New Yorkers complain and more in the QNYC Evening Edition for Wednesday February 6, 2013

New Yorkers like to complain about litter, graffiti, and noise

We love maps here at QNYC and were pretty enthused about checking out this one via io9 called “What do New Yorkers complain about?” You can see block by block what was reported on the issues of litter, graffiti, and noise throughout the city. We noticed a few things: there’s a big pink section in Queens just west of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Corona neighborhood that is red (graffiti). Also, the southeastern part of Queens is pretty blue; Forest Hill and Rego Park seem to be more concerned about noise, too. The data for this map was culled from 311 calls from 2010-2012.

CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism weights in on the potential QueensWay

The subject of the abandoned rail line that could be the QueensWay (Queens’s own high line?) or turned back into a working rail line (Rockaway Beach Branch), has manifested itself into another website, The Line. From the About page:

The Line is a reporting project by Craft I students at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism. We hope to show all sides of the debate, explore what’s at stake and present the key players who want to create the next stop for the Rockaway Beach Branch rail line in Queens.

This is a site worth keeping an eye on, especially if you are interested in hearing both sides of the argument.

Queens has great street art in LIC, Astoria, and Ridgewood’s neighbor Bushwick

Street art charms us, was must admit. Random, pointless, scribble scrabble graffiti doesn’t, but the street art in this article is not about that. But anyway, ArtInfo has put together a list and accompanying slideshow on where to see great street art in NYC. We were happy to see that 5 Pointz in LIC (GMAP), Welling Court in Astoria (GMAP), and almost-in-Ridgewood but Bushwick 5 Points (GMAP) were all included. Not far from the Ridgewood border – again, in Bushwick – is the art on Vandervoort Place between Flushing Avenue and Thames Street (GMAP) and Gardner Avenue between Flushing and Johnson Avenues (GMAP).

We’ve visited Welling Court (and nearby streets), and the art there is really fantastic. And anyone taking the 7 train through LIC sees the amazing aerosol art at 5 Pointz. Walking from the Jefferson L stop toward 17-17 Troutman in Ridgewood – home to many artists of all kinds – you’ll also see some pretty incredible art. Definitely take some time to check it out.

The origins of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center

Watch and listen to former Borough President Claire Shulman talk about how she got the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center to happen – “she used $8 million from the United States Tennis Association and a “birthday present” from Mayor Giuliani to build a state of the art and incredibly popular swimming pool and ice skating rink in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.”

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/43901820]

Rockaway Rises – a different side to the Rockaways

We love this new site, Rockaway Rises, which is “a community for sharing and enjoying the positive aspects of life on our fair peninsula.” Visions of the destruction are not to be submitted here, just shots and artwork of the beauty of the peninsula. A beautiful change of pace.