Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Why yes, it's taped here in Astoria, exactly 1 mile from my apartment at Kaufman Studio to be exact!  This movie studio, which is one of the largest in NYC, has been home to many movie and TV show productions, including The Wiz, Hair, Arthur (the original), Moonstruck, the Cosby show, several Woody Allen classics, and importantly for my generation, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (apparently, she was here the whole time!).

Unfortunately you can't tour the studio, but it's fun to see it from the outside at least and live nearby this landmark!

The true old school barber experience

My husband (J) and I were going for a walk this evening when he decided it was time for a hair cut as we passed the barber on our block (the same one I mentioned a few weeks ago who was playing the banjo in between customers).

I decided to hang out as well and boy was I glad I did!  I believe we stepped into a time machine and went back to 1950 as we stepped through the door.  The barber was finishing up on a client and ushered us to sit down.  Minutes later he came over with a bowl of gum and candies for us to choose from as we waited.  When it was J's turn, the barber's first question (after what would you like done) was "do you play music?"  He was very eager to show us his musical collection, several guitars and a banjo on the wall, and inform us that he was a professional musician.  His style: currently greek (he's from Greece) but prior to that he had done a lot of belly dancing music, arabic and even admitted that he played some turkish music.

Over the course of the next 45 minutes, J received a meticulous haircut, with straight edge razor and all while we learned all about Nick's life in Greece, the U.S., even found out he used to jam in Ann Arbor back in the 60s!  Photo albums of his former days were passed around and his friend George even stopped by to kibitz with us. We ended the evening with receiving Nick's business card (in all greek, literally), a phone number for the best greek restaurant in the area (can't wait to try it!), and handed over $10 for the haircut.  Quite an experience!

Is that safe?

This hanging electrical wire on our block has been in this state since we moved in.  Doesn't seem safe, but also doesn't seem to be of concern to the electric company or the city so I'm hoping it's okay.  We do see an abundance of electric wires intertwined like you see in developing countries in certain parts of the neighborhood (I'll add pictures soon on that).

One things for sure, this would not fly in Manhattan :)  Oh living in the outerboroughs (which sometimes feels like another country)!

Back on Bed Bath & Beyond's Good Side!

I received my first Bed Bath and Beyond coupon in the mail today and while most of you probably don't understand why that is anything special, any New Yorker will realize its significance!  Despite having several locations in Manhattan and despite all my efforts to be put on their mailing list so I could get coupons like the rest of the nation, Bed Bath and Beyond does not distribute coupons/mailings to residents in the city.  Over the years we've had to stock pile from family and friends and even though we don't shop at the store that often, it always unnerved me that I couldn't get access to the coupons on my own!  I was under the impression that all of New York City was under this ban, but lo and behold I got a coupon sans any effort on my part today and am thankful to be back in Bed Bath & Beyond's good graces!

Street fair

Yesterday there was a really nice street fair on 30th Ave.  Usually throughout NYC there are standard street fairs that can be found in different sections of the city each weekend and they're usually pretty boring -- all of 10 different vendors repeated on each block.  This one though was intermixed with local artisans and vendors, which made for a unique and more varied experience.  My friend and I enjoyed perusing the fair and then going up to Astoria Market to check out the local artisan market there! Definitely a fun Sunday in Astoria, as always :)

 Selling football (European) gear

 View of the crowded street fair

Interesting popcorn/cotton candy vendor station

The melting pot that is my grocery store

Living a block away from the most diverse grocery store I've ever seen has its perks!  In addition to normal grocery aisles, there are aisles dedicated to different countries/regions, including Greece, India, the Middle East, Brazil, and Latin America.  I can't help but walk down all of these aisles each time I come in and stare at all sorts of products that you'd never find in a normal grocery store... many of which, of course, I've never seen or heard of.  Take the Indian aisle for instance -- there are probably 40 different types of grains being sold, of course none of them with instructions (or at least not in english).  I see some google searches in my future!

It's great to have so much selection to choose from (like 8 different fresh fetas at the deli counter) and to find items we usually can't find (like Yellow Label tea!) plus unbelievable prices (at least in comparison to our Manhattan grocery days), but I admit it does get a little confusing when you're looking for something basic like coffee and there are 6 different aisles to find it in... no joke!  Different coffee bags can be found in the greek, brazilian, middle eastern, latin american, general, and deli aisles...  It took probably 3 trips to locate all of the different aisles that we can find coffee in!

But I wouldn't trade this grocery store in for any other in the world!

Opa!

Tonight we ate at a delicious greek restaurant called Opa Souvlaki of Astoria (28-44 31st Street). Great ambiance in the back (unfortunately it was raining so we couldn't sit in the garden) and the food was delicious! We had all of my favorites -- lemon rice soup, saganaki (the full works, with lighting the cheese on fire at the table and saying "Opa!"), eggplant salad, and a Mediterranean platter filled with yummy Greek favorites like gyro, moussaka, greek salad, spinach pie, pastitsio, and lemon potatoes.

Delicious food, great ambiance, and great service.  We will definitely be back!

Kiddie Rides R US?

I find it strange that many storefronts have coin-operated kiddie rides outside.  Some appear to be in operation, although I've never seen anyone using the machine, while others have the coin insert taped over so I guess they are just for decoration?  Haven't seen so many of these rides since my childhood trips to the supermarket, but I find it quite amusing to see all over Astoria.  Here are 3 within a few blocks of my apartment:

Greek Orthodox Churches Galore

I'm amazed by the quantity of Greek Orthodox Churches in the neighborhood. There are several just within one or two blocks of our apartment. They definitely add to the color and character of Astoria!

Local music festivals

Walking home after work I often stumble upon live music in Athens Square park, which is a small park at the end of my block. Someone is playing (with mic and speaker setup) at least 1-2 times per week. So nice to see everyone out hanging out on the benches, sometimes dancing and enjoying the music.  Astoria definitely has a great vibe!

Astoria Park pool

In the heat of the long weekend, we attempted to take a dip at the pool in Astoria Park and were amazed by the long line to get in.  The pool, which is the largest and oldest pool in NYC, can accommodate 3000 swimmers and the line sure made us feel like it may reach its capacity that day!  We waited for a bit, but after not moving even the slightest bit, gave up and just enjoyed the park and views of the East River and nearby bridges (Triborough and Hell Gate).

The park itself also offers tennis courts, a track, a stage, and beautiful greenery. We will definitely be venturing here again and, hopefully, getting a second chance at the swimming pool!

Fishmongers still exist!

Feels like a flash back to a different era. We have at least 3 stores within short distance of each other that exclusively sell seafood.  Each have TONS of options and the prices are cheap to boot! Then there are the nearby butcher shops (at least 3 within a block and a half of each other) and millions of bakeries! We won't be going hungry this year, that's for sure!

You know you live in Queens when...

You can have Filipino food for dinner one night and the next day have Brazilian for lunch followed by a hang out at the local greek cafe (with a delicious greek coffee selection)... all within a 5 minute walk of your apartment.

(Newly discovered cold Greek coffee drink, frappe -- it's delicious!)

Work day life

I had a half day from work today so I got the chance to see the hustle and bustle of mid-work day life around my neighborhood.  The quick run down: many men on their way home from their mid-day prayer at the mosque; lots of women with their children getting the day's groceries; people selling knick knacks on the street; and, most amusingly, the barber on my block passing the time in between clients by playing his banjo on one of the barber chairs.  Good times!