Socrates Sculpture Park

Socrates Sculpture Park, located at the intersection of Broadway and Vernon Blvd, is an amazing outdoor exhibition space and neighborhood park.  Located along the east river with breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline, the park exhibits rotating large-scale outdoor sculptures and offers many community programs throughout the year (like the Halloween Harvest Festival and a weekly farmer's market).  The park was transformed from a landfill and illegal dump site into its current park and artist space in 1986 and is now a neighborhood institution.

Some pictures below from the current exhibition of emerging artists from the park's artist residency program:

Here's a shot of the farmer's market in full swing:

Snow in October?!

Yes indeed.  An early winter storm graced its presence on the east coast yesterday and we had snow falling all day (albeit a very wet slushy snow).  We got about 2 inches here in Astoria as you can see in the image below. Hopefully this isn't a sign of an early winter and is just a fluke storm!

An afternoon at the Museum of the Moving Image

The Museum of the Moving Image is a definite stop on any Astoria tour.  The museum, which is located at 36-01 35th Ave, is dedicated to all things film, television and visual media.  The permanent collection walks you through the history of the medium and where it stands today with lots of interactive and hands-on components.  For instance, a praxinoscope, which is a series of images placed inside a cylinder that you can spin to see move, arcade games from the 80s, including Frogger(!), and really old TVs where the screen is about the size of an iPad but the body it sits in is as large as a china cabinent!  Times have definitely changed.

In addition to their interesting permanent collection, the museum is currently exhibiting Jim Henson's Fantastic World, which is running until January 16. It's a great exhibition that details the life and creative geniusness of Jim Henson. From doodles to muppets to interesting clips and interviews with Henson, the exhibit gives you a great sense of the man behind the puppets. They also have a 9 minute video that Henson made called Time Piece (only running until November 16), which is a really funny/quirky surrealist short film that Henson made and is a really fun clip to watch.

Be sure to check out the museum next time you are in the area!

Astoria's own beach!

Who knew there was a beach in Astoria?!!  Yes, it is on the east river and there is a sign posted stating that you shouldn't swim, bath, or have bare feet (not your typical beach rules), but it's a fun little find nevertheless!  And it boasts great views of the Manhattan skyline, which can't be beat!

Halloween Harvest Festival

We went to nearby park favorite Socrates Sculpture Park (full post on the park to come) yesterday for the Halloween Harvest Festival.  It was quite an event!  Lots of cute kids and dogs(!) in costume and halloween games/events to keep everyone entertained.  While we were there, we heard some poetry reading and music performances from a local youth organization called Urban Art Beat NYC, which is a great organization that helps underserved youth explore and understand art and host many programs in the area and around NYC.  We also witnessed the canine halloween costume contest, which was definitely a unique experience :)  Overall a fun event in the park and definitely got us in the halloween spirit!

Watching a local teen express himself through poetry

Food update #6

Time for another food round-up!  Here are some highlights from recent food adventures in Astoria.

Roti Boti (27-09 21st St): Authentic and tasty Pakistani food.  The restaurant was busy and I think it's safe to say we were the only non-Pakistani or Indian diners.  We've been told that this place is a hotspot late at night with taxi drivers.  And for good reason!  You order at the counter from hot tray options and then can dine in if you want, which is what we opted for.  The food was very good and reasonable prices - we had kofta kebab, chicken tikki masala, daal and of course rice, naan, and mango lassi to accompany it.  Delicious and we will definitely be back for more!

Astor Bake Shop (12-23 Astoria Blvd): This cute off-the-beat coffee shop/bakery and brunch spot is quite a find!  The chef-owner has worked at many of the big name restaurants in Manhattan and decided to venture out on his own with this bake shop.  We came for brunch, but will definitely be back for coffee (roasted locally in Brooklyn) and sweet treats.  For brunch we had an amazing egg/cheese/bacon sandwich and an unbelievable stuffed french toast with orange cream and fresh strawberries.  A true hidden gem that we'll be frequenting often!

Jerusalem Pita House (25-15 30th Ave): This hole-in-the-wall middle eastern restaurant is a great find as well.  You can't go wrong with their menu items - we've had falafel sandwiches and shawarma sandwiches so far and both were quite delicious!  Perfectly seasoned and made with fresh veggies and hummus.  When I'm not heading all the way to Little Egypt, I will definitely be fulfilling my middle eastern cravings here!

That's it for this time.  Stay tuned for future adventures in eating our way through Astoria!

Waterfront Bike Lanes

The bike lanes along the east river on Vernon Blvd are so nice!  They follow the contour of the water and offer stunning views of the Manhattan skyline.  J and I took advantage this weekend and rode our bikes all the way to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and pretty much followed the waterfront the whole way thanks to the great bike lanes.  The views helped make up for the fact that a 20 mile bike ride may have been a bit ambitious for us, but we had a great time nonetheless and look forward to future rides along the river!

Astoria's "Unforgettable" Night in the Spotlight

Last week no parking signs went up on each of 4 street blocks near our apartment for the filming of project: Unforgettable.  Living in New York, I'm definitely used to seeing these bright multi-colored signs posted around, but never on more than 2 blocks or in Astoria.  Needless to say, it peaked my interest (not so much J, who not only isn't so much into celebrities, but also not into 4 blocks worth of parking being taken!) so I ventured over after work last night to check out what all the commotion was about.

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that the majority of the blocked streets were solely being used for trailers and electrical hookups - not surprising as this is often the case and typically all you see of a movie set.  But I did see them filming and illuminating the night sky into what appeared to be broad daylight (I'm always amazed by that).  And lots of NYPD cars with their emergency lights blinking.  Turns out "Unforgettable" is a police homicide TV show!

Guess I'll have to check out this new show in a few months and see my neighborhood on camera :)  Hopefully it's depicting Astoria in a good light!

When craving anything Greek, look no further than Astoria grocers

Not surprisingly there are multiple Greek grocery stores in Astoria.  The closest one to our apartment is called EuroMarket and they sell everything greek that you could ever ask for (and a few other items from other European countries).

It's fun to walk around the store and try to decipher what the different products are plus browse the millions of options of cheeses, olive oils, orzo and pasta varieties, baked goods, drinks, and other sundries available at the market.

Most importantly, the olive bar is quite a mecca for olive lovers like myself!

[Update]: Is that safe?

Back in July, I posted a photo and message about some hanging electrical wire on our block.  I'm happy to report that as of two weeks ago, the wire has been secured and rolled up!  Now this had been hanging since at least when we moved in in mid-June so I can't be too excited that it took over 3 months, but better late than never!

Raising chickens indoors... in Astoria...

I'm going out of town to visit my family this weekend so there will be a slight lull in posts for a few days; however, for non-Jewish (or non-fasting at least) Astorians looking for a very unique experience on Saturday, you should definitely head to the Broadway branch of the Queens Library in Astoria for what has to be a fascinating and obscure lecture by a couple who are raising chickens in their Astoria apartment for fresh eggs.

Source: Nicholas Fevelo from NY Daily News Article (listed below)

The three hens apparently have the run of their one bedroom apartment excluding the bedroom and lay two eggs per week, not too shabby for them!  But the couple does admit that the hens poop everywhere... Not sure how smart that is given the size of NYC apartments...!

Apparently the couple, Robert McMinn and Jules Corkery, give lectures on city chicken-keeping at local libraries and urban gardens so hopefully I can catch a future talk of theirs as it is definitely a unique idea!  To read the full news article, click here.

For those keeping Yom Kippur, hope you have an easy fast.  Look out for a new post Monday when I return!

Sidewalk cafe dominance

The New York City Economic Development Corporation issued a report on sidewalk cafes in NYC and it turns out that Astoria takes the cake for most unenclosed sidewalk cafes outside of Manhattan!  Our neighborhood boasts  43 cafes (a whopping 15,000 square feet)!  The next closest outer borough is Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a mere 15 sidewalk cafes (3,600 square feet).

Additionally, in looking at individual restaurants, Athens Cafe (a local favorite of ours for greek frappes) comes in at #4 in NYC with its 936 square feet of sidewalk space!  Pretty impressive!

Read the full report here.

Welling Court Mural Project

This past May and June, the Welling Court community partnered with Ad Hoc Art (a Brooklyn based organization for artists, including street artists) to bring together over 40 street artists to paint murals along several city blocks.  The artists spanned 50 years of graffiti art and the result is really impressive, vibrant pieces of art.  The walls are courtesy of some industrial buildings and car mechanic shops, which only adds to the appeal of the artwork.

Definitely a must-see site in Astoria!  If interested, visit 11-98 Welling Court (corner of 30th Ave and 12th St) and also check out the Two Coves Community Garden while you're there!  Some pictures to illustrate the project:

Rediscovered Mexican breakfast pastry!

J and I traveled to Mexico City back in 2009 and discovered these amazing pastries that we had never seen before called pan dulce.  Basically it is a sweet bread with a sprinkling of sugar on top and it's delicious!  We had it several times while there and since we've been back, I've had cravings for it occasionally, but never expected to fulfill them until my next trip to Mexico.

Lo and behold, half a block from our apartment is a Mexican bakery (Temascales Deli & Bakery, 25-22 30th Ave) and what do you think I found in the window display??  You guessed it!  Pan dulce!  The bakery has tons of delicious tortillas, pastries, and other mexican delicacies that I'm sure we'll be sampling over the coming year.  They also have a full-service restaurant that we're dying to try so I'm sure you'll be hearing about this place again on a future food update!

But in the meantime, I'd just like to thank Astoria for fulfilling all of my random food cravings!

Green thumbs of Astoria

J and I stumbled upon a really nice community garden called Two Coves Community Garden when walking on 30th Ave west of our apartment the other day.  The garden was filled with individual plots and a well-cared for community garden section.  There was an abundance of different plants that ran the gamut from veggies, herbs trees and flowers.  I'd say the most commonly seen items were zucchinis (flowers in bloom), tomatoes, peppers (both hot and regular ones), marigolds, and squashes (including some large pumpkins that would make great jack 'o lanterns later this month!).  It turns out that the garden has been around since 1998, but has recently been revitalized to its current state with over 200 members and a wait list of 1-2 years.  Learn more about this great green space here!

I hope to attend an upcoming "guest community gardener" day so I can help out and get a green thumb too!  For now, taking a tour and showing you these pictures will have to do!

The entrance to the community member part of the garden

Zucchini flowers

Food update #5

It's been some time since my last food update, but nevertheless we've been checking out some great places around the neighborhood.  Here are a few that I wanted to share:

SugarFreak (36-18 30th Ave): Very fun atmosphere and delicious Louisiana style food.  This small restaurant with very kitchy and eclectic decorations is always packed and for good reason!  We had some delicious and unique cocktails and spicy shelled peanuts to start with at the bar while we waited for our table.  For dinner, we had, in traditional Louisiana fashion, jambalaya and blackened catfish.  Both were made to perfection and we can't wait to come back and try out their brunch and the rest of the dinner menu!

Linn (29-13 Broadway): Amazing sushi in an eclectic restaurant setting.  The setting is very modern with all white walls, tables and chairs further accented by a wall screen displaying soundless movies (when we were there it was a surfing related video).  We opted for a sushi dinner, but there was a full japanese menu that sounded great as well!  The sushi was high quality and very delicious!  We will be back!

Mt. Olympus Bagels (33-15 30th Ave): We're always in need of a good bagel joint and this place seems to fit the bill.  The bagels are very doughy and large and they have a smattering of cream cheese varieties to choose from.  It appeared to be a Greek-run establishment and most of the clientele (also Greek) seemed to be regulars as they didn't even need to place an order to get the bagel & coffee they desired.

Il Bambino (34-08 31st Ave): All I can say is wow!  Paninis have been brought to a whole new level at this restaurant with its plethora of cheeses, meats, and spreads--all brought together in unique combinations.  The atmosphere can't be beat and there is even a cute garden patio (unfortunately it was drizzling when we went so we opted for indoor seating).  It took a long time for J and I to make our decisions on what paninis to try, but I don't think you can go wrong.  We opted for a "pass the hash" panini (garlic roasted potatoes, chorizo, truffle aioli, scrambled eggs, and parmesan) and a "sweet ass" panini (prioscutto, fig spread, taleggio cheese). Both were delicious and we have many more paninis to try in the future!

That's it for this time.  Stay tuned for the next round-up of recent eats!

Guess it's a good thing fall is coming...

One of the main restaurants that J and I go to get our frappes has been shut down by the health department... and upon further investigation, I discovered that they were shut down last November as well for violations that added up to 128 points!  This time around it's only 61, but 4 of the 5 are critical (in red)...

Sanitary Violations

1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.

2) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.

3) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.

4) Insufficient or no refrigerated or hot holding equipment to keep potentially hazardous foods at required temperatures.

5) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

I'll be honest, the violations don't seem that out-of-the-ordinary for NYC (at least the pest related ones), but I guess it was worse than others!

All I can say is good thing fall is on its way since I don't know how much more time we'd have to sit at this outdoor cafe and drink a cold beverage.  Luckily one of our other main frappe locations not only has outdoor seating with heat lamps when it gets cooler out, but also an A rating from the health department so I can rest assured that my frappe season isn't quite over yet :)