Monday, October 31, 2016

Friday, October 28, 2016

Local Halloween Festivities

Edge of the City Unfiltered has become an interesting addition to the blog. Here's a timely post from it. If anyone has any information about this, please comment below. And, if you know of any other local Halloween events taking place that are open to the public, please let us know below or by emailing edgeofthecity@gmail.com.

Stumbled upon the fabulous Burns Street Halloween festivities for the first time last year- what an amazing and fun celebration! Curious if anyone knows if they always do this on the actual day of, or if they go with nearest weekend day? Since it's on a Monday this year vs. Saturday last year, just want to be sure we get the correct date to go enjoy the production :)

Oh, and here's a spooky Halloween clip to get everyone in the mood...


November 6 Panel Discussion: Israel and American Jews

 Dov Waxman_Trouble in the Tribe copy
Professor Dov Waxman 
The 20th Author’s Cafe of the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills will feature a panel discussion on one of the most controversial issues within the American Jewish community.  For over a generation, solidarity with Israel was one of the bonds that brought American Jews together across their differences.  Now, in a fundamental shift in recent years, American Jews are sharply divided on the topic of support for Israel.  

On Sunday, November 6 panelists Professors Dov Waxman and Steven M. Cohen will discuss the complex reasons for this shift.  

The panel discussion, Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict Over Israel, will be held at 2 p.m. at the Forest Hills Jewish Center, at 106-06 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills.  Advance tickets are $16 and can be purchased online at www.cqy.org/tickets or at (718) 268-5011, ext. 151 or pkurtz@cqy.org.  Group & student discounts are available.

In some communities, Prof. Waxman writes in his new book, the debate about support for Israel has become so heated, that a moratorium on these discussions has been put in place.  Professors Dov Waxman and Steven M. Cohen will discuss the underlying reasons for this divide, including important changes in the makeup of the American Jewish community itself and increasing disagreement over Israel’s policies, among other factors.  Professors Waxman and Cohen will discuss the impact this fractious debate is having on Jewish communities and organizations and what this means for the future of the American Jewish community.  

Author of several books on Israel, Prof. Waxman teaches Israel studies at Northeastern University. Prof. Steven M. Cohen is Research Professor of Jewish Social Policy at HUC-JIR and has participated in leading demographic studies of how the American Jewish community is being reshaped today.  The 20th Annual Author’s Cafe, which includes kosher dessert and coffeee, is a benefit for the Cultural Arts & Jewish Heritage Programs

This program is the headline event in the Fall Speaker Series of the Central Queens Y.  More information is available online at www.cqy.org or at  (718) 268-5011 ext. 151, or pkurtz@cqy.org

Send Me Your Local Listings!

As the local blog for Forest Hills and surrounding areas, I'm always happy to post free-of-charge any events that are taking place. It still amuses me how often I see signs posted on telephone poles, etc. for different events taking place in like The Gardens, at churches, etc. and no one thinks of contacting the local blog to bring more attention to it. Oh well. I can only try so hard. The rest is up to you guys... Anyway, here's an interesting idea I recently received. Happy to do it!

Hi
I really enjoy your site and have a suggestion that I think would be a great service.
Especially in the spring and fall, people like to hold yard sales but it is difficult to know where/when they are happening.  The signs on telephone poles do a bit of the job, but I personally often see the signs after the event.  It would be a real community service to list yard sales, even if you charged a small fee for a listing.  I’d love to see such listings.

Flight of the Conchords Concert Pics

Hey, better late than never! Thanks to Aubrey for answering my call to fill in some of the holes in the blog's missing Forest Hills Stadium Concert photo collection!

The Flight of the Conchords concert at our Stadium took place back on July 20th. Looks like it was a lot of fun judging by these pics.







Banana Republic Factory Store Opens

Just in case you weren't aware, this reopened as a Factory Outlet store, with lower-priced merchandise this week....

Friday, October 21, 2016

The Bund Chinese Restaurant Getting Ready to Open

Is it possible Forest Hills will finally have a decent Chinese restaurant to call its own? Since I've lived here for say 15 years or so I don't think there's been a single Chinese sit-down restaurant that I thought was really good, that made me want to go back to it. Sure, there are some decent take-outs, and there are excellent Asian fusion places like Jade. But the Chinese food places like I grew up eating in on Long Island—I'm talking effortlessly delicious Chinese food—have been sorely, sorely lacking here. Forest Hills is not alone. The lack of good Chinese restaurants has been a city-wide problem, except, of course for Chinatown and Flushing—and, my favorite, Ollie's.

I attribute it to the ridiculous high-fat scare we've all been terrified of for the past 20 years. Chinese restaurants have been a dying breed, replaced by Asian fusion serving up nice and healthy sushi and the like.

Well, Enough with the God-Damn Sushi Already! Make Chinese Food Great Again!

You get the picture.

I'm told the new restaurant The Bund will be opening in the former Knish Nosh space at 100-30 Queens Blvd. at the corner of 67th Road on October 25th. I have high hopes because they have a damn interesting authentic Chinese food story to tell that sounds unique and intriguing. Whether my hopes will be dashed, well, that's a different story. I guess we'll all find out together! (If they are good, I just pray to the Lord Above that they deliver to central FoHi where I reside, since they are kinda on the fringe out there enroute to RP.)

Thanks to Thomas for these photos of the storefront and the menu in the window!





Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Forest Hills Condo Conversion at 72nd Road and Queens Blvd.

Edry Team at Keller Williams NYC Kicks Off Sales
At Historic Forest Hills Condo Conversion
----
 The Georgian Condominiums Opened in 1930

As Forest Hills’ First Apartment Residence on Queens Boulevard

Photo credit: Bernadett Pava
The Edry Team at Keller Williams NYC will serve as exclusive sales agent for the conversion of a distinguished pre-war multi-family residence in the heart of Forest Hills, Queens, to condominium status, announces Sandy Edry, who heads the team.
The building, known throughout its 86-year existence as Georgian Court, will become The Georgian Condominiums when the conversion is effective. The residence is at 109-20 Queens Boulevard, a short block from the bustling shops of Austin Street, and a couple of blocks from four subway lines to Manhattan.
Georgian Court was the first apartment house to be built on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills. Among its neighbors is the beautiful Gothic-style church and rectory of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. Across the boulevard is the community’s best known cooperative residence, Kennedy House.
“The location is superb, and the pre-war quality and aesthetic details of this building are hard to surpass,” says Mr. Edry. Many of the spacious apartments have been gut-renovated, with amenities that include genuine oak floors, quartz countertops, recessed lighting, stainless steel appliances, and upgraded electrical wiring.
The building features a courtyard garden, an onsite laundry facility and a live-in superintendent. New elevators will be installed.
Elaborating on the location, Mr. Edry noted:
“In many respects, the convenience of residing at The Georgian Condominiums evokes living on Manhattan’s East or West Side. The neighborhood is densely packed with diverse restaurants and all kinds of shops and services, ranging from mom-and-pops to international chains. Yet the unusual width of Queens Boulevard imparts a sunny, open feeling.”
Transportation is abundant with the E and F express trains and M and R locals accessible two blocks west at Continental Avenue. Add just one extra block and the Long Island Rail Road is at your service, on the edge of Forest Hills Gardens.
“The Georgian Condominiums is Manhattan-style living, but more affordable and with more open air!” Mr. Edry adds.
Photo credit: Bernadett Pava
Prices start in the low-$400,000s for one-bedroom residences, and the mid-$500,000s for two bedrooms. Contact the Edry Team at 646-770-3379 or TheEdryTeam@kwnyc.com or visit wwwEdryrealestate.com.

About the Edry Team
With more successful condominium conversions than any other team in Manhattan, as well as numerous resale and rental transactions throughout the city, the Edry Team at Keller Williams has become one of the most respected real estate brands in New York City. 
The team’s portfolio includes the exclusive sales and marketing of 17 pre-war conversion buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Additionally, the team has represented hundreds of buyers, sellers and renters in transactions in every residential property type.
The Edry Team was named in 2015 as the #1 Listing Team at Keller Williams NYC.  Sandy Edry is a member of the highly selective Keller Williams Luxury Homes division and is a designated Global Property Specialist. Additionally, according to the 2015 RealTrends list of America’s Best Real Estate Agents, The Edry Team at Keller Williams NYC Real Estate ranked #3 in all of Manhattan (#5 in NY State) based on total number of transaction sides.

About Keller Williams
Keller Williams NYC has grown to more than 600 agents in just a few years in Manhattan. Keller Williams Realty International is the largest brokerage by agent count, with more than 140,000 associates in 600+ offices across North America as well as 31 additional countries.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

The New York Times: Forest Hills One of City's Hottest Neighborhoods

According to The New York Times, Forest Hills is now New York City's fourth hottest neighborhood! 

New York Neighborhoods, Hot and Cold

Where are home prices rising or falling the most in New York City? To find out, we looked at median sales prices in each of the city’s neighborhoods during the month of August and compared them to those six months prior. (Areas with fewer than 50 sales were not considered, and each neighborhood’s sales were aggregated over three months to smooth deceptive spikes.)

Source: The New York Times

A Look Inside The Austin Space

The new co-working space in Forest Hills, The Austin Space, will be opening soon. Community members can schedule tours at theaustinspace.youcanbook.me and they are also starting to accept members.

The Austin Space is located at 108-14 72nd Avenue, 2nd Floor in Forest Hills. More information is available at their website at theaustinspace.com


Here are photos of the finished space:







Thursday, October 13, 2016

72nd Road Construction Site

It was interesting to see the gaping hole where those old row houses used to be on 72nd Road, next to La Boulangerie, as they move ahead with construction of the new apartment building....


Call for Concert Pics

There have been several concerts at the Stadium that I don't have any photos from. If you attended them please email to edgeofthecity@gmail.com. I think I have photos from virtually every concert there since they started up again. I'm especially looking for pics from Flight of the Conchords, Flume, Louis C.K., Chris Stapleton, the recent Earth Wind & Fire/Bette Midler show, and Van Morrison.


Breakfast at La Boulangerie

Recently had this awesome breakfast at La Boulangerie. Their frozen hot chocolate is awesome by the way. I love the way this place has taken their time to continue to build on their offerings...