Astoria Rocks

My last post on the devolving real estate situation on 14th Street in Astoria got a ton of traffic. Which is great — perhaps with enough good luck (and blog links), someone in an important position will read my post, and begin to think more thoughtfully about how to keep Astoria a treasured, beautiful neighborhood. In spite of my disposition about so much of the available real estate, I think Astoria rocks.

Why do I care? Aren’t I short-timer? Yes, but before I moved to Astoria, I lived in two neighborhoods in Manhattan. Sure, they had their charms. But I was never thrilled to be home after a long workday — “home” being the sights and smells of my neighborhood. Now, though, when I get off the bus or train, I’m happy. Astoria is solidly middle-class, smart and diverse. With the best (Greek, Thai, Czech, Hungarian, Italian) food ever. And big trees. And the gem that is Socrates Sculpture Park. So if/when I move back, I want it to be the same smart, diverse and beautiful place I left.

So, here’s a shout-out thank you to the Queens Crap blog, which gave me a shout-out earlier this week, leading to my post getting picked up in several more blogs.

And I’ll keep the photo shows coming. I think it’s the photos of the crappy buildings that perhaps evoke the most thought.