – 10, which just means you can stay at the hotel on those dates and also visit Othership. Smart of Othership to partner with a premium hotel brand nearby that doesn’t have its own spa. That’s an idea that could scale.
I’ve got my eye on Red Lobster. A sentence I never thought I’d type! Endless Shrimp was Red Lobster's rock bottom. Now it's clawing back with a very young CEO named Damola Adamolekun (who turned around PF Changs). I’m interested to see if he can do it again. "The guy's, like, 36 and already on his second turnaround," Rohit Majumdar said to Business Insider, a man who decided to go eat at Red Lobster just because hes is a Adamolekun stan.
Prepare to see a lot of beverage bars. Apparently a dedicated area for your coffee is going to become more common in kitchens according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association. In fact the 2010’s house I saw had one, and it does sort of make sense. Coffee makers and electric kettles take up a lot of counter real estate, but you use them every day.
Thanks for reading!
Despite being vegetarian, I am v invested in this red lobster turn around. I’ll go for the biscuits