A Late Weekend Entry, But So Good It Needs Its Own Post

The lovely Annie, our most recent guest blogger, dropped me a note today about a fabulous sale on Saturday:

Housing Works Thrift Shop (one of the best in the city, I think!) is having its WAREHOUSE SALE in the LIC this weekend! Tomorrow!! $20 for an all-you-can-stuff bag of loot!

WHAT: Overstock Sale! 1000 square feet of clothing. Help us clear out our closet by shopping our overstock warehouse sale featuring bins of good but not perfect merchandise, including clothing, shoes and accessories from well-known designers and brands. Medium shopping bag all you can stuff - $20.

WHO: Housing Works, the nation's largest community-based AIDS service
organization helping to improve the lives of people living in New York with HIV/AIDS.

WHEN: Saturday, October 28th, 2006, 10:00am-5:00pm

WHERE:
48-49 35th Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
(Take the 7 train to 33rd Street)
718.786.6160

http://www.housingworksauctions.com/about.cfm?store
http://www.housingworksauctions.com/
http://www.housingworks.org

PRICE POINTS:
$20 per "all you can stuff" medium (provided) shopping bag
$1 - $5 for shoes

METHOD OF PAYMENT: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Cash

Astoria Weekend Edition 27.10.06

This weekend expect two-faced weather, what with rain and wind on Saturday (boo!) and a bright and sunny Sunday (yay!). Friday night is great no matter what because the work week is over for those of us 9-5'ing it. However, if you happen to get off work early on Friday, think about heading over to the ARTSPACE at the Athanasiades Cultural Center (30-98 42 Street). Currently there's an exhibition of works by screen-printing artist Paul Thimou, with screen-printing demonstrations from 5pm-6pm. The ARTSPACE is open 3pm-6pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, contact Paul at Himou@aol.com.

On Friday evening, consider heading to LIC to Smokeys11101 (5-16 51st Ave between Vernon and 5th Street) for BBQ and live music. Afua Richardson performs rock, blues, jazz and soul from 8pm until 11pm. There's no cover, and drink specials all night. Saturday night, the're holding a costume party with free beer tasting sponsored by Anheuser Busch. Prize goes to best costume. DJ Mischief will be spinning that night (R&B, soul, salsa and reggae).

The Astoria Performing Arts Center presents Steve Martin's Play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and it's opening this Friday. It runs October 27th through November 12th, Friday through Sunday, at the Variety Boys & Girls Club on 30th Avenue & 21st Street. It's a hilarious and thoughtful take on what a fictitious meeting between Picasso & Einstein might have been like at the start of the 20th Century. Tickets are only $15 in advance and $18 at the door, and wtudents and seniors pay $12.

This weekend also brings the premiere of the children's opera Gargoyle Garden, composed by local resident and musician B. Allen Schulz (Libretto by Jeff LaGreca). The Astoria Music Society presents two performences, one in Manhattan and one in Astoria! The Astoria performance is on Sunday at 3pm in the Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadway at 36th St, 4th Floor. Tickets are $18 general, $15 for students and seniors. Children are free. Allen writes: "We have a wonderful cast of 5 adults and 2 children (Garret Euker and Maddie Weinberg), and a chamber orchestra of 12 musicians. The story is halloween-themed and is appropriate for children of any age."

Also on Sunday, consider joining The Yoga Room and John Cavanaugh for a class to benefit Yoga 4 Life. The Yoga Room will be donating a portion of the day’s sales to The World Food Program, an organization that provides food aid to victims of war, famine and natural disasters. The funds raised on October 29 will support the WFP’s school feeding programs which then give children food, safety, and the key to a better future-education. The class takes place at the Astoria location from 1:30-3pm. Cost is $10 (please come by with your $10 to reserve, space is limited!) Cash only!

Lastly on Sunday, come by the Beer Garden for a Halloween Book Party! This is celebrating the newest Queens guide by Ellen Freudenheim, QUEENS: What to Do, Where to Go (and How Not to Get Lost)in New York's Undiscovered Borough. The Book will come out officially on Tuesday (that's Halloween!). The party is from 5pm-8pm, and since this is a Halloween Party, the author asks that you dress up like Queens neighborhood. Best costume wins a free book! Also a percentage of profits from sales of books will be donated to the student charity, D.A. Sokol, for the benefit of Czech students.

Astorian Weekend Edition 20.10.06

This great fall weather just begs for strolls. The sun will be out so why not check out some of the newer shops in the area? The diversity is pretty evident walking down random side streets. I stopped into what appeared to be a new euro style type clothing store the other day.

Two Becca's (38-01C Broadway @ 38th St, 718.267.2141) has a sweet selection for men and women from cool brands like Ed Hardy, Lucky Jeans and Sledge. They've only been open a couple of months so they are still adding stock...good news too since the lady working there (the owner's mom) told me that they are getting in- get this- size 14 & 16's! Maybe now we can all shop a little easier!

Saturday night go mull over the Mets loss with a drink at the super cute and spacious Indigo Kitchen & Cocktails (28-50 31st St @ 30th Ave.)Beware though, they have some gorgeous new flat screens that will no doubt have the game on. They have a menu that goes on for miles of all your favs and a pretty decent beer selection as well. Oh and if its nice out, go and enjoy their backyard with the really cool fireplace (there are no tv's out there either so maybe a better choice...)

Sunday get creeped out by the puppeteers from City Parks Foundation's PuppetMobile for part of It’s My Park! Day at Rainey Park (Intersection of Vernon Blvd. and 34th Ave.) Maybe they won't be creepy exactly, but puppets freak me out... From 11am-4pm enjoy the day and help the park get spiffy at the free event.
“The Princess, the Emperor and the Duck” will take place at 1pm if you want to set your watches, but get there earlier and help clean, rake and plant! After the show there will be workshops and all kinds of all-ages activities.

Astoria Weekend Edition 13.10.06

Well, it's finally feeling like fall, what with these cooler temperatures this weekend. A great way to welcome fall is to head on over to Socrates Sculpture Park for their Halloween Harvest Festival on Saturday. From 11am-3pm, come by for all sorts of fun at the Park: make costumes, listen to creepy music, get your hands painted with henna, eat some local food, and lots more. Should be a great time!

On Sunday, head to the Yoga Room for a workshop on developing a home yoga practice. We can all use more peace in our lives. It's from 3:30-6:30pm and it will be lead by Leigh Evans. It proves to be a worthwhile event. Also on Sunday (and Friday), the Museum of the Moving Image is showing Kiss Me Deadly, a great noir classic with Mickey Spillane.

On Friday, check out Trojan Women, an anti-war play by ancient writer Euripides, performed in the original language (supertitles provided). This takes place at the Greek Cultural Center at 27-18 Hoyt Avenue South. According to the press release, "this work contains a message that transcends time: in war, there are no true winners. The consequences of war, regardless of its causes, are devastating to conquerors and conquered alike." Certainly appropriate for our time as well.

Througout the weekend, head on over to the Art-O-Mat to see The Long Island City Series: Paintings and Prints by Sharon Florin. This show includes selected paintings and prints from an extensive body of oil paintings that Florin created over a period of thirty years in which she’s documented the changing face of Long Island City’s Hunters Point neighborhood. This is the second in the See LIC Art series. The show closes on the 22nd, so this is a good time to see it.

Mor fun, here.

Astorian Weekend Edition 06.10.06

I am proud to announce that October is Portuguese wine month! Never had it? I'm a little biased but i must say its damn good :) For a great selection, head over to Grand Wine and Liquor (30-05 31st St. - 718.728.2520) While you're there, take a look at what i consider, a huge Sake section! I'm not a big fan of it myself, but all the pretty bottles almost got me to buy some.

Sticking with the Japanese vibe- Saturday get over to Watawa (33-10 Ditmars) in time to enjoy the lunch deal. Mon -Sat before 4pm, throw down $10.50 and feast upon a wide selection of rolls. You get to pick 3 AND it comes with a soup and salad. Can't beat that with a stick. I stopped in on Tuesday night and it looks like the place has some sweet business-it was quite packed. Sushi not your thing, they've got a pretty extensive "cooked" items menu that will run you anywhere from $9 for a garlic chilean sea bass app. to $10 for Seafood Udon and even $40 for a Seafood Teriyaki for 2 (and those are the regular prices! not bad at all.)

Saturday and/or Sunday, take a walk and visit a few of the local spots participating in openhouseny. We've got a few favorite places on the list like Astoria Pool, Noguchi Museum and P.S.1 to name some notables. If you haven't been to these places yet, you should definitley get going because enjoyable outdoor activity weather, sadly- is coming to an end.

Sundays bring us FOOTBALL!!!! Lucky for Astorians, there are quite a few places to stop in for a game or two. I've walked by The Zone (28-43 Steinway) a few times and peeped their 10 or so large flatscreens and still have to try them out - you may remember it as the old Nickolodeon place on Steinway. If a big new place isn't what you're looking for then there's always the good old Irish Rover (28th Ave & 38th St) and Mary McGuire's (Broadway & 38th St.) which i hear has a pretty fine brunch on Sundays to boot. There you have it, no excuse to miss the game.