Alabama Shakes at Forest Hills Stadium

Pics from last Saturday's concert. Thanks to everyone who sent in these photos this week...

Danny Brown Restaurant to Close

I never ate there myself, but heard some good things about it over the years....

Michelin-Starred Restaurant Danny Brown to Close

 The big quote:

He said Forest Hills could also be an option, if a better opportunity arose.
“This is our home, this is where we got started,” he said. “We’ve done so much work here in Forest Hills, if there is a good opportunity to stay here — sure, absolutely."

I'm left thinking, really? The rents are even too damn high on Metropolitan Avenue? Crazy shit...

An Inside Look at Forest Hills Stadium

Forest Hills Stadium closes out its 2015 Summer Season tonight with a concert by Alabama Shakes (by the way. as usual, if you're going to the concert and happen to take some photos, please send them in to the Blog at edgeofthecity@gmail.com and I'll post the best ones).

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting for those who didn't attend any concerts this summer and who might be curious, to share some photos of how the Stadium's grounds have evolved as the concerts have really begun to take off since the opening season in 2013. Here's some photos of the food and drink areas. I thought it was cool that Heineken has set up a pop-up location on the grounds, kind of like a mini-version of what they do each year at the U.S. Open.

The food offerings are off to a good start. It's nice to see local Danny Brown's represented, along with Bulldog Burgery, and the Manhattan-based Mayhem & Stout. It would be cool to see the food offerings expand further next season...

Sneak Peek of Fox's Hit Show Gotham Saturday Night

SNEAK PEEKS OF “MADE IN NY” TV SERIES TO BE FEATURED IN NYC PARKS AS ‘MOVIES UNDER THE STARS’ PROGRAM CONTINUES

The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and NYC Parks announce free outdoor screenings of “Made in NY” television shows at select parks in New York City, offering a sneak peek of the shows before they air on television. This is a unique opportunity to connect New Yorkers to major network shows that are filmed in their communities in a creative setting. FOX’s hit series Gotham will be screened on Saturday, September 19.  

WHAT:         Gotham, ‘TV under the Stars’

WHEN:         Saturday, September 19, 8pm

WHERE:       Flushing Meadows Corona Park Zoo Picnic Area

Penguin is King of Gotham and after a shakeup at the GCPD, Detective James Gordon’s moral compass wavers, as he seeks help from Penguin. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne continues to explore the secrets from his father’s office, while Gotham newcomers Theo Galavan (James Frain) and his sister, Tabitha (Jessica Lucas), make friends with some unlikely allies, a group of dangerous inmates from Arkham in the all-new “Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do,…” Season Two premiere episode of Gotham airs Monday, September 21 on Fox.

Please bring your own picnic blanket or chair; space is available on a first come first served basis. For additional information about the free outdoor screening, visit http://on.nyc.gov/MoviesUnderTheStarsNYC.

 

Forest Hills Inn Yard Sale this Weekend

The Forest Hills Inn (Station Square Inn Apts) will be hosting a yard sale this Sunday, Sept 20, 2015 from 10AM until 4PM in the Tea Garden behind the building at One Station Square in Forest Hills. Also, local historian Michael Perlman will be holding a book signing during the yard sale. The Inn is looking to raise funds to assist its continuing effort to beautify the building.

     First Annual Yard Sale

Forest Hills Inn Tea Garden

One Station Square

Forest Hills NY 11375

September 2oth 2015

10 am to 4 pm

Rain date-Sept 27^th

Book Signing by Michael Perlman- author of “Legendary Locals of Forest Hills and Rego Park”

Five Year Anniversary of the Forest Hills Tornado

Believe it or not, it's been five years! For those new to the neighborhood, yes, five years ago today a tornado tore through Forest Hills and surrounding neighborhoods uprooting tons of trees, destroying cars and buildings. Amazingly, no pedestrians in our neighborhood were seriously hurt, though a driver on the Grand Central Parkway was killed by a falling tree. And also amazingly, the destruction here in Forest Hills received virtually no news coverage at all by the major media outlets.

The tornado went right over my building, and I'll never quite forget the experience. In the days that followed, the National Weather Service investigated and concluded it wasn't a tornado but something called a "macroburst," a line of strong winds ahead of a storm. Well, all I can say is when I looked outside my window and saw the entire world swirling in a circle before I ran for cover, it sure looked like a freakin' tornado to me.

New Poll

I haven't done a poll in a long time. Here's a timely one. I am thinking we'll probably find out about this in the next week or two, so while we're all guessing:

Happy Rosh Hashanah

What's Up With Strawberry?

Just what is going into the two-story former Strawberry location on Austin Street in Forest Hills? There have been some very odd murmerings about this location over the past couple of weeks, hinting that something big is coming in. And now, this morning, one reader says she heard from someone that it will become a Shake Shack. In any case, excitement is building and rumors are flying. Should be interesting to see who the "major retailer" said to be coming into this space will actually be.

For All you Cheesecake Fans

Join local Queens author and chef Melanie Underwood for a discussion and signing of her new cookbook Making Artisan Cheesecake: Expert Techniques for Classic and Creative Recipes.

Thursday September 17, 2015 6:30 PM  at the Forest Hills Barnes & Noble

New Novel Features Forest Hills

Local Forest Hills author Andrew R.H. Mowatt's novel The Little Kingdoms is now available at Amazon and BN.com.  It is based on actual events that happened in the city in 1993, including Wall Street, the Mafia, etc and it features a lot about Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, the West Side Tennis Club, and Continental Ave. 

More information available on Amazon

It's 1993. America's shocked by the World Trade Center bombing and the botched raid on the Branch Davidian Compound. Both Main Street and Wall Street struggle with recession.
College graduate, Richard Carnegie, arrives in New York with a promising opportunity at Moody's Investor Services. He's asked to house-sit for an aunt in Ozone Park, Queens. The home's empty; except for Tony, the upstairs tenant, a widower. Tony's outdated mindset both amuses and irritates Richard. Tony's estrangement from family adds to his bitterness. On the first day of work, while riding the subway, Richard meets Ester Chan. They quickly bond over their love for tennis and finance. A relationship is formed. Richard soon discovers that Ester's tastes are both expensive and risqué. An affair leads into habits that would shock Richard's family back home. However, the closer they grow, the less he's able to break her spell. With the pressures and the excesses of their rising lust, Richard is unaware of the hidden vice around him. Ester's connections and power pull him deeper into a world that he cannot control, leading to a life-altering event, and a miracle.

MacDonald Park Cleanup Dates

Open to anyone who wants to help clean up our park:

As usual, all supplies and gloves will be provided and credit for community service will be given to students. 

Thanks for your continued support in helping make MacDonald Park a great part of our community. 

September 19th,   Saturday 10:00-1:00

October 17th,    Saturday 10:00-1:00

November 14th,  Saturday 10:00-1:00

Summer Drivers, Part 2

For those who may have been away, the end of summer brought with it even worse drivers than we normally see. Here's the after-effects of a car that smashed into the wall of the parking lot above Austin St., raining debris on the sidewalk below. Part 1: the destruction of the Value Depot store on 71st Continental by an out-of-control person who smashed her car into the front of it.

Sterling Bank

I think someone had commented on this blog a while ago that Sterling Bank might be the next building up for redevelopment. I noticed these signs in the windows upstairs advertising office space. I can't confirm any plans to close the bank and develop the property, but I thought the fact that they're advertising for a new tenant may say something about any immediate plans or lack thereof. Or maybe it doesn't. Any way, food for thought.

72nd Road Construction

This building, across from the church parking lot, and right near La Boulangerie, is being taken down. I think I heard condos are going up there:

Quite Possibly the Most Important News Ever

McDonald's to start all-day breakfast nationally on Oct. 6

How many times my day has been ruined by that sinking realization, that I was too late, they had stopped serving breakfast, the Egg McMuffin, the only breakfast that would provide me complete, 100 percent satisfaction at that moment, was now beyond my reach—until tomorrow. I will no longer have to suffer such crushing dismay. Imagine, being able to get my Egg McMuffin for breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night snack, and in-between. Why did it take McDonald's more than the 270 years that I think I heard to make this true? Yes, I bet you didn't know that it was actually the Egg McMuffin that fueled the Continental Army during their long war of independence against the British, and helped the North defeat the South, and helped Western Civilization prevail against the Nazi.