Woodside Clean-Up Day 15 July 2012

About 50 or so people showed up on Sunday July 15 at 61st and Roosevelt to spend a couple of hours cleaning up Woodside.  Sure it was hot and muggy, but it made us feel better.  Even my kids, who could have found "much better things" to do agreed it was nice.  Nothing builds community like believing in the idea of community.

                       Jalisa, aged 7, helping out along the Long Island Railroad right of way.

Our Congressman Joseph Crowley,  Joseph Onorato, the State Senator from Western Queens, and our Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer were all there and before the clean-up took some time listening to constituents.

Woodside Clean-Up

Jimmy Van Bramer and Rep. Michael Crowley have scheduled a Woodside clean-up day this Sunday July 15 between 12 and 3 at Roosevelt and 61st Street.  See you there.

Budget Deal Keeps Queens Libraries Open

If you haven't heard the City Council and Mayor Bloomberg reached a budge deal on Tuesday, and the good news for Queens Library is that the agreement will forestall any layoffs and will keep all existing Queens library branches open at least 5 days a week.

Queens Library CEO and President Thomas Galante praised the deal remarking “Our City’s elected officials have continued to face tough choices. Library users owe a debt of gratitude to Mayor Michael Bloomberg; City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Finance Chair Domenic Recchia, Jr.; Cultural Affairs & Libraries Chair Jimmy Van Bramer; Libraries Chair Vincent Gentile; Deputy Majority Leader Leroy Comrie and the whole City Council for their leadership.”

I would add that anyone who made their voice heard on this issue should also give themselves a pat on the back, because I'm sure it helped strengthen the hand of library supporters including our Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer.

The Budget Cut Threat to Queens Libraries

Nearly two weeks ago our councilman Jimmy Van Bramer led a demonstration to protest the proposed budget cuts to our libraries.  I've known they were bad, and if I hadn't had other obligations would have attended, but I thought I'd better find out more, and boy if the cuts go through as Bloomberg has proposed the effect will be drastic.

According to the fact sheet I got from the Queens Library.  18 Queens libraries would be closed and 30 libraries open 2 or 3 days a week, with only one open on Saturday.  All this at a time when because of the tough economy libraries are a valuable resource for jobseekers and others trying to keep up with new books and ideas.

Hats off to Jimmy Van Bramer for making this a priority, but he and the Queens Library needs your help.  If you haven't already done so make your voice heard by going to this link to register your support of the Queens Library and let officials know how you value libraries

Jimmy Van Bramer in Woodside on June 16

If you have not heard, our councilman Jimmy Van Bramer  and his staff will have their mobile office at the Child Center of NY at 60-02 Roosevelt Ave this Saturday June 16, 2012 between 12 noon and 3 pm.   If you have some business you need to discuss with him or have just never had the chance to meet him because of your work schedule, this will be a great chance.  I'd go, but in my case, Saturday is one of my work days.

Woodside's charm.

Tree-lined streets are commonplace in Queens, but so too are streets laid out on the grid.  With Sean Og's Pub at its northern end off of Woodside Avenue and the bend for no apparent reason on its way to Queens Boulevard, 60th Street is always a pleasure to walk down that is reminiscent of a hodgepodge street plan of an old world city.  I don't know the history of that jog, and I can't imagine there wasn't a logistical reason for the city planners to break out of the grid pattern for this one street, but it does break up the monotony.

Mr Chicken

In my last post I mentioned Mr. Chicken.  We have had their rotisserie chicken now twice, and finally had their fried chicken Sunday.  I was a bit concerned before ordering because one Yelp review said their fried chicken had been a bit burned, but ours wasn't.  It was crispy, fresh and delicious, and Mr. Chicken's Mac and Cheese, braised Kale, and roasted beets are wonderful.  If you haven't done so, check them out for delivery, they are the kind of small business Woodsiders should want to make sure becomes a fixture in our neighborhood.