It's Queens, Spring 2008

s t ’ I

PRST STD US Postage PAID Flushing NY Permit No. 652

QUEENS THE M AGA ZINE SPRING 2008 Volume 1.2

Exclusive Interview

JIMMY BRESLIN

FIERY AUTHOR TELLS YOU WHY YOU’RE LUCKY TO LIVE IN QUEENS

The It’s List Top 20 People In QueensYou Haven’t Heard Of...Yet TROMA-TIC EXPERIENCE

THE NEW MUTANTS OF LIC

ALSO...

$2.95 US $3.95 US $3.95 CAN $4.95 CAN

77 33 556 7

69601 00509

2

FROM BAYSIDE TO GLENDALE, THE TOP 5 PLACES TO BUY CIGARS 3 GPS UNITS TO KEEP YOU ON COURSE LIVING IN...

A GUIDE TO MIDDLE VILLAGE

Shaun Mirza Private Mortgage Banker Direct: 212.508.2205 Cell: 949.689.5178 1155 Avenue of the America’s 17th Floor NY, NY 10036 shaun_mirza@countywide.com

K_\ È_\XikÈ f] k_\ dXkk\i% Dfi\ 8d\i`ZXe nfd\e [`\ ]ifd _\Xik XkkXZbj \XZ_ p\Xi k_Xe ]ifd Xep fk_\i ZXlj\# \m\e ZXeZ\i% 8jb pfli [fZkfi `] pfl Zflc[ Y\ Xk i`jb%

K_`j `j Alc`\% J_\ ilej k_i\\ d`c\j X [Xp# [f\jeËk jdfb\# \Xkj i`^_k# cffbj `eZi\[`Ycp Ô k%%% Xe[ n\ jXm\[ _\i c`]\% Like many women, Julie didn’t look like a candidate for a heart attack – except to us.

Doctors at the Cardiology Center at The New Parkway Hospital knew Julie’s family history put her at risk for heart disease. So our specialists, led by Dr. George Shapiro, Chief of Cardiology, took a closer look at her heart using the most advanced cardiac imaging tool available: the Toshiba Aquilion 64-slice CT scanner.

The only system in all of Queens, this leading-edge, non-invasive technology helped us discover a blockage in Julie’s left pulmonary artery – in under 10 seconds – so she’ll keep running strong, for years.

Because even though you look good on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that really counts. Let us take a closer look: ask your physician about the Cardiology Center at The New Parkway Hospital today.

For further information about this and other special programs and procedures, call 1-800-634-3574.

To schedule an appointment, call 1-718-990-4141.

Physician Friendly

Patient Focused

.'$++ >iXe[ :\ekiXc GXibnXp =fi\jk ?`ccj# EP ((*., ($.(/$00'$+('' nnn%e\ngXibnXp_fjg`kXc%fi^

NPH007_Cardiac Ad_GeneralHosp_9.1 1

2/14/08 3:37:46 PM

For All Your Banking Needs

C

C

Cross County Federal Savings Bank

Loan Center: 79-21 Metropolitan Avenue  Middle Village, NY 11379  718-326-6300 Monday to Friday: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm  Saturday: By Appointment Queens Locations: 80-10 Eliot Avenue  Middle Village, NY 11379  718-651-4600 79-21 Metropolitan Avenue  Middle Village, NY 11379  718-326-6300 60-20 Fresh Pond Road  Maspeth, NY 11378  718-366-4700 455 Beach 129 Street  Belle Harbor, NY 11694  718-634-0333 Monday to Thursday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday:9:00 am to 6:00 pm  Saturday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Brooklyn Locations: 731 Metropolitan Avenue  Brooklyn, NY 11211  718-388-4400 175 Bedford Avenue  Brooklyn, NY 11211  718-486-3009 Banking Hours: Monday to Friday: 7:00am to 6:00 pm Saturday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Member FDIC

Enjoy the blooming flavors of spring!

Orange BlossomÂŽ Half Dipped with Dipped Bananas

Save $3

on your order when you mention this ad.* *Offer valid on select products. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Offer code must be used when placing the order.

Offer expires 04/30/08 Code: ITSQ0794

Š2003

To order, please call or visit:

718-389-0700 601 Lorimer St Brooklyn, NY 11211

3/21 Good Friday • 3/23 Easter • 3/30 Doctor’s Day • 4/1 April Fools’ Day • 4/19 Passover Begins at Sundown • 4/20 Administrative Professionals Week • 4/22 Earth Day • 4/23 Administrative Professionals Day

EdibleArrangements.com

Copyright Š 2008 Edible ArrangementsŽ, LLC

Franchises Available. Call 1-888-727-4258

265-11 Union Tpke., New Hyde Park 7 1 8 . 3 4 7. 4 8 4 6

1SJWBUF 1BSUJFT $PSQPSBUF .FFUJOHT XJUI .FEJB 3PPN

BAR

%JÄŠFSFOU 4J[F 3PPNT "WBJMBCMF

$PVSTF 4VOTFU .FOV

MAIN DINING ROOM

$22.95

)"11: )063 .0/ '3* QN

%JOOFS %BZT -VODI .0/ 4"5

(718) 347-4846

www.nickandmaggies.com

THE M AGA ZINE SPRING 2008

Publisher Walter H. Sanchez Executive Editor Shane Miller Associate Editors Phil Guie Jeffrey Harmatz Nick D’Arienzo Account Executives Michele Karpowicz Dane Clayton Production / Design Director Justin Zimmer Photography Michael O’Kane Assistant to the Publisher Jesse Almonte

Volume 1 Number 2 – Spring 2008 It’s Queens is published quarterly. Periodicals Pending, Flushing NY. Postmaster, send all address changes to It’s Queens – PO BOX 780376 – Maspeth, NY 11378.

It’s Queens is a consumer magazine covering the people who move and shake Queens, from real estate trends to transportation, politics to entertainment, It’s Queens will bring our readers the ins and outs of the borough.

It’s Queens is wholly owned and published by the Queens Ledger/Greenpoint Star Weekly Newspaper Group.We know enough about the borough, covering it week in and week out since 1873. Bulk mail Flushing, NY Permit #652. Copyright Š2008 It’s Queens. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. Any news or feature solicitation for publication in It’s Queens should be done so without expectation of use and without expectation of return to solicitor. Send correspondence to editor@itsqueens.com . Subscriptions are $7.95 per year. Inquiries for subscriptions - Mail to PO BOX 780376, Maspeth, NY 11378. (718) 639-7000.

On the Cover: Jimmy Breslin Photograph by: Matthew Roberts

Buffet Brunch, Lunch & %JOOFS 1BDLBHFT TUBSUJOH BU $18.95 QFS QFSTPO .POEBZ 'SJEBZ QN POMZ

"MM NFBMT DPNF XJUI DIPJDF PG TPEB DPÄŠFF PS UFB

QUEENS

www.itsqueens.com

Offering Top of the Line

t 4FBGPPE t 4UFBLT t3JCT & Much More

It’s

BANQUET ROOM

It’s

QUEENS THE M AGA ZINE SPRING 2008

Features

21 Top 20 Stealth Operators It’s Queens pulls back the curtain to reveal the most important people in the borough working behind the scenes.

page 43

30 Queensbound Artist Ciara Eland is working to keep Queens residents fashionable.

37 Interview: Jimmy Breslin

Writer talks sports, the future of print media, and why you’re lucky to live in Queens.

43 Troma Studios

Get in the director’s chair with the film studio that brought you such cinematic classics as the “Toxic Avenger” and “Tromeo and Juliet.”

page 10

Departments 10 • Shopping Top 5 Cigar Stores in Queens

page

30

11 • Technology We Test 3 GPS Models

17 • Property Make a Reservation in LIC

18 • Tasting Queens Take a Sip of Your Favorite Met

49 • Living In.... page 37

spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

Get to Know Middle Village

62 • Community A History of Richmond Hill

PUBLISHER’S NOTE•WALTER SANCHEZ When word began to leak as to what the next It’s Queens “Top 20” list would be, the questions we inevitably were asked were: “What is a stealth operator?” and “Is it good or bad to be one?”

“If you’re looking for some negativity in being a stealth operator, don’t read any further.”

If you’re looking for some negativity in being a stealth operator, don’t read any further. A stealth operator is someone who gets a good deal accomplished. Our typical stealth operator is not some high-profile, bigger-than-life personality, often because if he or she is seen as a big player it could hurt their ability to be as productive as they can be.

Take for instance John Kotowski from CUNY. Those readers who are familiar with him know he doesn’t really talk about the large sums of money he has secured for the CUNY system. Not only is he a humble guy in general, but, if for example, Senator Padavan knew how much Helen Marshall was earmarking for CUNY, Padavan might not work to get as much from the State Senate for CUNY. Kotowski’s ability to stay under the radar makes him highly effective at bringing in million of dollars to CUNY. Some of our stealth operators, though, are under the radar because nobody knows about them yet, but we wager that they soon will. Like D.A. Brown’s top assistant district attorney, Jesse Sligh. His genuine humility and desire to stay out of the limelight are just part of his personality. Sligh doesn’t want attention, and maybe he won’t be too happy when he discovers that he is an It’s Queens Stealth Operator, but after we give him one of those rare “It’s Queens” lapel pins that our Top 20’s receive, maybe he’ll warm to the idea.

In addition to our standard Top 20, we hope you enjoy the rest of the spring issue, where you can find the best places to buy a cigar, find out what the hell “CaberReyes” is, read a great interview with Queens legend Jimmy Breslin, and so much more.

One more thing: Be sure to keep checking back with www.itsqueens.com often.

We are working on some great multi-media features that are going to put the borough of Queens at your fingertips.

And keep sending us your photos of Queens for our photo contest, you can check out this month’s winners on page 60. And just for this issue, the first five people who can tell us where in the borough this photo was taken will win a pair of tickets to the show “Secrets of a Soccer Mom.” Submit your answers by April 15 to contest@itsqueens.com

Think you know where this photograph was taken?

Happy reading, Walter H. Sanchez

The highly coveted lapel pins, worn by some, adored by all.

8

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

STORM DAMAGE

WE WILL DEAL WITH YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY

LICENSED, INSURED, BONDED LIC

#

0952854-5

Torch Down Available ONLY “WHERE LEGAL”

Guaranteed Professional Roofer with 20+ Years Experience on Every Job Start To Finish

G & G

B OFINLIST

RO

A I C SPE

SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT 10% OFF NO DAY LABORERS NO STREET CORNER HELP

We are committed to being the best. Our crews do only one type of roofing.

Flat Roof Crews, Slate & Tile Crew, Tear Off Crew. We have an expert Masonry Crew.

STOP...THINK Hire the company whose guarantee is not just a worthless scrap of paper!

We are standing behind our work since 1956

BRICKWORK / MASONRY WATERPROOFING

Your Safest Roofing Decision is Just a Phone Call Away!

We Do Repairs Licensed • Insured • Bonded Flat Roofs • Shingles • Slate • Tile • Shakes • Gutters • Leaders • Copper

TEAR OFF SPECIALIST HOT TAR & HOT TAR COATING

718 457 2864

e Sam y il Fam e Sam on ati c o L e m a S e# n o Ph

QUEENS BUZZ•HOT & COLD The Mets 2007 Collapse: Sure, those final 17 games still smart, but the off-season acquisition of ace Johan Santana definitely took some of the sting away. And now that the new season is underway, Queens can finally start to put the historic collapse of the hometown squad behind us.

President Michael Bloomberg: Finally, the speculation about whether Bloomberg would follow in Ross Perot’s footsteps can end. Of course, if David Paterson breaks down and admits to occasionally kidnapping elementary school kids, driving them around blindfolded and dropping them off in undisclosed locations when he was pledging a fraternity in college - you know, just to get it out there before the press catches wind - then maybe we can all start talking about a Bloomberg campaign for governor.

Classic Movies: Until December of 2009, at least, which is when Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria has its grand re-opening. In the meantime, there’s always the Film Series for seniors programs at Queens Museum of Art. What are the odds we might be too busy to catch a flick at 2 p.m. on a Monday?

COLD

A quick rundown of what Queens residents are talking about, and what they no longer care about.

HOT

P o l i t i c a l Infidelity: Former Governor Eliot Spitzer shelling out tens of thousands of dollars for high-priced hook-ups, Councilman Dennis Gallagher forced to resign from office, New Jersey Governor James McGreevey in steamy threesomes with his wife, and new Governor David Paterson admitting to affairs, misusing campaign funds, and snorting cocaine and puffing weed…New York politicians are really trading in their smoky backrooms for steamy bedrooms.

Nintendo Wii: At least we’ve been told this is hot right now, but we wouldn’t know.

Apparently, finding one of these things in Queens is tougher than beating Slash in a headto-head challenge on the expert level of Guitar Hero III. It’s Queens #2: (Editor’s Note: A shameless plug that was originally printed in this space had to be removed just as this issue was going to press.)

Catch Basins: April showers bring…flooding in Queens!

Okay, so catch basins and street drains aren’t exactly the sexiest things to talk about, but neither is a house full of water. Are the basins on your block clean?

10

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

TECHNOLOGY

GPS UNITS•

STAY THE COURSE

These GPS units will get you to the far corners of the borough Queens is mighty big, and if you’ve ever tried to get anywhere beyond that primary subway strip through the heart of the borough using mass transit, you’ve probably figured that out. Which is why the borough is home to so many car owners, and while It’s Queens is all for using subways and buses, we realize that sometimes it is just much more convenient to drive.

You might think that a borough based entirely on a numbered grid system would be a cinch to navigate, but as anybody who has ever looked for 33-30 31st Street will attest, it ain’t as easy as it seems. A little help comes in the form of a GPS system. With all sorts of makes and models out there to choose from, It’s Queens narrowed it down a bit for you, taking three mid-range models out for a little aimless wandering in the borough.

Make: Magellan Maestro 3250 Size: 3.2” H x 3.65” W x .7” D Features: Voice command and control, Bluetooth compatible, and four different route methods: fastest time, shortest distance, and least and most use of freeways. The Magellan Maestro 3250 was the smallest of the GPS systems we road tested, and like the others was pretty much ready to go from the box.

We took the Maestro for an aimless drive around the streets of Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill, trying to confuse it. This slim model more than kept up with quick route recalculations.

Make: TomTom One XL – S Size: 4.7” H x 3.4” W x 1.2” D Features: Turn-by-turn voice instruction, maps of U.S. and Canada, and access to realtime traffic and weather.

By far the most recognizable brand on the market, you probably know somebody who owns a TomTom. With many of the same features as the Magellan and a respected brand, you can trust the TomTom to keep you from making a wrong turn.

Price: $399.99

Price: $349.95 Make: Mio C320 Features: MP3 player and expandable functionality with memory slot to add more maps.

The Mio was the cheapest GPS system we tested. It doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of the TomTom or Magellan, but it does have a built-in MP3 player so you can take your tunes on the road. All in all, if price is a concern, the Mio will still get you where you need to go.

Price: $299.99

11

SHOPPING•CIGARS

Smoke Break It’s Queens Tracks Down the Top Five Places in the Borough to Get a Cigar

It’s time to stop thinking those machine-made Phillies are real cigars. Real cigars are meticulously handmade - some in the Dominican Republic, some in Miami, some, of course, in Cuba (but we wouldn’t know anything bout that!), and even some in a few small shops right here in New York City.

Although the cigar fad of ten years ago has died down a bit, there are still a good number of devoted and discerning cigar smokers out there, as well as cigar novices who every day are learning the pleasures of a fine cigar.

However, real cigars can be difficult to find without going to a reputable dealer, and we’re not talking about your local bodega.

It’s Queens visited a dozen of the best places to find cigars in the borough and found our top five. Two are retail stores with a top selection of cigars, one is a storefront operation specializing in handmade cigars, and two are authentic cigar lounges, or cigar bars, as they are informally known.

Maspeth MiniMart, also known as Maspeth News, on Grand Avenue at 69th Place has a top selection of cigars priced from $3.50 to $19.

Over 1,000 cigars in a large wooden humidor make this place a great store to sample

12

a wide variety. You won’t feel pressured, and you can even take one out to feel and smell. They are fresh because their inventory moves rather quickly, and they are open 24 hours, just in case you have a cigar emergency at 3:30 in the morning.

Meanwhile, Sunnyside

Maspeth MiniMart manager Keny displays his cigars.

Glendale is a storefront operation that operates in the tradition of the old-time shops, when each place had its own blend of hand-rolled cigars.

DeLeon’s seeds

Pintu in front of his four humidors at the Sunnyside Smoke Shoppe.

Smoke Shoppe on Queens Boulevard at 46th Street offers about 3,500 cigars in four window-case humidors.

Cigars range from $4 to a $13 Montecristo Platinum, and according to owner Pintu, he will order any type of cigar you wish.

Andres DeLeon Cigars at 62-01Myrtle Avenue in

come from Santo Domingo and the prices range from $3 to $8, depending on the size. DeLeon’s cigars have a full-bodied flavor and are recommended for those who know a thing or two about how a cigar should taste. He sells other brands in the shop – most from the Dominican Republic - and he has a small

70-square-foot humidor to display the brands. Andres often gets invited to private parties to hand-roll cigars for the guests.

Havana Dreams at 6310 Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park is a cigar bar.

When you enter this place, you’ll likely find a few guys playing chess or watching the tube while enjoying a fine cigar. The place is easy to find, and you’ll be able to smell the aroma of cigars out on the street several shops away. There is a walk-in humidor where patrons can casually select from hundreds of cigars ranging in price from $4 to $30.

One of the newest and most interesting places we visited was the Habana Hut Cigar Lounge at 214-09 41st Avenue in Bayside. One of the first things you notice when you walk in this place is that it doesn’t reek of spent butts.

Owners Bill Mooney, Steve Catalanotto, and David Feller have spent more than they want to admit on the ventilation and humidor system in this comfortable lounge, but it is obvious that these guys are the ambassadors to cigar connoisseurs in Queens.

SHOPPING

CIGARS•

Habana Hut proprietors Steve Catalanotto and Bill Mooney in their walk-in cigar humidor in Bayside.

Modeled after the upscale cigar lounges in Manhattan, Habana Hut is frequented by men and women looking to relax in a friendly atmosphere and have a nice smoke after a meal at one of the dozen or so restaurants in the Bayside area. The owners spend a good deal of time in the lounge, according to its customers, and that adds to the warm and fuzzy feeling of the place. This one-stop shop for cigar lovers offers a large walk-in humidor housing more than 3,000 top-shelf cigars ranging from $5 to $30 each. We highly recommend the experience of this cigar lounge. Go in, sit down, have a cigar with a friend and you might just begin to understand why fine cigars are the real deal. On April 7, they hosted their first “Cigar Dinner,” a kind of meet-and-greet for the Queens cigar-smoking community, and plan to hold more in the future.

Whichever of these places you choose, It’s Queens is sure you’ll find a top-quality cigar that fits your budget.

The humidor at Andres DeLeon Cigars in Glendale.

Havana Dreams Cigar Lounge at 63-10 Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park was the first in Queens.

Cigar smokers relax on a Saturday afternoon at the Habana Hut in Bayside.

13

MARKET•PROMOTION It’s not easy trying to get the attention of the 2 million or so residents who call Queens home, as well as the hundreds of thousands who are just passing through the borough on a daily basis, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there trying to do just that. We here at It’s Queens take a closer look at five recent marketing campaigns that captured our attention.

TOP 5 MARKETING

PROMOTIONS / IDEAS

The Shops At Atlas Park Time Warner Cable

automobile inventory. Major World spends thousands of dollars a day in promotion.

Promotion: The Atlas Solution

Promotion: Sir Charge

Dave Kerpen had some heads turning beginning in February when he spearheaded a campaign called The Atlas Solution. The Shops at Atlas Park, a lifestyle retail mall with stores like Blue Tulip, Stein Mart and Jos. A. Bank, decided the best way to help a sputtering economy (as well as get the word out about their shopping center) was to give out cold hard cash.

Over a twomonth period, a person dressed as Uncle Sam and his cohort, a lovely lady posing as Lady Liberty, handed out some $20,000 to unsuspecting Queens residents – both at the mall and throughout the borough – in increments as small as $1 and as large as $1,000. Atlas owner Damon Hemmerdinger turned the cash giveaway into a challenge to other shopping centers around the country, calling on them to match his effort and give out a dollar amount equal to 5 percent of their square footage. Neat idea. Billboards, newspapers and radio were employed in the promotion. Estimates put the cost at almost $100,000.

Using TV, radio, newspapers and billboards, Time Warner, who bought up the original cable franchise operations in Queens, began a campaign that poked a little fun at their competitor: Verizon. The ads depicted a Verizon bill with a litany of extra charges for all to see, represented by an aging British dandy in a top hat and cane dubbed “Sir Charge.” Estimates put the promotion spending nearly a half-million dollars in Queens alone.

14

Major World Promotion: 1-800-NEXTDEAL Every day Major World, the world’s largest used car dealer, takes up pages and pages of ads in local papers and countless minutes over the radio airwaves promoting 1-800-NEXT-DEAL. Major Auto World is the definition of a retail assembly line – with people waiting on line to find cars with a boiler room operation for financing and closing the deal not too dissimilar to what you would find at the stock exchange on Wall Street. It is truly amazing to think of how quickly they turn over their

United Print Group Promotion: Radio-Controlled Cars United Print Group in Long Island City came up with a neat idea to market the soft drink Mountain Dew, as they introduced the beverage to college campus vending machines. UPG actually sells print and premium products, but has become more of a marketing company if clients use them the right way. They developed the idea of using a radio-controlled car for this client. The cars cost $100 each and were painted like a race car with Mountain Dew logos on them and buzzed around the campus to some great laughs. The company purchased 100 cars in total and used them at colleges around the country.

Queens ChamberofCommerce Promotion: Speed Networking You’ve heard of “speed dating,” well Jack Friedman, executive director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, is introducing “speed networking” to the list of events QCC regularly hosts. This is more of a B2B promo, but inventive nonetheless. According to Friedman, there are three types of biz folk who come to networking events: those who are too shy to talk to people; those who are so aggressive they hog the place; and those who watch and wish they were one of those aggressive networkers. Friedman says everyone gets a shot at sitting with others if you speed network. “Nobody is left out of the equation,” says Jack. Great idea.

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

t 1SJNF "HFE #FFG ST "MM 4J[FT t 'SFTI .BJOF -PCTUFZ t 'SFTI 4FBGPPE %BJMLPWFO 1J[[B /: t 3BUFE 5PQ #SJDJDL 6Q t 'SFF %FMJWFSZ 1 H t -JWF 3BDJOH 8BHFSJO VQ T $ FS t #SFFE FSCZ t #FMNPOU 4UBLFT t 1SFBLOFTT t ,FOUVUTDLZ % t "MM 4QPSUJOH &WFO w ĘBU TDSFFO 57 T t 3FOPWBUFE #BS XJUI SJWBUF UW t #PPUIT XJUI ZPVS PXO Q SFFOT U TD ĘB

UI XJ PN t %JOJOH SP T OH FUJ .F TT t #VTJOF WBJMBCMF t 1SJWBUF 1BSUZ 3PPNT "

64-21 53rd Drive, (718) 457 - 0100 Maspeth, New York 11378 (718) 457 - 9900

Owned rated & Ope idents

By Res r of Ou unity.

Comm

Fax: (718) 429 - 1538

WWW.ONEILLSFINEFOOD.COM

The Experts in both U.S. & Foreign Car Service • Air Conditioning Service • Alignment & Balancing • NYS DOT School Bus Inspection Facility

718.672.9758 718.476.8891 Franz Schweitzer Partner

Kevin Wolter Head Mechanic

Rick Metzger Partner

AMEF

Auto Repair Corp.

74 - 02 Grand Avenue, Maspeth

EVENTS•HAPPENINGS

MAY

Cinco de Mayo – Sunday, May 4 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park Celebrate Mexico’s independence from the French one day early by heading over to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which will be packed with tens of thousand of revelers. The annual event is centered around the Unisphere, but takes over the entire park, which will be buzzing with live entertainment, games, food and fun for the entire family. (www.unisphereinc.org)

JUNE

Mets vs. Yankees – June 27, 28, & 29 The second installment of the 2008 Subway Series comes to Shea Stadium – for the final time – the last weekend in June. If you haven’t already bought your tickets, you’re probably out of luck barring finding a scalper and paying through the nose. Even if you can’t get a seat, head out to your local watering hole and cheer on the hometown team. (www.mets.mlb.com)

JULY

Warm Up Opening Weekend– Saturday, July 5 Five Boro Bike Tour – Sunday, May 4 Lineup: 6:30 to 7:45 a.m.

Ride: 8 a.m.

If celebrating Cinco de Mayo isn’t exactly your bag, maybe biking 42 miles across New York City is more your speed. Or if you don’t want to ride, but want to watch thousands of bicyclists make their way through Queens, then head over to Astoria and cheer them on.Take a baguette and some cheese and make it your own little Tour de France. (www.bikenewyork.org)

P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center 22-25 Jackson Avenue Long Island City Summer really begins to heat up on July 5, when P.S. 1 hosts its first Warm Up event, a weekly occurrence that was named one of the 20 Hottest Beach Parties by the The U.K. Observer – and it doesn’t even take place on a beach! Rather, it’s a music and arts series held every Saturday inside a space designed by the winner of the museum’s annual Young Architects Program. (www.ps1.org)

Passport Fridays Kickoff – July 11 Czech and Slovak Festival – May 24 & 25 Bohemian Beer Garden 29-19 24th Avenue Astoria Technically, the ever-popular beer garden in Astoria opens as soon as the weather gets warm enough to sit outside and down pitchers of beer at picnic tables under big trees, but the summer season officially kicks off on Memorial Day weekend with the Czech and Slovak Festival. Live entertainment and good company, as well as food and free-flowing drinks, are in abundance, but be sure to get there when the doors open at noon if you want a place to sit, because it gets crowded fast. (www.bohemianhall.com)

16

Queens Museum of Art Flushing Meadows Corona Park Drive-ins may be hard to find around New York City, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place to enjoy movies under the stars. Starting the second Friday in July, Passport Fridays returns to the Queens Museum of Art, which sets up a large screen near the Unispere and shows films from around the world. Before the film, there are also live performances of dance and music, which coincide with the film’s country of origin. Best of all, it’s totally free. (www.queensmuseum.org)

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

PROPERTY

HOTELS•

LIC WITH RESERVATIONS Western Queens is becoming the city’s new hotel hot spot

W

hen obnoxious family members or destitute former friends come to visit New York City, you are always expected to put them up. “Can I stay with you?” they ask. “Hotel rooms in Manhattan are too expensive, and I want to hang out with you.” But now that hotels in Queens are sprouting up faster than we can count, your unwanted guest has a few more options.

Because Long Island City and surrounding neighborhoods are a stone’s throw from Midtown, they are becoming something of a haven for inexpensive hotels to provide discount (by New York standards, at least) service, although booming cultural districts are making these neighborhoods into destinations themselves.

We’ve put together a list of a few of the best hotels Western Queens has to offer so that you can rest easy in your own bed without having to share it with Uncle Frank. - Jeffrey Harmatz

Comfort Inn 42-24 Crescent Street Room Price: $200 The Comfort Inn is a small high-rise right in between Queens Plaza and a scrap yard. If the industrial stimulus provided by the hotel’s neighbors turn you off, the hotel’s proximity to one of the borough’s biggest train hubs might make you reconsider staying there.

Only In Queens Fun Fact: The windows of the basement level of the hotel have an excellent view of the neighborhood’s steel-toed boots.

La Quinta Inn 37-18 Queens Boulevard Room Price: $169 The four-story La Quinta Inn is actually located in Sunnyside in one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in Western Queens. It also happens to be near the 7 train and the Long Island Railroad, for vacationers who like to visit the beach.

Only In Queens Fun Fact: The hotel has an excellent view of the screw factory across the street.

Quality Inn 30-03 40th Avenue Room Price: $169 This hotel is located in the sleepy Dutch Kills neighborhood just north of Queens Plaza in what may soon be known as the “Hotel District.” Nestled up close to the elevated N train, the rooms are spacious and cheap.

Only in Queens Fun Fact: 40th Avenue in front of the Quality Inn is still cobblestone, and it will lead you to a cornucopia of different churches.

Best Western City View 33-17 Greenpoint Avenue Room Price: $199 Though the outside of this hotel in Hunters Point is historic and beautiful, the renovated rooms have been given a recent makeover and are typical of most hotels in the area. Tell your guest to bring a car, because while this hotel is close to the Midtown Tunnel, there isn’t a subway for miles around.

Only In Queens Fun Fact: The Best Western City View is across the street from the gorgeous Calvary Cemetery.

Note: Room prices are based on a reservation made two weeks in advance.

spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

17

TASTING QUEENS•WINE

Uncork your favorite baseball star When you think of baseball, chances are you think of a nice cold beer and a hot dog, but why wouldn’t you think of a nice chardonnay and a piece of perfectly grilled fish? Charity Wines is hoping you do just that, and they’re taking a unique approach to help you associate grapes with ground balls.

Charity Wines finds star athletes, has them pick a charity of their choice, and then finds a wine that matches not only them, but also the non-profit organization they choose. And the 2008 vintages from Longball Cellars feature some of New York’s most recognizable sports figures.

Why not relax and enjoy a Mets game with a nice glass of CaberReyes or Santana’s Select Merlot? White wine more

your thing? Catch the Saturday matinee with a refreshing glass of Schneider’s Schardonnay. Or how about a doubleheader beginning with Abreu’s Finest Merlot followed by Jorge Cabernet?

The Napa Valley wines come from Clos La Chance Winery & Estate Vineyard, and will be available in stores beginning midMay. Each bottle will retail for $13, and all player proceeds will go directly to the player’s charity of choice, which comes out to about $1.25 per bottle.

It’s Queens received a few advance bottles of each wine and, even though it was incredibly hard work, tasted each to give you a quick scouting report.

Abreu’s Finest Merlot Scouting Report: “An unsuspecting big red that comes straight out of left, er, right field. Having just finished the Abreu, wait – is that, could it be, yes… it’s a light hint of…a pleasant after taste and it’s …

Abreu All Over Again!”

Charity: Police Athletic League

CaberReyes Scouting Report: “CaberReyes is a crisp wine with good legs, but also a weak finish. We say enjoy this wine early in the year, because it starts to lose its luster as chilly spring afternoons give way to crisp autumn evenings.”

Charity: Major League Baseball Players Trust

Schneider Schardonnay Scouting Report: “An understated white wine that catches you off-guard, this Schardonnay is workmanlike without a lot of flash, but is a good value and a wine that backs up any plate.”

Charity: The Catching for Kids Foundation

Jorge Cabernet Scouting Report: “Last year was a monster year for Posada, not only on the ball fields, but apparently in the grape fields as well. Jorge Cabernet is a wellaged red that lingers on the tongue like the fourth-year of a new contract.”

Charity: The Jorge Posada Foundation Santana’s Select Scouting Report: “A full-bodied red, Santana’s Select tastes like it would go well with a 3-2 count and two down in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series. It tastes like the type of wine that a Yankee fan would love, but would probably claim they couldn’t afford. Sour grapes, we think.”

Charity: The Johan Santana Foundation

18

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

TEL:

718.779.8461

GASPARE J. MISTRETTA LIC. REAL ESTATE BROKER & APPRAISER 7114 GRAND AVE, MASPETH, NY 11378

MANY RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES AVAILABLE PLEASE CALL TODAY!!!

APARTMENTS FOR RENT HOMES FOR SALE RE APPRAISALS MORTGAGES.

NOW HIRING SALES ASSOCIATES! QUALITY LEADS AND LISTINGS AVAILABLE COME JOIN THE FASTEST GROWING BROKERAGE IN TOWN NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY WILL TRAIN

Andrew’s Pizzeria

Full Service Pizzeria & Restaurant

Now Serving Beer And Wine Brick Oven Pizza Seafood Entrees / Pasta Dishes Coffee / Dessert Free Delivery • Catering Available

Pasta Specials Starting at $5.99 Monday-Thursday Dine In Only

Andrew has been serving Middle Village for 40 years To All Our Loyal Customers

THANK YOU!!!

Tel: (718) 458-1481

79-22 Eliot Avenue • Middle Village, NY

Top 20

Stealth Operators



Last issue, It’s Queens ranked the top 20 movers and shakers in the borough, people we felt you could always find at the forefront when big things were happening in Queens.

But for every mover and shaker out there, there is also someone working behind the scenes, all guts and no glory...until now. It wasn’t easy finding them, but It’s Queens scoured every corner of the borough, gathered intelligence - staked out their homes if we had to - and we present to you the borough’s Top 20 Stealth Operators.

20.Chen,S Steve Chen Identity: ndow

t, Crystal Wi Vice Presiden e iv ut ec Ex Rank: s & Door System

lligence Materials Inte Skills:

College PointChen heads a

: ce en ig that started Intell based company

grant business mi im l al as a sm

of the top e on window w and is no

rth America of active er ctur s in No an fa nu so ma al 60 is

ucts. Subject g numerous and door prod

unity, hostin mm co e th of adquarters he e member at or

rp Iden Crystal’s co at exhibits. ts t tity en ar ev g in

Walt : including ongo , ly al er P nu an

owle

y, om R on s ec ank:F al 19.Po ob

gl e th in o

er u ay pl gs n wles r in ding A majo e borough br th ,W in

M ce S Assessment: en e k es pr m i ’s b l en . e Ch ns l ee r

Qu s: , He Long attention to I e r id n dw o rl T t wo e erm elli s Sp

Cove genc orts rt O e:

Powl Leag p e e ue rati s is

y ear o n t s h e o l d d r yout ivin

pro h Subj the ch gram th g force

a ect a n both mana ce to t has c behind

o Nati at the ged to partici ntinual the 18 parl onal pate gran ly o K , S a n d f t. J

y T i ohn’ ennis C stand c champi n sport fered 18.Cohe Asse

ourt s Un onsh ente ssme s.

ACP A N i i r n a , v p n t t t th ersi Powl and : game n Cohe esiden e e r t e C K P y s s a U

h . : r c ST wi nese ty thou

Bran cca A Identi sand ll cont

Queens t C s S s a i P o

e O nu urt of k North , PSY at ids e to in igence

Rank: with fluen Intell NAACP,

e e c h o c r t u u e th o h

t S t s i i n w h b e lowi e Op : eader es in quing ng h lives Skills ly a l e scen i is c o not on e behind th ng and crit s over f

i n .

Cohe activ , influenci s large

: o l e s l c l e

n a w e ig he is g community f the area’ makes him

Intell n o r Flushi ns at many asy demeano

o e decisi tions. His ers.

u e instit ed by his p

ect p s e r n is

, Cohe rative cult to e

p o e l fi A subt target, dif e. t ment: a hard nd/or agita Assess

e a k a h s

spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

21

TOP 20•STEALTH OPERATORS Identit

17.Poy,I

Irving y: Poy

Rank: Directo r, Plan ning & Borough

Develop Hall ment at

Queens Skills:Geo

spatial I n t e lligenc

Intelli e gence: Poy has served under b Claire

oth bor Sh oug the ste ulman and Hele

el curt n Marsh h presidents a all, an in at B comes t

d i oro o Queens. land use or co ugh Hall when s

nstruct it Operati io v develop

ers beh e does most of n projects in i n h o d i n s work e land

w use att closed doors, out of orney h and mor ith

Assessm h a e than i s s b o e f e fi n spott ent: ce shak A tough ed walk ing n ing bull#@* egotiator with their head.

^, Poy a sixth p u t s s ense fo

people r on the defensi

ve.

16.Strauss,D

Identity: David Strauss

Director of Public Relation Rank: s, Queens Museum of Art

Communications Intelligence Skills:

Intelligence: Tom Finkelpearl may be the face of QMA operations, but Strauss is

diligently working behind the scenes to both

promote and advance the reach of the Flushing

Meadows museum.

He can regularly be seen at the

side of his boss at important borough

functions, or often acting as a decoy when nece

ssary.

Assessment: As the museum expands, expe ct subject’s influence to do the same.

15.Rosa,A

Alex Rosa Identity:

Rank: Assistant to

Borough Presid ent Helen Mars

hall Skills: Funds Manageme nt, Clandestin e Operations

Intelligence Oper : ative Rosa is the budget the borough,

and the behind organizer for -the-scenes go to person shou

ld an organiza find itself on tion want to

the receiving borough presid end of a heft

y ent allocation intimately fa . Subject is

miliar with fu also ,P o t t e d e n nd for key projec ing availabili

14.DiBe ts upgrades, publ , such as street designs, ty

ic facility co pa nstruction, et rk

c. o tt As se de ss ne me Ro Be nt sa e : ’s familiarit ysid Paul Di : y with the bo ngs for Ba could be harn Identity rough budget

of Buildi essed and util VP

, og hd tc ized as a secu fu nd Wa

in c g st vi re Ci am y re .

et : k ci n a So R

Historical

Espionage rte un Co

ns,

e Operatio

e Clandestin th

g : s in l l ht i k S en fig

years

tto has be eens for t DiBenede of Northeast Qu e creation en Ag

: t e enc pmen for th a Intellig overdevelo ading the push

med with en le de, ricts. Ar ev co st w, di ng no ni ic

l histor e city zo lopers ra th ve of se e of ve

t knowledg pulous de . self-taugh monitors unscru

orhood hb o ig tt ne de e DiBene Baysid

ound his rt, in and ar

highest so ce the r of the en eu flu

at in oc to ov pr employed An agent nt: o could be l.

Assessme DiBenedett grassroots leve

at a es ss ma

22

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

SUNRISE TO SUNSET TANNING & SPA 718-779-4949

Open 7 Days Gift Certificates Available

• Facials • Massage • Waxing • Tanning • Handbags • Jewelry

61-08 80 th Street, Middle Village, NY 11379

Jake LaSala

Attorney at Law

125 –10 Queens Blvd. Suite 320 Kew Gardens, NY 11415 718-261-7695 fax: 718-261-3482

TOP 20•STEALTH OPERATORS gh,J

13.Sli

orney Sligh t Att esse stric J i D

: y t it istan o Ident

e Ass nce t cutiv sista e x E

e, Re c n e Rank: g telli

the er-In e in Count ogation

: s profil generally l r w r o e l Skil t In

eps a e, but is borough’s gh ke

e Sli ney’s Offic nt of the v i t a Oper ct Attor nfida ce: se co i ligen Distr ered a clo rd Brown.

Intel could a d e law t consi wman, Rich h t

f a dge o ns conduc out top l

nowle and k It’s Quee n and with r e w

o ’s p d to help oth withi s.

Sligh b e ce

ment: be harness that fall gal practi s s e s e

s As l n o d i e t opera lly accept

a gener

C

.Conslato,

12

lato Carol Cons ison Identity: irs, Con Ed

Public Affa of or ct Dire Rank: nds

k Vault Fu nt of Blac me ge na Ma s Skills: Conslato ha purposes,

of d h an ug s ro nt bo te For all in nEd in the ce: events as face of Co Intelligen spotted at y become the rl la

gu ack-tie re bl is or e t Sh Queens. ss breakfas e manages to

ne si bu a diverse as me time, sh , profile.

us . At the sa fundraiser st mysterio mo

al , reet keep a disc

with tionships le timate rela

op in pe ’s t to an la rt Agent Cons s most impo

l h’ : ia ug nt nt ro me de bo ss nfi e Asse urce of co some of th

valuable so make her a

n. informatio

11.Kerpen, D

Identity: Dave Kerpen

Rank: Partner, thek buzz

Skills: Propaganda Di ssemination

Intelligence Oper : ative Kerpen ’s latest en marketing, es deavor is

pecially for The Shops at Pa rk

, but the ma Atla jority of pr be doing in omoting he wi s

the future is ll for himself attempts to

as he win a City Co uncil seat cu held by Davi

rrently d Weprin.

Assessment: Subject is hi ghly motivate d, bet that he making it a

will soon be good a well-known around the bo

figure rough.

24

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

E

10.Palatnik,

TOP 20

STEALTH OPERATORS•

ik Eric Palatn Identity:

Attorney Rank:

Espionage Industrial r Skills: the popula ways be on no al

t is no e t er gh t th Palatnik mi t fight, bu ce: ny borough developmen Intelligen tion of ma ta side of a en es

pr of major, re s on hi ti le at doubt th to the comp ect can often

d le s ha ects. Subj developers d

minor, proj re a community boar fo as well as be

ng di stan ings. be spotted ral render

architectu flanked by

tious move conten able force

id ability to rm ’s fo ik a tn m la hi Pa kes : Assessment projects forward ma ns.

re of Quee 9.Friedman,J in the futu

Identity: Jack Friedman

Executive Vice President, Queens Chamber of Rank:

Commerce

Cooked Intelligence, Covert Operations Skills:

Agent Friedman left a powerful position with Intelligence: Councilman David Weprin to accept his current

post with the Chamber. He has accepted his new

role with a characteristic vigor, conducting

extensive outreach and planning events that

are once again making the Chamber relevant in

the Queens business community.

With the ability to tap into a near-limitless Assessment: store of business acumen, subject could be

the brainchild behind a booming economy in the

borough.

8.Bearak,C

Identity: Corey Bearak

President, Queens Civic Cong Rank: ress

Ghost Surveillance, Offensiv Skills: e Operations

Intelligence: Bearak has long been acti ve in Queens political and civic circles,

and has managed to cultivate a sphere of

influence without drawing undue attention to

himself. Target now heads a powerful boro

ugh-wide alliance that counts over 100 sepa

rate associations as members.

Assessment: 7.Van Bramer,J Ambitious and determined, “stealth” may not apply to Bearak much long

er.

Jimmy Van Bramer Identity:

munity Relations,

Government and Com of or ect Dir Rank:

Queens Library

on of Information, Compartmentalizati Skills: ions rat Ope l Psychologica

y,

d the Queens Librar mas Galante may hea r share Tho fai a

es : ce erv en des ig Bramer Intell but Operative Van ld’s largest

for making the wor dit cre the of Van Bramer

ly. ive ect eff library system run Sunnyside

his in re figu s is also a ubiquitou involved y

onl not re he is neighborhood, whe have his to

d ore but is rum in civic matters,

l. nci Cou y Cit sights set on the

e to develop a ens HQ would be wis Van Bramer before Que s It’

: nt Assessme onship with preemptive relati

s. of influence expand ere sph his

spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

25

TOP 20•STEALTH OPERATORS

6.Walsh,K

Identity: Kevin Walsh

Webmaster, www.fo Rank: rgotten-ny.com

Skills: Impersonal Commun ications, Electroni c Intelligence

Intelligence: Born in Brooklyn, Walsh moved to Que ens where the Victorian hom

es of Flushing ins pired him to uncover the hid

den relics of New York City’s past. His

website was named one of the best blogs in the

city by Forbes mag azine.

Assessment: Without proper sur veillance, there will be few places in New Yor

k City that remain hidden and viable for It’s Qu

eens covert operat ions.

5.Law,M

w La l be Ma ness Identity:

ushing Busi

rector, Fl Di e iv ut ec Ex

ct : ri Rank t Dist Improvemen

ilities ent C3I Ab ce, Excell

en ig ll te In Financial ersaw the Skills: nt, Law ov

hing reside - the Flushing BID us Fl ng lo heads A life 500 ce: - and now ich has 1, Intelligen creation of agency, wh ship

ce er en ad ig le ll r te budget. He central in 00 st

,0 la 00 e $3 th d a hing from members an

sform Flus an tr . ed st lp has he to the fir

e 7 train stop on th

Law will erative M.

checked, Op e most influential un ft le If of th : t growing Assessment likely become one h’s fastes

the boroug of e on 4.Kotowski,J people in

hoods. or hb ig ne

John Kotowski Identity:

n for

t Relations Liaiso

Lobbyist, Governmen

: nk Ra k

New Yor City University of

n Skills

erior Interrogatio Negotiations, Sup Skills: lars

d millions of dol Kotowski has secure and his “regular guy” , Intelligence: tem sys bar) for the CUNY

e owned a friendly cials, reputation (he onc offi t

men ern gov , sts t deepwith fellow lobbyi mos

son per a es him and legislators mak to spend time around.

t pocketed agents wan

from the 3.Park,I.Y.

at getting money owski is skilled Kot

: nt Y me ss CUN Asse age: Identity: Ishle Yi Park “other guy.” Advant

Poet Rank:

Superior Doublespeak Capa Skills:

bilities, Communications Intelligence

Intelligence: Raised in Flushing, Park was the first woman Poet Laur

eate of Queens. Her reach extends beyond the borough, both

in solo shows in locales as far-flung as Sing

apore and New Zealand, and also as a tour

ing member of “Def Poet ry Jam.” Her birthday was decl

ared “Ishle Yi Park Day” by the borough

In our next issue, we’ll rank the president.

Top 20 Masterminds in Queens - those Assessment: Park’s ability with words could be effectively mined to promote the crea

people who had the vision and the tive side of the borough.

drive to pull off some of the biggest

projects in the borough’s recent

history.

26

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

TOP 20

STEALTH OPERATORS•

2.Stavisky,

E

Identity: Evan Stavis ky

Rank: Partner, Pa rkside Grou p

Skills: DIPSEC

Intelligen Operative ce: Stavisky co mes from a family, wi

th both pa political rents repr Northeast

esenting Queens in th ho e wever, has State Asse

mb chosen to scenes, wo remain behi ly. He,

rking as a lobbyist an nd the strategist

. Stavisky d politica ’s decision l people achi

to help ot eve spots her in ma ke le

s him more gislative office influential one himsel

than if he f. occupied

Assessment Su bject’s st : atus can be people in utilized

positions of great po to place

wer.

1.Eland,C Ciara Eland Identity: ades

Jack-of-All-Tr st, Designer, ti Ar

: nk Ra ties, eeper Capabili

telligence, Sl In l ca ti Op Skills: mmunications Impersonal Co

a relatively

in Queens for en be ly on kly s Eland ha t she is quic : Intelligence short period of time, bu in the borough, with

esence known of making her pr nspired line

and a Queens-i t ar r he full briefing, or both (F

s. ie or access clothing and

30.) ge pa e se

h of the Stealt

it to the top ght. de li ma me ve li u’ e yo th Once op is , the next st Assessment: Operator list

spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

27

For All Your Real Estate Needs • Buying • Renting

• Selling • Mortgages

ESQUIRE EXTERMINATING SERVICE, INC. 381 ½ Graham Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211

100% Of Our Listings Are Sold

Joseph & Jackie Abramaitis Associate Broker Senior Real Estate Specialist

Residential - Commercial - Industrial

Pest Control

Insect & Rodent Management Long Term Termite Protection Certified Termite Inspection Bedbug Experts Free Estimates Low Rates

The “A” Team 72-01 Grand Avenue, Maspeth, NY 11378 917-952-2156 917-952-2797 www.ateamhomesny.com

Since 1979

Offices - Restaurants - Hospitals Factories - Warehouses Hotels - Stores - Schools EM ER GENCY S ERV ICES

718.349.0482

GRAND FLORIST Serving You, Our Community, For Over 40 Years, We Appreciate Your Patronage Delivery In All Five Boroughs

65-37 Grand Avenue, Maspeth, NY 11378

(718) 326 1090

Getting You From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be That’s what TRANSFERRING to C.W. Post can do for you.

• Up to 72 credits accepted from two-year colleges • Credit evaluation through our Transfer Center • Transfer scholarships from $6,000 to $14,000 per year • 104 bachelor’s degrees and 53 dual bachelor’s/master’s • Paid internships Let us point you in the right direction and prepare you for the journey of a lifetime.

For more information call (516) 299-1575 or visit www.liu.edu/transfer 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville, NY Accountancy • Business • Computer Science • Education • Health Professions & Nursing Liberal Arts & Sciences • Library & Information Science • Public Service • Visual & Performing Arts

Queens Pride Down to a

T

By Shane Miller

Ciara Eland hasn’t always lived in Queens. In fact, she grew up in Orange County (yes, that Orange County), California, and only moved to Sunnyside four years ago, but her love of the borough is as strong as a fifth-generation native.

Some of that pride can be spotted on the backs of her neighbors. Eland is the creator of Queensbound, a fashion line about and inspired by the borough.

“Queens has a gritty edge in addition to the suburbs and the big parks, how can you not be inspired?” she told It’s Queens during an interview at the The Grind, a coffee shop on Queens Boulevard and a favorite haunt of Sunnysiders.

“Plus, I realized that there were no cool Queens shirts.”

There are now. Eland’s tee shirts include images of the Sunnyside arch, the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and a shirt that matter-of-factly states “I Heart Queens.” The shirts can be found at several boutiques across Queens, as well as online at www.ciaraeland.com.

To create the shirts, Eland carves the design into a wood block, and then covers the block in ink and, with a big roller, presses the design onto the tee shirt. Imperfections in the wood and the human touch in the process produces a unique result each time.

“No two shirts are exactly the same,” she explains.

Eland hasn’t always been into fashion. She attended film school at USC, and earned a degree in graphic design from Parsons. Her co-op apartment, which she and her husband recently purchased and share with their beagle, Chomsky, is full of examples

30

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

of her work, most notably vibrant collages created with images she culled primarily from old book covers.

One collage, which she created for her own housewarming party, looks like a postcard welcoming people to Sunnyside.

A second bedroom in her apartment has been converted into a workspace where Eland creates her shirts. She doesn’t only manufacture the Queensbound line, however, and has a completely separate couture line of women’s clothing. Those also feature original designs

by Eland.

“When you work in the arts, all the mediums are fluid,” she explained of how the clothing line came about. “One day I just decided to put my designs on shirts.”

Eland has also embraced the sense of community that tends to make neighborhoods in Queens unique. She used her talents to redesign the logo, pro bono, for the Sunnyside Film Festival, and she is also helping a screen printing and design center, Post Expose, get off the ground. She also volunteers for ArtO-Mat, a store/gallery for local artisans on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City. To help Art-O-Mat raise money, she sells LIChocolate bars.

Likewise, a portion of the money she makes from the Queensbound line of clothing goes into a fund that Eland will use to help aspiring Queens artists. She hopes to have enough money one day to fund a working artist for an entire year, as opposed to simply giving out a bunch of small grants.

“If you give somebody $100, all they can do is go out and maybe buy one really nice brush,” she said.

When it comes to the creative fields, Queens is often spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

overshadowed by Manhattan and that other outer borough to the south, Brooklyn. Eland said that when she and her husband first decided to move to New York, they considered settling down in Brooklyn but found themselves attracted to Queens and its diversity.

“We looked around Brooklyn, but it just seemed totally homogenous,” she recalled. “And the people there seemed a little too full of the Brooklyn pride. It’s like, ‘I get it, I’m in Brooklyn.’ Queens doesn’t get the props it deserves.”

That will change if Eland has anything to say about it. She plans to expand her operation, and recently hired a publicist to spread the word. If all goes well, she’ll move her business from the spare bedroom to a bigger space and hire some extra help “Someone has to devote themselves full-time to promoting how cool Queens is.”

31

Barosa Restaurant 62-29 WOODHAVEN BLVD An extensive menu of Italian Cuisine including meat ďŹ sh and more.

A complete wine list, with vintages from around the world.

Just two doors down at 62-37 Woodhaven Blvd. visit our new shop for takeout, delivery and catering.

Each dish on our restaurant menu can be tailor-made for your meal on the go or for parties of any size A party room that can accommodate up to 40 people.

62-29 Woodhaven Blvd Rego Park (718) 424-1455 Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

Major credit cards accepted.

GOLD HIGH! IS AT AN ALL TIME

www.tivolijewelers.com 327 Graham Ave. Williamsburg, NY 11211 718.384.1305

BRING US YOUR UNWANTED

GOLD, PLATINUM & DIAMONDS FOR THE HIGHEST CASH PRICE

CALL NOW! 718.384.1305

Fresh Pond Crematory &

Peruvian Cuisine Specializing in Rotisserie Chicken Lunch Specials Monday thru Friday (12:00 to 4:00)

Open 12am - 10pm Closed Wednesday

Free Delivery 71-04 Grand Avenue Maspeth, NY 11378 718-476-9680

N 24 OPEOURS H

U.S. Columbarium 61-40 Mount Olivet Crescent Middle Village, NY 11379

One of New York City’s Hidden Land Marks Established in 1884 Come for a Free Tour of Our Historic Buildings

Featuring Stained Glass Tiffany Windows, Neo Classical Architecture

Learn About Well Known Baseball Hall of Famers Famous Musicians & Conductors Famous Writers & many others who have used Fresh Pond Take the Tour to Receive

A Souvenir Letter Opener Replica of our stained glass tiffany windows Yours to keep as a remembrance of your visit to this beautiful and historic building (While supplies last, we reserve the right to offer a replacement gift) Call To Schedule the Tour

718-821-9700

Fresh Pond Crematory, Chapel & Columbarium Circa 1800’s

Tiffany Glass At Fresh Pond

Present Day Chapel

Since 1884 we have earned your trust by providing

Dignified Cremations and Chapel Services Memorial Urns and Columbarium Niches for cremated remains Call 718-821-9700 CREMATION: A means to a beginning, Not a means to an end Healing through Memorial Niches

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

Cannot be Combined With Any Other Offers or Discounts. Expires 06/30/08

OPE HOUN 24 RS

Illiter and Dress

Photo by Matthew Roberts

www.itsqueens.com  spring 2008

racy, Failure, the Losers’ sing Room An It’s Queens interview with Jimmy Breslin

By Nick D’Arienzo

He’s one of the most well-known, revered, feared, controversial, and quintessentially New York journalists our generation has ever known. Perhaps you know him as the Pulitzer Prize winning Daily News columnist to whom David Berkowitz, a.k.a. “Son of Sam,” directed all of his correspondence. Or the author who chronicled the misfortunes of the Mets and the Mafia in works as varied as “Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?”; “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight”; and his latest, “The Good Rat,” a look at the recent “Mafia cops” trial viewed through the unique prism that is star witness Burton Kaplan. He’s Jimmy Breslin, and whether it was growing up in Jamaica/Ozone Park, raising a family on Deepdene Road in Forest Hills, or staking out territory inside the Queens County Courthouse, Pep McGuire’s or The Pastrami King, the borough of Queens is and ever shall be an indelible part of his history, his outlook, his very DNA. While currently in the throes of finalizing his latest offering, a biography of one of our nation and its pastime’s most significant contributors, Brooklyn Dodgers President and GM Branch Rickey, It’s Queens managed to sneak in a little coffee time with Breslin to talk about growing up in the borough, the genesis of his career as a journalist, and the dubious future of said profession.

For the young Breslin, a lot of it starts at John Adams High School on Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park, where he was schooled in the King’s English by none other than the great Bob Sheppard, perhaps most familiar to our readers as the venerable voice of the New York spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

Yankees…

Breslin: A true gentleman, pure class. He knew me…I was a standout behavioral problem. We had girls there at Adams, would do things far worse than the boys ever could. There was one girl there, she had a left hook, would knock you on your ass.

It’s Queens: Now that you no longer live there (Breslin gave up Deepdene Road in Forest Hills for Broadway, The Big Street, in Manhattan), what are some of the things about Queens that you miss most?

Breslin: The low density, you could look up and see the sky. Twostory houses, three-stories tops. You could see the sky, you could see a rainbow after a storm, you’d see a lot of things that you don’t see here, the way the sky gets blotted out by some new 40-story building. The Queens that you could see is great. And what you could hear! I mean, I love to hear the El trains. I grew up with them. I love it.

It’s Queens: Can you tell us how you first came to develop an interest in writing when you were growing up?

Breslin: I used to get the Long Island Daily Press. I lived at 134-02 101st Avenue. It came in the afternoon. I’d get it and put it on the living room floor, and drop on my stomach and read the sports page.

37

The thing about the sports page - Carl Lundquist his name was - and he was the byline every day on the “Major… League…

Baseball… Roundup…” All the games, it was by Carl Lundquist, and he had a different dateline on it every day. Detroit. Cleveland.

New York. We used to go look at Sunnyside Yards at the Pullman trains as they were being made up, and I always dreamed of riding in a Pullman car, going to cover baseball in Detroit, and then get on the train and go to Chicago, go everywhere. I had no idea that Carl Lundquist was on 42nd Street - the New York Daily News building, which had United Press there - and he was upstairs, and he wrote every day, and he put a different dateline on it. And then he went home to Merrick, Long Island, I think, and that was it. I didn’t know that, I only knew the glamour part of it. And that was the thing I wanted to do.

It’s Queens: So how did you get your first job?

Breslin: I was in high school, John Adams High School, on the football team. Lucky I went on it, Jimmy Connors was an end, and he told me that he had a job at the Long Island Press delivering advertising copy, and he had to quit it, because his father wanted him to come to work with the family, in their small business. So I said, “Jeez, I’ll take that thing.”

I started in a job that worked from three in the afternoon until nine at night and then all day Saturday, so I still could go to school. Then I was a copyboy, I went out and

38

“I was at the New York Daily News, and you had the tremendous noise of the typewriters.

Sounded like a subway train going through the City Room. The energy, the nervous energy that came out of the typewriters was as much a part of it as anything.” did a couple of stories, knocked ’em dead. And rather than be approved with open arms, it was met with suspicion, I was. School didn’t interest me a bit. How could it interest you? The books were written so horribly!

It’s Queens: People have different opinions about some of the highlights of your career.

What are some of your favorites that first come to mind for you?

Breslin: Race. I feel that Obama just robbed my career. Nobody else wanted to handle it. Nobody wanted to even mention it, and I wrote a billion things about it. I got people all upset, and it was great. I mean, I had the police take a full page ad against me.

I always had people yelling.

And then another thing, the sports

writing was crucial. I benefited from that. The losers’ dressing room - in sports, it was the only story to go to. When Don Larsen pitched a perfect game, he beat Sal Maglie, who pitched a twohitter for the losing Dodgers. It was the best game of his life, and he got beat by perfection.

And he was in the dressing room, Casey talking to Murray Kempton who went in and wrote a column about the loser. It was perfect, one of the best columns ever written. I remember also there was a fighter, Amos “Big Train” Lincoln, who boxed Sonny Liston, and got splattered all over the ring. When they asked Lincoln, “What did he hit you with the hardest? Was it the lefthand in the fourth round?” And he looks up at them there, and he says, “Ev’ry… punch… hurt!”

That is tremendous! The other thing that everybody - it’s in a lot of textbooks - when Kennedy was shot, I did the funeral. At the cemetery in Washington, I saw 3,000 reporters there, and I knew I’m not going to earn a living here. So I went ahead, I spoke to Art Buchwald, he was there for the Herald Tribune. You ask somebody before you take a bold move - not before, but just in connection with - and I said, “I’m going to go over and do the guy who digs the grave.” And he says, “That’s a good idea.”

Well, I knew it was a good idea, but when somebody

validates, it, too… And I went up and I found the guy. He got $3.01 an hour to dig the grave for the President - and then at the time of the burial, they wouldn’t let him stand there because he had all dirty clothes on. So he left, and he went over the hill and he continued to dig graves during the ceremony. Then he came back to the Stengel grave at the end of the day - he was alone, and he just fixed up the dirt, and he said it was an honor to do this. And that was the column. Nobody else did it, and I walked away the winner. But that came through the sports, and they don’t know that. Going to the dressing room where nobody else was.

It’s Queens: You’ve said that Burton Kaplan, your protagonist from “The Good Rat,” is one of your all-time favorite “characters,” in terms of inspiring you to put pen to paper, worthy of inclusion in a pantheon with the likes of Casey Stengel, Fat Thomas, etc. What would you say is the commonality amongst characters like this that appeals to you?

Breslin: Before this guy Kaplan, the commonality would be illiteracy. Most of these people didn’t read and write too well.

They got a club on Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park, on 86th Street right by the El, and they knew it was bugged, so they

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

passed a rule, you can’t talk. You got anything on your mind, write it - write a note. Peter Gotti had desperate trouble writing, and the other one sitting there, Skinny Dom, couldn’t spell C-A-T. And they went for so long, finally Gotti threw up his hands, and they started talking, the two of them.

Then Skinny Dom, one time they all were going to Florida, so they’re all on the street corner, their bags packed, they needed a rest from a winter of stealing.

And Skinny Dom arrives, he says “Okay, fellas, I’ll see youse down there.” And he starts going up the El steps, he’s got his bag.

And they say, “Where ya going?”

He says, “I’m taking the train down, I don’t like to fly.” He thought he was going to take the A train down to Collins Avenue in Miami! That’s what you got in there.

It’s Queens: So really, if we

Kennedy Funeral look back, it’s similar ideas…

Someone saying, “Can’t anybody here play this game?” Someone saying, “Whatsamatter, you no can shoot straight?”

Breslin: Yeah. Yeah, yeah,

yeah. Absolutely. Whatta ya wanna write about - successes?

Wanna read a book about Warren Buffett?! Huh?! Who, Gates?!

Son of Sam Boy, I can’t wait to read that one!

Come on!

It’s Queens: If you were starting out today, would you start out in print journalism?

Breslin: Oh yeah, ‘cause it’s the best. I don’t like this other - internets, and “in the air” that’s for somebody coming up.

They’ll have to like it, I don’t. I want the newspaper. Something you can hold in your hands.

(Breslin ponders this for a good moment or two, or three.) I was at the New York Daily News, and you had the tremendous noise of the typewriters. Sounded like a subway train going through the City Room. The energy, the nervous energy that came out of the typewriters was as much a part of it as anything, in terms of what that kind of newspaper writing was. Now you have people click these keys on a computer - it just makes no sound. Also, it produces neat, beautiful looking copy. How could anything be wrong? Look at how neat this is. Well, it’s all wrong - it’s BORING!

spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

When you do it on a typewriter, that doesn’t tell you...What will you get messed up, with x’s and survive - not these newspapers, you gotta re-type it. And just in the local news. That’ll never go away, re-typing, with a free mind, come ‘cause these other people don’t the best words, want to do it. some of the best “School didn’t We’ve got a Big! sentences in your International! interest me a story.

That’s Publication! here, gone. One time bit. How could we’re not going you went to bars, drop down it interest you? to and talked about and do “response the business in The books were times.” Which I the bar. People think is the heart written so would be talking and soul of your about other horribly! Really local news. How people in the badly, dreary long did it take business, about the firemen or English. And stories coming the police or the the printing up. Today, they ambulance to get go to a health was so bad, the to your house, club, and then go or your cousin’s home and have a typefaces on the house, when he glass of wine in books were so had a heart attack, the suburbs some the place was bad, you could or place, and they on fire? Hugely go blind at an important. That’ll produce the most boring writing in early age. There keep you. the world. was a Civics It’s Queens: It’s Queens: You book that you How about a think it’s a dying final thought for had to have a industry? our readers, for telescope to the people of Breslin: It’s gotta Queens? read it!” die. How could it make it? I don’t know when Breslin: They should treasure the it dies. It doesn’t die right now, low density, that you could look but it’s going to, as sure as you’re up and see the sky, that’s great. here. Clyde Haberman works at I don’t think people understand The New York Times, he’s got you come to Manhattan, whattaya a column in the Metropolitan see? They stole the sky. section, he told me that more people read him on the internet than in The New York Times. If

39

Three Son’s Restaurant Thank You Queens We Appreciate Your Business

Dinner Special Monday - Wednesday

Pasta Night

Any Pasta Dish $10.00 Including: Salad and Glass of Wine or Coffee or a Soda

Dinner Special

Thursday - Sunday Any Parmigiana Dinner Veal, Chicken, Shrimps... $14.95 With Ziti, Spaghetti or Linguine Including: Soup or Salad and Glass of Wine or Coffee or a Soda

57-29 61st Street,

Maspeth, NY 11378

718 326 9597

C O M E R E L A X AT

Rashachy Salon & Spa • Spring Special •

20% Off any Spa Service With this Coupon Only!

Rashachy Salon & Spa nd 60-35 82 Street, Middle Village, NY 11379 718-505-6111 exp. 6/30/08 QLM Come in and sign up for free membership to the Rashachy Spa!

G i f t C e r t i f i c a t e s Av a i l a b l e !

Many New Spa Services Available!

No Needle Alternatives to: Botox & Restylane (wrinkle filler)

Permanent Hair Removal Massage, Facials, Spa Packages And so much more! www.rashachy.com rashachy@rashachy.com 718.505.6111 60-35 82nd St. Middle Village, NY

Niro’s

Life may not be the HAIR party we hoped for...

SALON but while we are here we should dance.

By Appointment 718.326.7314 718.894.1541

Tuesday & Wednesday • 9AM-6:30PM Thursday • 9AM-9PM Friday & Saturday • 9AM-6:30PM 64-24 Grand Avenue, (corner of 65th) Maspeth, NY 11378

WE APPRECIATE YOUR LOYAL PATRONAGE

ant

r

Dine

aur - Rest

ant

r

Dine

aur - Rest

69-67 GRAND AVENUE, MASPETH, NY 718.947.1418 718.478.4674 Fax 718.478.6535

F� FREE DELIVERY F minimum $10.00

Delivery Hours

Diner - Restaurant

6 am to 10 pm Sunday - Thursday 6 am to midnight Friday -& Saturday

Catering Available

Michael Terry Planning, LLC College Planning Retirement Planning Investment Planning / Management Estate Planning Risk Management

Hourly Rates Fee Only / No Minimum Michael Terry, CFP ® 69-64 Grand Avenue, Maspeth, NY 11378 Phone: 718-898-0871 Fax: 718-732-2402 mterry@michaelterryplanning.com www.michaelterryplanning.com

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS 1st WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH 79-03 MYRTLE AVENUE, GLENDALE th th

MAY 7

JUNE 4

JULY 2nd

Zombies of New New York Meet Troma Entertainment, Long Island City’s Newest Film Company

By Jeffrey Harmatz

“Who let you in here?” Lloyd Kaufman asked me after I mysteriously appeared in his office. I had just been hustled from the sidewalk in front of his film studio’s new headquarters right into the executive office by two young employees out for a smoke break. Just as soon as I had told the executives that I was there to conduct an interview, I was forced to explain how I had gotten into the building, who had let me in, and why I looked like a serial killer.

Though my sudden appearance in their office was unexpected, the manner in which I arrived speaks volumes about Troma Entertainment, the near-legendary independent film company that Kaufman and his partner Michael Herz have been running for three decades.

This is not to say that they don’t know how to run a successful company. As the owners of the oldest independent film studio in America, Kaufman and Herz have no need to prove their business acumen, and though the company has become something of an overlooked institution in the mainstream entertainment industry, it remains innovative, accessible and remarkably anti-establishment. As they settle into the company’s new headquarters in Long Island City, the lack of security that befuddled Kaufman and Herz reaffirms that after thirty years of success, they still hold the same skewed, ground-level perspective that has informed the company’s most successful films and inspired countless amateur auteurs all over the world.

Kaufman described the earliest Troma films as raunchy sex comedies. “We came up with the idea of mixing erotic content and humor,” he explained. “Before our movies Waitress! and spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

Squeeze Play, you weren’t supposed to mix sex and comedy, and sexy movies only existed to facilitate the sale of raincoats.”

According to Kaufman, the success of the early Troma films paved the way for Hollywood movies like Porky’s and Meatballs. “We started the trend, but once Hollywood caught up to us, we moved on,” he said. “We added horror into the mix and created the slapstick gore genre. Our movies are like a Cuisinart of genres. All the major studios look to see what we do.”

This stylistic innovation would serve the company well, as its most famous films fall under the slapstick/gore category.

The company’s most successful creation is the Toxic Avenger, who was first featured in a 1985 film of the same name. In the film, which was written and directed by Kaufman and Herz, a 90-pound nerd encounters a barrel of toxic waste and becomes Toxie, a muscle-bound but disfigured superhero. The character has starred in several sequels, a Saturday morning cartoon show, and has become Troma’s mascot. Speculating on why the films have become Troma’s most popular, Kaufman remarked that Toxic Avenger “is the only movie where the viewer can see

43

a young boy’s head smashed in by an automobile.”

Troma has also acquired a library of films created by young, like-minded directors outside of the studio system, which they promote and distribute. Among these films is the early work of a number of high-profile Hollywood actors, writers and directors, including Kevin Costner, Samuel L. Jackson, and South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

As their films have received critical and commercial success and notoriety, and the company has become something of an institution in the film industry, Kaufman, Herz, and the entire Troma Team remain fiercely independent, both in practice and in attitude.

“Troma has been on a crusade for the last 15 years to support independent art and fight against consolidation, especially in the film industry,” said Kaufman, bemoaning the current state of independent film. “We’re trying to bring art back to the young people. We want Americans to understand that they are being spoon-fed their entertainment, and as a result, you have garbage like Fool’s Gold being put into wide release. Did you know that 50 million people were brainwashed into seeing Jumper?”

The Independent Avenger It’s easy for Kaufman to dismiss the cinematic flavors of the week, but he has made enormous inroads in protecting what he considers true independent art. After attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, which is generally regarded as the premiere film festival in America, he questioned what was being labeled as “independent.”

44

“After going to Sundance, I was horrified at how notindependent in spirit it was.

It’s outrageous that such a rich festival would charge so much money to participate,” he said, referring to the fact that filmmakers must pay a steep fee just to be considered for the festival. This fee, however, Kaufman described as irrelevant, as most of the films shown at Sundance are produced by small companies that are owned by bigger ones.

As a response to what he feels is Sundance’s lack of artistic integrity, he founded the Tromadance Festival, which is held in close proximity to the Sundance Festival at the same time. “We don’t charge people to submit their films, and we don’t have any kind of VIP guests,” he said. “Karen Black ate the cold pizza like everybody else, and we had a lad pick her up from the airport in a beat-up Honda.”

Kaufman was recently named president of the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA), which he described as the independent version of the Motion Picture Association of America. The IFTA promotes, represents, and provides services for dozens of small and independent film companies.

If prompted, Kaufman will speak at length about the current environment of corporate consolidation that is succeeding in squeezing the little guy out of business, both in and outside the film industry.

He’ll explain that independent films have been blacklisted from television networks, movie studios, and even festivals and venues that claim to support independence, and suggests that these practices are as common in film as they are in any other industry. He is especially critical of New York City, which was once a bastion of independent culture,

but is now owned by a small number of big companies. “It’s a disgrace that Milwaukee has more independent theaters than New York,” he lamented “It’s a shanda.”

Leaving Manhattan Troma was founded in New York City thirty years ago, and since the 70’s, both have changed dramatically. Almost from the very beginning, Troma operated out of a landmarked building in Manhattan’s Clinton neighborhood. “When we moved into that building 30 years ago - when the neighborhood was still called Hell’s Kitchen - we completely renovated it. We made it the nicest building on the block.”

Kaufman admitted that the neighborhood’s once-gritty atmosphere contributed to the biting satire of their films and their street-level attitude as a production company, and the building itself grew into a haven for independent and creative-minded New Yorkers, who as Kaufman put it, “were always hanging around.”

The building b e c o m e c l o s e l y associated with the company, and was featured in some of their promotional material.

“Since we moved in, the neighborhood has become swanky, and we weren’t the nicest building on the block anymore,” bemoaned Kaufman.

The same movement of consolidation that has squashed independent film had changed the city, replacing bodegas and diners with fast food franchises and banks and driving up rents in the city.“Manhattan is ridiculously expensive, and you’re paying to be in a building with a McDonald’s next door,” he said. “It’s not interesting.”

At the beginning of 2008, Troma left their home in Manhattan and set up shop in an industrial section of Long Island City north of the Queensboro Bridge, a far cry from the “swank” that engulfed the company’s former headquarters.

In a neighborhood more reminiscent of Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970’s than modern-day Clinton, Troma’s arrival may herald an increasing interest in the area. However, Kaufman thinks that the neighborhood is fine the way it is. “When we moved into this building, we renovated it, but this time it wasn’t the nicest building on the street,” he said, indicating that a new school across the street has provided them

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

welcome competition for the title, as well as an improved atmosphere. “All day long we hear the laughter of the children across the street, and it’s almost musical.” He expounded on the neighborhood’s character, recommending sandwich shops and describing the beauty of nearby buildings.

“Emerson said that the substance is governed by the form. I think that by being in this community, we will be more creative,” said Kaufman. “This move will freshen our approach. I’m an old man and on my way out, but Michael is still young and attractive. We’ve only been in this building a month, but he’s already thinking about another Toxic Avenger movie.”

Troma’s new building on 11th Street, a few blocks away from Silvercup Studios, was previously a Chinese food

distributor. (“I believe it was called, ‘Well Hung,’” joked Kaufman.) The new building already holds a production studio, an editing studio, archives for film and video negatives, a number of props from recent films, a small warehouse, and they hope to turn the former meat locker into a special effects studio. “We might also be able to help out the local butcher,” added Kaufman.

Just as the old building in Manhattan attracted fans and artists from around the globe, Kaufman hopes that the new building will become a significant part of the neighborhood’s

Kaufman’s anti-consolidation activities. Kaufman co-wrote, produced and directed the film, which is about a zombie infestation at a fast food restaurant. The film is both a horror movie and a send up of

culture. “The Manhattan building was kind of a Mecca.

We had so many creative people all around us working on our movies, and creative people were just around, drawing inspiration and hanging out,” he recalled. “We think that there will be the same appeal for this building.

I’ve already gotten calls from a guy in Sweden who wants to come and see the new place.”

One structural advantage that the new Troma building has over the old is a rooftop garden that will serve as the setting for both formal and informal gatherings.

Troma’s newest film, Poultrygeist, is another manifestation of spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

consumer culture. “The zombie image is a good metaphor for our current culture, and so is fast food,” he explained.

The film continues Troma’s tradition of experimentation by adding another genre into the current mix of satire, sex and gore: musical theater. “I wanted to do a musical, and the idea behind Poultrygeist gave me the opportunity to do one.”

The film is already playing in theaters across the country, and will open in New York City on May 9. And though his partner is considering a return to the successful Toxic Avenger character, Kaufman is hoping to work on something that is more character driven. “We’ve got a great bunch of actors right now, and we’re looking for an entertaining and controversial script. If you’ve got one, send it to us,” he said.

45

A Beginner’s Primer To TROMA Toxic Avenger (1985)

While it wasn’t the first Troma movie, it set the tone for everything else that followed.The Toxic Avenger (or Toxie, as he is affectionately known) is a scrawny nerd who gains superpowers after exposure to toxic waste. The deformed muscleman has since become Troma’s mascot.

Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD (1991)

Next to the Toxic Avenger, Sgt Kabukiman is Troma’s best known character. A police officer is granted special Kabuki powers that help him fight crime in New York City.

The highest-budgeted Troma film, though certainly not the best.

Tromeo and Juliet (1996)

Shakespeare meets horror cinema.

The bard’s classic tragedy is updated with sex, violence, and monsters.

Poultrygeist (2008)

Troma’s newest film brings zombies to a fried chicken chain in a sendup of politics and the fast food industry.

Class of Nuke’em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown (1991)

A nuclear meltdown at Troma Tech turns students into mutated freaks.

The altered student body then seeks revenge on the company that is responsible for the tragic mishap.

Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000)

Dimensions shatter as Troma stalwart Toxie is sent to an evil alternate dimension, while his evil doppelganger Noxie wreaks havoc in ours.

Cannibal! The Musical (1995)

Written and directed by the creators of television’s South Park, Cannibal! was distributed by Troma and has become one of their best-selling films. The film is a musical about Alfred Packer, Colorado’s most notorious 19th century cannibal.

46

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

Rosa’s Pizza Appreciates Your Patronage &

Support TH M ’ I

INKING ARBY’

S

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

The French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub

The Philly Beef Toasted Sub

features Arby’s Signature slow roasted, thinly sliced roast beef and melted Swiss cheese on a ciabatta roll, oven toasted until golden brown and served with a side of hot, savory au jus for dipping

comes with Arby’s classic, thinly sliced roast beef, melted Swiss cheese, roasted onions, green and red bell peppers and roasted garlic sauce on a toasted ciabatta roll

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

Arby’s Classic Italian Toasted Sub

Arby’s Turkey Bacon Sub

stacked with thinly sliced ham, salami, pepperoni, melted mozzarella cheese, banana peppers and garlic mayonnaise on a toasted ciabatta roll topped with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion and drizzled with red wine vinaigrette

features thinly sliced turkey breast, melted Swiss cheese, chopped pepper bacon and herbed mayonnaise on a toasted ciabatta roll, finished with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

FREE

FREE

718.894.0485 69-16 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village www.arbys.com

FREE

FREE

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Any Market Fresh Sandwich

Reuben Sandwich

Chicken Naturals Sandwich

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

Buy One, Get One

Turkey Ranch & Bacon Wrap

Any Market Fresh Sandwich

Beef & Cheddar Sandwich

Any Roast Beef Sandwich

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

One Coupon Per Visit Valid thru 06/30/08

FREE FREE

FREE FREE

FREE FREE

FREE FREE

LIVING IN...

MIDDLE VILLAGE Inside:

• An Introduction to the Neighborhood • Relive a Childhood Spent in Middle Village • Sample the Best Middle Village Has to Offer • Essential Contacts and Organizations

Winter Fun

Doubles, anyone?

The American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village on June 21 and 22, 2008, is expected to attract more than 500 participants raising nearly $150,000 for cancer research. It is the biggest event in Middle Village each year, and takes place at the running track beginning Saturday night and into Sunday.

Pictured above is a group of cancer survivors who participated in the 2007 Relay. spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

On your mark...

LIVING IN•MIDDLE VILLAGE

Neither Here Nor There:

An Introduction to Middle Village The history of Middle Village starts in 1816, as part of a larger community founded near Newtown Creek. Named for its midway location

between Williamsburg and Jamaica, the area developed as churches purchased land for new cemeteries, which can still be found at the

GLENDALE BAKESHOP CAFE & DELI

69-25 Grand Ave., Maspeth, NY 718.457.2006

Gourmet Sandwiches Fresh Deli Eat In or

Take Out Breakfast Lunch Dinner Dessert Hot & Cold

Espresso Bar

neighborhood’s eastern and western boundaries.

History has it that following a ban on cemetery burials in Manhattan, a Lutheran Church purchased the farmland on Middle Village’s western end in 1852. This parcel would become what is currently known as Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery. Meanwhile, St. John’s Roman Catholic Cemetery was founded on the eastern side of the town in 1879.

People of German descent dominated the area and its cemetery businesses until the early 20th century, when Italian immigrants arrived.

Today, the neighborhood remains mostly Italian, but immigrants from Latin America, Poland, and Ireland have also made homes in Middle Village.

The neighborhood is known as being relatively safe, and many of its residents consist of families. The typical Middle Village home is an attached rowhouse, although there are new developments sprinkled throughout the area consisting of large, multifamily units. One- and twobedroom apartments typically rent for $900 to $1,400, single and two-family homes for $450,000 to $600,000.

Neighbors frequently enjoy Juniper Valley Park, which was created over drained swampland in 1915. The park features 55 acres of baseball fields, a track surrounding a football/soccer field, a roller hockey rink, playgrounds, and courts for tennis, handball and bocce. On any given weekend, scores of children

and adults use the park for organized sports leagues and tournaments.

The only subway in Middle Village is the M train, but riders can switch to the L at the Myrtle/Wyckoff Avenue station to reach Union Square.

Utilizing mass transportation, the average trek to Manhattan’s Lower East Side or 14th Street/Union Square takes 30 and 60 minutes, respectively.

Many Middle Village residents drive, given the proximity of the Long Island Expressway and the Jackie Robinson Parkway.

By car, it takes ten minutes to reach LaGuardia Airport, 20 minutes to arrive at J.F.K. Airport, and 15 minutes to get to Manhattan’s east side.

There is also express bus service to Manhattan from Eliot Avenue.

Finally, most residents walk, shop, and eat on Metropolitan Avenue, which has a wealth of eateries, retail stores and convenience shops to go with banks and area chains.

Located near the stretches of St. John’s Cemetery and Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery, this commercial strip once hosted a thriving hospitality sector, as cemetery visitors often needed places to eat and stay.

By the mid-20th century, many of the hotels were replaced by other kinds of commercial businesses.

Meanwhile, a housing boom during the 1920’s, as well as the creation of Juniper Valley Park, has helped shape present-day Middle Village. Phil Guie

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

LIVING IN

MIDDLE VILAGE•

Growing Up In Middle Village: Burial Grounds, Bars & Bikers Playing Soccer

By Phil Guie When people think of Middle Village, what immediately springs to mind is its geographic location between Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Jamaica, Queens. Settled in 1816, its convenience for Long Island farmers bringing produce to Manhattan, and for Brooklyn and Queens residents burying their dead, led to the neighborhood’s rise.

But what about the lesserknown chapters from Middle Village’s illustrious past?

How many know of the General Slocum memorial, which was dedicated in June of 1905 in Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery, or the Jewish community that took root south of Metropolitan Avenue? Does anyone recall the name of the old movie house where the Metro Diner now stands? Is there a spark of recognition at the mention of tough guys on motorbikes, the ones who turned the present-day ball fields in Juniper Valley Park into their own personal polo grounds?

Fortunately, we met William Sanner, a lifelong resident and historian of the area, who was kind enough to explain some things to us during a recent tour. Not only did Sanner point out a number of

markers and monuments, describing their relationship to the past, but he also regaled us with tales about growing up in Middle Village himself, and all the things his generation did for fun. What follows are highlights of our walk:

LutheranAll Faiths Cemetery Founded in 1847 as an alternative to Greenwood Cemetery after burials were no longer allowed in New York City, Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery is now open to people of all denominations.

A walk through the cemetery reveals gravestones and markers reflecting a wide variety of cultures and architectural styles.

One particular monument reflects the worst disaster in New York City history prior to the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks: The General Slocum disaster. The cemetery is the final resting place for an estimated 1,021 people - the ill-fated passengers of the General Slocum who could not be identified. They died after the aforementioned steamship, which had been carrying mostly German immigrants from Manhattan to a day of fun in College Point, caught fire and sank on June 15, 1904, just off the coast of Astoria.

But for Sanner, who is very familiar with the General Slocum,

as well as the cemetery’s monuments to dead Civil War soldiers (he included these facts in an 11-volume history of the neighborhood he compiled, which can be found behind the front desk of the Queens Public Library’s Middle Village branch), Lutheran All Faiths also provided moments of joy in his youth.

After snow fell, Sanner and friends would sneak into the cemetery through the side gate of Niederstein’s, which had been a well-known German restaurant on Metropolitan Avenue.

Once they ascended to the cemetery’s highest point, they would gaze out at neighboring Glendale in the distance.

Binoculars afforded a closer look - but so could a sled ride down the road on the adjacent hillside!

“It was a great ride down, but it was a damned long hike back up,” Sanner joked.

Standing at the highest point still affords a view of Glendale, but also Middle Village’s own Christ the King High School, which was constructed in 1961. Sanner said he recalled working on money-raising campaigns throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn, which helped fund Christ the King and other regional, co-educational high schools.

Meanwhile, in front of the

Metropolitan Avenue entrance for Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery, Sanner pointed across the street at a row of commercial businesses and apartment buildings. Here, he said, as many as 23 two-story hotels were located prior to the mid-1920’s with names like Schumacher’s Hotel, which was briefly turned into a metal-producing facility before being torn down to make way for a parking lot for Niederstein’s Restaurant.

Sanner said these catered to the booming cemetery trade.

At one time, visitors to Lutheran All Faiths had to ride the ferry across the East River from Manhattan to Queens then switch to a horse and carriage. In all, the trip would take roughly a half-day to complete. Meanwhile, the hotels were modestly sized, usually no more than two stories tall.

51

LIVING IN•MIDDLE VILLAGE The South Side Sanner recalled two very different communities to the north and south of Metropolitan Avenue: to the north lived mostly German people, while in the south, Jewish folk. “You were bitter enemies sportswise,” Sanner joked.

He and his friends, who lived on the north side, often ventured past Metropolitan Avenue to the south side. As far as they were aware, the only pool hall in Middle Village was located there. “I don’t think my parents would have enjoyed knowing I was going to the pool hall,” said Sanner, who described it as a “smokefilled room” where the toughest men in the neighborhood usually hung out. “For us, it was an adventure in the sense of crossing the borderline.”

Today, the south side, which had been settled by Polish

and Italian families before becoming predominantly Jewish, is now about as homogenous as the rest of Middle Village. As far as Sanner knows, a pair of synagogues, located on 75th Street and 67th Drive, are the only remaining signs of the neighborhood’s Jewish inhabitants, who had migrated to Queens from the Lower East Side of Manhattan. One of the buildings is now a community center, and the other became a Romanian Orthodox Church.

But while they lived in the area, Middle Village’s Jewish population helped make the south side into a prosperous dairy land. “Something in the soil was good for it,” Sanner recalled being taught as a child. “Throughout Middle Village at one time, I’d say

there were seven or eight parcels devoted strictly to feeding and nurturing milking cows.”

The Sporting Life In his youth, Sanner recalled running and playing roller hockey along Middle Village’s residential streets. Meanwhile, there’d be boxing lessons in each other’s homes. “I was not really good at boxing,” said Sanner, whose nickname had been “Wee Willy Wimpy.”

“Either it was because I loved

EXTE WAR NDED R AVAI ANTIES LABL E!!!

E NANC !!

I F E W EE! LE - FR S S A H

61-59 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village, NY 11379 Phone: 718-497-2729

to eat and was skinny as a rail, or because someone thought I was a wimp,” he said. “I would like to think it was because I like to eat.”

While he may never know for sure, what Sanner does know is Middle Village had far less car traffic then, which made it ideal for children of an adventurous nature. By contrast, with less open lots, not to mention streets loaded with cars, he said the only place left

ALL MAKES ALL MODELS ALL THE TIME TWO LOCATIONS: OPEN 7 DAYS WWW.MIDDLEVILLAGEMOTORS.ORG

61-80 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village, NY 11379 Phone: 718-497-2729

to play today is Juniper Valley Park.

But when Sanner was growing up, the park was a veritable Wild West where anything was possible. In what had been called the Metropolitan Heights Fairgrounds - the flat area, next to an embankment, where the ball fields are currently located - Sanner claimed locals with cars routinely raced them along a 7/8mile dirt track.

He also claimed some would-be “Wild Ones” would come down and play soccer on motorcycles. When asked to elaborate on the game, Sanner explained it was like polo, only with a motorcycle instead of a horse, and legs and feet in place of a mallet. “You’d just drive the motorcycle and kick the ball when you got up to it,” he said. Sanner - who was not very familiar with the game of soccer as a youth could not confirm whether the goalie also protected the net

while riding a motorbike.

There were also semi-professional baseball players who engaged in double headers on Sundays. Cars would pull up to the outfield to watch, and while Sanner never saw a car get hit by a fly ball, he said the batted projectiles would frequently fly into neighbors’ yards.

Finally, Sanner recalled playing basketball and bingo at St. Margaret’s School on 80th Street, which he also attended.

Unfortunately, while playing basketball he had to wear a facemask, which doubtlessly prevented his professional career from taking off. He also remembered encountering some language obstacles in the elementary school. “If you were a student, be you whatever, you had to learn all your prayers and your schoolwork in German,” he said.

The Shopping Corridor Along Metropolitan Avenue, between 73rd Place and 80th Street, lies Middle Village’s shopping district, which Sanner said went up during

spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

LIVING IN

MIDDLE VILLAGE•

the 1920’s.

Pointing to the Metro Diner near 73rd Place, he said it used to be the site of an oldfashioned ice cream parlor. At one point, when the son of the original owner took over the business, part of the store was turned into a candy shop.

Meanwhile, the Eckerd’s Pharmacy next door to Metro Diner used to be the Arion Theatre, which closed during the 1950’s. Sanner remembers climbing the steps in front to get into the lobby. As it happens, he was at the Arion when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, but didn’t find out until after the movie. “I don’t remember what I was watching either,” he said.

Further up the block, Sanner said the C-Town Supermarket located between 75th and 78th streets had once been Schneider’s Hotel, a four-story structure so old it barely had running water. Meanwhile,

the basement, where C-Town employees now load and unload boxes, served as a prison during the Civil War. Further up towards 78th Street, Sanner said a man named Joe Seitz owned two buildings where Colombo’s Vegetable Market and Colombo’s Pharmacy now stand. At one time, one of the buildings had been a bar, and while its reputation wasn’t particularly wild, the same could not be said of a certain descendent of the family. According to Sanner, who was a teenager when the following anecdote took place, either the son or grandson of Joe Seitz kept a horse behind the bar, which he would ride through the streets.

53

“For all of your floral needs”

PHOTO CONTEST We want you, our readers, involved in It’s Queens as well.

Send us your photos of Queens, and we’ll pick the three best and print them in our next issue. First prize will receive $100, second prize will receive $50, and third prize will receive $25. Send your photos to photo@itsqueens. com, or visit www.itsqueens.com for more information.

See page 60 for this issue’s winners.

64-74 Dry Harbor Road Middle Village, NY 11379 T: 718.326.3400 F: 718.326.3441 www.forgetmenotfloristny.com • FTD / 1-800-Flowers Affiliated • • Member Middle Village Chamber of Commerce •

Serving The Community Since 1974 Houses Wanted - We Get Top $$$$$$ For Your Home!

Low Commission, Fast Sale & Full Service Agency 3 Locations & Over 20 Sales Agents...

All From The Area So We Know Prices

Proudly Serving The Queens Community For Over 30 Years!!!

A new unique day spa…

“Providing professional spa services to each client one touch at a time”

Thank You For Your Support and

C’Spa would like to thank all of our loyal clients for their continuous support and we look forward to new clients daily!

Friendship Throughout The Years

Gift Certificates Available We specialize in Private Parties…

Birthday Celebrations, Bachelorette Parties, & Wedding Parties

Ridgewood Middle Village 62-70 Fresh Pond Rd. 79-47 Metropolitan Ave. 718.821.5999 Williamsburg 718.894.8700 133 N. 6th St. 718.782.4411 www.crifasi.com

Massages, Body Treatments, Facials, Manicures, Pedicures, Hair Removal & many other services available!

79-45 Metropolitan Avenue Middle Village 718.894.4500

Maspeth DryCleaners PROFESSIONAL DRY CLEANING AND LAUNDRY

Tuxedos Available For Rent At Retail Prices All Brand Names Call for Appointment

BEST OF THE BEST MIDDLE VILLAGE

Every Thursday in our eight weekly newspapers, we showcase the “BEST OF THE BEST,” wherein we take a look around town at some of our favorite restaurants, shops, recreational facilities, etc. – just basically trying to help them, and you, find each other. In the spring edition of “It’s Queens,” our “Living In…” section takes a look at Middle Village, and “BEST OF THE BEST” joins the cause with, appropriately enough, “BEST OF THE BEST: Middle Village” – Nick D’Arienzo.

The Service at Bauer’s Bake Shop is among the friendliest around. And oh, those cakes and pies! (And danish! And jelly donuts! And pretzel rolls!)

56

Juniper Valley Park appeals to Middle Village residents of all ages, and draws visitors from throughout the entire borough, as it’s one of the top public spaces in all of Queens.

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

BEST OF THE BEST

MIDDLE VILLAGE•

BEST Gathering Place Without a doubt, DANNY BOY’S is one of the best gathering places you’re going to find in Middle Village. Whether it’s a pint or two with the guys at the bar, or maybe lunch with the girls on a Friday, this Irish Pub & Restaurant has got some of the friendliest and most welcoming service going. And in addition to some of the best pours of Guinness you’ll ever see, they serve fine food here at incredibly reasonable prices - steaks, chops, wings, burgers, raw bar, fish & chips, etc. For your birthday dinner, retirement party, whatever the occasion, this is definitely where you want to be. And while certainly there’s a bar up front - and one of the best places to catch a ballgame, by the way - just beyond the door, you’ll find a top-notch eatery, and one that’s as suitable for kids and families as it is for adults. Come on now, where are you going to find a combination like that? (DANNY BOY’S IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT, 64-56 Dry Harbor Road, 718-894-3488)

BEST Service While there’s a lot of great service in Middle Village, MASPETH DRY CLEANERS II really stands out. For one thing, Debbie and company make sure to devote tremendous attention to detail to each and every customer, but perhaps even more impressive, they address each and every one of their patrons by name! Now if that’s not a recipe for long-term success, then I don’t know what is. (MASPETH DRY CLEANERS II, 71-23 Eliot Avenue, 718458-8408)

BEST Breakfast First of all, they have just about the best coffee around. But combine that with a nice little Egg, Bacon & Cheese on a roll, or maybe Steak, Egg & Cheese on a roll, and you’ve got something pretty special.

Here for thirty years at this point, folks have pretty much figured out what a terrific first-stop-of-the-day destination MATSON’S can be, and whether work is at nearby St. John’s Cemetery, or perhaps as far down Metro as you can go Brooklyn, baby! - the throngs of early risers who flock to MATSON’S every a.m. are definitely onto something. Juniper Valley Park, home to the QUEENS FALCONS and other youth sports (MATSON’S DELI, 64-66 Dry organizations, is one of the crown jewels of Middle Village.

Harbor Road, 718-894-6307) – but hands down, our numero uno favorite is absolutely ANDREW’S PIZZERIA. The enthusiastic manner with which Andrew will greet you by name upon entering is sure to make you want to become even more of a regular - and why not! - this is where you’re going to find among the best Grandma slices; the best Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil; and of course, their brick oven specialty, Andrew’s Classico. Not only that, their parmigiana heroes are pretty darn good, too!

(ANDREW’S PIZZERIA, 79-22 Eliot Avenue, 718-458-1481)

BEST Wings Metropolitan Avenue’s UVARARA has quickly developed a reputation for being the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine, a light dinner, Sunday Brunch, you name it.

BEST Pizza There are a few decent pizzerias in the neighborhood worth mentioning – the juicy tomato sauce at HARBOR PIZZERIA, the cheesiness of a great slice at CARLO’S, maybe spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

Wings are wings, you say? Oh, really? We think not. The wings at KELLY’S seem to stand out from the crowd a little bit by virtue of a couple of things - one, they’re incredibly juicy and tender, and two, their sauces are so flavorful and moist that they are the perfect companion for a couple of beers, a football game, or an intense round of Big Buck Hunter.

Our personal recommendation: you have got to try the Teriyaki Wings. You’ve just got to!

(KELLY’S, 82-11 Eliot Avenue, 718-476-8444)

57

BEST OF THE BEST•MIDDLE VILLAGE BEST Place For Kids (Outdoors)

With its well manicured grounds, and the fact that it serves as the eminently capable home of top-notch youth sports organizations like the Queens Falcons, Gottschee Soccer, and the Midville Dodgers, JUNIPER VALLEY PARK is one of the crown jewels of our area. Basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, even bocce and shuffleboard are the order of the day here, and if you’ve ever seen the way Central Park can so completely fill a leisurely Saturday or Sunday – well, hey, Middle Village has its very own version, folks. (JUNIPER VALLEY PARK, 71st Street, Lutheran Avenue, Juniper Blvd N, 80th Street, Dry Harbor Road, Juniper Blvd S)

do with the kids when it rains?

Well, this oughtta be your first call, let’s put it that way. (THE CAGE, 62-40 Metropolitan Avenue, 718-366-2122)

BEST Storefront

Whether it’s the trials and tribulations befalling our Mets and Yankees, a celebration of March Madness, or just a tip of the cap to the changing seasons, It has been said of Middle Village that there are actually more people count on ARTIS to always below ground than above it. In fact, the neighborhood’s cemeteries are an integral part of the community’s history. be ready to have on display exactly what’s in our hearts. A traditional SHOP, renowned for their jelly donuts for and beloved staple of the community, ARTIS generations now, is the culprit. But when it prides themselves on their personal service comes to something a little more substantial and loyal clientele, the best combination - say a birthday cake or something for any neighborhood could hope for. (ARTIS another special occasion - BAUER’S can put PHARMACY, 80-02 Eliot Avenue, 718-429- together some of the creamiest and best tasting cakes you’ve ever tasted. Mocha Cake, 6611) (Indoors) Strawberry Shortcake, and their meisterwerk, their Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte. For Now, truth be told, the best place for kids that special someone with a sweet tooth, indoors is probably school - St. Margaret’s, this Middle Village institution is where you’ve Our Lady of Hope, P.S. 49 - but otherwise, we certainly ought to give honorable mention Have you tried the gelato at TIRAMISU just got to go. (BAUER’S BAKE SHOP, CAFE? If you have, 64-59 Dry Harbor Road, 718-326-1579) then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, then what the heck are you waiting for? Rum Raisin, Cookie UVARARA is probably without question the Dough, Cappuccino nicest restaurant in the area, and yet it is Crunch. Mmmm. And both incredibly friendly and welcoming, and if you’re looking to get very reasonably priced. A wine bar that is truly decadent, why equally suited for an evening get-together as not walk around the it is for lunch or Sunday brunch, the eclectic block slurping their decor of UVARARA will catch your eye the masterpiece, Gelato in a moment you step through the door. Imagine briosce. P.S. - Do we really a Tuscan country house with some echoes need to tell you that if a of Moroccan influence. And wow, just listen place has great ice cream, to that music - how delightful! Everything then that means they also has a touch of class at UVARARA - their make great milk shakes, burlap menus, their quartino service, even too? Come on, do we? their farmhouse-style napkins. And while it For generations, the pride of Middle Village has been the Christ the King Boys (TIRAMISU CAFÉ, 64-54 might seem odd to include an establishment’s Basketball Program, headed up by Coach Bob Oliva.

Dry Harbor Road, 718- bathroom in the mix as well, once you see the one at UVARARA, you’ll definitely agree.

894-6060) Credit Iadicicco sister Annalisa with this one, to ARCHITOTS on Dry Harbor, especially for the bathroom at UVARARA is a veritable when it comes to the little ones. But in all shrine, a three-dimensional collage of wine, honesty, our personal favorite - and it still espresso beans, dried peppers, inlaid stone kind of blows us away every time we go in there - is THE CAGE, the full-fledged baseball No doubt you’ve seen a great many kids tiles, and an unforgettable earthen washbasin. facility that boasts batting cages, a synthetic (and parents!) with jelly and powdered sugar Because UVARARA is all about attention to turf practice field, and all the equipment all over their faces as they trundle up Dry detail, where-ever you look. (UVARARA, 7928 Metropolitan Avenue, 718-894-0052) you’ll need. What, you don’t know what to Harbor towards the park. BAUER’S BAKE

BEST Place For Kids

BEST Ice Cream

BEST Ambience

BEST Cakes

58

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

Middle Village Connections

Churches: • Trinity Lutheran Church 63-70 Dry Harbor Road (718) 335-7300 • Our Saviour Lutheran Church 64-33 Woodhaven Blvd.

(718) 897-4447 • Community United Methodist Church 75-27 Metropolitan Avenue (718) 326-0974 • All Nation Bible Baptist Church 79-11 Caldwell Avenue (718) 533-8290 • Resurrection Ascension Church 61-11 85th Street (718) 424-5212 • Romanian Orthodox Church/Banat Cultural Center 75-27 67th Drive (718) 416-0529 Schools: • Our Saviour Lutheran School 64-33 Woodhaven Blvd.

(718) 897-4343 • Our Lady of Hope School 61-21 71st Street (718) 458-3535 • P.S. 49 79-15 Penelope Avenue (718) 326-2111 • P.S. 87 6754 80th Street (718) 326-8243 • Christ the King High School 6802 Metropolitan Avenue (718) 366-7400 Civic Community Groups: • Middle Village Maspeth Civic Association President: Joe Cimino www.mvmca.org • Queens Community Board 5 61-23 Myrtle Avenue Chairman: Mr. Vincent Arcuri District Manager: Mr. Gary Giordano (718) 366-1834 or (718) 386-3004 Clubs/Organizations: • 104th Pct. Youth Council (718) 386-2446 • A.A.R.P. - Chapter 2701

Kowalinsky Post 61-57 Maspeth Avenue Meetings on 2nd & 4th Mondays at 12 p.m.

American Legion Post 68-39 79th Street (718) 326-3688 • Middle Village Lions Club 71-14 Myrtle Avenue (718) 456-8646 Meetings 2nd & 4th Thursdays at 7 p.m.

Salvatores Restaurant • Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter No. 32 (718) -830-0037 Medical Services: • Elmhurst Hospital Center 79-01 Broadway (718) 334-4000 • Medical Center at Sunnyside 43-12 43rd Street (718) 334-6300 • Middle Village Volunteer Ambulance Corp.

66-76 70th Street (718) 894-6000 Information (718) 894-7951 Animal Services: • Bobbi & the Strays Finds permanent homes for dogs and cats.

The Shops at Atlas Park 71-03 80th Street (718) 845-0779 For Seniors: • Access-a-Ride Contact: Pat Dolan (718) 268-5960 • New York City Department for the Aging (212) 442-1000 • Visiting Nurse Service (VNS) Serving the homebound with home health aid, occupational & physical therapy Flushing office (718) 463-9112 Etc.: Middle Village Chamber of Commerce 74-08 Metropolitan Avenue (718) 326-0970 Fax: (718) 326-4182 • Queens Public Library 72-31 Metropolitan Avenue (718) 326-1390

spring 2008  www.itsqueens.com

TSD CONTAINERS

ASTRA TOURS & TRAVEL INC. LAND Š AIR Š SEA

718.349.2552 MINIS/10/20/30 YARD CONTAINERS

CONSTRUCTION DEMOLITION DEBRIS

LOCAL SERVICE For more info please visit: www.gotsd.com

CHRIS MULLINS General Contracting

DORMERS AND EXTENSIONS

Bathrooms, Kitchens, Basement Carpentry, Attics, All Renovations, Masonry, Stoops

F R E E E S T I M AT E S LICENSED & INSURED

CALL 718 - 276 - 8558

GRAND FLORIST Flowers for any Occasion

Weddings Birthdays Holidays Celebrations Delivery In All Five Boroughs 65-37 Grand Avenue Maspeth, NY 11378

(718) 326 1090

62-71 DRY HARBOR ROAD MIDDLE VILLAGE, N.Y. 11379

If you’ve tried the rest – Come try the best!

Let us shop for the best prices for your next vacation.

718.458.2635

HES T IA CONSTRUCTION BUILDERS

(1 800) 479-5252 (718) 628-5828

'VMMZ *OTVSFE t 'SFF &TUJNBUFT 3FGFSFODFT "WBJMBCMF UI 4USFFU -*$

Den-Mar Contracting Inc. Since 1960

∙ WINDOWS∙ ∙ DOORS∙ ∙ CEILINGS∙ ∙ C A R P E N T RY ∙ ∙ W I N D O W R E PA I R S ∙ ∙ KITCHENS∙ License #672990

718-457-8068

RED’S EXPRESS II Inc.

ETECH

COMPUTERS 71-06 Grand Ave,. Maspeth

718-639-0314

Open Weekends 11 AM TILL 7 PM

FIRST FLOOR, DOWN. PRODUCTIONS concept

design

creation

illustration branding apparel packaging advertising web

Now Offering Limited-Run Hand Silk-Screen Printing 718.728.6603

24 Hour Towing Service Anytime - Anywhere - Blocked Driveway - Commercial Accounts - Junk Car Removal - 24 Hrs. Towing - All Your Automotive needs

7 18-614-7474 718-388-2219 Peter V. Professional Touch

CARPET CLEANING All Natural Chemical Free Truck-Mounted Process

SAFE FOR ALL CHILDREN & PETS

570-242-7721 570-828-2042

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Congratulations to this issue’s photo contest winners - you’ve proven that you have an eye for Queens! For those of you who didn’t make the cut, keep sending your submissions to photo@itsqueens.com. Good luck!

#1

Junction Alyssa Lopez

View from Middle Village Joseph P. Di Troia 60

#2 #3 First Presbyterian Church of Newtown Mike Messina www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

ONE ON ONE

BASEBALL CAMP Dom Scala to Lead New York’s #1 Baseball Camp 14 Years of Profesional Experience

New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates & Oakland A’s Present Head Coach, Adelphi University 2005 Coach of the Year NYAC Conference

Adelphi U., @ Garden City, LI (@ Community Park) June 30th - July 3rd • July 7th - July 11th Hope Field, Middle Village, Queens July 21st - July 25th • July 28th - August 1st

It’s

For More information and to register goto www.oneononebaseball.com or call 917-686-1124 for a free brochure

QUEENS THE M AGA ZINE

$2.95 on Newsstands Now Mailed to Your Home for ONLY $7.95 A Year (4 Issues)

This July, the Top 20 Masterminds, the top 5 golf holes in Queens, where to host your summer party, the Queens Buzz, Living In...

Forest Hills, and much, much more.

Issue 3 Drops Summer 2008

Mail your check to:

It’s Queens 69-60 Grand Ave. Maspeth, NY 11378 Or go to

www.itsqueens.com for more information

COMMUNITY•HISTORY

How a Railroad Turned Two Large Farms into One of the most Historic Neighborhoods in queens

By Nancy Cataldi Richmond Hill was “discovered” around 1868 by a wealthy businessman named Albon Platt Man, who was on a carriage ride out to the tip of Long Island.

Albon Platt Man and his business associate Edward Richmond caught wind that a new railroad line from Williamsburg to Jamaica was in the works, and thought a new development somewhere in between would be a good fit.

The pair purchased two large farms, the Welling Farm and the Lefferts Farm, and designed a planned garden community. They laid out the streets, planted trees and created a garden suburb. The

62

name Richmond Hill isn’t in honor of one of the neighborhood’s founders, but came rather from a British suburb of the same name.

Incidentally, Man’s son, Alrick, would name Kew Gardens after another British suburb. Originally, Kew Gardens was the golf course for Richmond Hill until plots of land were sold off to make way for housing. Kew Gardens would be developed much later, a decade after the turn of the century.

The earlier homes were built in the farmhouse style, and in the early 1900’s, the Queen Anne Victorian style was the trend. These were large frame homes with wraparound

porches, turrets, and intricate gingerbread woodwork. The third-floor porches were used in the summer when the heat was unbearable, hence the term “sleep-in porch.”

Each home had a bit differ-

ent style and color, but most were surrounded by wonderful gardens and lawns. One of the largest builders of homes in the area were the Haugaard Brothers: Henry, an architect, William, the realtor, and John,

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

COMMUNITY

HISTORY•

the builder and supplier. They were originally from Norway, and by 1900 had already built 1,000 homes in Richmond Hill.

Henry Haugaard designed the now-abandoned Richmond Hill Republican Club in 1908. The building was used as a community center, as well as a canteen for traveling soldiers in both World Wars.

It was also used as campaign headquarters for many Republican candidates, including

President Ronald Reagan, who visited the club twice during his time in office.

On the lower level, the building, at various times, had a bowling alley and an archery range, and once housed a post office. It is Richmond Hill’s only New York City landmark.

Across the street is the Richmond Hill Library, donated by Andrew Carnegie, which was built on land donated by Man in 1905.

On Hillside Avenue there are several very historic buildings.

Built between 1926 and 1929, the Richmond Hill RKO Keith’s was a state-of-the-art movie theatre. When construction began, silent movies were still the norm, but by the time the theatre was completed, a separate sound room was added to the projection room in order to offer the new “talkies.”

The movie theatre still stands today, and houses a bingo hall and plays host to a flea market. The marquee was restored in early 2000 when a movie called The Guru was filmed there.

Next door was Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlor, which made

for the perfect date of a movie and ice cream. One of the features at Jahn’s was a Kitchen Sink, a concoction of many scoops of ice cream and syrups that could feed six people. Unfortunately, Jahn’s was sold at the end of 2007 and the fixtures were sold to an ice cream parlor in the Midwest.

Over the year, many sites in Richmond Hill have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. They include PS 66 (1898), The Church of the Resurrection (1904), The RKO Keith’s (1929), Maple Grove Cemetery (1875), Saint Benedict Labre Church and School and The Forest Park Carousel.

Proudly Providing The Finest In Real Estate Services For Over 30 Years!

Thanks To All Our Clients and Neighbors!

When It’s Time To Buy, Sell Or Relocate, Give Us A Call!

Speak To One Of Our Professional Agents!

You’ll Get The Right Service And The Right Advice!

Service You Deserve.

People You Trust.

Tom Vastola, Lic. R.E. Broker, SRES 61-07 80th St., Middle Village www.eliothillrealtygmac.com 718.672.4444

COMMUNITY•CONNECTIONS

Civic Corner A quick glance at community organizations working for a cleaner, brighter, better Queens

Queens Civic Congress Covers: All Of Queens - Umbrella Civic for Local Civics President: Corey Bearak Email: Bearak@aol.com

Hot Topics: Going green, land use issues, and smart planning for the future of residential living in Queens.

The civic has called on Mayor Bloomberg to form a task force consisting of the departments of Planning, Environmental Protection, and Parks to oversee reforms to the city zoning resolution; requested that the city compile an aerial map on the loss of porous ground in Queens over the last five and ten years; and urged the Department of City Planning to issue stricter rules on how much of a residential property can be paved over.

COMET (Citizens of Maspeth/Elmhurst Together Civic Association) Covers: Zip Codes 11378, 11373 President: Roe Daraio

Hot Topics: Zoning is still an issue. COMET members are unhappy that the Queens office of the Department of City Planning has delayed the rezoning of parts of Maspeth. Another hot topic includes the new park currently under construction at the old Keyspan property, which was home to the famous Elmhurst Gas Tanks.

Middle Village/Maspeth Civic Association Covers: Zip Codes 11378, 11379 Email: mvmca@aol.com President: Joseph Cimino

Hot Topics: Although the Mayor’s Flood Mitigation Task Force has detailed steps to help flooding hot spots throughout Maspeth and Middle Village, the group remains on the forefront of making sure sewers are cleaned and the new projects over the next ten years actually mitigate flooding. The MVMCA has a focus on education and after-school programs. Civic members spend a good deal of time promoting the funding of schools and honoring the teachers and principals who have an influence on the programs and the children they serve.

“MVMCA Next Generation” is the Civic’s youth membership. “Getting the youngsters to understand community civics is a positive step in the shaping of the community, as well as the lives of our future generation of adults,” says Cimino.

Glendale Civic Association Covers: Zip Code 11385 Email: glendalecivic@aol.com President: Kathy Masi General Information: Town Hall meetings on specific issues only. They work with the Queens Civic Congress on sponsoring seminars and events, the dates of which are published regularly in the Glendale Register.

Hot Topics: The development of the Atlas Mall has already changed the landscape of Glendale, and there is still land owned by the mall that has yet to be developed. The group sees itself as the watchdog so that the shopping center expands logically. The civic has formed a Green Committee, which is focused on organizing the participation of local families and community leaders to develop programs and educational events that promote environmental awareness and positive change. The group meets regularly to increase area participation in recycling and reuse, energy reduction, and to build a solid eco-friendly neighborhood, all while fighting global warming. The group also advocates for more parkland and recreational space.

64

www.itsqueens.com spring 2008

COMMUNITY

CONNECTIONS•

Jackson Heights Beautification Group Covers: Zip Code 11372 Email: info@jhbg.org President: John McCaffrey, Jr. General Information: Established in 1988, the civic is credited with keeping Jackson Heights on the minds of legislators in Queens. As the name suggests, the group is constantly performing neighborhood beautification projects and makes sure its merchants and residents understand that Jackson Heights is both diverse and thriving.

They have a Garden Club, a Graffiti Busters Committee, and even a Halloween Parade Committee. They don’t hold regular meetings, but meet when it is important. They perform weekly duties in the neighborhood.

Hot Topics: Keeping Jackson Heights green, mitigating graffiti, expanding the historic district and motivating the 115th Police Precinct to ticket double-parked cars, especially along the Roosevelt Avenue and 37th Avenue business strips.

Queens Colony Civic Association Covers: Bellerose from 87th Road to Jamaica Avenue, from Little Neck Parkway to the Cross Island Parkway.

Email: info@NOSPAMqueenscolony.org President: Angela Augugliaro General Information: September through December and March through June at Holy Trinity Church, 246-55 87th Avenue, Bellerose.

Hot Topics: Security, and the Cease and Desist Law protecting its members from being contacted by real estate brokers and salespeople.

Dutch Kills Civic Association Covers: The Dutch Kills Section of Long Island City Web site: www.dutchkillscivic.com President: Gerald Walsh Executive Director: George Stamatiades General Information: Revitalized in 1979, the Dutch Kills Civic has been instrumental in keeping residents knowledgeable on housing and zoning issues in the Long Island City and Astoria area.

Hot Topics: With a million square feet of hotel space planned for LIC in the next year, as well as four new housing towers near the waterfront, Dutch Kills Civic is the last line of defense in bringing the concerns of residents to the city on zoning, affordable housing, and increasing city services to match the growth in population. Saturday, May 17, is their annual “It’s My Park Day” and Sunday, May 31, is their annual Street Fair on 36th Avenue in Dutch Kills.

Glendale Property Owners Association Covers: Zip Code 11385 Email: GPOA4Glendale@aol.com President: Brian Dooley General Information: Meet first Thursdays of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council Office.

Hot Topics: Getting Glendale its own zip code (it currently shares one with Ridgewood). Although graffiti is down, the civic monitors its comeback. The civic also provides constructive input into the NYC2030 plan. They are also concerned with making sure infrastructure keeps up with development, especially in light of recent flooding problems.

Ridgewood Property Owners Civic Association Covers: Ridgewood President: Paul Kerzner - (718) 802-5078 General information: First Thursday of the month (except July, August and January) at JH 93 at Forest Avenue and Madison Street, where they have met for the last 67 years. In 2000, Ridgewood was broken into two council districts, the 30th in Queens and the 34th in Brooklyn. This had led to some significant funding hardships for capital projects. The civic has been instrumental in helping form the Local Development Corporation and the Business Improvement District, which have helped the Ridgewood business strip thrive. They were effective in making Ridgewood a historic district before historic districts were fashionable.

Hot Topics: Passive development of the Ridgewood Reservoir site, making sure the 2000 downzoning changes are enforced, and monitoring improvements to the mass transit hub at Myrtle and Wyckoff avenues. spring 2008 www.itsqueens.com

65

A Social Equation

By Jeffrey Harmatz

FRIENDLIER London?

Why go overseas for seafood when

DANNY BOY’S is right here in your neighborhood!

FRESHER

We serve fine food at fair prices

Steaks, Chops, Raw Bar, Chicken, Burgers, Fish & Chips

MORE FUN Our reasonable prices and excellent service will knock the competition right on their ear!

DANNY BOY’S Irish Pub and Steakhouse 64-56 Dry Harbor Road Middle Village, NY 11379

(718) 894 3488

www.dannyboysny.com

QnsLed 9.75x13-2008

3/25/08

10:09 AM

Page 1

MFS

Online Connect

Maspeth Federal Savings Online Banking with FREE Bill Pay

Unlimited 24 Hour Access to Your Finances

With MFS Online Connect you can: • View & print transaction histories & current balances • Transfer funds between statement accounts • Verify if your direct deposit is in • Order checks • View & print paid cancelled checks • Place stop payments on checks • View Certificate of Deposit maturity dates and your current CD interest rate • View & print information regarding your mortgage • Receive e-mail notifications & alerts • Interface with Quicken® or Microsoft® Money • Pay bills quickly and easily, including the ability to schedule payments in advance and set up recurring payment schedules with our MFS Online Connect FREE Bill Pay Service. . . No more writing checks, using envelopes or buying stamps! Customers must have a checking account with Maspeth Federal Savings in order to utilize the Bill Pay service.

For an application to sign up for MFS Online Connect visit our website at www.maspethfederal.com and click on NEW USER on the upper right hand side of the screen and follow the prompts or you can come into any of our convenient branch offices.

To review our complete Online Banking terms and conditions visit our website at www.maspethfederal.com.

MAIN OFFICE: 56-18 69th Street, Maspeth, NY 11378 • (718) 335-1300 • � LOAN CENTER: 56-05 69th Street, Maspeth, NY 11378 • (718) 651-7888 • � We Treat You Like Family 64-19 Woodhaven Blvd.

Rego Park, NY 11374 (718) 459-3400 • � 101-09 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills, NY 11375 (718) 520-1500 • �

OTHER CONVENIENT LOCATIONS: 185-18 Horace Harding Expy.

Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 (718)353-6145 Visit our Website at www.maspethfederal.com 24 Hr.ATMs on-site � - Free Parking Available

MEMBER FDIC

801 Jericho Turnpike New Hyde Park, NY 11040 (516) 437-5000 • � 66-60 Fresh Pond Road Ridgewood, NY 11385 (718) 497-4800