Monday, October 29, 2007

Chowhound reports Shangri-La has arrived in JaxHts

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'SuddenWorld' reports on the 18th Annual Children's Halloween Parade in JH

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Saturday, October 27, 2007

Marching Bands get ready for upcoming Children's Halloween Parade

By Kimberly Thorpe
Freelance Writer and Columbia Journalism Graduate Student


Ken Hughes raises a conductor's baton above the heads of several rows of eight and nine-year-old elementary students in music class. The students ready with trombones, clarinets, drums and flutes balanced on their arms and between their legs. Before the teacher brings down the wand to signal starting-time, he reminds the students to play the music this time by heart.

"Let's try Minute Man March … without looking," says Hughes, who has taught music for 15 years at PS 69 in Jackson Heights, Queens.

The challenge does not bring a single gripe from the assembled fourth and fifth graders staying already over half an hour after school has let out. Instead, several "Yes's" bounce around the room, before the students wet their lips one last time and put them to their instruments.

The students are getting ready to play as a marching band in the 18th annual Jackson Heights Children Halloween Parade, the second largest Halloween parade in New York. In addition to the participation from elementary students at PS 69, middle schoolers from IS 230 and IS 145 will also join the parade as marching bands.

The parade itself, although always popular because of its focus on children and families, has been more heavily attended since the local schools began participating in the parade four years ago, according to parade organizers. This is partly because the parade now has a musical soundtrack.

"With the bands coming aboard, it has really expanded the interest in the parade," said Ed Westley, who helps command the fundraising efforts for the parade. "We feel [their participation] has increased spectators along the avenue. It jazzes up the parade."

Also, all the participating students are turning out more cheering parents and family members.

"For the kids it's very exciting," said Marge Benini, also a music teacher at PS 69, and who led students in last year's parade. "I don't think they've ever been in a parade before. There are all these people yelling and waving as you're walking through. It's a big morale booster for them."

The parade is organized by the nonprofit community organization Jackson Heights Beautification Group. It is one of the only daytime Halloween events in the city, and is attractive for families in comparison to the boisterous evening parade in Greenwich Village. Community leaders, local officials, and Mayor Bloomberg are scheduled to walk in the parade.

Although marching in a band is exciting for the students, it is also tiring for 8 and 9-year-olds to stand on their feet for one and a half hours.

Joseph Ponce, a student at PS 69 who marched in the parade last year, initially recalled that marching last year was exciting. Although, when pressed, he admitted it was hard work, too.

"It was tiring because you had to walk a lot and because we had to play a lot of songs over and over again," said Ponce, 9.

According to Westley, a co chair of the committee that fundraises for the parade, $100 will be given to each of the participating bands, in a gesture to keep the bands going in the future.

"We are proud the parade is all local involvement," said Westley.

The 18th Annual Children's Halloween Parade will take place along 37th Avenue from 89th to 77th streets in Jackson Heights, Queens, from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.


[where: 37th Avenue from 89th to 77th streets, Jackson Heights, Queens, 11372]
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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Artist Talk "Good Luck in New York" Friday at Y Gallery

Friday October 26th at 7pm for the Artist Talk "Good Luck in New York" as part of the exhibition:"Making Good Luck".

Curator Cecilia Jurado, artists from the show and special guest Dulce Pinzon will talk about their experiences and point of views related to "good luck".

This event is associated and supported by the Queens Council on the Arts through Project Diversity Queens.


Y Gallery.
www.ygallerynewyork.com
32-70 85th St corner of Northern Boulevard
7 train to 82nd Street



MAKING GOOD LUCK
A Group Exhibition
Curated by Larry Litt and Cecilia Jurado
Essay by Eleanor Heartney

October 12th to November 17th, 2007

Y Gallery is pleased to present “Making Good Luck” a group exhibition inspired by a multicultural dream project. International artists explore the various notions of entering the “crap shoot” in the always changing contemporary cultural scene that is New York City.

The question is: where do artists get their ‘art world dice?’ This show explores the cunning ways artists imagine their chances in the randomness of the big city when they need to create their own good luck.
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New York Press 2007 Best of Eats & Drinks picks two from Jackson Heights

From the New York Press "Best of Everything 2007" issue

BEST BAR TO BUY $3 CORONAS & A RUMBA
El Flamingo

85-12 Roosevelt Ave. (betw. 85th & 86th Sts.), Jackson Heights, Queens
718-606-1633
When we’re forlorn, we hop the rattling 7 train to Jackson Heights and assuage our loneliness with $3 Coronas, ear-splitting salsa music and a twirl with a sexy ballerina or two. At this fog-shrouded, disco-ball Mexican club, a dozen ladies linger around in lingerie and heels, ready to salsa or rumba—with you and your pocketbook. An hour of chaste hip-shaking (no beneath-the-belt extracurriculars) costs about $40. We recommend shelling out for a single dance, then self-medicating with lime-topped Coronas until your little black cloud breaks.

BEST FROZEN SAMOSAS OUTSIDE OF BOMBAY
Patel Bros.

3727 74th St., Jackson Heights, Queens
718-898-3445
Sometimes Lean Pockets just don’t cut it in terms of fast, easy frozen food, and that’s where a trip to Patel Brothers comes in. The key to this chain Indian grocery store is bulk. It’s where you go to stock up on value packs of spices and frozen Indian dinners. The extensive freezer section boasts a fine array of Indian meals, including saag paneer, lentils, chicken tikka, tandoori chicken and more. There are also huge bags of frozen samosas—which is the ultimate snack in times of need.


[where: El Flamingo, 85-12 Roosevelt Ave. (betw. 85th & 86th Sts.), Jackson Heights, Queens]
[where: Patel Bros., 3727 74th St., Jackson Heights, Queens]
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

JHTM (Jackson Heights: The Musical)

by Havovi Cooper
Havovi Cooper, originally from Pakistan, is a 25 year-old Graduate Student of Journalism at Columbia University. Her focus is broadcast journalism but here is a print story (about 'Jackson Heights: The Musical') she filed for her 'beat area,' Jackson Heights.

Carol from Cleveland moved to New York City and decided to settle down in Jackson Heights because she could not afford the sky-rocketing rents in Manhattan. But Carol did not feel at home in Jackson Heights. She was often overwhelmed by the diversity of the area. It was hard for her to believe how the news stand around the corner of 37th Avenue sold newspapers from all over the world but not from her hometown of Ohio. And just as she began to wonder why she had left good old Ohio, Mr. Jackson Heights jumped to her rescue. He offered to be her tour-guide showing her the many attractions of Jackson Heights and its vibrant community.

This is not a real life story but it could very well be; this is Jackson Heights: The musical, an off-off Broadway production, now playing for a week, at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center. The musical aims at showcasing the history, diversity and the warmth of the community of Jackson Heights.

Mr. Jackson Heights who in real life lives in Astoria, is played by Ricardo Perez Gonzalez, a former theater student at New York University. Carol, the leading lady is played by 33-year- old Bieje Chapman. Chapman moved from Kentucky in the south, to Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. She said this musical speaks to some of her experiences in adjusting to life in New York City.

" I felt like a fish out of water when I moved to Bay Ridge. Things are different here. Like the school's have numbers instead of names," said Chapman.
The musical was commissioned by the office of Councilwoman Helen Sears, who wanted this to be a tribute to Jackson Heights.

"Jackson Heights is the jewel of Queens. It is a unique community, but often all you hear about is the crowds and the traffic. This musical takes in the sheer brilliance of life here and it does not hide the flaws," said Sears.

Sears approached the president of the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights, Steve Knobel, a well-known member of the community, to put up a play. Knobel, turned to Paul Enger, a long-time Jackson Heights resident and a former employee of CBS News, who had written plays in the past. Enger came up with a stage play which highlighted the diversity of Jackson Heights and its main attractions.

But whereas diversity was one of the main themes of the play, on the opening night the audience were a pale reflection of the Jackson Heights melting pot. Few in the audience appeared to be from the Indian, Chinese, and Latino communities which ,combined, make up almost half the population of Jackson Heights.

Thomas Scaringelli one of the organizers of the musical offered an explanation for the demographics represented in the audience.

"Most of the people who bought the tickets first were people who come to the Jewish Center often and knew about the play," said Scaringelli.

But Elliot Bassman, a former Columbia University graduate, and an artist whose murals often brighten the walls of the Jewish Center offered a different explanation for the lack of diversity in the audience.

"There is a lot of talk about diversity all over town but every block in Jackson Heights has people of it's own kind who are culturally different and sometimes they isolate themselves. They may view such events as exclusive, and not inclusive," said Bassman.

Bassman also thought that in an effort to be politically correct much of the content of the musical was so toned-down that it was appropriate for children.

"The content was successful, yet generically positive and did not encompass the neighborhood's problems. It was a safe and clean cut version of Jackson Heights," said Bassman.

And indeed much of the story's content was cheerful and promoted Jackson Heights as a booming neighborhood. For instance, one musical piece on P.S. 69, a neighborhood school, showed how children from 41 different countries speak 43 languages under one roof and get along famously. Carol and Mr. Jackson Heights sing songs about the Jackson Heights Beautification group, responsible for keeping the area clean and green. The duo talk about the grand garden city co-ops which are an architectural trademark of the historical district of Jackson Heights and the envy of New York City.

But the story left out how the co-ops built by Edward MacDougall were once advertised as restricted, available for ownership and rent to only the affluent professional class. Bassman said that the musical also did not touch upon the subject of how the Jewish community had dwindled over the years or how many of the original immigrants have moved away.

Playwright Paul Enger said it was a conscious choice to omit negative or controversial references to the history of Jackson Heights.

"Since councilwoman Helen Sears funded this musical, she wanted it to be upbeat. I was careful not to include anything very controversial," said Enger in defense of his script.

The director of the show John Sheridan said that when he first read the script he was reminded of the industrial musicals in the 1960's, where people sang praises about their products.

"It was less like real theater and more like a little commercial for Jackson Heights, just celebrating the neighborhood," said Sheridan

After an hour and a half of song and dance most people like, Roberta Gardner who said she has lived in Jackson Heights for longer than she can recall, walked out of the doors of the Jewish Center having immensely enjoyed this musical commercial about their neighborhood.

"It was great, I loved it", she said, " it hit all the highlights of Jackson Heights."


Sources / Interviews:
Elliot Bassman, Jackson Heights, Queens
Paul Enger, Jackson Heights, Queens
Thomas Scaringelli , Jackson Heights, Queens
Councilwoman Helen Sears,
Ricardo Perez Gonzalez, Astoria Queens
Bieje Chapman, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Chrstian Urrego, Jackson Heights, Queens
John Sheridan, Director
Arthur Abrams, Composer
Roberta Garnder, Jackson Heights, Queens
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Gothamist checks out Malgudi

That little Korean restaurant that experimented with a Vietnamese angled menu has been replaced by a “South & North Indian Restaurant” with a Nepalese angled menu.

And Joe DiStefano of Gothamist has a review of Malgudi.


[where: Malgudi, 40-03 73 St., Jackson Heights]
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Apartment Therapy judges JH 2 Bedroom

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Jackson Heights Halloween Parade

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MTA making it difficult for new shops to open at Jackson Heights subway station?

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Jackson Heights Pumpkin Patch

The Jackson Heights Pumpkin Patch continues on 81st Street near 35th Ave!
(thanks to Kaelen for the reminder!)

We are holding a month long event to raise funds to build our playground, which we hope to construct over the next two years. The 82nd Street Academics Pumpkin Patch promises to be an exciting event for the community... We hope to raise money for the playground through the sale of 1000 pumpkins during the month of October.

Organization: 82nd Street Academics
Phone: 718 446 0690
Host Organization: 82nd Street Academics
Contact person: Amar Rajwani
Fax: 718 458 7983
Website: http://www.82ndst.com

Please send in photos!

[where: 81-10 35th Avenue, Jackson Heights, New York, 11372]
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Thursday, October 11, 2007

Madison Flea Market this weekend

The Madison co-op at 35-06 88th St. (at the corner of 35th Ave.) is holding a flea market from 10am-6pm on October 13th, with the 14th as a rain date. There will be antiques, glassware, vintage clothes and lots of interesting things to browse through. Come on by!





[where: 35-06 88th St. Jackson Heights NY 11372]
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Call for Jackson Heights Interviewees

NYU Journalism Graduate Student, Jonathan Lawrence, has chosen to write about Jackson Heights for a class assignment.

If you are knowledgeable about JH in any way or know someone who is, please feel free to contact Mr. Lawrence directly at his email address:
jal556 (at) nyu (dot) edu

His first subject will focus on religion in Jackson Heights.
What religious issues/stories should be covered?
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JaxHts Starbucks debate just got more complicated...

via Nueva York, October 10, 2007


Carolina Gonzalez describes the successful versions of Latin pastries currently showing up in Starbucks.


Starbucks is slowly but surely making its way through Latin bakery staples, and though the prices are, well, Starbucks-like, the pastries themselves are not bad.

Does this coincide with their imminent appearance in Jackson Heights?
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Jackson Heights Garden School 2007 Senior Prom Slideshow

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Garden School's Merit Scholarship Exam

from The Queens Gazette, October 10, 2007

On Saturday, November 17, more than 100 students will converge on Garden School in Jackson Heights for the school's annual Merit Scholarship examination. Begun 15 years ago through Garden School's board of trustees, the Merit Scholars program provides up to four full scholarships to top candidates who take the exam and can be worth as much as $100,000 in Garden School tuition fees over a seven-year period...

...The exam will be held on Saturday, November 17, at 9 a.m. at Garden School 33- 16 79th St., Jackson Heights. Call 718-335- 6363 for an application for the exam. Testing fee is $40.


[where: Garden School 33-16 79th St., Jackson Heights 11372]
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The Wednesday Chef offers alternative toTaqueria Coatzingo?

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Monday, October 08, 2007

'Sudden World' Keeping an 'Eye On Jackson Heights'

It looks like E. Pontee, writing for the site Sudden World, will be posting a series of articles examining Jackson Heights.

Here is one excerpt from the first post:

Jackson Heights fascinates me as a paradigm for those marginalized in their multiculturalism, just as Manhattan to me often represents a high order of status and power that sometimes forget the little guys that work so hard make it look so good.

In Jackson Heights, you will find in the span of roughly .8 square miles a panoply of ethnic cultures. From the Asian demographic comes immigrants from Bangladesh, China, Korea, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines; from the European demographic comes multigenerational descendents of Irish, Jewish, Italian, Polish, and Russian heritage; and from the Latino demographic comes immigrants from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Uruguay. There is also a distinctive pocket community of gays amidst this huddle of immigrants.
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Saturday, October 06, 2007

Get your Obama '08 T-Shirts in Jackson Heights

"Queens United For Obama" T-Shirts will be on sale at 80-08 35th avenue 2h, in Jackson Heights, Friday, October 12, 5-6 PM.

[where: 80-08 35th avenue #2h, Jackson Heights 11372]
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Did You Help 'Fat Guy' Eat in Jackson Heights?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy" the Executive Director of eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, was looking for an itinerary for
"a Jackson Heights Indian-themed walking tour? What route would you take, what shops would you go into, where would you have snacks and a meal?"


See what he ended up eating here.
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'Interview in Jackson Heights' Project

Emily Wiegers has started a blog of Jackson Heights interviews beginning with a list of questions and it looks like you can post your own answers in the comments section.

Here are a sample of the interview questions:

What cultural changes have you witnessed/experienced while living in Jackson Heights?
Which culture do you most identify with?
How you experienced any cultural conflict while in Jackson Heights?
What attracts you to this neighborhood?
What changes have you experienced concerning the ethnic groups here?
How do you feel all the different ethnic groups of Jackson Heights deal with each other(+/-)?
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Films by Richard Calvache shot in Jackson Heights

Film-maker Richard Calvache presents two short films based on a theatrical piece developed at the Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights.


I was hired to film this documentary on teen kids from a Charter School in Jackson Hts Queens. They worked with 2 teaching artists in creating a theatrical piece from scratch on issues that are bothering them now. - Richard Calvache


Filmed and Edited by Richard Calvache.
Artistic Directors: Andrew Ronan
Assistant Director: Desi Waters

Drama Teacher: Rebekah Slotnick
Music by Richard Calvache using Soundtrack.



And this is a short introduction that is shown before the Cabaret Performance.

Filmed and edited by:
Richard Calvache

Written by:
Bethanie

Music by:
Richard Calvache using Sountrack



[where:Renaissance Charter School (The), 35-59 81st St, Jackson Heights, NY 11372]
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