54-46, that's my number: the Queens thread

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/when-a-tornado-in-queens-becomes-an-international-incident/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Think The Beasties Boys are doing something to have that fixed

Um, there might be more to fix soon.

it's prob just gonna fly around the park like a bowling ball

Just went out on a little errand while we are in between rain bands, asked the lady at the Walgreens when they were closing and she said "we are open twenty four hours."

that's the spirit, walgreens lady

prob one of the better places to be, all things considered...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/nyregion/5pointz-arts-center-and-its-graffiti-is-on-borrowed-time.html?hp

looks like this is pretty much official?

I had to get to work from Queens this morning, and ALL of the trains were not working properly -- first I waited about 15 minutes for an R (during which time no M came at all), then I tried to transfer to an E only to be unable to get on the first one, which only came after another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, still no M train at all. Then an out-of-service train of some sort passed slowly through. Then an F, which wasn't even supposed to be there, arrived in the station, waited, let off all its passengers, sat some more, and then pulled away. Finally another E came, which proceeded at a snails pace into Manhattan. Is this what it's like every day?

well...those R, F, M trains are the same trains that go to brooklyn so any delay you had to deal w/ was felt by someone else down the line. that said, the queens boulevard line is supposedly near capacity, so any rush hour disruption is going to lead to crowded trains fairly quickly. (same is true w/ the flushing line.)

don't you live on the l? that's definitely worse

I don't know. I take the LIRR! Sometimes it's 3 or 5 minutes late, but usually it's not problem. I always get a seat and it's 10 minutes to Penn Station!

the ideal would be if the commuter rail systems were better integrated into the subway system, as it's done in Paris w/ the RER. in-city LIRR and Metro North trips should be as cheap as a subway ticket. this would pay for itself w/ increased ridership. rich suburbanites would have to deal w/ 'the city' but and trains would be pretty crowded, but it would be a huge boost in mobility, esp to people in LIRR queens.

What time was this, Hurting, 8:45? You got to be on the train earlier than that or you might get into a jam like you did.

Yeah, about then. I had to return a rental car at LaGuardia so I took a cab to the subway, thinking it would be cheaper and faster than taking a cab all the way to work.

But the main problem wasn't so much crowded trains as trains apparently not running.

Yes, the L is often full but it comes every few minutes during rush hour and so far I haven't had a morning where I waited long. They only really fuck you on the weekends with the L.

nah the M, R, F are as frequent in Queens as they are in Brooklyn...cause they're the same trains...

I mean the frequency when combined is alright. you don't generally wait too long at forest hills or jackson heights - if there's gonna be a problem, it's gonna be a capacity one (like the l)

Seven train at a standstill tonight, power off, had to walk from Woodside. Police investigation, sick passenger they told us, now I am hearing worse

hmm I was just on my way home. gonna check the MTA site I guess.

whoa this is gonna be a bitch, I imagine the buses will be crazy. I think I'll go to Penn station and get on a q32 at the start of its route.

Good luck

yeah thanks for the head's up

mta starting saying "Good Service" again at some point.

yeah it was running by the time I was in queens. oh well, better safe than sorry.

uh oh. sorry.

I was getting on the N train in manhattan when we heard an announcement that 7 train was delayed in both directions due to an incident at 108th street. Which doesn't make a lot of sense since there is not 108th st stop.

We took the R to Northern Blvd and 54th st and walked home from there, which is a usual back-up plan.

I like that 54th street station. lotsa historical oddities in it.

wait I'm thinking of 65th st (that was our backup when we lived in woodside)

hate that northern station

never been down in the 65th st station. That's the one by ex-Spicy Mina, now "Woodside Cafe", another Nepali-Tibetan-South Indian-Pakistani-American-Italian place.

I sadly never made it to spicy mina. is woodside cafe any good?

65th station has this:

http://images.nycsubway.org/i1000/img_1015.jpg

which is one of the few sign references to the IND 2nd system that was never built - in the magical world where it had been built, there was going to be a line from queens blv to the rockaways.

there's also a few places where 65th street is referenced as rowan st, which was the pre-number name. but it's not officially part of the station name like some others, so it's just sorta there.

http://www.subwaynut.com/ind/65r/65r16.jpg

anyway just weird things to see if you're ever there.

We went to Spicy Mina twice and to be honest weren't that impressed. Could never tell if it was a "you have to order the right dish on the right night while Mina's in the right mood" kind of place or just pure chowhound hype. Haven't been to Woodside Cafe. For Tibetan we absolutely can't get enough of Phayul in Jackson Heights. And we now go to Chao Thai at least once a week. On the elmhurst tip, finally tried Ploy Thai to switch it up and it was really good. There's also now 2 Sichuan places that people are talking about that I'd like to try. Save us from trekking out to College Point for Little Pepper.

isn't 'woodside cafe' also the name of the irish diner next to sean og?

/ have you tried that new (well, not really that new now) 24/h diner under the 7? better than stop inn? at 41st street we live just outside of casual walking distance to woodside so these days we pretty much only end up there for srip. (by 'woodside' I mean 'roosevelt past the library'.)

It may be called something other than "cafe" but I think that's it. And yes, Woodside Cafe is also the irish diner, which used to be Rainbow or something? It's actually not bad, I've been a few times. Haven't gone to "Metro" yet. I have to admit, Stop Inn's burgers are pretty great for a diner. But seriously, we only eat Chao Thai. We hardly go to Srip, they really let us down the last few times we went.

still waiting for the effing G to 'normally' run after 11pm weeknights when Mets torture goes to extra innings

7 train ran fine tonight

http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/10/06/eyes-on-the-street-new-public-plaza-coming-to-jackson-heights/

rad

And I thought they were just reinforcing that street so that bus fuel wouldn't rot the asphalt.

hopefully there will be some tables?

Probably some tables with people selling the same stuff they sell on 74th Street,

Cafescape, the weird ex-Esparks coffee shop in woodside, is being replaced by Lucid Cafe, a much beloved coffee shop that sells Counter Culture coffee and only has one other location, in Murray Hill. My girlfriend couldn't be more excited.

That block has the entrance to Phayul, our new favorite restaurant.

(in Jackson Heights, not the block in woodside)

cafescape was okay as a place to sit for a few hours, but I really resented the way they'd make you give them your computer to type in the internet password / walk to you the bathroom

food and coffee was not great but that wasn't why I went

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/reb/2710213156.html

apt. 2 doors down from mine is for sale. 10 blocks from Sripraphai...

even woodside co-ops have maintenance fees? jeez

Don't all co-ops? You have to pay the super, the staff, the hot water etc?

and the non-hot water