Weekend Edition 17.03.06

Well, another weekend is upon us. And it's not just any old weekend, it's St. Patrick's Day weekend! Be Irish for a day and partake in the fun. Of course, you can attend the 5th Avenue Parade in Manhattan on Friday, the most popular parade in the city all year. It starts at 11:00 a.m. on 5th Avenue around 44th Street. In Astoria, McCanns Pub (36-15 Ditmars Boulevard) is offering free corned beef and cabbage throughout the day. From 7-10 pm, $25 gets you an open bar and buffet at Crehan's Bar (41-04 31st Ave.). The Shannon Pot in LIC also invites you to join them on St. Patrick's Day. Other possible suspects are Gibney's (32-01 Broadway) and The Irish Rover (37-18 28th Ave.)

On Saturday, P.S.1 in LIC presents a talk and roundtable discussion on the topic “Regarding the Avant-Garde.” Participants include n+1 (Brooklyn's journal of politics, literature and culture) editors Mark Greif and Keith Gessen, n+1 art critic Dushko Petrovich and artist Eliza Newman-Saul. On Sunday, Jessica Stockholder discusses her past work and her current exhibition at P.S.1, Of Standing Float Roots in Thin Air.

If you are in the mood for new music (I often am), come check out Astoria's own Lost Dog New Music Ensemble performing six new works by New York composers David Fetherolf, Silas Nathaniel Huff, Jonathan Pieslak, Erin Rogers, B. Allen Schulz, and Stefan Weisman. The concert starts at 7:30 at Good Shepherd Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent Street, Astoria, Queens (Crescent Street at 30th Road). Or, stop by Waltz-Astoria Saturday night for a wine tasting. For $20, you get the opportunity to taste a number of different wines and learn about them at the same time.

On Sunday consider taking a tour of neighboring Roosevelt Island. The 92nd Street Y is organizing a Roosevelt Island hike this Sunday at 11am. Cost is $25 and reservations are recommended. Later that day, come by Freeze Peach between 4 and 8pm and say hi, as I'll be preparing and serving coffee, tea, and snacks to help raise $$ for the Hell Gate CSA.

And on top of it all, throughout the weekend great movies are playing in town at the Museum of the Moving Image.

As always, more fun, here.

It's So Big It Needs Its Own Post

Of course, the most obvious big event this weekend is on Friday --- that would be St. Patrick's Day. However, as far as I'm concerned, an even bigger event on Friday is the OPENING OF TRADER JOE'S UNION SQUARE. Hooray! I am so excited! I am a big fan of the TJs, plus the option of buying wine and beer from them finally is a reality here in NY. Personally, I dislike the antiquated "blue laws."

OK --- and if that isn't good enough news, the Shake Shack is opening back up on Tuesday, March 21 at 11am. In case you don't know, Shake Shack is the fabulous hamburger place, a "roadside food stand" in Madison Square Park. Oh blessed burgers, fries, and frozen custard come to me! Yes, yes, it's not in Astoria or Long Island City, but it is worth the field trip to Manhattan.

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes! Coming Soon...

Fellow Astorian Lorrie tipped me off to the coming of bike rentals in LIC this spring. Spokesman Cycles will be opening up in Long Island City and will provide a myriad of services, including bike rentals! Nice! I look forward to checking them out when they open up. Watch this space for more news later this April.

Weekend Getaway!

ok, so this isn't about an Astorian weekend getaway, but my own weekend away! I leave thursday a.m for San Francisco. Oh i'm bubbling over with excitement. Never been, so i'm going to try to cram alot into 4 days. I'm sure good times await me on the left coast.


3 things before i go:
• Just wanted to drop a note before i left that you are in Meg's capable hands and i'm sure she's got a hella lineup for St. Patty's Day!
• I just found a 6 year old copy of Time Out NY at my rents house featuring Astoria (it's from right before i moved here.) I am scanning it in and will post stuff from there-you know like a big comparison on whats closed down since then and what's just a bunch of malarky etc.!
• Lastly, go to This Show Again and check out my blurby and very chatty chat with the crew of Astoria's only podcast! (i think it goes up tomorrow-weds). Remind me to never become a public speaker hahahaha...

Oh and the pic, those are my babies Tallulah and Flic-i couldn't resist sharing. She really let him have it here, i'll post more of my silly kitties later. They are a barrel of laughs.

Have a ball this weekend, i want stories!

Post-Concert Fun

The concert I played at Waltz last night went fine, and it was especially satisfying to play the very early keyboard music for a new audience. A pleasant surprise was meeting Tom and Abby, who are readers of this blog, after the concert! It's so nice to meet the readers, I must say. Totally fun. Thanks for coming to the concert, you two! I hope to see you at more concerts.

P.S. The desserts at Waltz are super tasty - you should really try them sometime. Jen, and Erik, it was great to see you, too! What a treat to have both old and new friends at these performances.

You know

29th Street between Ditmars and 23rd Ave. smells really good late at night. Like sweet bread baking. The De Simone bakery is nearby, so I imagine that is where the smell is coming from. Tonight it kind of smelled like cinnamon raisin bread. The De Simone bakery makes the best muffins I've tasted in Astoria so far, and bothh their bran and their blueberry muffins are particularly good. The smell of baking bread is very comforting for me.

On a completely different note, I watched the last episode of Season 4 of Alias tonight (bless you, NetFlix), and all I can say is, "whaaaaaa???" That car crash was almost as bad as the one in Adaptation.

Astorian Weekend Edition 10.03.06

Here's your to do list for the next couple of days, there is no excuse not to get out and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather:

Friday go for Baroque
Our very own Meg Cotner will be performing at the now alcoholically friendly Waltz Astoria! Not only do we have to come out and support Astoria's favorite harpsichordist- we have to give their new libations a try!!!

Want more music? Well you can head a little further away...
Jazz Jam Series
This is going to be one of those cool old time jam sessions. I see potential in this here kind of party. Its a jazz improve thing where the musicians can really show their chops! And every session comes complete with a special guest. Show your support @ $10 gen admission and $7 for musicians, students and seniors at LaGuardia Community College

Saturday-It's Greek to me at The Athanasiades Cultural Center Exhibit
30-98 42St. (i think i read that this is artspace?)
Their doing this multimedia thing on Greek Mythology: Love, Marriage & Murder. That should be a fun way to spice up your afternoon, no? It opened a couple of weeks ago and ends on the 26th of March, so nows the time to check it out before all the intrigue and evil go away.... if thats really possible hahaha. Make sure you let them know your coming 718-683-8890. Oh and if your inner greek needs more info, they have lectures on Sat & Sun from 4-6pm.

Saturday & Sunday discover more art in the hood.
Well its time to go check some of it out. We've got the Fisher Landau Center for Art with some awesome looking shows going on. This photo alone had me wanting to stop over to see what else they might have. Up on their 2nd floor right now are recent acquisitions featuring work by Matthew Barney, Lynn Davis, Yinka Shonibare, and Kara Walker. If you can't make it this weekend-fear not, all the purty pictures will be there until April 10th.

picture courtesy of Lynn Davis, Monument to the Conquerors of Space of the VDNKh (1964), Exhibition Center, Moscow, Russia, 2003. Piezo print, Edition # 3/10, 40 x 40 inches

Up close and personal weekend
Going by P.S.1 this weekend? Saturday and Sunday beware special hours for the Artist-led Gallery Talks with Nicole Awai, Wayne Gonzales, Catarina Leitao, Justin Lowe. From 12-9pm get on a gallery tour led by artists from the different exhibitions. Free with admission.

Time for the theater...

here's a midweek suggested outting!

Wednesday March 8
Sextangle
@ The Creek Theater

yes yes, i know- technically its not Astoria, but come on! noone gets the area code thing anyway. I'd love to hear about it if you're going.

Chimes? Delightful!

This weekend, my notorious never-ending sweet tooth was in high gear, and I was craving everything from chocolate to bubblegum. One thing I picked up was this lovely tin of peppermint-ginger chews made by a company called Chimes. They are from Indonesia. They come in a super cool looking metal tin (I'll admit, I was sucked into buying them partially because of the awesome retro-y tin) and are individually wrapped. I love the wonderful balance of peppermint and ginger -- basically a candied ginger taste with peppermint background hints. And they are chewy!! I love, love, LOVE chewy things -- caramels, gummi, you name it. There's no corn syrup in these candies, which makes me happy, too. According to the website, they have regular ginger and also peanut butter-ginger flavors, along with the peppermint-ginger.

Now, where did I find these candies? Well, at my neighborhood natural foods store, Fresh Start, which is on the north side of 23rd Avenue between 31st Street and 29th Street. I like going there also to buy tempeh, frozen blueberries, and organic juices, to name a few. Their seitan sandwich is also very good. The staff is very friendly and listens to suggestions about stocking certain items you might desire. Defintely check them out!

Wings at McCann's!

So friday night, a good 10 Astoria Eats players ran in from the cold for some hot wings at McCann's. And i must say- i was quite happy with them!

I think we got 6 or 7 platters of the generic "hot" ones. They were just right in heat for me. I know others were still hitting the tabasco, but for me-they were yummy! Juicy and meaty.A couple of drinks and a pool game or two later and we were all about the moonpies.
Oh yes...and Meg had never tried one before!
From the looks of it- she liked it!

Then we trotted off to Emack & Bolio's since they were still open. I had never been. What a treat to find that they came up with Grasshopper Pie ice cream!!!!! Grasshopper cookies in mint ice cream, heavenly! Ate it so fast that there wasn't time for pics sorry! If you haven't had the fun of eating ice cream while walking in 20 degree weather, go for it. Luckily waiting at the Freeze Peach was Jayme and a whole lotta caramel hot chocolates.... Friday night was definitley NOT a diet night.

Astoria Weekend Edition 03.03.06

Well, it's March now, and that means spring is just around the corner, even though it snowed this week. One thing that says spring is on the way to me is St. Patrick's Day (March 17). This holiday is a huge deal here in NYC, with the 5th Avenue parade drawing massive crowds. However, sadly, not everyone who is Irish is allowed to march. The solution? Enter the All Inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade! On this Sunday, March 5, at 12:30pm the parade will start in Sunnyside, Queens at 43rd and Skillman Avenue and end at 61st Street & Woodside Avenue in Woodside. Each year the parade organizers decide to honor someone, and this year they decided to honor mulptiple people: the McCourt Brothers (Malachy, Frank, Michael & Alfie) and Ellen Duncan. There will be bands, puppets, dancers, and a lot of fun. Come be Irish for a day no matter who you are!

Now, Astoria likes its festivals, too. Recently, there was the Venison Feast at Koliba Restaurant. My friend Jayme tipped me off to the exciting news of another food event - this weekend, the Bohemian Beer Garden steps up the plate with their Three Day Pork Festival! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, come for a three course meal and delicious beer, with seatings at specific times. There will also be live entertainment in the Main Hall. Should be an awesome time. Afterwards, head over to Martha's Country Bakery (36-21 Ditmars Blvd.) where they are now making German Chocolate cupcakes!

Along with parading and filling your belly, take in some cultural manna. The Thalia Spanish Theater presents the musical, Tango and Flamenco Fusion, with original music composed and performed by bandeoneon master Raul Juarena and, direct from Spain, Spanish flamenco guitarist and composer Daniel Casares, and flamenco singer Irene Salas "Chanela." On exhibit at the Fisher Landau Center for Art is a new installation featuring work by Matthew Barney, Lynn Davis, Yinka Shonibare, and Kara Walker, as well as Zoo Story: An Exhibition of Animals in Art. And don't forget that the O'Keeffe/Vaccaro exhibit closes this Sunday at the Art-O-Mat.

More fun, here.

Touring the Steinway Piano Factory

This morning I took the Steinway Piano Factory tour. It was just great! I had a terrific time. I wrote about it here. From the article:

We saw the process of creating a piano, from the raw wood (walnut, pear, spruce), to the veneer of all sorts (mahogony, rosewood, pommele), to the final tuning. The wood, like a harpsichord's, needs to be aged so that the moisture level drops to a very low percentage, something like 5%. It is stacked outside the factory in a way so that air circulates all around it. The wood is used for support beans, the rims, the soundboard and the case. The veneer is cut extremely thin and comes from all places like Africa and Canada. It's amazing what they do with the veneer to give the impression that the wood used is one continuous piece. They keep track of the tree from which it is cut and keep it all together so that it can be pieced together later on one instrument. One note about the woods used for the veneer - S&S is a pretty big stickler about having the proper paperwork in order when receiving these rare woods, and don't want to take any wood that has been harvested illegally.

Enjoy!

Shameless Self-Promotion

Tomorrow I'll be singing in the choir in a performance of Handel's Judas Maccabaeus at the Kane Street Synagogue in Brooklyn. The concert starts at 3pm and should go for a couple of hours. The soloists are great and we'll all be accompanied by players from the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The oratorio has been described as Judas Maccabaeus is "the triumph of the few over the many, the righteous over the wanton." More about the piece:

The oratorio, with text by the Reverend Thomas Morrell drawn mainly from the First Book of Maccabees in the Apocrypha, depicts Judas Maccabeus as he unifies Israel and then prevails over the vastly superior Syrian forces seeking to hellenize the country. It was designed to celebrate the victory of the Duke of Cumberland, Prince William, over Bonnie Prince Charles at Culloden, Scotland in 1746 and the subsequent unification of an England disrupted from within by pro-Catholic Jacobite forces. The oratorio is presented with a new orchestration by Philip Wharton commissioned for the performance.

Details:

Sunday, February 26
3:00 p.m.
Kane Street Synagogue
236 Kane Street
Brooklyn, NY

With members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Chorus under the direction of Aaron Smith.

Jae Yeon Paik, Soprano – Israelite Woman
Kara Cornell, Mezzo-Soprano – Israelite Man
Martin Vasquez, Tenor – Judas Maccabaeus
Michael Zoosman, Bass – Simon Maccabaeus

Adults - $20
Children 13 and under - $10

For information or to reserve tickets, call the Synagogue office at
(718) 875-1550 or email to office@kanestreet.org

Third Time's a Charm?

So, the weather has not been a friend to the Queens East River Greenway Bike Tour. However, we should have good weather (albeit cold) this weekend, so the Bike Tour will set off on Sunday! The details:

Join Transportation Alternatives and the Partnership for Parks/Astoria and Long Island City Waterfront Parks Catalyst Project on a weekend afternoon bike tour of the planned Queens East River Greenway. See the proposed route up close and get inspired to help make it a reality. Ride the planned greenway and neighborhood streets and visit Queensbridge, Rainey, Socrates, Astoria and Ralph Demarco Parks, which will all be connected by this new waterfront greenway.

You can get last minute updates on the ride status by calling the ride hotline at 917-902-9165. Please check the weather the morning of the ride and dress appropriately. Also, bring water as even in the cold, it's important to stay hydrated. See you then!

Sunday, February 26th, at 1 pm
Gantry Plaza State Park
474 48th Avenue, at the East River
Long Island City, New York

Astorian Weekend Edition 24.02.06

Oh what a fun weekend Astoria has going on!

On Friday night, The Killing Kompany brings you a comedy murder mystery dinner show, HOW FLIPPIN FUN! Join in on the action at Riccardo's over on 24th Ave. This one is called "Murder at the Olympics!" The affair is all yours for $45 pp, give them a call for all the details and whatnot...murder and intrigue, what a way to start the weekend!

This Saturday at 3pm over at P.S.1, a friend of a friend (hahaha no really) will be participating in an afternoon of readings from his new book, Shoot the Buffalo along with other Clear Cut Press writers. Oh and theres going to be some live music too.

Other saturdays until March 8th by appointment, you can go check out Tokoha Matsuda's - Propositions of Desire: Contours of Erotic Ambiguity at Buzzer Thirty. It's a community based center for all sorts of self expression. Its right here too! Looking at some of the images sure does peak my curiousity... we'll see. Buzzer Thirty is inconspicuously housed at 38-01 23rd Ave, Room 306.

Take some time out for hunger on Sunday the 26th at the Beer Garden.
10% of your meal at the Beer Garden will go to the Food Bank For New York, go eat some potatoe pancakes and kielbasa - i probably will.

Bored? Looking for something new? Holographic art. Ever heard of it? umm, yeah me neither. I guess its time to go check out what it is since its nearby at the Holocenter. Granted its technically LIC but aren't we like kissin cousins anyway???

Next Astoria/LIC Waterfront Parks Meeting

I received notice in my inbox about the next Astoria/LIC Waterfront Parks Meeting, from the fabulous Emily Maxwell:

Please join us at our next Astoria/LIC Waterfront Parks community meeting, this Thursday, February 23, 6:30 pm at Greater Astoria Historical Society. At this month's meeting, the NY Academy of Sciences will give a presentation about toxic pollution in the NY/NJ Harbor that will include information on how the harbor can become contaminated, how this affects our lives, and why it is such a crucial issue. We'll learn what we can do to help stop hazardous waste contamination in the harbor and have ample time for questions and discussion. The first hour will be a regular meeting where we'll present our proposed mission statement, with NYAS joining us at 7:30. Please RSVP to Emily if you plan to attend.

Greater Astoria Historical Society
Quinn Building
35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor
Long Island City

Come out to become informed and to support your local waterfront!

Buy glass...tend bar?

So right there on the corner of 37th St. & Astoria Blvd. is an American Bartenders Association. Have you ever been? Know anyone who has? I wonder about this place.
The glass store under it has a ton of signs directing people around the corner to the correct door - that must mean there are people who go. But where are they???
I have lived around the corner for 5 years and once, maybe 2 years ago in the summer i saw some young whipper snappers standing outside waiting for something. That was it though. I walk by to and from work every day and never even see a light on or any sign of life at all. So my question to you Astorians, whats the dilly?
Anyone?

A Few Things

First, I hope you had a nice day off yesterday.

Second, thanks to JIA fans Harlan and duluoz cats for coming into Freeze Peach on Sunday and saying hi! I was serving as a volunteer barista from 4-8pm, which is the fundraising shift during the week. The money from their drinks and tips helped to fund our local CSA (I'll write more about that when the time is right). And it was nice to see some friends during that crazy day.

Third, in the shameless plug category, I'm playing a concert at Columbia University tomorrow at 12:15pm, with my group, Rossignol Amoureaux. We'll be playing 18th century suites and sonatas for flute and harpsichord. Should be a fun time, and come up and say hi if you decide to attend. More info can be found here.

Prezidents Day

So, today in America we recognize two unalive guys that made an impact on this country, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It's called Presidents Day:

Washington's Birthday, popularly known as Presidents' Day, is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February. Previously George Washington's birthday was observed on February 22. By popular opinion the holiday also honors at least Abraham Lincoln and often other Presidents of the United States as well. Lincoln's birthday is February 12, and although it was never a federal holiday, many state and local governments that had observed a Lincoln's Birthday holiday have since abolished it in favor of a "common" holiday.

So yes, we used to recognize them on two different days, as I remember from my childhood in the '70s. In my adult mind, it now means we have one less day off from work. But I don't have a day job anymore so I guess it matters less to me! Anyway, today is a good day to think about history, so I will point you to a thread on the astorians site about history, specifically Astoria history. There's some talk about cemeteries, which I find fascinating. Anyway, I love learning about local history and hope you find it as interesting as I do.

But above all, enjoy your day off today!

Astoria Weekend Edition 17.02.06

a joint post by flooz and megc!

Are you all recovered from the record setting snowstorm this past weekend? Did the sudden warm temperatures surprise you by quickly melting away the snow into gross slush/garbage water on your stoop? Well, lets all be glad that the majority of this past weekend's storm is on its way out...and let's make room for this weekend's wind storm instead! No, really, it might be too cold for some of you to want to venture out, but hey, you can always explore from the warmth and comfort of your bed by couch surfing. Or buy one of these super cool looking shirts over the Internet. Oh how I love the shape of the Hell Gate Bridge.

If you're feeling a little heavy in the pocket from your kickbutt tax return, consider bidding in the local silent auction going on this weekend, in conjunction with the festivites at the LIC Boathouse. And if something more public is your style, you can become a permanent part of your neighborhood through the Adopt A Park program. Adopt A Park will let you have a park bench for somewhere between $2,500 - $7,000.

Now, storms make me hungry and maybe they do the same for you, so thankfully there are some interesting and tasty options this weekend. Remember there’s the Venison Dinner at Koliba this weekend. Or have a steak at the excellent Christos Taverna (aka Christos Hasapo Taverna), or Italian at Masso’s, a new restaurant in LIC. Later on Friday, go have some fun singing karaoke at the Albatross Bar, with Pepper Mills & Candy Samples. The festivities start at 11:30pm. Plus there’s $6 pint specials and great mixed drinks.

On Saturday, Restless Natives opens at Local Project in LIC. The opening reception is Saturday, February 18th at 7pm; the show closes March 4th. See a panoply of work by native New York artists: Alex Bevington, Luke Butler, Alan Chin, Simon Eskow, Eugene Fiore, Marni Horwitz, Anna Hostvedt, Emilie Lemakis, Meredith Parker, David Peterson, and Justin Waldstein. Seth Goodwin, the Pain Proof Man, will be performing as well.

Sunday, if you're not one who minds the cold weather, head out to Astoria Park to catch a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Yep, they play even when it’s cold. Games start around 3pm and are very informal. All are welcome. Then afterwards head over and say hi at Freeze Peach, where I, Meg, will be preparing and serving coffee and tea from 4-8pm.

More fun, here.

And have a great day off on Monday! I suggest you sleep in.

Why I like Trade Fair

You can't get this at the Setauket Stop N' Shop!
I once made the mistake of calling it, when I first moved there, "Shop N' Stop." The cashier informed me that I was incorrect, and gave me this phrase to remember it correctly: "First you stop, then you shop." And I also once saw a guy named Otto working there. I don't know whether or not he was spacing the cans correctly.

Anyway, I'm pleased with the interesting things I found at the Trade Fair. I'm sure they are delicious as well (I know the Sabra will be).

P3

Besides being the name of the club Piper runs on one of my favorite guilty TV pleasures, Charmed, it also stands for Paddle Pedal Party (gotta love that alliteration!), an event coming up this Thursday night, February 16. It's a fundraiser for the LIC Boathouse, and the Recycle-a-Bicycle program. From the press release:

The LIC Community Boathouse provides free educational and recreational outdoor activities through educational partnerships and our regular activities of kayak touring, beach cleanups, and cove paddles aboard canoes. Recycle-a-Bicycle sustains itself through bike repairs and sales (with youth employment programs), and provides educational projects, and a coming bike lending library!

Man, a bike lending library sounds good to me! And I love the availability of these free paddling excursions on the East River, sponsored by the LIC Boathouse. Truly a great couple of organizations to support. And in addition to feeling good about supporting great things in your community, you'll enjoy the following all evening:

Indian and Italian food (Scrumptious vegan options too!)
Live music by the Dutch Kills and the Pete Diamond Band
Gorgeous space, fine wine, delicious desserts
Art displays from LIC Art-o-Mat!
Raffles!

It sounds like tons of fun. Here is the 411:

LIC Community Boathouse and Recycle-a-Bicycle
February 16, 6-9pm
The Foundry
42-38 Ninth Street
Long Island City

Sustain free kayaking and biking in LIC!

$20 donation suggested, but all supportive neighbors and harbor friends are welcome.

I'm Telling You Now So You Can Plan

Astoria Czechoslovak restaurant Koliba is having their annual venison feast this coming weekend, February 17 - 19, Friday through Sunday. According to the website, the special venison feast menu will include wild game meats...which is what venison is. Perhaps non-deer wild meats will be served, like boar? Not sure, Anyway, it sounds like an interesting culinary adventure (if you're not vegetarian, that is). Large groups will be accommodated, it seems. So, call them at 718-626-0430 to reserve a spot for you and your friends!

OMG Snow!

I can't believe how much snow we've gotten! At this writing I think Central Park got 23 inches, and Astoria got 15 or so. It's apparently the second biggest snowstorm in recorded history in NYC, and at one point the storm was 300 miles long. Both my audition and my rehearsal got cancelled, due to the storm's intensity and its potential danger. Bummer. But what can you do? Anyway, hope you're enjoying the weather in whatever way you do! But above all, be careful out there - it's pretty cold and windy.

The shot in this post is the view northward from my front door. Glad I don't own a car.

The New Crack?

That would be Sabra hummus. I bought some the other day at my local Trade Fair (and then another container of it today) and was blown away by how good it is. It's truly the best store-bought hummus I've ever eaten! It's very rich and creamy (just like it says!), and really balanced - not too salty or overly acidic. It tastes just plain delicious and has quite an addictive quality to it; I had a hard time putting it down. I know there are scads of fans of the Sabra hummus. It's a local product, by the way, produced in Astoria. Tonight I ate it with a brand of pita I'd never seen before, Astoria Pita:



It's made in Long Island City. Love the images of the Triborough and Queensborough bridges on the wrapping! Just wish the Hellgate Bridge had made it on there. It's fine Greek-style pita (so, no pocket) and went well with the hummus. I do have to disagree with their claim on the packaging that this pita is "Perfect for...tacos." That's just plain wrong. Keep it away from the Mexican food!

All in all, Sabra hummus and Astoria Pita make for a very tasty snack.

Astoria Weekend Edition 10.02.06

It's supposed to be snowy this weekend. Welcome back, winter! Perfect weather for hanging out at your favorite cozy spot this weekend. Or stay home and watch a movie (then again, you can go out for one). Alternatively, check out the chess exhibit at the Noguchi Museum. This Sunday they are presenting Chess and Art: An Interplay of Disciplines. The Museum is hosting a discussion on the interplay between the disciplines of art and chess. Guest curator Larry List will serve as moderator. Panelists include Francis Naumann, Wendy Grossman, and Ingrid Schaffner.

Sunday is also Abraham Lincoln's real birthday. Maybe consider reading the Emancipation Proclamation, his most well-known speech. Did anyone else ever see the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland?

I'm thinking the bike tour will be rescheduled again.

Podcasts are all the rage! While you are cozying up at home, perhaps watching Derek Zoolander impersonate John Wilkes Booth, you can download Astoria's one and only podcast, This Show Again. Comedian Thomas J. Kelly interviews Phil DiPippo of Latos, Latos and DiPippo (episode 35). DiPippo candidly talks about rumors about whether or not he's in the mob, his ubiquitous ads and most importantly whether or not he and his partners own two of the North-bound lanes on the Triboro Bridge.

For something completely different, pair music and food twice this weekend. On Friday from 8PM-10PM check out Dois Caipirinhas playing live bossa nova and MPB at Girassol Churrascaria Steak House. And Mezzo Mezzo on Ditmars is having live Middle Eastern music and belly dancing on Saturday night! Experience music played with interesting and unusual instruments: Elias Sarkar (Violin/Vocals), Robert Boghosian (Oud), Chris Marashlian (Bass), Nick Mandoukos (Guitar/Vocals/Bouzouki), and Amir Naoum (Durbuke).

More fun, here.

And One for the Greenway

Greenway Maps and Publications! Behold the draft master plan!

Three for LIC

LIC, you're in the Times today: A Long Island City Awakening. And more money for the seawall has been secured! Man, it looks pretty beat up over there.

But the most exciting thing all day is my discovery of the publication, LIC in Context: An Unorthodox Guide to Long Island City. From the book's forward:

Long Island City in Context, an alternative neighborhood exploration created by Place in History, explores the development, redevelopment and perpetual reimagining of Long Island City, one of New York City's most dynamic and misconstrued neighborhoods. The project represents a collaborative effort to make sense of this physically and socially disjointed swath of Northwestern Queens, utilizing strategies culled from the fields of planning, architecture, history and art. Neither a comprehensive neighborhood guide nor a traditional exercise in urban planning or design, the book takes an ambitious, if selective, stab at evoking what is compelling and unusual about the neighborhood through the exploration of 54 sites.

What a cool book, full of great pictures and interesting sites that I want to check out. I had no idea that LIC was the former home of the Sunshine Bakery, Chiclets, and Pierce Arrow. Or that there is a big glacial rock in the middle of a parking lot. Or that it is the home of a Titanic shrine! I love the map at the front of the book, too. I'm excited to order this book. $10 + $2.50 s/h, payable via Paypal.

Bike Tour Rescheduled

According to Christine on astorians.com, the Queens East River Greenway Bike Tour has been rescheduled for Sunday, February 12. I guess the crappy weather won out. But hopefully the weather next weekend will be beautiful and good cycling weather. Yay bikes!

Lions in Astoria?

Lion Above
Originally uploaded by mcotner.

Well, not real live ones. But this makes for the second stone lion I've spied in Astoria.

This ornament is above one of the apartment buildings on my block. There is a lot of decorative stone work and carving throughout the buildings in Astoria - you just have to look up to see it. Once you're aware that it exists, you'll be amazed at just how much decorative work there is throughout our little part of Queens.

Here and There in Astoria

Did you know that a number of Queens libraries are offering wireless Internet access? This includes Astoria! Some grant money came through to make this possible. I love the wireless! I bet you do, too.

Totally disgusting: a city barge accidentally dumped a bunch of sewage sludge into the East River last Saturday. They say it's not toxic like chemicals, but don't go swimming or fishing in the River. Bio waste dumped in the East River makes the baby Jesus cry.

And what's up with the SUV violence at the nightclubs on Steinway?

And even though they say it might rain tomorrow, the meteorologists are often wrong. I'm hoping they are this weekend, so that the Winter Bike Tour can happen:

Join Partnership for Parks’ Astoria and Long Island City Waterfront Parks Catalyst Project and Transportation Alternatives on a weekend afternoon bike tour of the planned Queens East River Greenway. See the planned greenway up close and get inspired to help make it a reality. Ride the greenway route and neighborhood streets and visit Queensbridge, Rainey, Socrates, Astoria and Ralph Demarco Parks, which will all be connected by this new waterfront greenway.

The ride is scheduled for Saturday, February 4, at 1PM. Meet at Gantry Plaza State Park, 48th Avenue and the East River.

In case of inclement weather, the ride will be held on Sunday, February 12, at 1PM. But call 917-902-9165 on Saturday to check to see whether things are on or off for the ride.

Happy weekend!!!

The Joys of City Life

One of the things I love most about NYC vs. the suburbs is that this is a walking city. Everyone walks who is able. We wear the soles of our shoes down like drivers wear down their car's tires. In certain parts of the city, it's easy to know how far you've walked, by the number of city blocks, but in other parts (like Astoria/LIC) it's not as easy. I mean, you could get in a car and drive the route and check the odometer, but who wants to do that if they don't have to, especially if you've secured an awesome parking spot?!? Or what if you don't own a car (like me, hooray!!)? You're kinda stuck. Well, it's Google Maps to the rescue! Someone has put together a Google map to record distances one walks: Gmaps Pedometer. Just hit "start recording" in the left hand menu, then double click for each leg of the walk - be sure to drop points at each turn and direction change (even if the street changes angle), or else you end up with diagonals that don't represent the route you mean to take. On the left you can even calculate calories burned and elevation. Nice! I use this map all the time to plot out new running routes. Have fun!

Super Superbowl Weekend

So here you have it folks, the biggest weekend in footbal is here! The weather all weekend looks like its going to be gross, so what better time to do all things inside.

Have you decided where to go? Who's the designated driver? How much the drinking games are gonna put you back?
Well if you are looking for a new and interesting spot to spend your Sunday night for free, stop by the Young Republicans Super Bowl Party... sounds crazy huh? i would love to see pictures of this event if anyone goes! Um, yeah if anyone was hoping to see me there, don't be too dissapointed when i'm nowhere to be found hahaha... dang republicans!
But really, i think your local bar should have a happenin evening prepared-try Irish Rover or Sunswick for good stand-by's.

Friday night start off the party weekend at Waltz checking out the next big mezzo-soprano to make it big. Astorian Melissa Gerstein along with Jonathan Kelly- piano, Jill Waycie- piano will take the stage at 9pm and there's no cover...just a little 1 drink minimum...they have yummy coffee and sweets to help you get over the $5 strain! Its her debut recital, come out and support the arts!

Before you start your drinking Sunday, you have all of Saturday to go out and do a good deed. There's a great group here in LIC called Hour Children that a friend of mine was involved with last year. They help mothers transition back into normal life after incarceration and make sure their children are healthy, socially well adjusted and achieving academically. You can unload unwanted furniture and good stuff to their thrift store too if thats easier. It all helps!

After doing something for your soul, do something for your body! If you get the winter aches like i do, massages are a welcome relief. I'm convinced its got something to do with hunching your body to get away from the freezing wind and tensing up so you don't slip on crazy patches of ice. Whatever causes it, The Yoga Room can fix it. And you thought all they did was pilates and yoga, ha! Right there on Steinway when you get off the train too so the frigid blast is minimal...they've got Deep tissue, Sports Massage and Therapeutic Massage all for the low low "un-manhattan" prices of $70 for an hour, $40 for half and hour and add on my favorite-hot stones for just $15 more! I can feel the relaxation already.

Good luck getting to work on Monday!

February for Cats

Marina Bipedal
Originally uploaded by mcotner.

This is my kitty Marina. Isn't she cute?!? Today I learned that February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Now is a good time to take your little cat for her/his yearly dental checkup!

Astoria at Sundance Part 3

As you know, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints screened recently at the Sundance Film Festival. The good news, as I learned from fellow blogger Harlan, is that it won two awards! It won the Dramatic Directing Award for Dito Montiel's work and a Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Performance. Award winners are highlighed here. The Sundance site makes you download .pdf files to find out about the awards, which is something I find to be kind of lame. Anyway, I think the fact that this film won some awards is pretty cool. I look forward to seeing it - hopefully it will get picked up for distribution and will come to Astoria.

Update: Fellow Astorian Annwyn writes:

Another Astorian also won an award...

The Shorts Jury awarded Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking to fellow Astorian Rob VanAlkemade for his film on Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping:

Preacher With an Unknown God

Nice! Thanks, Annwyn!

Astoria Weekend Edition 27.01.06

Wondering what to do this weekend? Well, wait no more! Here are some things to do in beautiful Astoria and LIC:

Out of work early this Friday? Stop by the Museum of the Moving Image for a free encore screening of Kundun at 5pm. At 7:30, it's Blue Collar, a tribute to Richard Pryor. The rest of the weekend holds more films, so check their site to find out more.

Then there's Ruthless Scrabble! The ultimate Scrabble tournament is here! Presented by Waltz-Astoria, in the spirit of fair play. This is your chance to claim the victory and the fame! Bring your board, or your thinking cap. Door Prize for highest score. Sign up online at Waltz's website. Play starts at 8pm. Free.

Later that evening, stop in at Doyle's Corner to see and hear the band, The Getaway Drive. The band won the John Lennon Song Writing Contest last year and also won the battle of the bands for New York. 10:30pm. Free.

Saturday afternoon at the Women's Studio Center is the Women Writers Forum, which occurs on the fourth Saturday of the Month. Writers are asked to bring one piece of writing 10 minutes or less to share for feedback from their peers. Fiction writers or writers with longer work may email it in advance. The workshop starts at 3pm and is free.

If writing's not your bag (and/or you're not of the female persuasion), stop by PS1 for Black & Blue, a multimedia (slides, screenings, readings) lecture on painters Steven Parrino and Yves Klein. 2pm. Free with museum admission.

On Sunday, head over to Freeze Peach from 4-8pm. The lovely Ariana will be serving up some great coffee and tea, with snacks, and she'll be donating the proceeds and tips from the till to a worthy cause. Come by for the best coffee and tea in the area, and know you're helping the community with your business.

Museum of the Moving Image
35 Avenue at 36 Street
Astoria

Waltz-Astoria
2314 Ditmars Boulevard
Astoria

Doyle's Corner
42 Street and Broadway
Astoria

Women's Studio Center
21-25 44 Avenue
Long Island City

PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave at 46th Avenue
Long Island City

Freeze Peach
22-00 29th Street (Ditmars Boulevard & 29th Street)
Astoria

Thursday Night Fun in LIC and Astoria

Ah, Thursday. One more day before Friday and then Le Weekend! Last night I attended the public meeting at ARROW regarding the East River Greenway. There was a good turnout and it was really nice to see so many in the community attending. There's nothing like being informed and given the opportunity to ask questions to promote a healthy process. One point that came up from a number of people was the desire to shut down the section of Shore Boulevard alongside Astoria Park to car traffic. I, personally, like the idea! I look forward to hearing more about the Greenway project, and of course seeing it come to fruition.

Tonight, stop by the Art-O-Mat for the debut of O’Keeffe Illuminated: Photographs by Tony Vaccaro. Tony is the former chief photographer of Flair Magazine in 1950, and later of LIFE, LOOK, Time and Venture magazines, and a long-time Hunters Point resident. The exhibition includes selections from an extensive body of work taken of Georgia O’Keeffe over a two week period in April 1960 at her home in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Only two images from this body of work have ever been exhibited. Tonight is the opening reception, starting at 6pm.

The Art-O-Mat seems like a pretty cool place. They describe themselves thusly:

Art-O-Mat L.I.C. began in 1995 as one of the Internet’s earliest online art projects. Its latest incarnation is an Artisan Store and Gallery in the heart of Long Island City’s Hunters Point. In the short time since the store’s opening in November 2005, the store has sold works from over 50 artists, artisans, musicians, and authors as well as items from local cultural organizations. Art-O-Mat L.I.C. holds community events such as children’s workshops, community folktales (local oral history), and readings. The store also sells unique gift items, items with local flavor, and books. O’Keeffe Illuminated will be Art-O-Mat’s third exhibition in the Gallery space.

After the reception, head over to the Freeze Peach Cafe to create something yourself! Thursday nights at the cafe are dedicated to ACK, Astoria Crafty Knitty. Bring your knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn, and join your fellow crafters for some creative fun. As always, tea, coffee, and snacks are available at the cafe, and quite delicious they are.
Crafting starts at 8:30pm

Art-O-Mat
46-46 Vernon Blvd
Long Island City, NY

Freeze Peach Cafe
22-00 29th St (Ditmars Blvd & 29th St)
Astoria, NY

Are You in the Zone?

The Hurricane Evacuation Zone, that is.

I am one of those people that needs to live within a few miles of a substantial body of water, be it a river, lake, or ocean. I love that Astoria is right on the East River, despite the East River's reputation of non-cleanliness and disposed bodies. However, being near the water makes us somewhat vulnerable to the whims of nature, in the form of flooding and hurricanes. Apparently we are at risk for them here in NYC, and being on the western edge of Queens we could see massive flooding in some areas. Curious to know whether or not you're gonna get soaked during the next hurricane? Well, you can check here, to find out whether your address falls within one of New York City's hurricane evacuation zones. Brought to you by the Office of Emergency Management of New York City. I checked my address and I am in no danger. Are you...?

Kabob Cafe Enlightenment

Wowsers, was i overwhelmed by how much i loved Kabob and Ali!?!?!?!
Meg and I finally got to meet our 3rd "joey" Tamara and she was awesome. Her and Ali go way back so we all sat around just stuffing our faces with pretty much whatever he threw in front of us and chit chatted for a couple of hours. What a great place. After a million plates of goodness, Meg and i trekked out to Lazizza (sp?) for some middle eastern sweets. Tamara had to head home to get set to leave today for California to visit her friend Zora-also another Astorian, who is recovering from a bigtime operation.

On our way back from getting sweets we ran into Mr. Happy Ali who promptly escorted us into Mombar (another place i've been wanting to go try). There he walked us through the museum of all handmade and interesting tables, tapestries and tiling. I think it's his brothers place? And his dad was there too. What nice folks. Then we tried to go on our merry way again only to stop in at Sabry's Seafood for a menu (cause again, i want to try them) and were offered some fresh warm bread to take with us! How funny!!! So thank yous were said and then time for home. All in all, i have to say that this little corner of Astoria is chock full of great food and sweet people. And now for the pics of the food... in no particular order or anything-just GOOOOOOD!

Vegetarian Combo thingie (hummus, falafel, babganoush and more)

Fava bean puree with caramelized kinda fried onions and olive oil

Kofta-beef meatballs with potatoes and a poached egg in light tomato sauce

Duck with a honey glaze and rice and veggies

Queens Enters Restaurant Week 2006

As some of you know, it's Restaurant Week this week and next. These are two weeks when some of the city's best restaurants offer a prix fixe menu in the form of a three-course lunch for $24.07 (the city runs 24/7) and a four-course dinner for $35. Most of the restaurants are located in Manhattan, but one Queens-based restaurant is part of the mix - Water's Edge, in Long Island City. You can even make a reservation via OpenTable.com. And if you go, let me know how it was!

NYC Restaurant Week
January 23-27 and January 30-February 3
Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn

Water's Edge
The East River @44th Drive
Long Island City, NY 11101
718) 482- 0033

Two Important Meetings

One of the great things I love about living in Astoria, is the ability to be involved with my community. Astoria and the greater Long Island City area is an amazing part of NYC and really worth caring for. Two meetings this week have come to my attention, and I feel they are important enough to pass on to you. The only drawback: they occur the same evening! Depending on your schedule and location, try to make one of them if you can.

1. Newtown Creek Oil Spill Meeting.
If you live in southern Long Island City or Greenpoint, this meeting is close to home. In 1979, 17 million gallons of oil were "discovered" in the Newtown Creek, spreading over 55 acres. Wednesday's meeting is the first time since 2003 that the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) has offered an opportunity for public comments and questions concerning the remediation program. In addition to the DEC, representatives from ExxonMobil, Chevron Texaco and BP Amoco will be at the meeting to answer questions.

If you are concerned about this 17 million gallon oil spill you should attend this meeting to learn more and ask questions about what is being done to improve the situation.

Wednesday, January, 25, 2006
7:00 PM
Princess Manor
92 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint


2. Public Meeting: Our East River Greenway!
As I mentioned before, the East River Greenway has been funded and planning is up and running. Please join the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of City Planning to learn about the developing plans for the Queens East River and North Shore Greenway. The Greenway will provide connected bike and pedestrian access from the Pulaski Bridge to Flushing Bay Esplanade, and is proposed to run north along the East River and then East past LaGuardia Airport. There will be time for questions, discussion, and for you to give your input. Help us make this the best community asset it can be! All are welcome!

Wednesday, January 25
6:00 PM
ARROW Recreation Center
35-30 35th Street (35th Street between 35th and 36th Avenues) in Astoria

That Sweet, Sweet Siren Song

of Sugar. Oh how hard you are to resist! Homer couldn't resist that sweet, sweet waffle on the ceiling. Sacrilicious.

I've gotten better at managing my sugar cravings, despite my seemingly never-ending sweet tooth. However, some of us are still having a hard time with the sugar. If you are mystified by your sugar cravings, then tonight's workshop is for you:

Suffering From the Sugar Blues?: Workshop with Holistic Health Counselor

Heather Weisse presents workshop for adults who constantly crave sweets and don't know why. Learn how sugar affects our bodies and minds. Find out how you can gain control without depriving yourself of the foods you love to eat.

Astoria Branch of the Queens Public Library
14-01 Astoria Boulevard
Astoria
6pm
free
718 278 2220

Astoria at Sundance Part 2

Seems that A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints has gotten some local press, via Newsday:

"The try-anything looseness of Montiel's meta-literary directing style -- inserting text from the shooting script in between scenes, for example -- is part of its appeal. Each time the veteran cast blows on, however (Dianne Wiest as Dito's mother, Robert Downey Jr. as the adult Dito), the film takes on an actory self-consciousness. When it stays focused on its young cast, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" exudes a scrappy, John Cassavetes-like vividness."

I look forward to seeing how well the film does in the eyes of the Sundance jury.

Astoria at Sundance

As most of you know, the Sundance Film Festival is one of the biggest independent film festivals in the country, if not the world. Astoria is well represented this year with A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, a film by first-time writer/director Dito Montiel. You may remember this past summer and early fall there being a lot of filming throughout Astoria, locations marked by white papers taped to trees and telephone poles labeled "Recognizing Saints" and the dates the filming was to occur. For me, having just moved to Astoria, it was a little exciting knowing my town was the location for a movie with prominent actors (Robert Downey, Jr., Shia La Boeuf, Rosario Dawson, Chazz Palminteri and Dianne Wiest) and a well-known executive producer (Sting). According to the Sundance Guide:

“SAINTS is based on director Dito Montiel's youth during the mid-eighties in the tough neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. All his old friends have ended up dead, as junkies, or in prison; Dito is the proverbial man who got out. For him, the "saints" are the folks he remembers, the ones he left behind. For better or worse, they made him who he is today.”

It screens at Sundance January 20-22, and the 25th and 27th. I hope it shows in Astoria after its run in Utah!

Support Rudy this Friday!

no not the politician!
our local Brownbird Rudy Relic

You may remember him from the Astorians for Hurricane Relief fundraisers, and yes he's still a hollerin all over town!
Tomorrow night he will be helping celebrate Slim Whitman's 82nd birthday down at Pete's Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St. (@ Richardson St.) Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. 8pm, and its free...

His style is really all his own - you'd have to see him to really appreciate - he stomps his feet, strums his guitar and shouts the blues to the rooftops. He's really a great performer that Astoria proudly claims as one of our own.


Some of his tunes are up on his myspace...cause you know, that's the place to be these days.

who's Slim Whitman you ask? check him out.

Astoria in the News

Perusing the news, I found a few bits on Astoria:

Some people are not happy with Astoria's hookah bars. Personally, I'm not a fan of the smoking (although shisha smoke smells better than cigarette smoke), so I try not put myself in the situation where it's around. As much as I despise smoking, it wouldn't bother me if the hookah bars were exempt from the smoking law, citing a cultural exemption.

"It's not like a cigarette," said Gamal Dewidar, who manages his brother's Elkhaiam cafe and Hookah Palace on Steinway St. "There is a little tobacco and honey mixed in, but it's not dangerous."

Greenway up and running! Funding for a greenway along Queens' East River waterfront has been secured. According to the article, the greenway will run along the river from Newtown Creek up to 20th Avenue (ConEd Land). Nice!

The project, said the Rev. Mitchell Taylor, chairman of the East River Development Alliance, is intended "to build a city for everyone, to bring people together, to create access and opportunity, to create a merge of people that will create a mosaic of opportunity for all of us." A meeting to solicit public comment on the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. at the ARROW Recreation Center, 35-30 35th St., Astoria.

Astoria Recyles! The Restore-Build It Green Warehouse reminds me of Berkeley's Urban Ore, where you can find all sorts of building materials that were once used elsewhere. Particularly memorable about Urban Ore was the "sea of toilets as far as the eye could see." Well, not really but there were a lot. Looks like Build It Green has that in common with Urban Ore. Check it out!

It's 18,000 square feet filled with tons and tons of stuff you've thrown out, like that pink toilet you replaced with a white one, or those cabinets that you thought were too dated.

If Justin Green has his way, all of those home construction items that could be used again, will be used again. Instead of going to a landfill, they'll come to the Restore-Build It Green warehouse in Astoria. It was opened last March by the Community Environmental Center. It's modeled after similar stores in other cities.

But why would you buy a toilet here and not at a store? Because you can get it for $15, and that's a good deal. What's even better is that Build It Green is a not for profit, the money raised here goes to good causes like Habitat for Humanity

Socialize

Its hump day, so i feel like welcoming the weekend already! Plan it...

Saturday January 21
Go OUT!
so have you heard of the new joint, Hell Gate Social?
word out on the street is the its a great place to socialize with your fellow Astorians.
They have live music and dj's with an ecclectic mix of afro-funk, soul-jazzz, disco-punk and any other random hyphenated combo you can think of apparently! They plan to show indie films/shorts from locals in the summer which i am looking forward to. It looks a bit out of the way for me at 12-21 Astoria Blvd. (at 14th St.) / 718-204-8313, but i will be trying to get out there at some point and get a real feel for it.
or
I know its been spoken of before, but i finally went to Crescent Lounge, i must say-loved it. It was such a chill place. And what seemed to be a huge group of regulars were very welcoming.
Comfy chairs and decent drinks, i can see forgetting about the time at a place like that. Take some friends and enjoy.


don't do this though-Enoteca Sapori D'Ischia

I know its in Woodside and all, but i figured it to be close enough to try. think again flooz, not only was it in an industrial funkhole area-it wasn't the Enoteca i was hoping for. They should rename it Trattoria Sapori D'Ischia. My party and i decided just from standing outside looking in that it wasn't what was advertised. It was a small 2 room deal, one was a cloth restaurant looking room and the other a tiny bar area with maybe a handful of tables. Behind the bar they did seem stocked with a variety of wine, but still it looked like an italian restaurant with just a really big wine selection... We weren't looking for food, just a place to get a few glasses of wine. It felt weird and uncomfortable to us. We left. Maybe one day if i am really hungry and in the area i'll stop in and see what its really about, but till then-i'm still searching for Astoria's wine bar dangit!


Sunday January 22
wake up semi early and go be peaceful...
Creating Happiness
3 Talks Introducing Buddhist Meditation and Psychology
With Luis Villalon
Sundays 12:00 - 2:00 pm
at Grace Lutheran Church
31-20 21st Ave
(between 31st and 32nd street)
then
feeling better about life? go get literary enlightenment:
Astorians Tara McCarthy, author of Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Marcy Dermansky, author of Twins, with be reading from their novels--both of which feature twins--at LIC Bar in Long Island City, Queens, at 3pm. The event will be hosted by Ron Hogan of Beatrice.com (and author of The Stewardess if Flying the Plane).
LIC bar is at 45-58 Vernon Blvd. on the corner of 46th Avenue and Vernon. 7 train to Vernon/Jackson.

Help improve our waterfront!

Want to contribute to the health of our local waterfront and meet like-minded people at the same time? Well, do I have the thing for you! The Astoria and LIC Waterfront Community Group is meeting Wednesday, January 18 at 6:30 pm to talk about ways to to improve our Astoria/LIC waterfront parks and our waterfront as a whole. Specifically, discussion will center around finalizing the mission of the group. The meeting will be at the Greater Astoria Historical Society, located in the Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor, in beautiful Astoria.

All are welcome!

Always looking out for my peeps!

One night only, right here, for you, enjoy!

Olympia Chemists

While in line buying cookies at Rose & Joe's Bakery today to satisfy my never-ending sweet tooth, I spied a slick postcard on the counter advertising for Olympia Chemist's (woe is the life of the misplaced apostrophe). I was there a couple weekends ago, and thought it was a pretty nice place. Bright and cheery, they carry a wide selection of organic, herbal, and homeopathic remedies, cosmetics and fragrances, as well as vitamins and sundries. I was particularly pleased to see that they carry a few of my favorite brands, like Burt's Bees (love the lemon butter cuticle cream) and L'Occitane (love the lemon verbena line - yes, I adore the scent of lemon and citrus in general). They will fill prescriptions and accept major insurances. The woman who was working there (possibly the owner - I didn't ask at the time) was really helpful in guiding me to a good multivitamin and I appreciated that she just let me browse the rest of the store without hovering over me or pressuring me to buy anything in particular. After I made my purchase, she offered me a sample of some very nice glycerine citrus soap. Yay for free stuff!

The bonus about visiting this place is that you are a couple doors down from Artopolis Bakery and the Mediterranean Foods market, as well as an interesting looking meat market (more about these places in future postings).

Olympia Chemists
Agora Plaza
23-18 31st Street
Astoria

Astoria Weekend Edition 13.01.06

Looking for something to do in Astoria this weekend? Well, here are some fun suggestions!

Enjoy live Brazilian music at Girassol Churrascaria Steak House tonight! Dois Caipirinhas will be playing Bossa Nova and MPB from 8-10pm, and will be doing so each Friday night in January. Girassol Churrascaria is located at 33-18 28th Avenue in Astoria.

Waltz, a lovely cafe located on Ditmars Avenue, is having a wine tasting event this Saturday evening at 8pm. Wine aficionado Kevin Rose will be there to teach you about the basics of wine etiquette and share his expertise in the history of wine-making. Acompanying food and music will be provided. $20 for the whole shebang. Waltz recently got their liquor license, so be sure to visit them for a drink and dessert!

On Sunday, come back to Waltz to enjoy some "red hot jazz" at 4pm, performed by Hiroya Tsukamoto and friends. Later on that day, stop by the Freeze Peach Cafe for some amazing tea and coffee, and snacks! Snacks are new at the Peach, and boy are they good (tip: the almond biscotti is particularly good with a chai latte). Yours truly will be working behind the counter from 4-8pm to raise funds for a worthy local organization. Coincidentally, the proceeds will be going toward the Women's Studio Center, which flooz posted about below. Come in for some top notch hot drinks and know that your money will go to such a worthy entity. Please be sure to say hi and tell me you read about it on the blog!

Artists in Astoria!

Creative Time
After looking for quite sometime, i finally found something doable.
They've got all sorts of cool little workshops/classes throughout the year. There is a life drawing class starting the last thurs of January that i am super gung ho about.
Check in every once in awhile, there may be something up your alley.

Women's Studio Center is located at:
21-25 44 Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11101

(see there ARE artists here!)

oh and for a peek into the latest news to come out of astoria in today's metro-check it. oh the randomness of it all.

have a faboo holiday weekend.

p.s.-a tease of whats to come... brazilian markets, hell in astoria, appliances as restaurants?

This Show Again Addendum

Yep - what Flooz said. This Show Again had earned a sidebar link, a long time coming. I've just been distracted with my hippie life in Vermont. ~

It's a fun show. You should check it out.

Cheers!

This Show Again Apology Post!

Hear Ye Hear Ye!
We (or i do anyway) have to apologize to the local boys at This Show Again for not having bounced some love back by now. I have to say, i do listen to the ONLY ASTORIAN PODCAST pretty much every week, or when there's a new one posted anyway.

I definitley do not want people to think-bah, joey is in vermont so this blog is going kaput! Thats not it at all. The passing of the torch just happened to take place during the hellish holiday season and that led to a bit of a gap in posting! Joey is actually still lurking around in web land so she isn't as far away as we may think. She'll stop in every once in awhile, i'm thinking she'll be our first "correspondent" or something, you can keep a tab on her on her new blog very appropriately named Joey In Vermont.

In the meantime, Meg, Tamara and I will be doing our darndest to keep you in on the local haps.

Sunlight of Life

Sunlight of Life
Originally uploaded by mcotner.

I walk down Astoria Blvd often, coming home from my way off the subway station. At the corner of Astoria Blvd. and 35th Street is a wall with these bas relief concrete sculptures on it. I think they are very interesting and beautiful. There are more pictures, here.

Hot Dogs Gone Wild!

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, the first discovery on the Gastronomic Trail 2006/Astoria Edition....
San Antonio Bakery #2.
Oh yes, there have been whispers and gossip and the occasional wiff, but not until now did we get the chance to actually have THE CHILEAN HOT DOG!!! Oh how the gods were looking down upon us today with joy as Meg and I met on the corner of 37th St and Astoria Blvd. to begin our adventure.
Lets see, so its a smallish place, maybe 8 or so tables? TV blaring GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL, soccer on (did you know theres a channel called Gol?)
Really sweet owner Ruben and his handful of associates was always a few steps away and ready to answer all of our questions, and there were alot...
After much mulling over the counter of delicacies, we decided on just getting the basics and splitting it all down the middle.

We started off with two cans of chilean pop. Pap (papaya) and a cherry one that i forget the name, something like Biz or something. As Meg pointed out-made with sugar not corn syrup-gud thing .




At the table we got a heaping bowl of pebre- a most delicious condiment! i would say its a kind of salsa, but that wouldn't even do it justice. We were told, go ahead put it on EVERYTHING and thats what we did, and dang it was gud.










Then it was time for the dog! Let me remind you that this is a bakery. They make this delicious bread...sooooo yummy. they use this homemade bread toss in a dog then add chopped tomatoes, onions, avocado and mayo on top. They even have these cute little dog trays that hold them perfectly! So half for me and half for meg, down the gullet (with the pebre of course)

On to the next course. Thin pork slices with melted cheese on some slammin bread. Its served simply then you add the bam of the pebre, heaven!
Warm gooey goodness.

breathe

Dessert time. Lemon Pie, better known as meringue. It was to the point of almost being a caramelized candy topping. Nice clean tart filling in a crumbly shell. No complaints from me at all. I just got back from key west were i felt the need to search for great key lime pie, its not that, but different. Definitley gud.

Then the pan cake. This had Meg written all over it. Thin moist slices of some kind of cake with dulce de lece between each sliver. It had a heavy coating of it on the outside that hardened slightly into a caramel ... love love love that. You probably think-ugh sweetness overload. But thats the best part, there wasn't.

Somehow there was a beautiful balance and everything hit the spot right on. This place gets a definite 2 thumbs up for me. I just wish i had just stepped in there alot sooner. I've been walking by it everyday for years but just never really had the thought to go in.
If you can read this, then you must go there and try them! They are closed on mondays and the rest of the week they are 9-7 or so. sundays till 6. Ruben mentioned expanding the menu to pizza...chilean pizza! all sorts of wonders await!!! oh yeah, they have empanadas like none i've ever seen before. cheese and beef and they look like enough for a decent lunch even...thats the next thing to try. I'm thinkin tomorrow on my way home.

Stay tuned!