Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Abandoned Car Creating Traffic Concern
One reader sent me this email tonight:
"Uber drive abandoned his car in the middle of 72nd drive, between 112th/ 113th street.
The street wasn't plowed at all and all cars on that street are stuck.
Driver hasn't returned and city hasn't responded.
Monday morning will be hell on 113th street and 72nd road when all the school buses coming off the van wyck try to come up against the traffic created from this one car."
"Uber drive abandoned his car in the middle of 72nd drive, between 112th/ 113th street.
The street wasn't plowed at all and all cars on that street are stuck.
Driver hasn't returned and city hasn't responded.
Monday morning will be hell on 113th street and 72nd road when all the school buses coming off the van wyck try to come up against the traffic created from this one car."
Fresh Direct Truck Rescue in Kew Gardens
Thanks to Kathy for sending in this video of a Fresh Direct truck being rescued during the Blizzard on 118th Street in Kew Gardens. She says it was stuck on the street for 8 hours yesterday...
Blizzard of 2016 Reader Pics
We'll be posting reader photos of the historic Great Blizzard of 2016, now officially the second biggest snowstorm since New York City began keeping records in the 1800's!
Email yours to edgeofthecity@gmail.com
Thanks to Gilda for sending in these pics of snowy, and desolate, Queens Blvd.!
And thanks to Esther for sending in this photo of a snowplow stuck last night at 72nd and 112th Streets...
Email yours to edgeofthecity@gmail.com
Thanks to Gilda for sending in these pics of snowy, and desolate, Queens Blvd.!
And thanks to Esther for sending in this photo of a snowplow stuck last night at 72nd and 112th Streets...
Saturday, January 23, 2016
The Great Blizzard of 2016
I don't use the word "Great" lightly.
I have been through so many Nor'Easters in my lifetime and I have to say this is a really ferocious one. I can't recall a storm making it this difficult to walk just a few blocks! I did manage to make it from the north side of Queens Blvd. to Austin Street though, but I wouldn't recommend it!
What struck me is the mix of normalcy—a lot of stores were open at midday, Key Food, Starbucks, McDonald's, Radio Shack, food vendors were open, some people were walking their dogs—contrasted with the unusual: major roads virtually impassable and completely empty of cars, parked cars buried, snow drifts...
I have been through so many Nor'Easters in my lifetime and I have to say this is a really ferocious one. I can't recall a storm making it this difficult to walk just a few blocks! I did manage to make it from the north side of Queens Blvd. to Austin Street though, but I wouldn't recommend it!
What struck me is the mix of normalcy—a lot of stores were open at midday, Key Food, Starbucks, McDonald's, Radio Shack, food vendors were open, some people were walking their dogs—contrasted with the unusual: major roads virtually impassable and completely empty of cars, parked cars buried, snow drifts...
Friday, January 22, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Friday, January 15, 2016
Subway Horror
Should we tell these 300,000 poor souls that we have access to several subway lines, the Long Island Railroad which gets you into Manhattan in 20 minutes, as well as express buses? Nahh.....
Tunnel Repairs Could Disrupt L Train in Coming Years
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
5 Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2016
1) Shake Shack on Austin: I was just eating at the one on the Upper East Side yesterday. The place was packed even at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on a Monday in a mostly residential part of the city. The Oatmeal Cream Pie shake I had was to die for (available limited time only), to be replaced by Chocolate Banana next week, I think. May the Lord help my waistline.
2) Target Express: Yes, my toilet paper supply is running low again. And, no, I don't look forward to schlepping a supersized pack home on the subway again from Rego Park or wherever that mall is a few stops down on the R. I only hope the new Target isn't too much of an "Express" version and still has some supersizes...
3) A Nicer Queens Blvd.: The City apparently has been making faster progress on improving Queens Boulevard down near Jackson Heights than they originally thought, so there's a chance that new bike lane and some much-needed beautification may make it all the way down here this year. I'll pray that something—anything—good happens to our inappropriate neighborhood thoroughfare in 2016.
4) Austin St. Development Resumes: The construction site, first thought to be an H&M and then another—God knows why—urgent care center, next to Bareburger, has been stalled for a couple of years. Here's hoping they solve whatever fuck-up has been keeping it a grotesque, undeveloped eyesore and something nice is built there this year.
5) More Summer Concerts at the Stadium: I'll use this as an excuse for an inexcusably belated RIP Mr. Bowie...
2) Target Express: Yes, my toilet paper supply is running low again. And, no, I don't look forward to schlepping a supersized pack home on the subway again from Rego Park or wherever that mall is a few stops down on the R. I only hope the new Target isn't too much of an "Express" version and still has some supersizes...
3) A Nicer Queens Blvd.: The City apparently has been making faster progress on improving Queens Boulevard down near Jackson Heights than they originally thought, so there's a chance that new bike lane and some much-needed beautification may make it all the way down here this year. I'll pray that something—anything—good happens to our inappropriate neighborhood thoroughfare in 2016.
4) Austin St. Development Resumes: The construction site, first thought to be an H&M and then another—God knows why—urgent care center, next to Bareburger, has been stalled for a couple of years. Here's hoping they solve whatever fuck-up has been keeping it a grotesque, undeveloped eyesore and something nice is built there this year.
5) More Summer Concerts at the Stadium: I'll use this as an excuse for an inexcusably belated RIP Mr. Bowie...
Recent Writeups about Forest Hills
There's been some recent coverage of the neighborhood in the press that I thought I'd throw my two cents in about. One, excellent. The other, pretty darn bizarre.
First, the excellent one. Kudos to amNewYork for their really good article about the neighborhood that appeared in the paper last Thursday: Forest Hills, Queens: 12 places to know in the neighborhood
Of course, no single newspaper article is going to be comprehensive about all that our neighborhood has to offer today, but this one was the best one I've read in a long time, and also the most accurate. There were a few minor mistakes (Station House isn't tucked behind the LIRR station, for example, it's actually right smack in front of it). But compared to the dreadfully inaccurate coverage of our neighborhood that is normally in the mainstream media, this article was terrific.
One other issue is it didn't even touch on Metropolitan Ave., except to call that small movie theater down there an indie theater, which it isn't. It's more of a second-run theater, that is getting some more first-run movies these days. But, again, that's nitpicking. I'll take the great coverage—finally—of some of the greatest places we have today, like Station House and Jack and Nellie's. And the more accurate depiction of the neighborhood as diverse, instead of populated by only one or two groups.
Now that I've got you all so happy, I will ruin that by linking to perhaps the most bizarre coverage of Forest Hills I have ever read. That's the infamous Q&A that appeared recently on Vice.com:
Awkwafina Cherishes Buffalo Wild Wings and Other Forest Hills Chains
What can I say about this? It's so inaccurate, so strange I really don't know where to begin? Lines around the block outside of Bareburger, which she calls "the pride of Forest Hills"? A neighborhood filled with chain restaurants, when we have two? "There used to be a tennis stadium there?" (What is that large structure where I saw all those concerts this past summer? Hmmm...) The rest is so out-of-touch with the neighborhood, it's really not worth commenting on...
First, the excellent one. Kudos to amNewYork for their really good article about the neighborhood that appeared in the paper last Thursday: Forest Hills, Queens: 12 places to know in the neighborhood
Of course, no single newspaper article is going to be comprehensive about all that our neighborhood has to offer today, but this one was the best one I've read in a long time, and also the most accurate. There were a few minor mistakes (Station House isn't tucked behind the LIRR station, for example, it's actually right smack in front of it). But compared to the dreadfully inaccurate coverage of our neighborhood that is normally in the mainstream media, this article was terrific.
One other issue is it didn't even touch on Metropolitan Ave., except to call that small movie theater down there an indie theater, which it isn't. It's more of a second-run theater, that is getting some more first-run movies these days. But, again, that's nitpicking. I'll take the great coverage—finally—of some of the greatest places we have today, like Station House and Jack and Nellie's. And the more accurate depiction of the neighborhood as diverse, instead of populated by only one or two groups.
Now that I've got you all so happy, I will ruin that by linking to perhaps the most bizarre coverage of Forest Hills I have ever read. That's the infamous Q&A that appeared recently on Vice.com:
Awkwafina Cherishes Buffalo Wild Wings and Other Forest Hills Chains
What can I say about this? It's so inaccurate, so strange I really don't know where to begin? Lines around the block outside of Bareburger, which she calls "the pride of Forest Hills"? A neighborhood filled with chain restaurants, when we have two? "There used to be a tennis stadium there?" (What is that large structure where I saw all those concerts this past summer? Hmmm...) The rest is so out-of-touch with the neighborhood, it's really not worth commenting on...
Friday, January 8, 2016
Picture of the Day
Just because you ate too much over the holidays doesn't give you an excuse to stop sending in your pictures of the day. Yes, I'm talking to you!
edgeofthecity@gmail.com
edgeofthecity@gmail.com
First Poll of 2016!
I haven't done one of these in a while. Here's a food one. I'll have a non-food one posted up soon...
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)