Top 10 posts on QueensNYC in 2012

We thought we’d take a look at the top posts of 2012 here on QueensNYC. Not surprising, Hurricane Sandy was huge on the site, plus a little real estate, border lands, and brunch.

Here are the top 10 posts from this year.

10. Photo tour of the Rockaway Peninsula, post-Hurricane Sandy

Curbed, in their Camera Obscura column, had Nathan Kensigner head to the Rockaway Peninsula to take some photos of the area after Hurricane Sandy. His work is always excellent, and this report is no different. It’s a surreal landscape now, and in the words of one Edgemere resident, “It’s like a bad dream that I can’t wake up from.”

Image source: Curbed

9. Where to eat 5 unexpected and delicious brunches in Astoria, Forest Hills, and Flushing

We are a city that loves to brunch, and brunch is alive and well in Queens…with a few twists. Here are some standout places to brunch it up in 3 neighborhoods. Don’t be surprised to see a burger with an egg on top, jumbo mimosas, or dim sum — these are some of the best places for weekend grub.

8. A humorous take on Hurricane Sandy

While we know that Hurricane Sandy took its toll on the area, we did come across some images that reflect one of our coping mechanisms – humor. Here a selection that amused us in particular. Most come from Facebook.

Image source: Facebook

7. The continuing woes in Breezy Point

Two places that got hit particularly hard during Hurricane Sandy were LIC and the Rockaways. Breezy Point was particularly hard hit (it is located on the west side of the Rockaway peninsula, and the western tip is known for its excellent birdwatching oportunities) with water and wind and fires. This morning, one woman we met from Sunnyside said that her parents’ house down there was not destroyed by fire (the fire stopped about 100 feet away from the house) but that the house was moved off its foundation by the water and wind.

Image source: caitlynn_kirrky on Instagram – “Breezy Point , we will rebuild and come back better. Still seems so unreal in just a matter of a day everyone’s home got destroyed, it’s just devastating how breezy now looks like a war zone.”

6. Do you know where the border between Queens and Brooklyn lies?

What actually divides Queens and Brooklyn? There’s no great wall or border patrol to mark the line between Brooklyn and Queens. The Queens-Brooklyn border issue has been confounding the two boroughs, especially residents of Ridgewood and Bushwick, for hundreds of years.

5. Where to find gas after Hurricane Sandy – some online resources

We’ve come across some online resources that may help you in your search for gasoline, whether it’s to power your car, generator, or whatever else you need to handle life in this post-Sandy world.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

4. What you can buy in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Westchester, and Dutchess for $250K

We did a little poking around to see what we could find for $250K around the region. In Queens, we’ve included a traditional 2 bedroom in Forest Hills. For $1K more in Manhattan the apartment is a cozy 130 square foot studio. In Brooklyn, its also a studio, but of course a bit larger. Moving up to Westchester, we’ve got a two bedroom, and up in Dutchess we’ve included a log cabin with 5 acres. Yes, the range here is 130 square feet to 5 acres.

3. Hurricane Sandy torched Breezy Point – before and after photos from above

We thought we’d post a side by side comparison of Breezy Point after the fires during Hurricane Sandy, from an aerial perspective. Both images come from Google Maps.

Image source: Google Maps

2. UPDATED – Broad Channel also abused by Hurricane Sandy

Broad Channel, in the middle of Jamaica Bay, and considered part of the Rockaways by locals, has seen its share of flooding from Hurricane Sandy, too.

Image source: nmarie on Flickr

1. How you can help post-Hurricane Sandy – donation and volunteer centers around Queens

It was almost instantaneous – our friends and neighbors around New York City identified the needs of those hit hardest by the surges of Sandy and swung into action. Want to help, too? The following resources are designed to connect your resources – good stuff, man-power, funds, blood, and clothes – to those in need in the Tri-State region and in Queens.