32,000 Bikers Pass Thru Queens: 5 Boro Bike Tour

May 5, 2013 / Long Island City & Astoria / Biking Queens / Queens Buzz. This Sunday some 32,000 bicyclists rode through Astoria and LIC on their way to completing a 40 mile bike ride through all five boroughs of NYC. Photographer Abdel Berrera caught up with them at the Astoria Park rest station where many took a moment to catch their breath.

Many of the cyclists come from other countries and other states. The bikers see this as a nice way to see all of New York City, not just Manhattan.

There are two 5 Boro Bike Tour rest stops: the first in Astoria Park and the second at the Con Ed rest station along the East River. Many took some time out to make adjustments to their bikes, gear and selves; and consumed a bit of food before resuming the relaxing trip and heading on to Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Click here to read a brief report and to see a photo slide show of the 5 Boro Bike Ride in Queens shot by Astoria photographer Abdel Berraha.

Analyzing & Creating Political Advertising

Museum of the Moving Image & The NYC / Queens YMCA

November 1, 2012 / Astoria / Film in Queens / Queens Buzz. I visited the Museum of the Moving Image Friday evening to observe a political advertising educational program, being offered to the YMCA’s Teens Take The City group.

Although New York has the second highest state population in the nation and is home to the second highest number of Electoral College votes; the state has not been the recipient [or shall I say victim] of a barrage of political advertising – as are not the inhabitants and voters of one of the 2012 swing states.

But, Christopher Wisniewski, the Museum of the Moving Image Deputy Director of Education, reminded me that in 2013 we will likely be inundated with a whole barrage of political ads, as the coming municipal elections include the selection of a new mayor and city council members.

In the photo above you can see one group of teens discussing the infamous ‘Daisy’ commercial broadcast by Lyndon Johnson during the 1964 presidential election. Click here to read more about the Museum of the Moving Image political advertising film workshops in Astoria Queens.

Columbus Parade Photos - Astoria

October 8, 2012 / Astoria / Ethnic Culture in Queens / Astoria / Queens Buzz. I attended the Columbus Day Parade in Astoria this weekend to watch the pageantry celebrating our Italian American heritage. The parade began congregating at 11 am in front of Kaufman Astoria Studios off 34th Avenue. The parade began at 12 noon, marching north along Steinway Street, turning west along 30th Avenue and then north again at 33rd Street up to Columbus Triangle off Astoria Blvd [near the subway stop]. Click here for our 2011 report which includes Columbus Day Parade map, date & times - as well as a brief history of the Federation of Italian Americans Organization [FIAO] in Astoria, and of Columbus' discovery of America.

At the 2012 Columbus Day Parade in Astoria, there were a number of government officials leading the parade including City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., NYS Senator Giannaris, and former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. Also marching were a number of people who were beginning their efforts to seek elective city offices in the 2013 election, when Peter Vallone Jr's third term expires.

Click here to view our photo slide show of the Columbus Day Parade in Astoria 2012, including photo slide show of Steinway Street in Astoria then and now.

Century Bike Riders Come Through Queens

TA Queens Volunteers Work Astoria Park Rest Stop

September 10, 2012 / Astoria / Sporting Activities in Queens / Queens Buzz. On Sunday it was in the 70’s and low 80’s, sunny & dry. The day couldn’t have been much better for a one hundred mile bike ride through all five NYC boroughs. And so it was as I headed down to the Century Bike Ride Queens rest stop in Astoria Park.

The Century Bike Ride was started by Transportation Alternatives in 1990, long before there were any real bike lanes in NYC. The first ride attracted about 200 riders, while the ride in 2012 attracted over 6,000 riders. Since that first ride, literally hundreds of miles of bike lanes have been mapped out in NYC; and the city plans to expand NYC bike lanes by about 50 more miles in 2013 - ten of which will be laid out in Queens. This expanding network of bike lanes is due in part to the work of volunteers of the non-profit organization Transportation Alternatives.

Click here to learn more about Transportation Alternatives Queens and the Century Bike Ride in Queens of 2012.

Astoria Park Fireworks

2012 Astoria Park Fireworks Photos & Brief Report

June 25, 2012 / Astoria / Queens Culture / Queens Buzz.. We tracked the weather on the Doppler radar screen via Queens Buzz [see weather link on right side bar of front page] throughout Monday. The radar successfully predicted that there wouldn’t be any rain Monday night by show time, which is between 9.15 and 9.30 pm.

Nonetheless, we thought the torrential showers that plagued us Monday morning and returned briefly in the early evening, would cause people to shy away from the best Independence Day fireworks display in New York City. Not so.

5 Boro Bike Ride In Queens - 5 Boro Bike Tour In Queens

Viewing Times & Locations for 5 Boro Bike Ride in Astoria LIC Queens

May 2, 2013 / Long Island City & Astoria / Bikes & biking in Queens / Queens Buzz. On Sunday, May 5th at 7.45 am the 5 Boro Bike Tour will begin at the southern tip on Manhattan just north of Battery Park.

5 Boro Bike Tour Course & Map

The bike tour is the biggest of its kind in the USA, hosting approximately 32,000 cyclists each year who travel of 40 mile route between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm on a Sunday when NYC auto traffic is diverted to accommodate the tour.

Click here for a map of the 5 Boro Bike Tour in Queens.

Flamenco Dancing In Queens

American Bolero Brings To Queens The Dance & Music Of Old Spain

March 16, 2012 / Astoria / Dance in Queens / Queens Buzz. I went to watch the American Bolero Dance Company perform Tablao Flamenco on Friday night. There were eleven performances by a panoply of dancers and musicians, who sensually revived the heart and soul of ancient Andalusia and colonial Spain.

The performances were exciting to watch. The dancers’ hard heels struck the wooden stage floor, in a staccato rhythm. And as the taps resounded in the air ... the cantadores emoted the melodies of Spain's Medieval past, filling the theater with vibrations of the spirit.

The dancers’ fast-footed movements, belied the beautiful tranquility of their lithe upper torsos and slender arms, flowingly extended up into the air, entrapping us as we watched. In the photo to your right is Gabriela Granados, dancing the flamenco in Astoria.

Click here to read the rest of our review of Tablao Flamenco – flamenco dancing in Queens.

House Rules Of The Internet Age

Astoria Realtor Goes From Finding Homes To Building Families

February 27, 2012 / Astoria / Queens Buzz. I met Kim Parshley a few years ago. Kim is a Queens resident who makes her living renting apartments and selling houses for Halvatzis Realty in Astoria. Kim has a disarming charm that fits the moniker of ‘the girl next door’ and she sees herself as a Matchmaker. In her youth she helped her friends make connections, and as an adult she matches apartment hunters to apartment owners.

In the summer of 2010, while working on another story, I met an older Astoria native with whom I became fast friends. He had a warm avuncular charm and a welcoming home that made me feel comfortable right away. Kim had also recently met this man, and like myself, she quickly took to him as if he was family.

Click here to read more about one of the new social networking websites in Queens.

Persona Performa - Ming Wong At MOMI

Museum of the Moving Image Steps Out In Astoria

January 21, 2012 / Astoria / Film in Queens / Queens Buzz. People were lined up outside of the Museum of the Moving Image [MOMI] on both Thursday and Friday nights. They were waiting to see Ming Wong’s performance art production entitled Persona Performa. The production title tidily summed up its essence – an art performance based on an Ingmar Bergman film entitled Persona, which was being performed for Performa 11, the fourth biennial visual arts festival in NYC.

Artistic director, Ming Wong, developed the piece during his residency at MOMI in 2011. He told us that the inspiration for the production came from the minimalist architecture of the museum and an Ingmar Bergman film, Persona, which is generally believed to be one of the ten best works of cinematic art.

Click here to read our report of Ming Wong Persona Performa at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

Tony Vaccaro WTC Photos In Astoria

September 30, 2011 / Astoria Neighborhood / Art Galleries In Queens / Queens Buzz. Tony Vaccaro, Life Magazine photographer, has a photography exhibit covering the birth, the life and the death of the twin towers of the World Trade Center on display at the Buzzeo Building in Astoria. I went to the opening and this is what I heard.

Tony got his start photographing the action of World War II as a young lad. His photos landed him a job at Life Magazine, providing him with opportunities to photograph famous people and places out of reach to most photographers. Tony photographed famous artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollack, as well as famous architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright and La Corbusier. His interest and work photographing people, art and architecture lead him more deeply into that world.

Click here to read the rest of our story about the exhibit and story as told by Tony Vaccaro through his photos of the twin towers of the World Trade Center covering the period from 1957 - 2001.