Astoria Life: New York Minutes

Musings from the Queen of Queens, or My 6 years of living in Queens and greater NYC, where I moved to work for the water department and ended up, among other things, traveling the world and appearing on a billboard on Times Square.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

So long -- off to China with you!

So my crazy friend CSF has moved to China. He left Tuesday. Good luck to him -- and the 24-year-old girl he met there in December to whom he says he is "technically engaged."

I bought hime a going-away gift, a little replica of the Statue of Liberty, because he is a "reverse immigrant" or "emigrant". Appropriately enough, it has a "Made in China" sticker on it.

Work on Freedom Tower started today

Today, construction began on the Freedom Tower, which is being built on the site of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed on September 11, 2001.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

I must decline

Yesterday afternoon, I was in Harlem, and some guy from Jamaica (the Carribbean island, not the Queens neighborhood) proposed to me on the street corner.

As I did not know his name, and he had waaaaay too many gold-capped teeth, I turned him down.

But at least we now know there is at least ONE guy in New York City with absolutely NO commitment issues.

Socks, socks, socks

I had several pairs of clean socks in my bag this morning, as I am giving them to a girl who collects them for the homeless.

I was on the subway at 6:30am when a guy walked into our subway car and gave the same old rigamarole about how he was left homeless, had nothing, could anyone spare any food or money.

However, this guy added something new. He said "or especially clean clothes."

So I gave him a pair of socks. He said "Awesome! Thanks."

Friday, April 07, 2006

Sorry, wrong number.

SO ….. I just called the gym at Trump International Hotel, and I thought I reached the gym directly. I instead got the receptionist in the lobby. I asked for my contact at the gym, who happens to have the same name as Donald Trump’s first wife.

The receptionist was hesitant, then asked “What department?” Then I realized what had happened. hee

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Everything but the veal parmigiana

I was on the A train to Chambers Street. When I got on, there was a man with a shopping cart filled with buckets of bouquest. Roses, lilies and carnations in reds, lavendars, peaches, yellows and whites were practically spilling out of it. It smelled so good -- which is a welcome surprise from the usual stinks that permeate the subway.

At one stop, a man carrying an accordion got on and started playig Italian arias.

It was like a fine dining experience without the actual food.