Friday, February 29, 2008

The Weekender

Sorry about last weekend folks. I caught whatever it is that has been goin around the office, Ugh. But we have the light at the end of the tunnel, tomorrow is March! Whoo hoo! We spring forward soon, so that means more time for Astorian adventures.

Let's get underway...

Saturday Candy Plum is having a sale 1-4pm featuring Local Astorian Artists Christiane Haber and Maria from Buyme Designs who will be showcasing their entire collections at Candy Plum. Treats and beverages for all who stop by. I haven't popped in in quite a bit. If there isn't too much white on the ground I may pop by to see how their trending (that's the jewelry designer working at a fashion company speaking, ha!).

Also Saturday Waltz Astoria has got two sets grooving, first up is a pianist followed by a jazz duo.

Pub Quiz is back at the Rover (38th st @ 28th ave) but you'll have to take down the reigning smarty pants which happens to be my team, ha! (seriously, we won last week). Fun starts at 8 but get there early to get a spot and register your team.

Sunday Night Cinema at Hell Gate Social's got Rounders:

This bleak drama follows the downward spiral of law student Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), who has a penchant for high-stakes gambling. He befriends and "befoes" the usual suspects: a fellow gambling addict named Worm (Edward Norton) and club owner Teddy KGB (John Malkovich). When Worm and Mike have only five days to come up with $15K, tensions run high. Movie starts @ 8:30pm.

Sunday is also the last day to see the Emerging Artists Fellowship Exhibit at Socrates Sculpture Park and Lost Landscapes at Art-o-Mat.

And for those of you who can't wait for St. Patrick's Day to come (17 days to go) it always comes early in Queens. Our neighbors to the South, Woodside and Sunnyside are hosts to the annual St. Pat's for All Parade. Staring at 2pm from 43rd and Skillman, the parade makes it's way down Skillman, winding over to Woodside Ave in the 50's and finally ending with a small fair at Woodside Ave and 61st. The Queens Red Cross will be handing out Hot Cocoa. If you are unfamiliar with the parade it was started in response to the denial of gay and lebians groups marching in the main 5th ave parade. It's annual theme is "cherishing all the children of the nation equally". Taken from the proclamation of Easter 1916, it is as meaningful today, 92 years after it was written. Here are some photos from when I watched last year from 48th and Skillman. I may check out the Woodside end this year.



St Pats for All 13




St Pats for All 6




St Pats for All 18

Make it a great one!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The Non Valentine's Weekender

Aahhh, the annual corporate sponsored holiday of depression, frustration and regret. Together or single I think everyone is too stressed out ever have a good day. You're either frustrated and depressed because you're single or you're in a relationship and frustrated and depressed in whatever you did or didn't do with your significant other. You can't win. I really don't like this day. You don't need one day a year to pull out all the stops for love; there are 364 (365 this year) days a year you can do it on your own. You don't need Hallmark, Godiva and FTD telling you how and what to do. But if you do find yourselves wanting to indulge in the day, our friends at Joey in Astoria have listed all the places I would recommend.

Friday Hell Gate Social brings us Valentines Day Lovefest - With a Burlesque performance, DJ, prizes for couples kissing and sexy singles contests! 9pm

The soon to be homeless Flux Factory is having a fund raising Make Out Party at 9! And it seems to be a burlesque night in the hood with there being a Burlesque performance at 10. Cover $5/ sliding scale and proceeds goes towards finding a new home.

Saturday Waltz hosts The Trapezoids at 9.

Make it a GREAT one!

Friday, February 08, 2008

The Weekender

It's a quiet weekend in the neighborhood.

First up, some neighborhood scuttlebutt....
The old Blockbuster space on 34th Ave and Steinway is becoming yet another Rite Aide!! I always found then to be inferior to Eckerd, and once Rite Aide bought them out we are surrounded by them. You would think they would divest some stores, like in Sunnyside, where coincidentally there was a Rite Aide and an Eckerd operating side by side, now there are two Rite Aides side by side. Opening here would mean one on each corner of a stretch of street. Stop the maddness! Turns out, the one on Broadway and Steinway will be closing. I've always particularly hated that location. It's cramped and dirty and dark and all together not a pleasant shopping experience at all. Hopefully this new location will be the total opposite and a chance to revitalize that strech. It's quite depressing over there.

Also, the construction over on 34th ave stretching from 45th to 46th streets is plugging along. Looks like they've got space for signs up but it looks pretty tacky. It looks as if they are going to divvy they spaces up evenly into shop space. Since it's really close to where I live I'm really hoping for three things. A laundromat(strictly speaking from being lazy), a good deli type shop and most especially a Waltz-Astoria-esque bar/coffee shop/performace space that respects it's neighbors. One can dream.

Tonight at 7:30 the Museum of the Moving Image presents the Best of 'Stash" 2007.
The monthly DVD magazine Stash is a showcase of animation, visual effects, and motion graphics. This popular annual roundup will include screenings of short works and presentations by two innovative moving image production studios.
The John Ford retrospective also continues this weekend.

Saturday at 9pm Waltz Astoria hosts "the ultra smooth poetry/jazz ensemble" Anonymous 7.
Sunday, Hell Gate Social serves up showing of the independent film Ultimate Curse at 8pm.
14 characters will enter the cursed New Jersey Pine Barrens, but few will come out alive. Ultimate Curse is the story of an evil force that makes friends mutilate friends, and lovers eat the very flesh of their loved ones. Ultimate Curse is a 93 minute movie that makes a great addition to any horror fan's horror collection, thanks to its graphic nature and unique visual styling.

There are still lots of great local art exhibits I posted about a couple of weeks ago.
Or you can stay in with some Netflix and hide from the possible snowy weather.
Make it a great one!