New York

The Queen of Parks

Some people love the Queensboro Bridge (Simon, Garfunkel, Jay Gatsby). Others don't (cabbies in traffic, passed-over Roosevelt Islanders). Ponder this architectural behemoth from the park that bares its name. Queensbridge Park doesn't attract crowds, or even people outside the neighborhood. But it does have a great view of Midtown, a fake-turf playing field, playgrounds, barbeques, all in the shadow of the massive century-old cantilever bridge. Take a picnic, take a soccer ball, take a respite from the hustle with a good view of city-bustle. And take your map to get back to the subway.

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Landmarks • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Real Deal

Lately, I have found that most thrift stores don't leave you feeling very thrifty. Beacon's Closet and Amarcord (both located in Williamsburg) are great for finding a nice old cardigan (which I have done), but one must be prepared to overpay for it, so to speak (which I have also done). The solution: don't shop in Williamsburg; go to Queens! Queens is cheaper, and Long Island City has one of the best thrift stores I've ever been to. It's called Just Things. Technically, it does just have things. But it has cheap things. Beautiful things: jewelry, hats, porcelain, clothes, shoes, records, antiques, etc, etc., and it's been in the neighborhood for thirty years. Just the other day, I happened upon a beautiful wooden box for a friend's birthday, and it was cheap! It's not a hip thrift store; it's just a thrift store--something that's becoming harder and harder to find.

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Shopping • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Small Remembrance of Ships Past

The only Titanic Memorial I know of is located in Long Island City. On 11th St. near the base of the Pulaski Bridge (the one that connects Queens and Greenpoint), the memorial doesn't necessarily pop out in relief unless you're looking for it (and now you'll have no excuse). There's a flagpole, three fountains, lots of plastic flowers, porcelain cupids, a small wooden replica of the ship, photos of survivors, a photo of the captain, a Welcome sign, a No Peddlers sign, a Photography Permitted Sign, an ADA Security Systems sign. There's also a wide variety of plastic squirrels and frogs. And a bronze Jesus statue. It's about as wide and as tall as a townhouse. And why is this? Because it actually is someone's townhouse. Joe Coletti, a local nightclub manager, has always had an affinity for the story of the Titanic's maiden and fatal voyage. For the last 20 odd years, Titanic facts and memorabilia have accumulated on the facade of his house--a small homage to the 4-city-block-long ship and the 1522 passengers who died almost a century ago.

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Landmarks • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Peaceful, Contaminated

Space. We all want more of it. Our apartments are too small; the subway is too damn crowded; the office is a coffin. Even parks don't really solve the problem: the last time I tried to read a book in Central Park, a man sat next to me with a boombox. Gramercy Park is nice, if you're one of the few people who has the key to get in. Madison Square Park and Bryant Park have their perks--but much of their spaces, for one reason or another, are often fenced off. On the other hand, Gantry Plaza State Park is the only park that actually feels like a park. Never heard of it? Most people haven't, which is why it's one of the last, quiet, anxiety-reducing spaces in the city. A set of four docks reach into the East River, drawing people (and their dogs) toward the skyline of Manhattan. Out here, it's quiet. The water may be contaminated, but it looks nice in the setting sun. There's flocks of birds--not pigeons, but birds! Real birds! The air is cleaner, almost breathable. You may be reminded that, from a distance, New York City doesn't seem so bad. Also, the last scene of "Munich" was filmed here. It's true.

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Landmarks • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Pretty Old Things

I don't care if you live in Manhattan, or in Brooklyn, or wherever. LIC Bar is the only bar in the city that's worth more than a 10-minute trek. Yes, it's in Long Island City. But it's probably closer than you think--just one stop away from Grand Central on the 7 train. The drinks--mostly microbrews, Belgian beer, and single-malt scotch--are deliciously cheap. The interior hasn't changed in 100 years; it's gorgeous, covered from floor to ceiling in ornate woodwork. The backyard is perfect for summer nights: two giant weeping willows seem to erase the general noise of the city. In the winter, there's always a fire going in what used to be a carriage house. There's live music every Sunday. There's a photo booth. It's never too crowded or too quiet, or too hip or too unhip. LIC Bar effortlessly is what so many bars in Williamsburg and the Lower East Side fail to be--an authentic, relaxing, happy place.

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Nightlife • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

The French Place with the Red Car

A good French restaurant, especially in Queens, is hard to find. Okay, it's not that hard to find. Queen's best "Bistro francais," in Long Island City, has a tiny old red car in front of it. If you're in the neighborhood, you can't miss it. Herein lies the problem: most people wouldn't expect a restaurant with perfect steak frites to be on this side of the East River. But, dear reader, I would not be writing this if it weren't true; I would not have been going every Thursday night for the past year (and often on Sunday morning) if this weren't true. Because, even in comparison to the West Village's (over)abundance of French bistros, nothing comes as eerily close to perfection as Tournesol. The ratatouille, the lamb chop, every special I've ever had, the bearnaise sauce, the chocolate nougat dessert, the lightly chilled red wine...it's just so good. And the prices are significantly lower than those on the island of Manhattan. And the maitre d' gives me free Rose champagne. And everyone has real French accents. And I've overheard, on more than one occasion, real people from Manhattan saying it's their favorite French restaurant too. So go. And look for the red car.

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Restaurants • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Erotic Pottery

BrickHouse is to Color Me Mine as Shake Shack is to McDonald's. It's for people who have longer attention spans, really want to learn about ceramics, and would rather design their own projects than paint in a scene of Disney characters printed on a coffee mug. Artists can rent studio time, and learners from beginner to advanced can sign up for one-on-one lessons or three to six-week class sessions all year round. They cover hand building, wheel throwing, and glazing, but there is no word on opportunities to re-enact the erotic pottery scene in Ghost. Those who prefer to buy rather than make can check out their seasonal sales (like, for example the one last May) when BrickHouse artists make their wares available at a tiny fraction of gallery prices. Note that prices will go up whenever the Commodores song is hummed.

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Schools • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Better Than Toast

Whenever I hear "Nook n' Crannie," I think of that Thomas' English Muffins commercial from the early 80s with muffins flying from the toaster as they sing "one and only, funny lookin', tasty cookin'..." Those things are good, but they are definitely more akin to crumpets and not muffins at all. The new outpost of Astoria's Nook n' Crannie on Vernon Boulevard doesn't sell breakfast breads of any type, but rather a selection of housewares and gifts of the antique/vintage/junk variety. They have some good stuff, and the prices aren't too bad. Besides, all the money goes to support programs that help people recovering from drug or alcohol addictions learn new skills and rebuild their lives. All in all, better than toast.

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Shopping • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Pan-Latin Comfort Food

My fellow Queens eaters, you can lose your fetish for "authentic" immigrant cuisine and learn to love a neighborhood bistro serving pan-Latin comfort food. First, grab a table in the garden. Next, order a pitcher of freshly mixed margaritas (or maybe mojitos, remember the "pan-" part?). Then, get the Picadillo Platter, a heaping assortment of chorizo, empanadas, quesadillas and more that can easily serve six as an appetizer or three as an entree. Now it's a party. By the time your genuinely friendly server brings nicely presented, flavorful plates of ropa veija or some such, you'll be having too much fun to take pictures for your blog. Festivity: it's what's for dinner.

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Restaurants • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Blend in Some Booze

Don't hate them because they have a menu category labeled "Tapatizers," Hate them because there are no mojitos. Hey, no bottle of rioja either. What’s happening here is Blend came along and filled an empty storefront on the main drag in Hunter's Point with "Latin Fusion" food, kind but dim servers, and sleek hotel-like décor. What did they get for their efforts to bring a little slice of the Meatpacking District to the citizens of Queens? The community board shot down their application for a liquor license in an effort to curb the growth of new restaurants on a commercial street. Blend is too large to be allowed to operate as a BYOB, so here we are, ropa vieja in hand with nothing to quaff but a seltzer. As a resident of said commercial street, I'm bummed. I guess I'll come back when I'm a teetotaler.

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Restaurants • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

P.J. Leahy's

In the rapidly changing landscape of Hunter's Point, there are only a few constants. P.J. Leahy's is one of them. You can count on the corner bar sitting just five steps from the 7 stop at Vernon-Jackson to sling a pleasingly greasy Irish breakfast by day, ply Sunday afternoon football fans with cheap pints and endless 25 cent wings, and close to the tune of tuneless broads singing along to Billy Joel on the jukebox. The crowd is local and quite genial, and each table has its own flat-screen television attached, making it the perfect place to catch games and freely root for all those teams that hail from beyond the Hudson. Well, maybe not the Red Sox. That might be pushing it.

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Nightlife • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Song for NY: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting

Mabou Mines has been kicking ass and taking names in the world of avant-garde theater since 1970, back when most people were just sitting around in their wood-paneled basements listening to Guess Who. We'll give you five reasons to see their latest show. 1.) It pays tribute to our beloved city of New York with five different borough-specific performances. Yes, including Staten Island! 2.) It will be performed on a barge in the East River, and audiences will watch from the piers of Gantry State Park in Long Island City, with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. Take that, Shakespeare in the Park! 3.) It's got live music, dance, theatre, poetry, AND a bunch of men knitting. 4.) There will be a photo booth where you can get your portrait taken and add it to a collection for an upcoming gallery show. 5.) It's free, no tickets, just show up. Only in New York, kids, only in New York. Get informed at maboumines.org. Performances will happen from August 31 to September 9.

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Landmarks • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

FLCA: Remembering Michael Hurson

As part of its 15th anniversary celebration, The Fisher Landau Center for Art is presenting two exciting new exhibitions organized by Bill Katz, the museum's curator, from the private collection of Emily Fisher Landau. Paper includes more than 200 rarely (and in some cases never) seen works by artists ranging from Joe Andoe, Carl Andre, and Richard Artschwager to James Wyeth, Tadanori Yokoo, and Lisa Yuskavage. Remembering Michael Hurson features 15 of Hurson's sly images (some on loan from other collections), including a portrait of Mrs. Landau, commissioned in 1987. After meeting Michael Hurson, known for his whimsical paintings and drawings of humans and inanimate objects, Emily Fisher Landau began collecting the artist's work in depth. The exhibition is a tribute to Hurson and is the first show of his work since his sudden death in January 2007. There is an opening reception on Saturday, May 19th from 3 to 6 pm, and the exhibit will be up through December 2007.

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Art Galleries , Landmarks , Museums • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Bulgara Restaurant

Until fairly recently, only mechanics and storage space dockhands could be found anywhere near 11th and 37th Ave, the neighborhood equivalent of the taint—forever in Astoria/LIC ownership status dispute—that Bulgara Restaurant calls home. Even though there is a clear lack of competition in this warehouse wasteland, Bulgara dominates the area's Bulgarian-based food and entertainment scene not for want of adversaries, but for delivering a kick-ass blast of Balkanatolia for the homesick, the hungry, and the curious. Clean and rather quaint for a converted warehouse, full families, couples, and the requisite mixed bag of cologne-heavy Dieselclad wolf down treble kebab platters, feta-heavy shopska salad, schnitzel, karnache, and Bulgarian burgers (kofte), all richly dressed with roasted peppers, potato salad, and pintos while treated to a multi-sensory explosion of double-d Paris Hilton-esque pop stars blaring out of the tube, speakers, or makeshift DJ booth. A feast for the mouth, eyes, but not necessarily the ears. However, two or three rounds of reasonably priced rakia, a gulpable cross between grappa and plum wine, and you might find yourself changing your tune, about their hairstyles anyway...

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Restaurants • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

SculptureCenter

Ok, you’ve now reached the holy grail of your day. SculptureCenter is super cool—cool space, cool history, cool artists, and of course very cool art. It is an artist-run nonprofit and gallery supporting innovative and experimental sculpture. It was founded way back in 1928 and has been a LIC fixture in a former trolley repair shop since 2001. It features 6,000 square feet of dramatic exhibition space designed by Maya Lin. Very cool indeed. So before you start chugging beers and grabbing NFT books by the handful, make sure you take a good look around and appreciate this unique place. Even better, think about becoming a member to help keep this vital artistic space in Queens alive and kicking well into the future. Check out their website for more information.bition space designed by Maya Lin. Need I say more? So before you start chowing down on meatballs and grabbing NFT books by the handful, make sure you take a good look around and appreciate this unique place. Even better, think about becoming a member to help keep this vital artistic space in Queens alive and kicking well into the future.

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Art Galleries , Landmarks • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Gantry State Park

This former industrial site has been transformed into a fantastic park that offers the most breathtaking views of Manhattan in the whole city. You can take in the scenery from the comfort of one of the wooden chaise lounges. The park’s centerpieces are two beautifully preserved gantries that loom over the waterfront. Stroll the four piers (one dedicated to fishing complete with a sink and counter to clean your catch of the day) or check out the unique mist fountain if you’re feeling the heat.

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Landmarks • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

LIC Bar

Now that you have your new NFT Queens, you can take it for a test spin to navigate yourself to the LIC Bar. After a few free beers, you’ll certainly need all the help you can get. This laid back, vintage style saloon is the perfect place to spend a Saturday evening, especially since they will be hosting the NFT Queens After Party. No sculpture here—just good beer and a nice selection of single-malt scotches. Grab a drink, generously tip the friendly barkeeps, and escape to their serene backyard patio. Although, we’re not sure how serene it will be once the entire NFT posse shows up.

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Nightlife • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Water Taxi Beach

Yearning to be a beach bum for a few hours? You’ve come to the right place. Kick off your shoes and chill out at this beach—complete with real sand! They open at noon on Saturdays and offer beer, cocktails, and barbeque items from their grills. And since they don’t charge an admission fee, if you’re a real cheapskate you can just come and hang out and play volleyball with your pals. Just take note that no coolers, outside food or drink, or glass containers are allowed. And no matter how hard it is to resist, don’t even think about jumping in the East River—no swimming is permitted (thank goodness).

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Nightlife • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

5 Stars Punjabi

If you can’t wait to chow down on the 800 free meatballs, head over to 5 Stars for some cheap and tasty Indian food. They have plenty of meat and vegetarian options including their famous item—Chicken Chilli. You can sit at the counter and mingle with the cabbies to get the full-on LIC experience. And if you’re really lucky, they may even be playing some Bollywood flicks on their tv set.

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Restaurants • Long Island City / Hunter's Point

Communitea

Start your day with some good coffee or a fine pot of tea at this relaxing spot in LIC. If you’re addicted to the internet, you can bring your laptop and use their free Wi-Fi. But better yet, leave the computer at home and watch this great ‘hood slowly come to life through their large windows. They open at 9 am on Saturdays, so you’ll have plenty of time to fully caffeinate yourself for the big day ahead.

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Coffee • Long Island City / Hunter's Point