A typical park volunteer might not be recognized, but Forest Park Administrator Debby Kuha and Queens Parks Commissioner Dottie Lewandowski honored Myron Lubitsch with a nice plaque at an event held at the Oakridge House in Forest Park (GMAP). The evening was a thank-you party for parks volunteers. Myron helps out by having his school perform karate demonstrations at Forest and Highland Park. He runs Shorinjiryu Kenryukan Karate on Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn.
A photowalk in Forest Park
We love these photos from a recent walk though Forest Park that the Project Woodhaven folks did. So many great photos, and reminds us that there are still wild areas in Queens. Glad they are repairing the bandshell, too. And hello ducks! Definitely check it out – the photos are fab!
Ran Craycraft of Why Leave Astoria?! did leave Astoria
The NYDN wrote up a story on Ran Craycraft, the founder and editor of Why Leave Astoria?!, and how he actually did leave Astoria for sunny Los Angeles. He left because he wanted to spend more time in his job as the general manager of entertainment for AOL. He believes the site is “in a good place where it can maintain itself.” Ran made an imprint on Astoria and he will definitely be missed. And while WLA?! can maintain itself, we do wonder – will he run it from CA or will someone else, locally, step in…?
Queens in Jeopardy
No, no, we’re not talking about danger, we’re talking about the game show, Jeopardy! Turns out earlier this week Queens had a whole category devoted to itself in the second round. Astoria was the subject of the final question (worth 2,0000 bucks!) – “It ain’t no Waldorf, but this neighborhood has lots of Greeks, & Telly’s Taverna–To Die For.” Of course that’s “What is Astoria?” So. Awesome.
Street Eats U.S.A. visits Queens
Last summer Joe DiStefano took the Street Eats U.S.A. folks all around Queens to sample the delicious noms that the borough is full of. He was reminded of the show (“It was so long ago I almost forgot about it.”) and is happy to say that it will air on the Travel Channel this Saturday at 3pm EDT. Tune in and see Queens (and Joe) in all its glory!
Rockaway skate park
Scenes from the Rockaway skate park two years ago when it was in better condition (it has been trashed by two hurricanes – Irene and Sandy – at this point). Many people wish it could be rebuilt (all concrete), but of course, that takes $$$. It would be a nice outlet for the skaters in that part of the city – fresh air and exercise is good for most everyone.
Image source: Project Woodhaven
We loved this photowalk that the folks from Project Woodhaven put together – so many great shots! Work is being done at the Forest Park Bandshell and environs, so PW got curious and took a stroll through the park last weekend. We enjoyed their previous photowalk last January after it snowed, too. Check it out.
Project Woodhaven: A Walk In The Park [Project Woodhaven]
Great photos of Forest Park and Woodhaven after the most recent dusting of snow [QNYC]
Image source: Queensway Facebook page – the current state of the QueensWay
We first spotted this on Gothamist, then DNAinfo – the Trust for Public Land is ready to find a company to do a feasibility study on the elevated QueensWay park, and has issued an RFP (request for proposals) to do just that. They’ve got $467K to spend on the study, thanks to Governor Cuomo, which is not chump change. TPL will choose a winner in the next few months, according to Marc Matsil, TPL’s NY State Director.
A riding school and boarding stable is the kind of business that can successfully exist quietly through word-of-mouth – local parents tell other local parents, classes are booked, birthdays parties are scheduled, and those with horses to board probably know their options. That’s why you might not have heard of Lynne’s Riding School, the 66-year-old stable located not far from the shopping district of Metropolitan Avenue on 70th Road in Forest Hills.
Check out some of these photos from our QueensNYC Flickr pool - there’s quite a variety this week.
Photographer: Diallo Jamal in Sunnyside – love the sense of motion here
We loved the photos that Project Woodhaven put together of this latest dusting of snow – it sure looks pretty! Many of the shots are of and around Forest Park (GMAP), the wonderful green space on the neighborhood’s north end.
Image source: Project Woodhaven
Image source: Queens Chronicle – this tree fell on the roof of the Forest Park Carousel
We were happy to learn that some neighborhoods did not sustain deep damage from Hurricane Sandy. The Queens Chronicle reports that Woodhaven, Ozone Park, and Richmond Hill – neighborhoods in south Queens that sit just above flooded Howard Beach – fared OK after the storm, comparatively speaking. These neighborhoods had to deal with fallen trees and power lines, leading to power outages. But flooding was not a worry, nor was destruction of house and home, as we witnessed in the Rockaways.
Here at QueensNYC we love our parks. Queens is fortunate to have a number of excellent waterfront parks – Gantry Plaza State Park in LIC; Astoria Park in Astoria; Hermon A. Macneil Park in College Point, just to name a few – as well as parks within Queens, such as Forest Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Are you a park-goer, and if so, which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments or via twitter at @queensnycity!
