Taking Sides: Brooklyn vs. Queens

xpost I haven't been to Jackson Heights in ages!

The office is in Syosset...

I have the probably severely underinformed impression that Queens is on the whole more suburban-feeling than Brooklyn. Is that at all accurate?

i like fort greene/clinton hill better but i'm biased.

wr2 brooklyn: i think that there are still some bargains to be found in park slope and greenpoint (or so i hear). i also hear that crown heights and flatbush are becoming "desirable" again (i've always been kinda surprised that flatbush hasn't been better regarded than it is -- i genuinely liked it, the few times that i've been out there). i have a love-hate thing w/ williamsburg and DUMBO.

It sounds like Fort Greene/Clinton Hill is a pretty promising area, too. What about the Prospect Heights area? Just to give an idea, our comfort zone for rent will probably be in the $1300-$1500 range, with no special preference for apartment style. I hope we'll have at least a little flexibility.

it is accurate. depending on where in queens you are.

Yeah, Tracer, my mental scale of the size and scope of the city is still painfully small and inaccurate... there's a bit of everything everywhere, I know.

I mean, what can you say about a Borough that produced the Shangri-Las, Run-DMC and the Ramones? Doesn't get much cooler than that.

My Astoria friend says rents are better there than a couple years ago.

i can't comment too much about queens since i've only gone out there to eat (really great international restaurants), to see something at ps1 (which i think is overrated but i'm probably just being contrary), or to see a band at a random warehouse space. although i've had some delicious meals, nowhere i went struck me as someplace that i'd like to live.

i like the area around the graham and the grand stops on the L train, in williamsburg. i don't think that the presence of hipsters is a worry - they're not going to hold you down and force a too-small vintage little league tshirt on to you or make you "ironically" drink working-class beer out of a can.

Rasheed, about how much would you say a 1BR would run in Cobble Hill?

But doesn't Peter Parker live in Queens?

"Less irritating hepcats in Queens. And much better food."

Now, here's the perspective of someone who is so un-hip he can't even seem to get along with the people on ILX...

Brooklyn definitely feels more "Manhattan" in a Soho, East Village, Tribeca kind of way. Queens feels like more Chelsea and Union Square.

The difference is, while there is definitely good food and cooler shops in Soho, East Village and Tribeca, Brooklyn has little of that. It's all relatively spread out throughout Brooklyn, so you'll need a car or a lot of free time to get from one cool place to another. Brooklyn is also more severe in it's block-by-block contrast; you can have beautiful houses on "the greenest block in Brooklyn" followed by a smashed-out grafitti-laden condemned house on the very next block. Then, there's the gangster types, including the odd hassidim ganstas who will stare your ass down and you'll be thinking, "Wait a minute, you're the one who looks like a douche. Why are you trying to intimidate me? And, anyway, aren't you supposed to be pious or something?!"

Brooklyn is cooler. I like the feel of it more. But, it is more expensive and, as Alex pointed out, you will run into a lot more jerks there who are there simply because it has that cool label attached to it. However, the truly cool people in Brooklyn are liable to be way cooler than the cool people in Queens, who are mostly used to not talking to other cool people (because there are not many around) and are much more to themselves. There are two levels of cool I'm talking about here:

1. the elitist hipster douchebags you're more likely to find in Brooklyn

2. the people who I would consider interesting and open-minded who are not elitist hipster douchebags.

It sounds hypocritical, but let me explain:

#1 would sneer at you for not knowing who LCD Soundsystem is, but #2 will at least eventually hear of LCD Soundsystem and give them an honest listen. #1 is so in-the-know that being in-the-know is elevated to a ridiculous level which justifies their overblown sense of self-importance, but #2 is just interested in keeping abreast of new and interesting developments.

But, the most important consideration for you should really be about your everyday commute. For that reason alone, I suggest Queens: Woodside, Long Island City or the forever-up-and-coming Astoria. None of the neighborhoods is really all that cool and you will most likely feel out of the loop, spend all your free time in Manhattan or Brooklyn, but at least it is an easy neighborhood close to everything you need to be close to.

iPod Wars
by Trace Crutchfield
April 2005... It's also linked over on ILM here: iPod Wars?

they have that kinda shit in queens, too -- just ask fifty cent.

http://www.bobulate.com/lucy-Pages/Image17.html

actually, if you can't get along with people on ILX it usually is because they are all maladjusted.

in any case definitely check out prospect heights as recommended above. it's basically park slope north these days, but it's an easy walk to the LIRR and all manner of grocery shopping, parks, and a very fine library.

(oh and in terms of lawlessness Dallas completely owned Brooklyn)

Based on what you guys have been saying, I'm starting to feel really partial to the Carrol Gardens/Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill section of town. I think that'll be one of the first areas we scope out. However, nowhere is out of the question as of yet. Hopefully we'll be able to lock down something cool and affordable no matter where we end up...

I grew up on LI in Syosset, and in the last 4 years lived in Park Slope, Carrol Gardens,/cobbel hill/boerum hill and South Williamsburgh.

I can completely understand why you would want to reverse commute, especially if you're under 40 and don't have kids. In my opinion LI is a great place to raise a family, but that's about it. A vast suburban landscape, with little culture outside the city. Diverse, yes, but by town.

As far as BK being more or less suburban than queens, well it depends. But a very accurate rule of thumb, the farther east or west you go from manhattan, the more suburban it gets.

Here's the other thing, you really have to go and get a feel for these places in person, I am a native new yorker, but even I haven't been to every nook and cranny of this city, and it's constantly changing. My parents can't believe I live in Williamsburgh, because in their day it was a wasteland.

Carrol Gardens and it's surrounding areas (now called BOCOCA) is getting expensive now. THe gentrification of smith street has sent rents skyrocketing, and in my opinion it's moving to more of a Park Slope feel. But overall BOCOCA is somewhere between the slope and WB in overall vibe.

In any event, GOOD LUCK! and hope all works out well.

But being that queens is further east than brooklyn should make it sound a little less ridiculous.

Anyways, fwiw, I live in Astoria and I like it. I've walked through a fair amount of Queens, and a lot of it is pretty pleasant/reasonable enough (I wouldn't want to live in Long Island City, though, it's empty and kind of creepy at night). In my experience, I've found more of Brooklyn to be sketchy in feeling than Queens (then again, I've never been out to places like Hollis or South Jamaica). For the reverse commute to Long Island, Woodside isn't a bad base. I guess it depends on what you want, but there's some reasonable housing and some decent bars around there (depending on how much you like the Irish, I guess). Restaurant wise I'm not too sure, but it's near Jackson Heights, which has tons of great (and cheap!) places to eat.

You can find ghetto areas anywhere in the 5 boroughs, and on LI. There are no hard and fast rules, and just because something is suburban doesn't mean it's a safe neighborhood. Where I lived in Caroll Gardens, was immediately across from the gowanus houses (projects) Only the few blocks were the projects lie are actually moderately sketchy. The surrounding area looks like something out of the Cosby Show.

I also think that what constitutes a sketchy neighborhood is completely subjective. What might be scary to you may feel perfectly safe in my opinion, once again, one really needs to take a look around and see for themself.

I currently live in a low rent Hispanic/Hasidic area, it's not much to look at but the community itself is great in my opinion. Friends of mine from manhattan are scared to visit, that's their problem.

Bottom line, this city is HUGE. If you can't find what you want in your neighborhood, chances are you just have to hop on the subway and you will.

I currently live in a low rent Hispanic/Hasidic area, it's not much to look at but the community itself is great in my opinion. Friends of mine from manhattan are scared to visit, that's their problem.

People in Manhattan are scared to leave the island, full stop. ;) I only live fifteen minutes from midtown, but most of the people I know in Manhattan have never come out here/

As far as the rule of thumb I realized it's not the best soon after posting, but as far as sprawl and suburbia are concerned, it's pretty accurate. Queens is the last borough before nassau county, which is the beginning of the suburbs, and in my opinion that the feel reflects that. This of course just my experience. There are pockets in Brooklyn, Bay Ridge for example, that feel more like LI, but overall I still equate Queens as more of a suburban vibe.

Don't even get me started with the manhattanites, it's like there's was a nuclear core meltdown here or something. Unless it's N6th street on the weekend, then it's manhattan and jersey all over the place, I want to kill all of them.

Gentrification is a crazy thing, that's another thread though.

The F around these parts has been a total bitch on weekends, but nothing I wasn't expecting (based on others' stories of the glories of the line). The reverse commute is pretty sweet; I get a lot of reading done on the train, and usually have an entire three-seat bench to myself. Yeah, it's like an hour plus, but I guess it beats standing up on the subway for that long.

It really is fascinating to see the neighborhoods change as you walk through Brooklyn. On the walk to Park Slope, the prettiness of Carroll Gardens very suddenly gives way to the grit of the area immediately surrounding the Gowanus Canal, which immediately dissipates on the blocks between 4th and 5th Ave. And of course by the time you hit 7th Ave and eastward to the park, it's millionaire central. There are definitely quite a few strollers here, and quite a few people with money -- and my girlfriend and I have neither children nor much extra cash -- but no different from where we were in Charlottesville (Virginia) in that regard.

Maybe we'll try to make an FAP in the not too distant future! I can already tell that fall in NYC is a beautiful thing.

i'm glad you didn't move to williamsburg.
you should go to Sahadi's.

-- Alex in NYC (vassife...), May 18th, 2005.

That says it all.
Course I'm loving the JCity these days, but try and convince NY folks of that.

Holy crap -- you used to work at the C'Ville Plan 9? My girlfriend worked there the entire time we lived there -- September '03 through like three months ago. Who were you talking to? And your point is definitely true; a couple we were just starting to become friends with in C'Ville moved up here like two days after we did. Weiiiiird.....

Albermarle, yeah; I definitely frequented there as well, mostly for the used stuff! I'm sure you remember D*min*c, who would travel ungodly distances to see indie rock shows on a fastidiously regular basis...

I loved charlottesville, i would love to live there again. i went to school there but spent all my time at tokyo rose or wtju or on a bus. i still have one good friend still there that was the last of the like 200 bookers tokyo rose has had. i was going to visit with a friend, but since the rose and blue moon have closed i wasn't so enthusiastic.

My apt-hunting has been almost totally confined to Craigslist thus far, and I'm not seeing much LIC (or Point/Burg) stuff there... a little more for Astoria.

I've also never done the JH bar scene ... Latin men are fine 'n dandy, but I've forgotten all my Spanish. At least the G train goes there nights and weekends.

It looks like I am going to be trying out the Queens living. Please contact me if anyone knows of anyone looking to rent a room in their place for under $1,000 (the further under, the better). Top four neighborhoods: Astoria, JACKSON HEIGHTS (#1 choice at present), Long Island City (runner up), Sunnyside. People who know Queens, should I be including any others in my search? Woodside? Flushing?

Thanks!

--Mary

Forgot to mention: looking to move in Oct 15 (could do Oct 1).

should I be including any others in my search? Woodside?

yes

Flushing?

no (imo)

Yes Woodside and East Elmhurst. Flushing is nice, but it's pretty far if you have to commute to Manhattan.

(My commute will be Queens to Queens btw--where, I don't exactly know.)

i like sunnyside, not as convenient as LIC or astoria tho.

what about ridgewood??

rasheed wallace was such a good poster.

i would second the flushing-avoidance. it's unbearably crowded.

(My commute will be Queens to Queens btw--where, I don't exactly know.)

then you'll probably need a car. but you probably already knew that ....

I live in Woodside. The only con is that its very hit or miss, much of it is pretty ugly! But there's some great areas. Whats great about it is its a bit cheaper than Sunnyside and more convienent...you get to be in easy walking distance of Sunnyside AND Jackson Heights (and elmhurst...) and depending on where you are, you have the express 7 train, the LIRR and you can also walk to the V + R on Northern and Broadway. Jackson Heights is even cheaper than Woodside (really the farther out you go...) BUT it's way more crowded. I really see myself as living in a little town called Sunnyside/Woodside/Jackson Heights and Woodside gets you the best of all three while being cheaper than Sunnyside.

And if you have a car, the whole borough and bklyn is your oyster. We take quick little drives to Astoria, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Park Slope etc all the time. Not to mention Forest Hills, Rego Park, Flushing etc.

the area of woodside around skillman in the 40's is really pretty. i would say jackson heights, woodside, sunnyside, astoria in that order and cross out LIC.

you probably won't find anything in that price range in LIC anyways (astoria will be difficult but not impossible)

Skillman in the 40s is the pretty part of Sunnyside!

LIC is absolutely the worst though. We looked there, WAY overpriced and absolutely no ammenities.

i get confused about where sunnyside ends and woodside begins!

officially I forget, somewhere in the high 40s, low 50s. I live near the border overlooking a cute little park called Doughboy park. Pretty happy with the location.

<i>then you'll probably need a car. but you probably already knew that ....</i>

I'd be working for the library system, and I'm hoping they give me a branch that's somewhat subway/bus accessible. I have a car, but will most likely sell it.

I will say, Queens is definitely an easier place to have a car than Brooklyn or Manhattan, and certain neighborhoods require it. I'm not sure how much I'd love living here without the car, so it's worth thinking about keeping it. And NYC is totally great if you have a car when there's no traffic...driving around at night, everything's so close together. On a weeknight I can drive from my place in Woodside to downtown in 15 minutes.

I doubt I could afford to continue to make my car payments, plus all the other fees associated with owning a car, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for all the Queenly advice.

certain parts of queens are easier than others to have a car in. it was a pain to find parking in astoria, for example. will you find out where you're working before you have to choose where to live?

Not exactly. They told me to find a place to live where I would be comfortable, and then they would try to work around that. Stressful!

you may want to choose somewhere central, like jackson heights, where you'll be close to the 7, E, F, R and V which will make getting around without a car easier. or somewhere that is at least in walking distance of two train lines.

living in astoria off the NW - while a great neighborhood- is pretty isolated.

I would love to live in Jackson Heights--I stayed with a friend who lives there recently--but it seems that there aren't a lot of rooms for rent being offered there. On Craiglist it seems more skewed toward Astoria and Sunnyside.

Astoria on the R is definitely preferable to the N/W. There is a v. nice (but v. small; nothing compares with the huge central one in Jamaica) library on Broadway/41st too.

i like sunnyside a lot, but i'm not sure about the transit options. i had no idea that it was more expensive than woodside!

queens has too many sides

Sunnyside only has the 7 train and the B24 bus which goes to greenpoint and back to williamsburg. The northside of sunnyside, which you may not have seen if you didn't cross Queens BLVD on your eating trip, is really a hidden gem, one of the most beautiful, quiet, safe etc hoods in NYC, and now landmarked I think.

Woodside, meanwhile, is mostly really goddamn ugly, although I get a cute park outside my window.

i know what area you mean. i've been to sunnyside more than once, y'know.

Way too many cars in JaxHts but, as per Dan, I may have to get one and contribute to the problem.

It seems I will be placed at Masbeth. It looks like Sunnyside and Woodside are close by(?) Brooklyn now seems to be option as well--as I think this is also near Greenpoint and Williamsburg(?) The buses I can take are Q18, Q58, Q59 or Q67, according to the library website. So, any ideas where I could live that would be on a subway line yet also fairly convenient by walking or by bus to Maspeth?

oh man, nothing is convenient to maspeth.

or where in maspeth is it? i just had to go out there to pick up a package once and it was a nightmare to get to...

I have only ever gone to Middle Village which is south of Maspeth. I think the drive from where I live was like 20 minutes, just keep going on Grand Ave (or Metropolitan, it does a weird curvy thing) from W'burg.

the bus i took out there ran from LIC if that helps. and some of those buses terminate in williamsburg/greenpoint area. i've taken the Q59 many times!

Maspeth is one bad location train-wise! Definitely think about keeping your car. A good option may be Ridgewood. You'd still be in Queens, but you're at the end of the L train so it's super convenient if you like to hang in the WB, and hey, who doesn't? Woodside is north of Maspeth. I know there's buses running all around but I rarely take them. Lots of people in Maspeth and Middle Village take the 7 or LIRR to my stop in woodside, then a bus or car service down to those areas. Maspeth and Ridgewood are kinda cool in old-school Queens Italian ways and are probably much cheaper then many of the other hoods discussed.

Seriously, if you didn't have to commute into manhattan everyday and you kept your car, there are probably some good options living out there.

Or you can live in Woodside near the 7 train and take a bus to work in Maspeth.

I mean, look at this:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/fee/408965615.html

1500 for 2bedroom and DRIVEWAY, for example.

Al Gore would kill me, I'm the only person running around convincing New Yorkers to keep their cars.

i called maspeth (it was either that or ridgewood) and like to be right. looks like 7/Sripraphai-land would be totally do-able (on the 18), but so would south will (on the 59).

driveways, sigh

The address is 69-70 Grand Ave. I know it seems like kind of pain because it doesn't have a subway, but I'm pretty happy with it, considering I could have ended up anywhere in Queens. I know most of you don't ride buses, but does anyone know if any of them should be avoided? I used to take a bus from Ely Ave and it ran like clockwork, meanwhile, the Houston street crosstown bus ran about once an hour.

Also: do I need to be worried about crossing the BQE or LIE if I'm walking or biking?

Yes. It is very unpleasant and occasionally impossible. Just make sure you know where you're going, what streets go through. The one time I walked down into maspeth on the way back to woodside we hit a brick wall and had to talk along this huge barrier thing that became a wall for a ramp onto the LIE I think, and it was pretty shitty.

I think 58th st and 65th st are the ones that go north and south. A friend of mine who lives in the industrial chic hipster section of bushwick biked up to my house once in like 15 minutes or something, just taking 58th.

congrats, m!

Masbeth? I was hoping you would end up at Jackson Heights so you could abuse powers to help me augment curtail my extensive library borrowings.

In any case, congratulations on signing with the number one circulating library in the US!

i just had to go out there to pick up a package once and it was a nightmare to get to...

-- bell_labs

god that ups location is the worstttt

^brooklyn navy yard impound lot was a breeze getting to in comparison.

I also see that the Masbeth branch has instituted a Return Your Books Any Time Of Day pilot program.

might have trouble finding that branch considering it's spelled maspeth.

Welcome back, Jor-el!

never got banned from ile, whomever you are.

Doesn't Rude Spock live in Queens as well?

The Tragedy of Macpeth.

Guys, do you think it is worthwhile to rent a PO BOX at the UPS store? y/n?

Also, can someone email me a number for a good $60-$70 hour mover deal? Do not want random CL yahoos and I seem to recall the story of someone who got shookdown.

Is this a fucking joke? Queens

I was just in Maspeth on Saturday, at a combination restaurant / wedding reception hall / Irish sports bar / OTB to kick off my friend's bachelor party. (I am friends w/ some horseplaying degenerates.) it's a looong walk from the 7. it's like a whole nother world out there, it felt like a lot of those people leave Maspeth v rarely.

I mean look at the people who live in Brooklyn. They're either transient "I'm gonna make it!" poseur zombies or forty-something copy editors and retail clerks. At least Queens fools contribute to th GDBP.

Oh step off Brooklynites already.

ahhaha GDP

Brooklyn:Predictable::Queens::Oh SHIT

i've lived in both, and both are nice. queens has better food, brooklyn has better bars and nightlife.

Predictable trolling from suburban douchebags.

OH YEAH THAT'S BETTER. POKE THE BEAR.

forty-something copy editors

this is totally wrong, I am a thirty-something copy editor

Look, if copy editing DID THEIR JOB, I wouldn't have to. They don't pay me enough to be doing THREE jobs.

Look, if copy editing copy editors DID THEIR JOB, I wouldn't have to.

there, I fixed that up for u

"copy editing" is fine, implies "copy editing department" imho

ps. jon nice joek

Shouldn't that be "did their jobs" plural in your example, Dave?

a thirty-something copy editor

holla!

Shouldn't that be "did their jobs" plural in your example, Dave?

see that's why I usually stay away from attempts at th wordsmith humor

No no it was still funny. Kudos.

queens got the bigger titties

therefore queens

Shouldn't that be "did their jobs" plural in your example, Dave?

could work either way-- did their (seperate) jobs or did their (shared) job. latter makes more sense if you're talking about, say, a copy editing dep't. YOU KNOW IN ENGLISH, EVERYONE CAN BE RIGHT (except the wrong people)

This thread is being invaded by all the klassik ILX arguments: next thing you know, Frank'n'xhuxk will be here creating a Rolling Lateeno Pop subthread.

just a bit of fun, let's be cool

ok tombot:

ts: brooklyn vs. dc

Brooklyn:Predictable::Queens::Oh SHIT

-- El Tomboto, Thursday, August 30, 2007 3:49 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Link

waht

Williamsburg < Queens < Everywhere in Brooklyn that Is Not Williamsburg

< moronic ill-informed assumptions

AKA THERE IS NO ANSWER
THE QUESTION WAS DESIGNED TO DIVIDE US

<i>< moronic ill-informed assumptions</i> < eat a bag of dicks

Also, Dan, I know the person who moved into your apartment in Brooklyn -- he still occasionally gets records for you!

also, I am such an ILX old schooler that I have no idea how to use nu-ILX formatting

I mean look at the people who live in Brooklyn. They're either transient "I'm gonna make it!" poseur zombies or forty-something copy editors and retail clerks. At least Queens fools contribute to th GDBP.

-- El Tomboto, Thursday, August 30, 2007 12:47 PM (7 hours ago)

http://www.crystalmeth.org/index.php

Elmhurst v. Astoria? Elmhurst is close to my work but Astoria seems to have lots going on. Tell me about Elmhurst. . . .

Elmhurst Gas Tanks, RIP ;_;

can't wait to leave, new york suxxxx

Drove through Elmhurst last night on my way to LIttle Pepper in Flushing (amazing food). There was a shooting. Elmhurst is block-by-block, some parts are cute, other parts pretty bad. Is work near the 7 train? If so, living closer to the city in the aforementioned Sunnyside/Woodside/Jackson Heights area is much more convenient. And depending on where you are in Astoria, the commute might really suck. The parts of Astoria I like the most are furthest north in Ditmars. But do you want to take the N to the 7 every day? Seriously unless you need to walk to work, there is no reason to live in Elmhurst, it has tons of bustling immigrant activity but nearly as much amenities as the neighborhoods just closer to the city...and I'm a 10 block walk from Elmhurst.

Also, Dan, I know the person who moved into your apartment in Brooklyn -- he still occasionally gets records for you!

whoah, totally missed that post! I hope he's only getting questionable promos from Musebox and Girlie Action and not like, really cool stuff that I should be getting. Is he? I also hope the crazy neighbor from upstairs has moved up...or on.

technically, where the shooting was last night may have been Jackson Heights or Corona, it's all mixed up around there. But seriously, there's not much going on there compared to Sunnyside and Woodside.

I suggest Queens: Woodside, Long Island City or the forever-up-and-coming Astoria.

-- Unfortunate Prankster (Unfortunate Prankster), Thursday, May 19, 2005 11:03 PM (Thursday, May 19, 2005 11:03 PM) Bookmark Link

i like sunnyside, not as convenient as LIC or astoria tho.

-- gershy, Tuesday, August 21, 2007 12:52 AM (Tuesday, August 21, 2007 12:52 AM) Bookmark Link

(nahmean?)

I didn't click with anyone renting apartments in Sunnyside/Woodside/Jackson Heights, though I was interested in those neighborhoods. I saw tons of places all over (and in Brooklyn too) and now have a better idea of what is out there. I loved Astoria, saw a great apartment in Ditmars, went to Astoria Park, wanted to move there immediately, despite the commute, but the girl is being picky. Saw another apartment in Elmhurst, wasn't impressed with the neighborhood, but happened to pass Maspeth in like 5 mintues on the bus journey to my next appointment in W'burg. It wouldn't have to be long term, just to get me started and then I can look for places once I am there and not just on the weekends. (My work isn't on a train, only buses. By the way, I took tons of buses everywhere all over Queens and Brooklyn and I never had to wait more than five minutes for one. In Astoria, I didn't need a bus and was on the opposite side of the street and the driver motioned to me to see if perhaps I would like a ride.) As far as rooms for rent go, it seems the multitude are in Astoria or W'burg, not so much in the other places. I had an appointment in Ridgewood, but the girl cancelled on me--a couple in LIC also cancelled on me.

Williamsburg < Queens < Everywhere in Brooklyn that Is Not Williamsburg

-- Aaron W, Friday, 31 August 2007 02:27 (1 week ago) Link

u old :>

what are your expectations re: social life because seems like nothing going on near elmhurst, other neighborhoods in queens & brooklyn have a lot to offer or are at least close to "stuff"
i haven't lived in nyc for many years but i know middle village well because i had family there, and elmhurst was right next door. it seemed very dull then.

BROOKLYN KEEPS ON TAKING IT

QUEENS KEEPS ON FAKING IT

thanks for the edutainment...

anyway, seriously, elmhurst has nothing going on, nowhere to walk to nothing to do. Some good indonesian food...

Astoria Park area in Ditmars is really cool, definitely the only part of that area I'd live in, but as you can guess, I much much prefer Woodside/Sunnyside.

I don't really have any expectations wrt social life. I mostly like to do stuff during the day. Social-life wise, Greenpoint seems like it would be nice. I didn't go to Sunnyside, but from I saw of Woodside, it seemed pretty dead too--just some Irish bars?

have you looked at any apts in gpoint?

I looked at one: it was a railroad with a huge bedroom with a view of Manhattan and an attached sitting room--only catch was that I would have to walk into the hall and unlock the door to the other part of the apartment everytime I wanted to use the bathroom or kitchen (the other guy's bedroom was in that area, but I wouldn't have to walk through it. The apartment had tons of awesome built in shelves, cabinets, and detailing though. I was pretty iffy on the whole set up anyway, but the dude got back to me to say he picked someone else. I loved the neighborhood though--and I took this quickie bus to LIC from there. . .where I then caught the 7 to get to Woodside. . . . I went to the Peter Pan diner--that place was awesome.

More Irish bars than anywhere else in the city, and filled with irish immigrants. But also the best Thai food in NYC, philipino, timeout's best ranked burgers, doughboy park, and in Sunnyside a movie theater, sunnyside gardens park, tennis courts, marjolaine bakery, aubergine cafe, great south american and mexican food and generally a more culturally and economically diverse area with better transportation options than Elmhurst, and closer to manhattan and closer to brooklyn. Elmhurst is more overhelmingly asian, so you're not going to find the italian butcher, the irish market, the peruvian chicken etc etc. And I do more than eat...but if you're looking for hipster type bars, your only chance is Astoria.

I'm just saying when I walk around Sunnyside and Woodside, there's all these different things going on, but when I'm in Elmhurst is more like going to Chinatown or Flushing. The only area of Elmhurst that's more crowded and has more transportation is over by the Malls on Queens Blvd and you don't want to live on that. But Queens Blvd in Sunnyside is a cool strip of Irish bars, polish butchers, armenian coffee, turkish kebabs, Alpha Donuts etc etc.

But take a trip to Sunnyside and especially walk around the Northside, it makes all these other neighbords in the area look really hideous (save for the planned part of Forest Hills)

But all this talk about Quickie Buses...don't assume it's always that easy! Especially in the evening and def. late.

it's generally pretty fast and easy, though.

peter pan is amazing, truly the donuts of the gods, plus those awesome turquoise uniforms... did you like the uniforms?

when the buses are good, they're great, but they definitely run less reliably than the trains. i would recommend trying to find a place that's right off the bus line you'll be taking to work so that you don't have to transfer; sometimes it seems like it will be really easy from looking at a map but the transfer can take forever/be in a sketchy area where you are vulnerable standing around alone.

<i>did you like the uniforms?</i>

ha ha, I was in uniform heaven:)

I am definitely looking for one bus only--no transfer. Let's just say that I took at least 10 buses--and they came much faster and more reliably than any bus I've ever taken in NYC--save for the 14th st. crosstown--which is always chugging around.

I'm sure Woodside would be nicer than Elmhust, then again, I don't have any options in Woodside, and the little I did see of it didn't fill me with any joy like Astoria did. Woodside seemed a bit lonely to me. Also, this is not permanent--once I get there and get settled I can truly decide where to call home.

really depends on where in these areas you are, woodside is pretty big, and Astore is HUGE. Much of Astoria is really depressing. The bulk of Woodside is as well. But the main parts of Woodside, closer to Sunnyside, are, as I've said, a good deal because you get Sunnyside without the slightly more expensive rent, but with better access to trains. All these areas are totally hit or miss depending on the block, just don't write off any neighborhoods. We didn't even look in woodside at all because we'd only seen a few blocks of ugly houses, we were set on Sunnyside when a realtor took us into Woodside and we found an apt nicer then anything we saw in Astoria or Sunnyside and much cheaper, accross the street from a park, a few blocks from the train, around the corner from my bank and great food, etc etc. And a lot of these neighborhoods blur into each other, what many people think of as Elmhurst is Corona, what people think of as Sunnyside is Woodside etc etc.

I'm not writing off any neighborhoods! I have to take into consideration not the only the apartments I'm looking at, but the people who live within those apartments . . . If I look for an apt down the line by myself, I can be more picky wrt neighborhood.

Yea, I asked a bus driver in Jackson Heights (does this bus go to Woodside?) --one guy told me to take that bus, I just wanted to make sure I was going in the right direction, and the driver was like, where in Woodside/it's a big place).

it's cute. now that he's moved from south brooklyn (which used to be the best! place! ever!), dan has become a rabid queens booster.

South Brooklyn was the best place ever, and is still great. But in the 10 years that I lived there, it got exponentially more crowded and more expensive. Now I say if you can find a place you can afford, or a room to share, and I know you can still live relatively cheap there with roomates, as most of my girlfriend's friends live down there (South Slope, Fort Greene, etc). But where I was last living quickly changed from a charming fast growing area to a totally expensive clusterfuck.

Queens isn't for everyone, and I certainly don't recommend it to anyone. like if you need to live around the corner from a Daddys or Buttermilk, you'll be very sad in Queens.

i don't reccomend queens for anyone single and hoping to date, as it was death for me in that respect.

though it was nice for a bit being in a long distance relationship and having a $5 cab ride to laguardia!

Haha, bell labs, I was in the same situation for a while.

Dan keeps implicity knocking south Astoria, but it's really great! It's pretty different, though, and if what you liked about the Ditmars-area was the duplex-y, family-oriented feeling, it may not be what you're looking for. Steinway is obviously pretty unpleasant, but Broadway is really useful. There are more restaurants and the transportation situation, while hardly great, is a lot better.

I'm only knocking parts of Astoria, but I find it too crowded and not as interesting as Sunnyside/Woodside. I think I like Ditmars because it's a bit less dense, and there's stuff like the park and Ditmars is a more pleasent main strip than Steinway or Broadway. It has that cute coffee/soda shop run by the people from Sparrow and this super old-school gelatto place, but I guess queens is filled with those actually (hit one in Maspeth last week).

I drive on broadway all the time...there was a cute french bistro near the border of Astoria and Woodside that I went to once then it closed. Queens can use something like that.

We take the 4 minute drive over to Astoria for movies at Kaufman and Museum of the Moving Image, as well as Sushi at JJs (Queens in general is pretty lacking in Sushi, but JJs is nice). We've been to Brick for brunch once but haven't tried Lil Bistro.

dan was the french place le sans souci on broadway in the 40s? i loved that place, very sad that it closed. when i was in astoria i lived around the corner from there.

I was thinking of both JJs and MOMI when I typed my post. I think if I had a car, I'd probably feel the same way, but even commute inconvenience aside, it's hard to get-to-know places like northern Astoria on foot.

I never went to Le San Souci before it closed. :/ Also, I found this googling:

Did you not summer in the French countryside this year? Maybe this will help you get your fix.

I'd keep hearing little blips now and then about a supposedly legit French bistro up Broadway several blocks East of Steinway. The thing is, every time I walk up that way in the morning to go the post office or the library, the multitude of random guys hanging around (migrant workers, I believe) would feel the need to share with me how they thought I looked that day or what they'd like to do to me. (Yeah, it's a real blast being a chick sometimes.) So, I had a hard time imagining a lovely French bistro amongst them.

Which is total fucking bullshit.

yeah, Le Sans Souci was it. It was pretty good and that kind of french bistro is sorely lacking in Queens. It was on a desolate stretch of Broadway though, had it been more central in Astoria it probably would've done well. And by desolate I mean quiet, not scary like that quote. But food in Queens is a really mysterious thing, though this is probably a question for Chowhound. The diversity and quality of ethnic foods is amazing, but some basic stuff is totally lacking or doesn't last. You see and more and more hipsters and yuppies moving to places like Sunnyside, but you still can't get eggs benedict for brunch on sunday. One guess is because by the time people move there, they're having kids and just cooking all the time.

I'm so happy I moved to "REAL" Williamsburg!

yeah there was absolutely nothing scary or desolate about that part of broadway! it's just a couple blocks from steinway where there are tons of restaurants. and i've never had better take-out/delivery options than when i lived around there.

also, i would really, realllly love it if prospect/crown heights could get a thai delivery place. </gentrifying yuppie>

I have menus for a couple thai places that will deliver to me but I think they are both in park slope

the sad thing is that a lot of places that deliver to you, or even to me, will not deliver past washington or classon :(

yeah, you live much closer to park slope than i, dave! they probably don't go past washington or classon. i haven't tried, though. xpost

there are a bunch of empty storefronts on franklin that look like they are being renovated, though. i pray for restaurants!

I saw an apartment at 30th Ave really near the subway just past a cute park in this really nice old apt building. The girl was cool, but there was no shared living space, which might have been a good thing, just both of us our own bedrooms and share kitchen/bathroom. The bedroom wasn't so big though. I saw another place at that same subway stop which was kinda falling apart, and I wasn't really feeling the girl. Then the place just two stops up in Ditmars was pretty fantastic--big bedroom and ample living space and all very well kept and clean. I saw another place at the RV Steinway and I saw that at night so the neighborhood didn't seem so good, but I've been there in the day and thought it was better, but not so special. That living room was really small but the bedroom was an okay size but the girl was kind of humorless. My feeling on Astoria so far, I prefer what is on the NW line, even though I thought I would like RV or whatever better, for ease of commute. It's not good to be single in Astoria? Are there no eligible men? I saw some cuties on my walk to Astoria Park.

they all live with girlfriends i bet! people seem to move to queens to nest, not to meet people...there aren't a lot of bars or places to socialize.

if you're going to live up in astoria, how many buses will it take to get to work? If you want to live amongst hip young folk, you can live in Williamsburg/Greenpoint and take the B24 bus into Queens or the G train into Queens and switch to a bus.

There are cool young people in Astoria, but the bars are so overwhelmingly euro'd out that i don't know how fun it'd be to hang there.

Picking neighborhoods is tough, sometimes you only see a bit or you don't realize how close you are to other stuff. When I first visited Jackson Heights I was on Roosevelt and I thought that was the whole hood. Didn't know about 37th or that even Northern Blvd, which is all car dealers in Woodside, becomes a latin food paradise in JH. One day I will try Xtasis Mega Hamburger!

there is like one decent bar near the beer garden and it sort of sucks most of the time.

they probably don't go past washington or classon.

if it's any consolation the thai takeout I know of is not very good

that's probably Sparrow...haven't been but they also own the aforementioned cute/hip coffeshop on Ditmars.

yeah I was talking abt Sparrow. I liked their old place Tupelo better.

If I lived in Ditmars, I would have to take the NW two stops to 30th Ave., and then catch the Q18 to Maspeth. If I lived on 30th Ave. I could just take the bus.

There's actually a bus that goes from W'burg to Maspeth--it's kind of a long ride--and my friend said it would be cheaper to do as you say, bus to Queens/LIC and then get another bus.

I thought I liked the denser areas of Queens--the ones that resemble Manhattan more--Jackson Heights, Astoria around 30th Ave. but I really liked Ditmars as well, and being able to walk to that park on the weekends would be A++

Oh, and I thought I would like to bring my car if it was financially feasible, but I realized there is no way. I don't need it at all, and I don't even like to drive.

The bus which goes from W'burg to Maspeth is very well known and dreaded in my building, since UPS never, ever makes any real attempt to get inside and give us our packages.

Is the Q18 the only bus that goes near your work in maspeth? You really should live in my neighborhood! You can walk to Jackson Heights or Sunnyside easy.

The problem with queens is that there's all these train tracks and yards. There's no reason I should have to take 2 trains to get to Ditmars/Astoria park but you can't easily cross the Sunnyside Train Yards.

Dan, find me a place and I will move in pronto. Did you have a good experience with your broker? Also, is January a hard time of year to search for an apt (of my own), if I did a 3 mo. rent-a-room agreement until then? There are many buses that go to Maspeth: the one's on the library website are Q18, Q58, Q59, and Q67. Other buses go to Maspeth as well, but are maybe farther away from the library.

Does anyone use hopstop.com/find it reliable? One prospective roommate showed me it and it calculated my commute from Astoria at an hour, though the distance is 3 miles. But then I tried it and it said my commute from Elmhurst would be 20 min. even though I had already done it and it took 5 min. My commute from Elmhurst is under a mile, btw.

hopstop is good for directions, but time can always vary! i think it tends to be fairly realistic though.

Anyone know about the two new beer gardens they're making (wburg and clinton hill)?

maybe high for a share and she may be nuts, but you get some nice furniture:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/roo/419669109.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/roo/418019713.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/roo/418333182.html

I'd just be careful, basically a lot of the Woodside ads are for the residential areas north of Northern Blvd, which puts you near the R and V trains but not much else, in that area, I'd say you may as well just move a bit west to Astoria or east to Jackson Heights. South of Northern Blvd on both sides of Roosevelt is preferable, you're more only on the 7 train, but it's more livable. You don't want to live directly on Roosevelt as it's bleak and you'll get the train, but right around the corner is OK. Basically Sunnyside Gardens is hard to find rooms but the further towards Woodside you get the cheaper it is and the whole area from like 48th st to 58th st north of Queens Blvd is my basic area and I've met a few others who've found good deals here and just find it a nice eclectic mix and pretty charming.

Haha, I already visited the center one--the first one set off major warning bells--and I don't meet the third one's mid-twenties criteria.

I like this one (a bit pricey though):

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/roo/419411859.html

Both Elmhurst and Astoria are open to me moving in with them. Should I just ease of commute or ease of amenities?

don't live in elmhurst! You're gonna be so bored.

There's always Woodside!

the pics of the last one you posted look very nice! though $950 seems like kind of a lot to pay for a bedroom in a 2 bedroom. you could probably find a one bedroom for around that!

Oh, yea, I didn't see the $950. My choice is well under that, but very clean and very nice. Woodside isn't an option currently, though I will have relocation assistance to pay broker fees with, so maybe I will get an apt in one of the Woodside-y areas eventually, if they still count it as a relocation fee, after you have already relocated.

I know it takes patience, but you can often find landlords and bldg managers posting on craigslist. I've never gone out of my way to avoid realtors, but have always lucked out. At this point, half the the realtors are just showing you stuff they saw on Craigslist the day before.

what about ridgewood? At least youre on the L train.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/roo/422004668.html

I chose Astoria. (I had an appointment in Ridgewood but she cancelled on me.) My room is for six months, after that I can look for another place. Haha, I hate the L train:) Yeah, my first apt in Brooklyn was through the owner, I didn't even have to do a background check or show any paystubs or anything. My second apartment in the LES, I had to show my whole life (and my mom's)to the people.

congrats VP!

Thanks! See you at the end of October (you can teach me about the mets).

Why does everyone in Queens say "youse"/"yous"/"you's" (not sure of the spelling). Also, where the bars at?

Why does everyone in Queens say "youse"/"yous"/"you's" (not sure of the spelling).

for the same reason "everyone" in memphis says "y'all"?

i THINK i may have mentioned on this thread that there are no good bars in queens.

MAYBE you should visit brooklyn

that MIGHT be a good idea!

youse can be traced back to archaic irish/british isles usage

long island city has a couple of "ok" places i hear, is this not true?

LIC seems awash in strip clubs. I WILL visit BK after the Morrissey visitation ends.

ha, i wasn't thinking of those

i hope you're finding lots of good food at least!

there's one supposedly cool colombian artists hang-out bar near the elmhurst/jackson heights border, and that's about it.

The kinda ok bars in LIC aren't anything special, but they may be more comfortable then rowdy Irish pubs and south american sports bars.

I think Dan is referring to Terraza aka Terraza Cafe, off of 83nd and Roosevelt on Gleane Street. It's all right, I've been there a few times, haven't quite seen it live up to the hype yet.

A lot of the people I know who live in Astoria go to Brooklyn for their social lives ... they're in Queens because they're in long-term live-in relationships, and it's a little more suburban out there.

Woodside has a lot of those Irish-expat bars... I've only been once, and there are a lot of people off-the-boat there. If you're looking to get your potato buttered, you could definitely do worse.

The LIC Bar on Vernon is v pleasant, has nice big comforting wooden tables and a great backyard and HI DELICIOUS specialty grilled cheese sandwiches. I could basically live there.

I went to one of those Irish ex-pat bars once to see a friend play flute with a band. It was across the street from the police station and had a giant fishbowl window in front but everyone inside was smoking like gangbusters anyway -- bouncer said the bar pays off the police dept, that was entertaining.

fuckin micks

Love 'em.

I love Astoria so far; Ditmars is super. Hell of a commute though. Maspeth is covered in Irish bars.

america is covered in irish bars

By the way, does any one want to help me put together an Ikea platform bed? I will reward you with a trip to the beer garden. is it likely I can do this or should I call in professional help?

i'd gladly take you up on that offer but i'm 800 miles away. you should be able to do it yourself. ikea stuff is way way easy.

<i>america is covered in irish bars</i>

Not like Woodside which is small neighborhood containing dozens and they are all filled fresh off the boat Irish people. It gets crazy during the summer when the neighborhood fills up with Irish students visiting for the summer.

<i>Throughout its history, Woodside has been the largest Irish American community in Queens, and has a large number of Irish expatriates. In the early 1930s, the area was approximately 80% Irish.[2] Woodside has served as the primary destination for more recent immigrants from Ireland as well, with many arriving in the mid-eighties searching for economic opportunities in New York City. Even as the neighborhood has seen growth in ethnic diversity today, the area still retains a strong Irish American presence with many Irish, although the growth in the Irish economy since the mid-1990s has slowed the arrival of new Irish. There are Irish pubs/restaurants scattered in Woodside.</i>

In how many neighborhoods do the Mexican resteraunts serve a traditional Irish Breakfast?

replace <> with [] in your mind. thanks.

mary, i'd offer to help but i'm horrible at that kind of thing. dan selzer, who assembled several large ikea pieces for me while i stood around looking stupid and not knowing which tool to use, can attest to this. if i were you, i'd check the rates of the pro ikea assemblers. i suspect it's probably worth it to avoid losing a weekend to amateur carpentry.

Not like Woodside

no place on earth is like woodside.

I am going to a promised "debauched" Halloween party in Astoria on Saturday, if I can be persuaded to miss World Series Game 3.

and the series is shaping up to be so exciting!

i THINK i may have mentioned on this thread that there are no good bars in queens.

-- bell_labs, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 04:14 (Yesterday) Link

first of all, RONG, second of all you're forgetting a certain garden in Astoria that sells swaths of fried cheese

smazeny syr!

the last couple times i've tried to go to that certain garden there has been a line around the block, and a crowd that seems very fratty.

there's lots of local/old man type bars in astoria but they are honestly pretty intimidating if you are a young lady. very macho bar culture.

and smazeny syr is amazing, though i think living in the czech republic and being able to buy them any hour of the day for about a quarter is what finally tipped me over the edge into lactose intolerance.

mmm. did you try the kind that are wrapped around a pork chop?

ooh i think so. prague was bad for my health on so many levels.

i couldn't even look at fried cheese or a cigarette without shuddering for years. though the beer never really did me wrong, thank god.

i'm surprised that no one i was with got actual malnutrition (as far as i know, anyway).

i got an ulcer, and had to have a camera shoved down my throat in a scary post-communist hospital where nobody spoke english. it was very unnerving. and half my group were coughing up tar halfway through from the awful cigarettes. oh and one of my friends nearly died of (non-tampon related) toxic shock.

were you in Prague for an academic year, labs?

(lauren, ya can't judge a Series by Game One!)

only one semester! just long enough to destroy my body and get some travelling in.

ugh, the cigarettes. a few people tried to smoke the "start" brand but had to admit their wimpiness in the face of eastern european tobacco.
what year were you there, bell? i did a program there, too. were you on CIEE? and if so, did you actually attend any classes? and did nonattendance make any difference in the grades you got?

(dr. m, i was just funnin' with ya.)

http://gothamist.com/2007/10/24/post_105.php

i did a program through NYU. part of our grades were based on attendance for czech language, and the class was at 8:30, which was painful. and i never did learn to produce the r-with-the-hacek.

well, something like 30% of czech people (incl. havel, i think) can't make that sound.

that language was a pain in the ass. more cases than latin!

haha, a "hacek" sounds like the name of a premier

it sure was. perhaps that's part of the reason why czech people (including my extended family) are so dour and arsey (unless something bad is happening to someone else - then they can't stop laughing!).

mmm. did you try the kind that are wrapped around a pork chop?

you just blew my mind.

This reminds me, I was just reading a memoir in which the author was married to a Czech from Pittsburgh and tells some story of the guy's sisters babysitting their cousin, young Andy Warhol, and torturing him.

Yerac has offered to assist in the Ikea assembly; I have also called some professionals who will do it for $100. Which method would be more likely not to fall apart on me during the night?

I want to try out the Woodside Irish bars, but the Maspeth Irish bars seem even more "authentic." There is an OTB across the street from my work where I can try to supplement my income.

I guess it depends on what's authentic. My father arrived to town early to meet me and said he was waiting in Sean Ogs. He was dissapointed that they were playing hip-hop on a jukebox instead of traditional Irish pub music. Now you can hear traditional Irish pub music at several of the irish bars on QB, Roosevelt and in the general area, but if you're 22 years old, Irish, fresh off the boat, what kind of music do you think you'd like to hear at a bar? I've only seen a few Irish bars on Maspeth but really they a just an extension of Woodside. Maspeth is supposedly home one of the few remaining good pizza slice joints, Rosa's, but I haven't been.

I ate at Rosa's today. It is excellent. And to think I had never eaten Sicilian pizza before last week, when some dude in Astoria gave me a slice for free.

There is an OTB across the street from my work where I can try to supplement my income.

I was at this really epic OTB / sports bar / restaurant in maspeth for my friend's bachelor party on travers day in august ... it was like ten rooms

the kind of place where there was a wedding reception on the porch and some weird degenerate gamblers (including me and my friends) and Irish regulars and locals and sports fans ... it was crazy weird

not to mention a really long walk from public transportation

Buses are public transportation too, you know:) Apaparently there is a wood-oven pizza place where you can also place bets.

Is everyone in Queens super nice? Because that has been my experience so far.

I always neglect the buses :(

mostly, yeah, everyone is nice

there is some animosity in astoria between greeks and non-greeks though, in my experience

speaking of queens pizza if you are in astoria near ditmars you should get rose & joe's. great italian bakery pizza

it's on 31st st near the subway stop

I'm kinda not getting the panic over the Ikea assembly. They're, uh, really easy and kinda fun to put together.

Aslo, by gum Astoria isn't as awesome as it was back when I lived there, rabba rabba grabl etc.!

riding the subway at 4 am on halloween weekend is entertaining

It was great to see all the Brooklyn and Queens people last night, cross-borough intermingling. I thought it might have been a different sort of dj night when the song playing as I walked in was "Golden Years" but it was still good. Also, someone tried to pick me up on the L train on my way home. It's good to be back.

if "I Feel Love" comes on and a guy in a Giorgio Moroder halloween costume is onstage raising his arms in triumph it's my kind of dj night

http://www.whitwell.ndo.co.uk/musicthing/images/morodersmall.jpg

it was fun hangin out

also, backtracking upthread -- so jealous of the ppl that lived in prague! been wanting to go there forever

Mary, I'm sorry I missed you when I ducked out! I saw my very tired (drunk) friend off and then realized my bus was due in 10 minutes and could only find dmr & TZA. Glad to have you back.

prague is almost too beautiful. and the sunsets, oh my god. the pollution is so bad that you get these blue, purple, lavander, orange, pink, red, and yellow-green striations.

www.nikeshoesnetoffer.com

glad more of you came then I had realized. (no Lauren though!)

Golden Years is a great song esp as a segway between disco, rock, 80s etc. Don't know what kind of party you were expecting, but because Union Pool has some issues about being a rock bar, we definitely wanted to play to that a bit, especially early on before things really kicked off. I actually played less proper disco than I expected or wanted to, just kept gravitating to more electronic/italo disco as usual then later things just got weird and eclectic. I had brought all these totally classic relatively mainstream serious mirror-ball, leisure-suit wearing, cocaine-snorting disco jams and most of them never left the bag.

I was expecting Dan Selzer esque music that I had never heard before, but then I heard Bowie and thought it might be a bit more Brit-centric (but I was well behaved this time and didn't ask for any Moz tracks).

Bowie's In Space

ah...you the girl from that night at the Royale? Now it's adding up maybe.

No, I'm no indie britpop dj, sorry!

Anybody on the Queens side going to the JaxHeights Halloween parade?

I tried to go to Ramen Ichiran in Greenpoint and not only is not open yet, it is so tiny. When is the grand opening? Has anyone been to Ramen Setagaya in the East Village? It was too crowded there so we ate at Wafu Pasta in the back.

setagaya is soooooo good. ichiran was supposed to have openened in october, then it was january, and now i have no idea and have started to doubt that it will ever happen.

Is Setagaya better than Rai Rai Ken? I must investigate.

I didn't like Setagaya so much! The atmosphere was kind of ugh. I'm not used to having non-nice Japanese waitresses. I prefer Rai Rai Ken.

I love my place in Ditmars, but the commute is a pain. I'm looking at other shares in Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside, and Jackson Heights, but they all suck. I can't believe the way people live! (And my standards are not that high.) Plus they are more expensive, or include more roommates, or are generally unappealing.

Should I stay put? Blind roommate dating is such a drag.

aw, i love setagaya. service has been fine (if brisk), and the food is SO good.

where the fuck is setagaya?

1st ave, near 9th st.

We ate at Gen for dinner last. Sooo delicious. Pumpkin tempura, citrus white tuna sashimi. i got yakiniku and she got the yosenabe.

I'm not used to having non-nice Japanese waitresses.

they've been totally nice the three times I went .... must have been an off night

No advice for me? How is Ridgewood for the living?

I think Astoria is pretty fun and a lot more convenient than where it sounds like you are now, V.

I am in Astoria!!!

(hi!)

haha my bad

(cough syrup spittake)

Must be where I got that impression!

Do you want my Maxim card? They have good yoga.

Ridgewood is cheap, it's italian and polish, it's queens and it's on the L. I don't think it's nearly as interesting as astoria/sunnyside/woodside/jackson heights or even elmhurst. Really, it'd be like living in Maspeth or something, though being on the L is a huge benefit for some people, and that's why some domesticating artist/hipster types are moving out there.

I am looking (eventually) in B or Q for June or July. No roomies.

I was afraid Ridgewood might be boring. This would make my commute so much easier:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/triborough%20subway.png

Oh, how is Bushwick at the Gates Ave. stop? I cancelled an appointment to see a place there today, because it was raining hard, and it was in Bushwick, not Ridgewood as I had thought.

Which trains do you need to be near to commute most efficiently?

I think right now she takes the bus

I was afraid Ridgewood might be boring.

like Dan said there is some hipster/art scene stuff happening there (Silent Barn is in that neighborhood -- loft concert space, I think No Age has played there, Silver Apples, Dan Deacon, shows like that). but I doubt there's much in the way of actual bars or good restaurants. seems like more of a self-contained neighborhood like Maspeth. (but maybe I'm totally wrong! I haven't schlepped up to Ridgewood yet for a show.)

I'd move to Ridgewood if I got a fruity scooter or something

The 58 bus which runs from Flushing to Ridgewood is the #1 bus for getting to Maspeth. I can pick that up at the Grand Avenue R/V stop in Elmhurst and it's about a 7 minute trip from there. The 59 bus from Rego Park to Williamsburg is also reliable, though it runs like every 10 mintues, whereas the 58 runs about every 5 minutes.

I walked all around Sunnyside and Woodside the other day while searching for an apartment that turned out to be overlooking the LIE (or BQE?--I get them mixed up). But I loved what I saw of those neighborhoods. I've never really seen residential Sunnyside and Woodside before, just the parts by Roosevelt and Queens Boulevard. I also walked a lot around historic Jackson Heights looking at a couple of apartments. The apartments inside were no good, but the buildings and the neighborhood was excellent--very different that what I would expect from just seeing mainly Roosevelt Ave. and Little India.

I saw a place off the 90th 7 stop today--so peaceful and Spanish--but I think that won't be so convenient for work/life either. The only thing that Ridgewood has going for it that Maspeth doesn't, I'm assuming, is subway service. But I definitely don't want to live anywhere as cut off as Maspeth--though it's a great place to work because the people are super nice.

I might give Woodside/Sunnyside a shot; anyone know any good brokers there? It seems like 90% of the listings I see are in Tagalog or say "females only".

I see lots of studios/1 bedroom listings for Sunny/Wood-side starting at around 1100 for a studio and 1200 for a 1-bedroom. I haven't looked at any of them in person, but from the pictures they look okay.

Using a broker is just an easy way to get ripped off, seriously guys. Craigslist and word of mouth haven't failed me yet.

But, when my employer is willing to reimburse the broker fee, I don't mind being ripped off. However, I can't really afford to pay rent on my own place, unless I do move to Ridgewood. I prefer to deal with the owners anyway, though. Brokers are so annoying.

I've never really seen residential Sunnyside and Woodside before, just the parts by Roosevelt and Queens Boulevard. I also walked a lot around historic Jackson Heights looking at a couple of apartments. The apartments inside were no good, but the buildings and the neighborhood was excellent--very different that what I would expect from just seeing mainly Roosevelt Ave. and Little India.

argh, didn't I tell you exactly this like a year ago! Sunnyside is one of the most pleasant neighborhoods in all of NYC.

Keep looking, the apts I saw in Jackson Heights were gorgeous and dirt cheap.

Don't use a broker. The brokers we used all got their listings from craigslist. There are a few in north side of sunnyside like the Century 21 on Skillman and NYCview or whatever which is around the corner, but just keep checking out craigslist.

The LIE and BQE both go through the area, so it could've been either.

Sunnyside on both sides of queens blvd is great and the south side, which is the less yuppie, more mexican side, is starting to see an influx of people from williamsburg/greenpoint, which it's a very short bike ride from. Jackson Heights around 37th and 39th ave is pretty ideal. Beautiful old garden co-op buildings, near the 7/F/V/E/R station, in between little India and a vibrant latin community, not to mention thai, korean, vietnamese etc etc. Not even a far walk from the woodside LIRR stop, buses to maspeth, Sripraphai etc.

argh, didn't I tell you exactly this like a year ago! Sunnyside is one of the most pleasant neighborhoods in all of NYC.

Yes, but it was six months ago, and I needed to experience it first-hand. I was just confirming.

Jackson Heights would be my ideal, but I can't afford to pay over $1,000 for a place (and the only places I see in that range on Craigslist are in Ridgewood (or basement hovels). There's the 45 bus which goes from Jackson Heights to Maspeth. Though my friend that grew up in Jackson Heights, and has a great place there now, says that lots of Park Sloper young family types are moving to Jackson Heights and buying coops.

I'm staying put. It's too hard to find another place that's as nice as this one, and I'm already here. And I'm not ready to part with my view of the ConEd plant, the East River, and the Bronx.

Does anyone want to go to see the Sterns at Union Hall on March 28?

LIC, just on the Queens side of Greenpoint Ave? I'd have to get on the bus to Brooklyn to get to a supermarket?

there's a big stretch that's pretty barren until you hit sunnyside.

I know it's all called LIC over there, but there was actually another name for that area, and spiritually, I'd say that's more a part of Sunnyside then LIC. But Lauren's right, there's a barren stretch but once you cross the LIE, you're in Sunnyside, which is one of the more pleasant neighborhoods in NYC. Are you really just on the queens side or a bit further in...the area right there is pretty bleak and I don't think anyone should live that close to the Newton Creek on either side.

even the nudie bar in that area is boarded up.

Is it true there is a strip club way out on metropolitan?

even the nudie bar in that area is boarded up.

It's only a short bus ride away to Queens Plaza, though!

Foxes was only open for like a week!

OR SO I HEAR.

The best thing is right before the LIE is the beautiful City View Inn

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/hotels_motels/hotelinfo/4094.html

unfortunately you don't get to choose your view...either beautiful NYC skyline...or New Cavalry Cemetary.

They have a shuttle to take you to Queens BLVD to get the 7 train. I can't believe tourists get suckered into staying there. The walk to the subway train itself is depressing enough to make you never want to come back to NYC.

read that description, it's hilarious. "Located just 2 miles from midtown manhattan". Proximity to Shea Stadium and US Open? Why not stay in a hotel anywhere near a subway?

i wonder how many angry, refund-demanding tourists they get.

How is Spike Hill on a Saturday night? I'm trying to decide whether to join a bday drinks thing there. Still recovering from last night's foray in Brooklyn (thank you "sick passenger" on the N line).

probably pretty busy, but they did recently expand to an adjacent space so maybe not too bad?

i mean, if you go late enough that your friends will already have a table then why not?

Why not? Because I spend entirely too much time on subways as it is.

im thinking about doing that "Ethnic Food Tour of the 7 Line" thing from the Institute of Culinary Education. Sounds yummy, but also sounds like something i could just do on my own without paying $100 or whatever..

since ive only really been to queens to go to LaGuardia airport, pick up packages from FedEx/UPS, and to Galaxie. omg i miss that place.

100$ will buy you a lot of food on the 7 line.

The city view is where Dinosaur Jr's van got broken into last year. And, IIRC, Foxes was open when I moved to the area in 2003, but closed sometime in 06 maybe? I find that whole area -- Blissville -- fascinating.

To the original question, there are supermarkets in Sunnyside (a Foodtown and an Associated on Greenpoint) and plenty of bodegas. Unfortunately, none of the bigger groceries stores were particularly good, but there were enough specialty shops that it didn't really matter.

The CVS at 41st and Queens Blvd is a good addition; that was one thing the hood was lacking.

Sigh . . . I miss sunnyside.

Sunnyside, on the northside, now has a farmer's market on saturdays. It started small last year but has apparently picked up this year, with a good fishmonger and fancy eggs.

This time I have to move for real, as roommate is not renewing the lease. The good news is that I no longer work in Maspeth. The bad news is that I now work in Jamaica. I think I still feel more comfortable in Astoria than in Sunnyside/Woodside. I like that Astoria has a slightly more bustling quality, whereas the two Sides seem more quiet to me.

I'm seeing a studio in Jackson Heights tomorrow. I've seen a couple shares in Sunnyside--one was slightly dingy and the other was nice but a bit far from the train. I would like to live near the 61st 7 stop though, so I could take straight trips to Long Beach over the summer.

I looked at places in Greenpoint today--a huge huge huge space in loft for $900 but I don't really need all that space! And the other was a jackknife apartment--no thanks. It's weird--I've gotten really attached to Astoria/Queens--a felt a sense of relief upon seeing the "Welcome to Queens" while crossing the Pulaski Bridge.

Actually, I wish I could live in Astoria during the week and Greenpoint during the weekend.

greenpoint's lovely; some of the old places have that jankity steinbeck californian paint peeling thing, still with olds living there to keep it alive. i'd like to live in jackson heights for the food and the kinda futuristic post-apocalyptic delapidated new york vibe, but greenpoint seems so dreamy in comparison.

Greenpoint seems fine if you work off the L or G, but maybe kind of a pain otherwise?

but the walk is scenic
maybe maybe not, but i figure it gains as much as it loses by not quite being on the subway. it's kinda separate.

oh, that's a definite plus. i live as far from "the action" as possible, and enjoy that i live in a neighborhood & not a loud commercial district. but i take two trains to work, and i have to give myself an hour to get there.

Not sure about the bustling quality of Astoria. For the most part, that means questionable folks taking up space on the sidewalk. Woodside is plenty bustling, the area around the 61st st stop is great. Great food, lots of people, lots of transportation options.

I'd like to live in Jackson Heights so I can be close to the F as well as the 7. Too bad the G doesn't run up here like it's supposed to.

I know: I wish the G ran to J.H. like it was supposed to also. I saw a nice studio in J.H. this morning, but I'm not sure I can bear to leave Astoria.

I looked at shares in Sunnyside by the 33rd and 40th st. stops--and it wasn't bustling at all. I agree closer to 61st it seems more lively. I haven't hung out on Skillman Avenue in S'side though--I hear that is very nice.

last exit to brooklyn i enter
carefully the queen holds my scepter
gettin numb like a derelict on scotch
i'm dick Lewis cuz baby I'm watchin you

Skillman isn't bustling, but it's a very pleasant area, and the Sunnyside Gardens to the north make for one of the more beautiful neighborhoods in NY.

Today I saw a very nice place on 42nd St., very close to the train, but the bedroom is on the first floor facing the street and my roommate said she slept with the window open all summer and never had a problem. Is Sunnyside that safe?

G train goin all the way to Prospect Park (and beyond!) this fall. Screw you B48, there's no way in hell I'm going through Bed-Stuy above ground.

don't be such a pussy burt.

no way, man. that's the land where bus drivers get stabbed. what's next - passengers??

the B48 is my fucking jam man. quickest way to get to williamsburg from here, and it's most essential for any late night in williamsburg--MUCH faster than any train.

you can take that bus - to burt land! you'll know you're getting close when your skin starts to tingle a little.

or when i start to smell pierogies no doubt.

filthy poles. i know this day is coming, the day when my ID to an Orthodox Jewish school with hebrew and shit all over it falling out of my pocket, and like, my polish landlord picking it up. Hoo boy. Yowza. Would not be good.

theyr really not gonna cut the B67 overnight?

happy 100 queensboro bridge

I'm sure this is a tired subject for long-term outer bourough people, but why is there a single subway line between brooklyn and queens...and not even a good one? is this robert moses' fault somehow?

redundancy (go to manhattan to get to queens
low ridership (though that's a self-fulfilling prophecy)
no way possible to justify the cost of digging another tunnel

everything is set up to commute from the boroughs to your Manhattan job and back again

but yes it's a pain

As was noted on apartment in NYC thread:
Jackson Heights has no bookstore
Boerum Hill has bigger and better Book Court (as was noted twice on NYRB thread)
so Brooklyn is way ahead in the bookstore category.

no way possible to justify the cost of digging another tunnel

maybe they could relate it to the yankees somehow?

929?

Ugh.
http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2010/04/14/news/top_stories/doc4bc6032854d03691840208.txt

:(