You’re probably looking out your window right now and thinking, well it sure is windy, but were all these precautions necessary? Time will tell, but it looks like the storm has already taken a casualty in Williamsburg. Here is a construction site on Union and Frost that didn’t survive the high winds, via Thought Catalog’s liveblog.

via Thought Catalog's flickr

D-W-J-S's flickr (all rights reserved)

Stores and homes near Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint have a rat problem and locals are blaming the major construction project that started last month, NY Daily News reports. One shopkeeper said he caught four rats, while a homeowner said he found eighteen. One landlord on Nassau Ave. described rats being “as big as cats.”

The Department of Design and Construction responded to complaints by saying they will increase their exterminations from once a month to every two weeks.

Wythe Hotel

The long-anticipated Wythe Hotel finally opens on Tuesday and according to its website, it “has rooms for artists, friends, brewmasters, musicians, concertgoers, mothers, brothers, grandmothers, bowlers, interns, twins, engineers, vignerons, and chefs.” That just about covers the major demographics of gentrified Brooklyn (aside from dog walkers, bathtub whiskey distillers, and locavores).

The hotel offers eight types of rooms, including ones that are “lofts,” “band rooms,” and “historic.” Many of these rooms offer “industrial detailing” like pine wood ceilings and exposed brick, all of which date to 1901. Check out descriptions of some of the rooms after the jump.

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FREEWilliamsburg

FREEWilliamsburg

It looks like construction has started at Williamsburg Park, the site of this summer’s waterfront concert series. Here’s a view of the lot from earlier today, with several Parks department vehicles and what appears to be an enormous drill.

The organizers’ call for proposals states that “construction may not penetrate the existing asphalt,” so we’re guessing that this work is being done by the Parks department to prepare the site before the production company moves in.