I have lived in four of the five boroughs of New York City. When I came here in 2003, I lived in Brooklyn's Park Slope with three other roommates and taught high school. We were in a fourth-floor walk-up on 3rd Street between 6th and 7th Ave, a short walk to Prospect Park and tons of cool restaurants and used book stores (most of the bookstores are now closed). It was a safe, charming place and probably a great NYC starter neighborhood for my 23 year old self. A year later, I found myself in graduate school and living in the Bronx, right on the Grand Concourse at 175th Street. I had one roommate, and a huge, gorgeous art-deco apartment in a crumbling building. We were the only white chicks around for probably a 20 block radius. Which was absolutely fine, and I think good for me. I stayed there five years. Then, I spent two years in a miniscule apartment in Manhattan's east 90s, which I shared with my sister. I grew very attached to the UES. I still go back and eat at the Midnight Express Diner and drink at Auction House on 89th Street. Both of these are quality places and I recommend them highly. I so liked living on the UES that I was really not excited to move to my fourth borough in Astoria, Queens in August of 2011. But one does get more for one's money in Queens.
It did take some adjusting. I had a random Craigslist roommate, and the less said about her, the better. My commute time to work doubled. I suddenly found myself far away from all my friends, and in case you didn't already know this, people do not like to travel to the outer boroughs for a visit. They expect you to meet them in Manhattan. Fortunately, I have some very dear friends who will sometimes make the trek for me, but this was still an adjustment. Cabs, also, do not like to go to Queens. I have had many of them argue with me, and I've had to invoke the "you're legally obligated to take me" line more than I should have. To top it all off, I found my allergies acting up almost immediately upon arrival. I decided that I was allergic to Queens, though it turns out I am probably just allergic to the tree outside my bedroom window for part of the year.
Almost two years later, though, I love it here and I don't think I'd go back to Manhattan even if I could. (Well OK - maybe if money was no object and I could live on 5th Ave or CPW near the park, I'd do it). I have a new Craigslist roommate who is working out well, and I've been able to do nice things with the apartment. But best of all, the neighborhood itself has really grown on me. I live east of Steinway, which is a little quieter than much of Astoria. But I like that. And there are some places and neighborhood quirks that I'll really miss when I eventually leave (though I have no plans of doing so soon).
So here are some things that I absolutely love about my little section of Astoria:
1. Gian Piero Bakery
This is the place to go for quality, authentic southern-Italian pastries. I developed a problematic cannoli habit when I first moved here. Adding to the atmosphere of authenticity is the crowd. In spite of my Irish surname and resemblance to my Polish grandma, I'm actually half-Italian (Italian on the inside, I like to say) and let's just say I recognized these people without ever having met them before. They're the immigrants and first-generation crowd that sits and talks in a mix of Italian and English and were a fixture at every communion party I attended as a kid. Gian Piero's is where they hang out, sometimes sitting on the benches outside if it's warm, or crowded at the tables inside if it's cold. For me, it feels familiar and also nostalgic - a bit like visiting a slice of NYC that doesn't really exist anymore except maybe here and other isolated pockets, like the Bronx's Arthur Avenue.
2. Off the Vine
This wine store is small but very nice, and they have regular Saturday tastings! I always find something good here, and the owner is knowledgeable and friendly, and happy to make a recommendation. There is also a very sweet dog there sometimes. I've stopped into Off the Vine countless times on my way home from work and picked up a bottle and exchanged some friendly words with whoever was working.
3. Via Trenta
When I first moved to Astoria, the only Italian restaurant near my was called Cara Bella, and it was fairly old-school - chicken parm and penne alla vodka. Not that that's a bad thing. I would go there and eat alone occasionally, since I didn't know anyone nearby and my roommate and I were not friends. Then, just as I was feeling a bit like a regular, like I had found a comfortable spot to go and eat when I didn't want to stay home, Cara Bella closed without warning. So sad! Now, it's a German restaurant called Max, which I have yet to try, but people seem to like it. In November of 2011, though, Via Trenta opened! And all was right with the world again. It has more modern Italian food - you won't find all the old staples like chicken parm on the menu. But everything is fresh and delicious (I highly recommend the Burrata Pizza. It has truffle oil on it. That should be all anyone ever needs), and there's a great wine list. My sister and I are regulars there now, and the owner and staff are great. It's definitely become a part of my life in Astoria, and I'm so glad it's there!
4. Brooklyn Bagel
Another staple for me. It's actually a local chain, but I go to the one closest to me. On the days I work from home, I often venture there with my laptop. On weekend mornings it's packed, and it's easy to see why. They have a bacon-scallion cream cheese. Need I say more?
5. Wholesale Furniture
So far, this list has been all food and wine. So you can see my priorities! But the first day I moved in, I discovered the wholesale furniture places on Steinway. I needed a new bed, and was planning to spend the first week on my air mattress. But, when I went into the mattress place on the corner of Steinway and 30th Ave, I found a bed I liked right away, and learned that not only was the price negotiable, but that they could deliver the bed that very day! There are a number of these stores on Steinway, and this past January I bought my new futon from one of them, negotiating the price and everything. It sounds a little sketchy, but the service is actually really good in the little experience I've had.
6. Trade Fair
Yeah, I'm back to food. I live more or less next door to a Trade Fair supermarket, and it's open 24 hours. If I want to make cookies at 3 AM and need to buy eggs, I can do that. This particular store felt a bit disorganized and limited at first, and I found myself venturing a few blocks west to Key Foods. But that was only because I didn't fully grasp how Trade Fair worked. There is actually a huge selection of specialized ingredients, but they're divided up according to ethnicity! Once I figured out that I had to go to the Italian section for Arborio rice for my risotto, rather than the general "rice" section, for example, I was all set. A lot of the products there are like that. Once I figured out the system, I felt liked I'd cracked a code. Trade Fair suddenly felt like a much larger and richer place! Now, I rarely venture to Key Foods.
7. People's front yards.
Nowhere else that I've lived in NYC have the buildings had little front yards with grass and trees or just gardens. My landlady keeps a garden in front of the building I live in (a two-family house - I live on the 2nd floor). I love coming home and seeing the flowers and vegetables in the spring and summer. And people do really interesting things with their yards. Sometimes there are neat little shrines to the Virgin Mary; sometimes there are overflowing lilac bushes - the smell hits you as you walk past, and it's lovely (lilac is one of my favorite smells).
8. Saint Michael's Cemetery
This huge cemetery is a couple of blocks from me. I once read that Astoria is the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the country, and Saint Michael's really highlights this diversity. I've gone there with my camera or just to take a walk several times. It's a peaceful place, and has old mausoleums and headstones going back to the mid-nineteenth century all the way up to the present. It's an interesting way to see how the populations have changed, and also the different ways people honor their loved ones. One of the most poignant memorials there is a statue of a WWI soldier who was killed in action.
9. My Apartment
My apartment is such a happy place! Ever since my roommate moved out in January and the new roommate came, it really feels like home. Our living room and kitchen overlook the street, and have my comfy futon, and the Ikea chair I've had ever since the Brooklyn apartment. I've got my slow-cooker in the kitchen and my record player and book shelves in the living room, and my roommate's TV is here, too. Nothing unusual or special, maybe, but it's fun to be here! It's a nice place to come home to at the end of the day, hang out with a friend or two (the ones who will venture to Astoria!), or curl up with a book and play a record on a rainy Saturday. Whenever I eventually leave Astoria, this is probably the place I'll miss most of all.
So there's my list of things I love about Astoria. There are definitely more things that I love, but these are the ones I thought of immediately - the little things that make this neighborhood unique. Check them out if you visit! (Maybe not my apartment, unless I know you already).
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