Monday, May 19, 2014

Forest Hills in the News...

A couple of recent articles about the neighborhood in case you missed them:

From Crain's New York Business:
Forest Hills Italian resto | East Williamsburg studio | Steven Madden sells
OvoSodo
110-60 Queens Blvd., Queens
The new Italian restaurant opened in Forest Hills. It sells pizza by the inch, and its namesake ovosodo pizza is topped with tomato, mozzarella, bacon and egg.

And from the Daily News, this, in my opinion, overly dramatic story about the closing of the (pretty darn bland and sad-looking) Brandon Cinemas on Austin St.
Another theater closes in Forest Hills to make way for an urgent care center

I mean, the article makes it sound like we lost some kind of cultural gem, like the Ziegfeld in Manhattan! This was a tiny, sad-looking two-theater incarnation of whatever this theater once was. It had absolutely no charm at all. It really wasn't much of a loss. Now, would I rather it be replaced by a medical clinic on what is our main shopping street? Of course not! But let's not exaggerate what it was.

Oh, and that misleading headline. Firstly, it would have you think we are seeing a rash of theater closings to make way for urgent care centers. Whaaaat? Try like, one — this one? And secondly, no Mr./Mrs. Daily News Headline Writer/Reporter, you can't use the word "Another" when you're linking it to closings that happened decades ago. One movie theater closing every 20 years does not a trend make, sorry.
And, don't get me started on this:
"The loss of local theaters has signaled a change for neighborhood shopping centers such as Austin St., which has seen mom-and-pop boutiques give way to chain stores, banks and medical facilities."
Really? What about all the great new restaurants and bars that have opened on and around Austin St. in the past few years? The area is doing better than it has in years (at least in the past 15 or so years I've lived here!).

18 comments:

  1. not everybody is obsessed like you with all the new restaurants and bars that have opened. Some people cook at home and don't drink. I enjoyed seeing many movies over many years at that 'sad' looking theatre. Sorry it was not a twenty theatre monstrosity with transformers 10 playing on 10 screens.

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    1. So did I.

      and, apparently you are at least somewhat "obsessed" since you seem to be familiar with my blog.

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    2. Cook at home and don't drink? LAME!!! Go move to Long Island; no place for you in NYC!!!

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  2. The person who commented may not be obsessed with new openings in FH but I am! And I like reading a blog that's all about FH.

    I went to that theater once and never went back! Now, if Midway closed, THAT would be sad.

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  3. Obsessed or not obsessed about new bars and restaurants, the fact of the matter is that non-chain businesses are opening and they are not all restaurants. Just because some people cook at home and don't drink doesn't mean that non-chain businesses are not opening.

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  4. There is a trend across the world with movie theatres closing - its called the internet and 65 inch flat screens being par for the course in most homes. Its just the times changing...nothing to do with forest hills.

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  5. I have a great idea - make it a combo movie theater and doctor's office. Patients can sit in the old theatre and watch movies while waiting for the doctors to see them. I once had to wait 2 hours in the emergency room and seeing a movie would have made it far more pleasant.

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  6. I cook at home and love the selection of movies/shows I can get at home, but I love a good movie theater more than anything! There's something about the collective experience that can't be beat. During last year's heat wave in July, I spent a lot of time at Midway. I didn't have AC yet so I went to the theater to cool off (just like back in the day). I'm so glad there was a theater nearby for that. Sitting in a room with a bunch of folks laughing at the same things was fun. I finally have the ACs installed, but I'll still go to the movies for the fun of it.

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    1. You sound like someone who thinks a movie theatre is a communal place where you all laugh and text and talk and whoop it up. Reason why I don't go to the movies anymore .

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  7. The Brandon was run into the ground years ago. There was absolutely zero marketing done to promote this theater. Zilch. Hardly anyone unfamiliar with the neighborhood knew it was there. It was ill-maintained . The lobby was drabber than drab. Skip the concession stand...

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  8. Forest Hills made the news in yet another way-Building 3 of Parker Towers made the DOB's list of worst elevators in the entire city. What an honor!

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    Replies
    1. That place is a dump.

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    2. Management there prefers to call it Luxury Apartments. Some of the apts. may have been renovated, but the buildings don't rise close to luxurious.

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    3. Any building with a doorman is considered a luxury in the real estate agent world no matter how bad the condition is.

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  9. The Brandon was a horrible place to see a movie. Between the nasty old man at the front entrance and the concession stand workers that had one speed, reverse; I will not miss this place. If you miss it, go to Regal Cinema at the Atlas Mall; another fine example of a mismanaged enterprise.

    I will go to the Cinemart if there is something I missed or it's raining and I want to get out of the house. Love the Kew. But if I need to see some big budget extravaganza, I'll drive to College Point before I would go to the Midway.

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  10. No matter how subpar the Brandon was aesthetically, it was still a WAY better option than another dang medical facility. Nobody can convince me otherwise. I always bring my own snacks and drinks anyhow, so didn't care about the less than appealing refreshments stand. Very sad to see it gone.

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    Replies
    1. I agree; prefer a movie theater in that location any day.

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