SNCastor

Queens is a conglomerate of so many different ethnic groups and cultures - halal meat on one corner, empanadas and pupusas on the next, with an Italian bakery in the middle of the block. Catholic churches abound, though one has lost its church school in the last couple of years because of a shortage of kids interested in going there. On one end of Queens is La Guardia Airport; and on the other end is Kennedy Airport. Traffic can start gathering very early in the morning and just not quit all day. Nice weather brings road constructions on the many bridges and this affects the traffic as well. Just when you think you've figured out a "back way" to where you're going, construction crews come in and start setting out cones.

Always something going on, plenty of little places to check out, lots of good places to eat family style. Though transected by Grand Central Parkway, the different ethnic groups hold the neighborhoods that make up Queens together. There is nothing like the view from Astoria Park towards Manhattan, and the rents are only 1/2 to 1/3 (or less) than anything you would pay "in town." In the same way it takes a special type of person to live in Manhattan (i.e., "I'm just not a bridge and tunnel person"), Queens has so many types of all kinds of people.

31st Street in Queens/Astoria is a study in differences. In every block you find something different - from the food offered in the restaurants to what is sold in the little sole proprietorship shops. Need an umbrella? The Chinese-run shop has five different neon colors for sale. What about some pan dulce? Great, there's a panaderia here too.

Want to bet on the races without going to the track? Try the OTB there next to the post office.

Oh and then there's the post office. That's the ugly. Bullet proof glass, tired postal workers, long lines and missed communications. So do your postal business at work and save your walk long 31st Street for getting some treat to eat. Something new!

80th Street in the East Elmhurst section of Queens can be very difficult to get to, because of all the one-way streets. You have to be headed in the right direction to be able to travel to the part of 80th Street that you want - this side, or that side of Ditmars? And don't get caught on the wrong side of Grand Central Parkway - you may end up trapped in the turnarounds at La Guardia.

Eventually, however, you make your way out of the airport, find Ditmars Boulevard, and follow the limos around to where you can turn onto the street you want. This is a quiet neighborhood - you wouldn't think it would be, since it's so close to the airport - but it is. Many of the duplexes and triplexes are owned by the families living in them, with common play areas available and on many weekends the barbecues are fired up by noon.

Yes, Hazen Street leads you to the entrance to Rikers Island (on 19th Avenue - I've written another review about that). Come just a few blocks away from that infamous entrance, however, and you'll be at what I have come to regard as my "mystery spot in Queens."

On one side of Hazen Street is 49th Street. It is followed by 48th, 47th, 46th and so on. However, just the other side of Hazen Street is 72ND STREET, followed by 73rd, 74th and so on. How does this happen? Actually the first time I saw it (I was just wandering the neighborhood) I though neighborhood kids had done something with the signs. As I continued to walk, however, I realized they couldn't have changed ALL the signs.

So I've come to accept it as the anomaly that it seems to be. It's Queens, and anything can happen here. And probably does.

Steinway Street bisects some major streets in Queens - Astoria Boulevard and Ditmars Boulevard among them. This is a neighborhood of constant change. Some folks refer to parts of Steinway Street as "little Egypt" with all the associated stores and restaurants; but there are also tapas restaurants, Latino "mexicatessans" and just when you think you've seen all there is to see from an ethnic standpoint, here's another Catholic church and rectory, and oh, there's a synagogue!

The street rates very highly with many living here as well as those visiting, evolving into a "destination" for some folks to visit new restaurants just established in Queens. A visit today doesn't mean you've seen all there is to see, because it will be different six months from now. Change is good!

Grand Central Parkway sounds like, well, it sounds like a tree lined PARK way, right? Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be this major freaking FREEWAY that runs right through Queens! And don't even think for a NY minute that you'll be able to figure out which side of GCP you need to be on, to get where you're going in Queens. The first two times I traveled on Grand Central Parkway, I had to call ahead and have someone "talk me in" to where I was going.

Though you can see multiple businesses FROM Grand Central Parkway, there are no businesses really situated on it (it being a freeway and all). However, at certain parts of the GCP there is a service road that runs alongside, and you can access some businesses that way. We like a couple of diners along GCP that fall into that category - but those are other reviews to be written.

My end of 19th Avenue is the end nearest La Guardia Airport. My daughter refers to the area as "one of the safest in the entire city of New York." Why? Because La Guardia has all those Homeland Security types hanging about, protecting us from terrorists both foreign and domestic, right?

Well, just a short walk from La Guardia, on 19th Avenue off of Ditmars, is the entrance to Rikers Island. Yes, THE Rikers Island you hear about on all those Law and Order shows. So how many police officers do you think have to come into the neighborhood on any given day? No wonder we feel safe!

The neighborhood is quiet and the people are friendly. After all, it's easier to get a cop here than almost anywhere else!

The absolute best thing about Shore Boulevard is Astoria Park. Of course, Astoria Park is one of the best things about living in Queens! Though it can be extremely crowded on almost any nice day in the spring or summer, you just can't beat hanging out here, next to the water, with all the conveniences of having your neighborhood right next door. People are ethnically diverse (and seem to get more so every year) and for the most part are friendly.

Along Shore Boulevard you are on the East River. Just to the south of where you are, the East River meets up with the Harlem River, and they float past Manhattan. It's so close to all that "civilization" but it's far enough away that you don't have to get caught up in it.

Ditmars Blvd has multiple personalities, ranging from totally-retail at one end - lots of small shops, a big box store or two, meat shops, post offices and phone card stores; to the other end, near La Guardia Airport, lined with long limousines awaiting passenger arrivals. In between are a number of hotels - many of them big-name chains like Marriott, Marriott Courtyard and Clarion.

Ditmars runs through a number of truly residential areas, with duplexes and triplexes abounding, anchored at either end of some blocks with a tiny local grocery store. It can be confusing to travel along Ditmars because of the weird manner in which the streets are numbered, but once you get the logic down - or the lack of logic - all is good.

Crescent Street has it all, if you're looking for basic services in a neighborhood. Small grocery stores, a couple of thrift/vintage shops, laundromats - and if you're on Crescent near Mt. Sinai, there's a florist with $5 and $10 bouquets for you to take across the street to the hospital.

At the corner of Crescent and 30th Avenue is the Crescent Corner Coffee Shop - a nice, neighborly place to have coffee. They have free delivery!

Newtown Avenue is not a very long street, but it gives access to an important part of Queens. Just one long block from Newtown Avenue is Mt. Sinai Hospital - no, not the one in Manhattan - it's the Mt. Sinai Hospital of Queens. Because the neighborhood is so well established (read: old) parking is always a challenge, particularly since this area is within walking district of the train to Manhattan.

Mt. Carmel Church guards one end of Newtown Avenue - an old established Catholic parish that still has Mass at noon on weekdays.

Eureka Valley goes 'way back "in the day" - long an Irish Catholic enclave, Eureka Valley has always been a place for families. Neighborhood bars, small mom-and-pop grocery stores, churches every five blocks, a funeral home - the neighborhood has everything for a family from birth through school, work, retirement and death. Over the years, of course, the neighborhood makeup has changed; but the basic "family" vibe has remained the same. Family composition may be different now - gay couples, lesbian couples, blended families or traditional families - everyone lives here. Good transportation with several buslines, a streetcar line that goes downtown, health and fitness clubs - you don't need to go anywhere else, just hang out in the neighborhood. Even Starbucks has moved in on 24th Street! Much of the fog that attempts to move in from the ocean beaches gets stopped by the hills of Twin Peaks and Diamond Heights, leaving sunshine in Eureka Valley and southeast San Francisco. A great place to raise a family, enjoying the convenience of being in The City without sacrificing a feeling of "home!"

When my daughter and I moved to 45th Avenue South in the late 70s, we were surrounded by long-established families in homes that had been occupied by those families for generations. Since then my family has watched the neighborhood change as the old families moved out and the houses have turned over two or three times. Still, the neighborhood retains its youth as a result of Whitworth Elementary School being allowed to remain open in the midst of all the school closings. As long as we have kids moving through each day, I'm confident the neighborhood will stay young!

Beacon Avenue South runs along the crest of Beacon Hill, beginning at what the old timers refer to as "the old Marine Hospital" and traveling the length of Beacon Hill until it ties in with what will be the Rainier Beach station of the new Sound Transit light rail. Housing along Beacon Avenue varies from long-established family homes to apartment buildings and new condominiums. There are a couple of well defined business areas as well as a few spots that used to be commercial but have faded over the years. The Seattle Veterans Administration Hospital and Medical Center on Beacon Avenue has expanded and now is a major employer in the neighborhood.

No.... but if you follow Renton Avenue south far enough, you'll get to Renton! Renton Avenue South starts out in a solid residential area in southeast Seattle, traveling south through the Rainier Valley and Rainier Beach neighborhoods and on into Renton. Locals know if the freeway northbound is jammed on a rainy Monday morning, you can sneak over to Renton Avenue South and use the surface streets to avoid traffic, then re-enter the freeway farther north. Or you can sit on the freeway and wait for the traffic to clear!

South Orcas Street has many different personalities as it winds its way across Beacon Hill east to Lake Washington. It is in an industrial at one end, from East Marginal Way through the north edge of Georgetown and up to Beacon Hill. Then it becomes residential, peppered with houses dating back to the 40s and 50s when workers at Boeing needed places to live. Finally, South Orcas heads to Lake Washington, as it provides the gateway to Seward Park. Along the way are small businesses, churches and schools - a great taste of Seattle life.

...leads you down the side of the hill to Lake Washington. Lake Dell only exists for a few blocks, but the magnificent views of Lake Washington that peek through on your ride down the hill make it worth the trip. Somehow those buses manage to snake their way down that hill - how that does happen? Anchored at the top of the hill by Leschi Elementary School, Lake Dell takes you down to the lake where you can enjoy fish and chips during the summer, or coffee at Starbucks anytime!

While 15th Avenue East is the "main line" of Capitol Hill, 14th Avenue East provides a tree lined residential area of large homes and small apartment buildings and condos. Safeway is an anchor at 14th/15th and John Streets, but my favorite place in the neighborhood is Remedy Teas between 14th and 15th on E Republican. Here you can kick back and drink TEA - a veritable tea oasis in a city of coffee-on-every-corner. Remedy has over 100 different teas to choose from, and they offer small pastries, cookies and savories to enjoy.

East Boston Street on Capitol Hill has one of the most beautful views of the city, overlooking the Montlake Cut and leading to Lake Washington, near the University of Washington. The drive from Capitol Hill north on 15th Avenue East leads you to East Boston Street and you meander down the hill to Eastlake. If you are walking or jogging, you might take a break at the little viewpoint on 15th just south of Boston Street, taking in the view.

South Alaska Street has been improved over the last couple of years as Sound Transit completes the light rail station that will serve the Columbia City neighborhood. Now we will be able to ride all the way to SeaTac airport, or to downtown Seattle, without having to have a car! This street has seen the demolition of an old housing project and the subsequent development of the "new" Rainier Vista - a mix of single family homes, town homes and future retail spaces. The area will continue to develop for a few more years to come.

South McClellan Street offers a gorgeous walk from the shore of Lake Washington south of the Interstate 90 floating bridge, skirting along the south edge of Mount Baker Park. For several years there has been a little coffee place on McClellan where you can stop and have coffee and a treat before heading back down to the lake to continue your walk or jog. Wander around and take a look at the old, beautiful houses on this part of Mount Baker - with killer views of the water!

Rainier Avenue South runs southeast through the city of Seattle, and on a clear sunny day you can see Mt. Rainier, for which the street is named, as you travel southward toward Renton. Rainier Avenue demonstrates much of the diversity found in Seattle, beginning with the Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants of the International District and flowing through Mount Baker, Columbia City, Hillman City and farther south to Rainier Beach. All along Rainier Avenue you find small businesses of all types - mom and pop groceries, small pho and teriyaki restaurants, and mainstream grocery stores like Safeway and QFC. It's a real slice of Seattle life.

Once Van Ness crosses the line at Market/Mission Streets, it becomes SOUTH
Van Ness - and takes on a whole new persona. While Van Ness is a major arterial through San Francisco (and just about the only way to get from the Golden Gate to the rest of Highway 101), South Van Ness runs through the residential area of the Mission District until it ends at Cesar Chavez (still known to old-timers as "Army Street"). South Van Ness holds the reputation of having two gas stations with the least expensive gas in the city - at 16th and 17th Streets. There aren't a lot of traffic lights on South Van Ness - but there are a number of four-way stops. Take your time and check out the houses!

Just two blocks over from The Embarcadero, Spear Street runs only from Market Street to Bryant. Mostly fronted with concrete structures (office buildings, parking garages, etc.), Spear Street does have the mandatory Starbucks-on-the-corner at Howard. A couple of years ago Walgreens opened a store at Mission and Spear, bringing sorely needed legal pharmaceuticals to the neighborhood. To think, forty years ago this was a TERRIBLE neighborhood - now you can't buy a place to live for less than $400K!

Santa Rita Road from Interstate 580 leads you directly into downtown Pleasanton. Along the way are small restaurants (teriyaki/Japanese, etc.), grocery store-type small malls and a couple of major (and VERY pretty) city/regional parks. Santa Rita is a major thoroughfare in Pleasanton with lots of traffic - but you're in the suburbs, for Pete's sake! Everyone is nice here! On the other side of I-580 Santa Rita Road becomes Camino Tassajara - so stay on the Pleasanton side, you'll find plenty to enjoy.

West Las Positas Boulevard has a split personality. On one end it is suburban-ly residential, complete with school crossing guards at the elementary school who stop passing cars to let the kids cross. The other end of WLP is mostly strip-mall-industrial, with many minor employers, a couple of major employers and the mandatory health and fitness club. A great street for a bicycle ride, flat and mostly straight, with lots of room for cars and bicycles to cohabit together.

The Excelsior District is one of continuing diversity - from 'way back in the 50s and 60s until now. Streets are named for international cities: London, Paris, Madrid, Edinburgh, Naples, Vienna. Others are named for countries: Persia, Brazil, France, Italy, Russia. Edinburgh Street is about halfway up the hill from Mission Street. It is quiet, with large and small homes, with a good mix of folks who have been here for years along with families just starting out. We've lost the little mom-and-pop groceries that used to exist up here on the hill, but we still have a neighborhood busline that will bring you up from Mission.

Cranwood Court is almost a stereotype of what you think of when you say "suburbs." Little diversity, lots of sunshine, kids on bikes all on a street that deadends into a cul de sac. Why is everyone so blonde here?? Quiet at night, East Bay HOT during the long summer days, and almost far enough out that on a clear, starry night you can count the stars.....

Quesada at 3rd Street is along the "new" version of 3rd Street, thanks to the opening of the Muni light rail along 3rd. Installation of the light rail has significantly improved access to downtown San Francisco for all of us Bayview residents. Now it's possible to take BART to San Francisco from the East Bay, transfer to the light rail on King Street and then ride all the way to the 49ers games! Quesada is one of the "alphabet" residential streets (they run in alphabetical order - Palou, Quesada, Revere, etc.) that intersect 3rd Street in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in The City.

For a street that's only perhaps five blocks long (from Market Street to Bryant Street), Main Street runs the gamut for street ambience. It even changes its personality from daytime to evening. On the Market/Mission Street end, there's the Federal Reserve Bank - complete with terrorist-deterrent concrete blocks and 24-hour guards. On the other end, you're just a half block from the killer views of The Embarcadero. At night walking along Main Street can be a bit dice-y - what appears to be a pile of loose newspapers could have someone sleeping beneath them. But you can't beat parking along Main Street and then walking to a baseball game in June. The parking's a lot cheaper than the spaces closer to the ballpark, and you can enjoy The Embarcadero on your way.

Jerrold Avenue is home to the San Francisco Produce Market. Virtually all fruits and vegetables sold in The City - even those purporting to be organic - come through the SF Produce Market. Beginning at midnight or 1:00 AM, huge trucks rumble down Jerrold Avenue toward the Produce Market, ready to offload pallet after pallet of boxes of lettuce, apples, carrots - you name it. Later in the morning, smaller trucks from the purveyors who deliver to San Francisco restaurants, markets and delis will roll in for their loads. BE CAREFUL DRIVING DOWN JERROLD IN THE MORNINGS - the truck drivers have the right of way!

Gardenside Drive, just below the crest of Twin Peaks, has some of the most awesome views of The City! Some folks get cranky when the fog rolls in - it feels like a soppy, wet, misty blanket doing its best to make your hair curl. But when the sun is out, and The City is laid out at the bottom of the hills in all its glory - nothing beats having a cup of coffee outside on the deck. Gardenside is only 1/2 block from the end of the Corbett bus line, giving you easy access to the world "down the hill" - if that's where you want to go. Otherwise, kick back and enjoy the view!

24th Street, from one end to the other, is a microcosm of so much that San Francisco has to offer. From Twin Peaks to Potrero, you can find anything from adult novelties in the Castro to handmade tortillas at La Palma "Mexicatessan." Moms with strollers crowd the sidewalk outside Starbucks at 24th and Noe, while moms crowd into El Pollo Supremo at 24th and Folsom. I love 24th Street!