Best of 2016:
1) Shake Shack - The best fast food burger chain in NYC opens right here on Austin. It was kind of surreal at first because it was such a step up from so many of the other fast food places we've had here. Shake Shack has set a new standard for fast food restaurants in Forest Hills and it's a real feather in our cap that they chose to open here.
2) NY Times Names Forest Hills One of NYC's Hottest Neighborhoods
3) The Bund - Finally, a really good Chinese restaurant sets up shop in The Hills!
4) Forest Hills Stadium Concerts - Summer 2016 saw an awesome lineup. Disclosure, Bob Dylan. Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, The New York Pops. Heck, even Mumford returned for an encore presentation. And with Tom Petty scheduled for this coming summer, things will continue to rock at our Stadium in 2017!
5) The QueensWay Moves Closer to Reality - The project says it has raised over $1 million to bring a much-needed, ambitious park attraction right here to Forest Hills. I love the idea because it would connect us directly to Forest Park, which right now requires you to risk life and limb to get to by foot. Trust me, I did just that for the first time this past summer and was left thinking - Geez, such an awesome park. Why should it be easier for me to get to Central Park from Forest Hills than this one when it's so close?
6) Target Opens - Finally, we don't have to hop onto the subway to get to Target. But this one was barely a 'Best of' for me. I have now joined so many others who buy bulk items online so I've barely visited our Target since it opened! But it's still good to have for those items - like printer paper?? - that were impossible to find at the last minute here before!
7) Empanadas Truck - Check off a fast and convenient place to get some delish empanadas from the VERY long list of foods we still need to see come to FoHi: A Fried chicken place, BBQ, A good Hot Dog place, a French restaurant, an Indian restaurant, A Make-Your-Own-Salad place for God's Sake!, an upscale, premium sandwich place, what else am I forgetting??
8) Snowdays - Hey, the millennials seem to like this ice creamery. I went to it once and need to go back and try some more of their offerings.
Epic Fails of 2016:
1) No Local Bookshop - How can we have a neighborhood without a place to buy books? This is a no-brainer in more ways than one!
2) Queens Blvd. - Just as unsightly, just as atrocious, just as dangerous and disgusting as it's always been. Thankfully, they have plans to improve it in 2017 — finally!
3) Subway Delays - Horrible in 2016. The only thing that makes it tolerable is the knowledge that they are working to upgrade our Queens Blvd. subway lines with the latest technology. Here's hoping it will make a difference.
4) Restaurant Row Development - To take away one of the major attractions of our neighborhood to build another condo is self-defeating. If you take away all of the nice things about our neighborhood, it will only serve to hurt property values and eventually deter people from living, shopping and eating here.
5) Haagen Dazs Closes - This was a sad and surprising development, probably brought on by the opening of all the new ice cream places on Austin, including Shake Shack, which is my personal fave for shakes and ice cream.
6) Arsonist freak still at large - What else can we say? At least the fires stopped in 2016, but this emotionally disturbed nutcase remains free.
7) Chipotle - Please, someone convince me I can go back. I did love it so. It was so convenient, but.. I ... just....can't....get....myself...to....return. A mix of anger, a desire for retribution, and plain old fear.
8) I - Still - Need a Salad - Please someone bring a Just Salad or Chopt to Austin Street or nearby. Please, for the love of all that is holy!
And Finally:
9) Election 2016 - It is looking even worse than I expected, an unmitigated disaster and he hasn't even taken office yet! May God Save Us All. And By Us I mean humanity. And I am not joking in the least.
It is genuinely terrifying and so, so sad for our country and the world at large.
YES! we need a JUST SALAD! i've been saying this FOREVER!!!!! How can we make this happen!?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lists! I am new to Forest Hills, but love the community already, and find your blog really informative. (And I agree that it is a terrifying time.)
ReplyDeleteStill don't like the Queensway when a transit option to connect us to southern Queens and Brooklyn is sorely needed in that very corridor.
ReplyDeleteBookshop will hopefully be coming in 2017. The ladies who pulled off the Kickstarter are focusing on Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.
Terrified for life under the tangerine baboon.
I was excited for the Target...until I actually went inside. Very paltry offerings compared to what a "full-sized" Target has in stock. Tbh, I still plan to use the big Target over in Elmhurst and save this one for emergencies only.
ReplyDeleteYou and I may not always see eye to eye, Drake, but you are right on the money about our need for a local bookshop! I completely agree!
Has there been any recent news on the plan for Restaurant Row? It's been months since I last heard anything.
Re #7 in the "Cheers" section, Haveli on Queens Boulevard is a really excellent Indian restaurant...
ReplyDeleteTheir lunch buffets are delicious, and an excellent value.
DeleteThanks for letting me know. I'll definitely check it out. How did it survive with Balluci's right across the street? How long has it been open?
DeleteDon't like the Queensway project but agree with the rest of your list.
ReplyDeleteTarget is a huge disappointment, skimpy housewares department, groceries that you can find in ten other places, dreadful clothes.....get rid of the food, clothes and drug store stuff and carry more housewares and maybe some books and it could make up for losing Barnes &Noble.
ReplyDeleteYea, I don't get any excitement over this sad Target, sorry Drake! The whole point of a store like Target is that it would normally offer more variety and better prices than your average Rite Aid. This place offers neither! The prices are higher than a regular Target and the variety is just not there. It's basically a larger version of Rite Aid / CVS because there's a CVS pharmacy inside (big waste of space), and a section with crappy clothing. Yes you can get some basic groceries there as long as you don't care about brands or again, variety! Big loss, would have been so much better with a Whole Foods and just go the regular Target a few mins away.
ReplyDeleteI think the Target actually has GREAT prices. For example, 1/2 a gallon of Horizon organic milk at Duane Reade, Rite Aide, etc is around $5.50. At Target, their half a gallon organic store brand is $3. There are tons of cheaper staples at Target than at the convenience stores.
DeleteGreat, their store brand is cheaper! If they had Horizon Organic at $3, I'd go. Not worth it to run there for their Market Pantry Target organic, it's no Whole Foods, sorry.
DeleteYeah, I have to agree that the new Target is just very disappointing, and a huge waste of prime Austin street real estate. A Whole Foods or something along those lines would've been so much better. Life-changing, even.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm a big fan of the Shake Shack and the stadium concerts!
Target Express is not hitting their expected numbers. What a waste of prime space.
ReplyDeleteGood, maybe they will get out so we can have something useful there!
DeleteI am very skeptical that someone posting as "Anonymous" on a blog knows anything about whether Target is "hitting their expected numbers". If this person actually has information that is factual about Target, I'd like to see him/her post the source of this information.
DeleteI agree. Every time I enter that store, there's always plenty of people there...They don't seem to be struggling.
DeleteA friend of mine who works on restaurant row told me that plans for knocking everything down and developing apartments have been canceled! Maybe that's why they decided to move onto the area by Piu Bello. Fingers crossed this is true!
ReplyDeleteGood news if true! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI hope not, I love Biu Bella! I try and go often with my family for Sunday Brunch :( Their prices are really fair, their food is tasty, and they don't skimp on portion size. It will be sorely missed if it goes...
DeleteDon't worry. The owners of Biu Bella are opening a spot on Austin Street instead.
Deletehttps://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161215/forest-hills/peruvian-cuisine-express-restaurant-healthy-food-ayahuasca-68-60-austin-st
That will be Piu Bella's 3rd move in just a few years! Personally, I liked their original location best.
DeleteEXCELLENT news if true. Hopefully this means we'll get some new restaurants in the vacant locations soon.
DeleteThat corner location they're occupying now is a really great spot. I hope something cool moves in there, I'm so tired of being disappointed by unexciting FoHi real estate decisions.
DeleteI disagree with all of the negative comments about Target. I think it is a great addition to the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteThe new Target has a lot of products that no other store in Forest Hills carries, including office supplies and housewares. For these products alone, Target is a welcome addition and fills gaps in FH that were left when Laytners and Staples closed. Also, the naysayers should take another look at the grocery section on the second floor. I am very impressed by Target's store brand of organic products, including milk, grass-fed beef and snacks. Target has lower prices for these and other organic products than other food stores.
Another great thing about the Target is that it is within walking distance for most people who live in Forest Hills. For those of us who don't have cars, this is a big advantage over the Target on Queens Boulevard. Yes, you can take the subway there, but it's more of a hassle to have to schlep your purchases on the subway than to simply walk home.
I also agree. The cheaper organic products alone are enough to keep me coming back. Sometimes 30-40% cheaper than the convenience stores, or even the grocery stores nearby.
DeleteMay 2017 bring us a Whole Foods and a bookstore!
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with the Chipotle? Fears over its food safety concerns?
ReplyDeleteYes, unfortunately. When a restaurant chain makes its customers ill, it's really, really hard for me to ever trust them again. I so wish I could. Maybe in time. If we had other options like it in the 'hood I wouldn't even be thinking of eating there ever again, but in terms of better quality fast food, we're sorely lacking here so what choice do I have?
DeleteRetail comments so far. Yeah the election is just so yesterday. At least we can still munch on ShakeShack while planet earth and the country go to hell in a hand basket. Ignorance is bliss.
ReplyDeleteWhat on Earth is your point? Yes, the election was a disaster, but...people still need to buy housewares and eat dinner, don't they? I'm sorry this article about restaurants and neighborhood improvement isn't deep enough for you.
DeleteI assure you, no matter how much I like the Shake Shack, I hate Trump more.
Does anyone know which businesses were affected by the Kew Gardens fire last night? I'm out of town rn and I can't get any info!
ReplyDelete