Jackson Heights 3 AM

Third Of A Trilogy About Jackson Heights

January 18, 2012 / Jackson Heights / Performing Arts in Jackson Heights / Queens Buzz. I just returned from previewing Jackson Heights 3 AM. It’s the third of a trilogy put together under the direction of Ari Kreith of Theatre 167 about the Jackson Heights neighborhood. The play is as mixed as the neighborhood, combining comedy, tragedy and romance to portray the late-night life in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Jackson Heights.

The cast of actors and actresses did a great job of caricaturing a wide swath of late night personas, as they drew us into the post midnight hours along Roosevelt Avenue; journeying into some of the drama and humor that might generally accompany a late night voyage into NYC urbanity in northwestern Queens.

Click here to read our review of Jackson Heights 3 AM by Theatre 167.

Queens Census 2010

For Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Flushing & Woodside

October 25, 2011 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Real Estate in Jackson Heights / Queens Buzz. I just returned from a fascinating look into the Census data for Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, Flushing and Woodside.

Fascinating? Yes, fascinating. Fascinating because there have been significant demographic shifts in these neighborhoods over the past decade. And because Steven A. Romalewski, Director of CUNY Mapping Services, gave us a demographic map presentation, the likes of which I’d never seen before. Arturo-Ignacio Sanchez of Community Board Three added quite a bit of qualitative flavor to the presentation, reminding me of some of my best college professors [because he was knowledgeable and enthusiastic]. Danny Dromm, the NYC City Councilmember of Jackson Heights was the sponsor of this presentation.

But I digress. Click here to view our report on the 2010 Queens census [with exclusive emphasis on Jackson Heights / Corona / Elmhurst & adjacent neighborhoods], including slide show with many of Steven Romalewski’s slides and a link to an interactive mapping site.

Landlord / Tenant Rights In Queens & NYC

An Introduction Into the Legal Framework Governing Landlords' and Renters' Rights

September 23, 2011 / Elmhurst Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. I attended a seminar on Renters' Rights sponsored by City Councilman Daniel Dromm. The panel was intended to provide tenants and landlords with an awareness of their rights and guidance to the proper city agency in order to obtain resolution of one's grievance(s). One statement I'll make upfront, is that comprehending the statutes and determining who has jurisdiction with respect to a grievance, isn't simple. Hence in the report that follows, we will try to provide some insight into the process, but recommend that you contact the city using the 311 telephone number to initiate any claim or to seek reference in defending against a claim.

Click here to read our report about rights of landlords and renters in Queens. This report to be posted Columbus Day Weekend.

iVote In Jackson Heights

Legal Residency, Citizenship & Voting Rights In Queens

August 20, 2011 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. I attended the iVote Festival in Jackson Heights on Saturday to see what it was all about. The event was sponsored in part by the Humanist Party, which wants to restore “an old practice” of allowing legal residents the right to vote in municipal elections where they work, live and pay taxes. According to sources at this event, there are currently 1.3 million legal residents in New York City who don't have any voting rights in NYC.

We were told that by some estimates, 60% of Jackson Heights residents are legal residents who have no representation in local government. Apparently obtaining U.S. Citizenship is far more difficult that just passing a test. Click here to read more about legal residency, citizenship and voting rights in Queens which were discussed at the iVote Festival in Jackson Heights neighborhood.

LGBT Parade In Jackson Heights

Report & Photos Of LGBT Parade 2011

June 5, 2011 / Jackson Heights / Ethnic Culture / Queens Buzz. I went to photograph the LGBT Parade in Jackson Heights Sunday morning. The parade started at noon along 37th Avenue around 88th Street. It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the 70’s and a gentle breeze blowing through.

The streets were packed. There were easily thousands in attendance. And it was the one of the longest parades I’ve seen in Queens this year, lasting well in excess of an hour and a half.

Click here to view photos of the LGBT Parade in Jackson Heights and to read more about it.

theatre 167 in jackson heights

You Are Now The Owner Of This Suitcase

March 14, 2011 / Jackson Heights / Dance & Theater / Queens Buzz. I was able to preview the new play, You Are Now The Owner Of This Suitcase, now in progress at 167 theatre in Jackson Heights. It's an original work written by about seven people. The producer came up with the approach to collecting material for the play, and then in collaboration with a dramaturg, worked with the group to shape it.

The story revolves around a young woman from Ecuador who decides to visit her grandmother in Jackson Heights to see if she would like to live here. She meets an American on the plane [see photo] and before they depart, their suitcases get switched. We follow both of them into the magical world of Jackson Heights, watching their encounters with the Indian / Bengali phone salesman, the Chinese or Korean dry cleaner ...

Click here to read our report about You Are Now The Owner Of This Suitcase by theatre 167, including a photo slide show of the play which runs last three weekends in March 2011 at PS 69 in Jackson Heights.

Mardi Gras Sweeps Jackson Heights

Will There Be Mardi Gras Parade For Jackson Heights?

March 7, 2011 / Jackson Heights / Queens Buzz. On Saturday night, the weekend before the Catholic celebration of Ash Wednesday, Jackson Heights celebrated Mardi Gras.

We attended our first real Mardi Gras celebration in Queens, which included sampling the bayou gumbo, real muffalattos, kings cake and Louisianna style hurricanes [a powerful drink that packs a punch].

Following a gathering of the krewe, we took to the streets wearing masks and carrying beads, off to wish our neighbors well. The photo to your left is of the krewe heading down 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights on Saturday night.

Click here to view the rest of our report about the Mardi Gras in Jackson Heights, including photos and slide show.

Traffic Makeover - Jackson Heights

DOT Finds Inexpensive Fixes To Congestion

February 22, 2011 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. The Department of Transportation unveiled a traffic study, complete with proposed solutions, that look to ease some of the traffic congestion in Jackson Heights. The study area roughly includes the areas from Roosevelt Ave to Northern Blvd and from 72nd Street to 84th Street.

The plan includes changing traffic flows, modifying a couple of bus routes, specifically allocating spots and times for freight parking, reallocating parking spaces and adjusting meter rates in high demand / low availability parking locations. All in all it looked like a workable plan which incorporated a significant amount of input from the community, including this past go 'round wherein they presented the plan to the community for final feedback before implementing it.

Click here to read more about the Department of Transportation DOT traffic plan for Jackson Heights.

Sonnet Man Romances Jackson Heights

Jackson Repertory Theatre At PS 69

February 16, 2011 / Jackson Heights / Queens Buzz. I attended a musical performance featuring The Sonnet Man in Jackson Heights. The Sonnet Man is the brainchild of Arje Shaw, a playwright, who decided to set sonnets to hip hop music as a means of introducing classical literature to high school students.

Devon Glover is the lead vocalist, who began performing for the Hip-Hop company, Flocabulary, in 2008. Flocabulary is a program that teaches students various subjects in tandem with music. So there was, as Devon warned us, some 'edutation' involved in the performance. Edutation is a combination of education and agitation, which was combined with modern fusion music which was very good .... Shawna Nichol, Devon Glover and Melissa Guttman are shown performing at PS 69 on February 12th.

Click here to read more about The Sonnet Man performance presented by the Jackson Repertory Theatre and the Jones Street Productions.

Costa Rican Exporters Visit Queens

Queens Chamber Of Commerce Sponsors Event

July 7, 2011 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Queens Business / Queens Buzz. I attended a reception for a number of Costa Rican exporters given by the Queens Chamber of Commerce at the Bulova Corporate Center in Jackson Heights. I met with a number of them to find out what goods and services they were seeking to export to America and in the process learned a bit more than I expected about our prosperous Latin American neighbor which has become a mix of old and new over the past last half century.

Costa Rica is located in Central America and the nation has access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Historically Costa Rica had been an agrarian based economy, growing coffee and tobacco for export. In the last few decades, Costa Rica has become a tech center for companies like Intel and some biotech companies.

Click here to read other newsbriefs for Jackson Heights Queens.