Time: 3pm
Location: off the Grand Central Parkway
The street near the highway has a more rundown appearance as opposed to the well-maintained facades on 30th by the NQ station. There was a drive-through McDonald’s with a crumbling parking lot surrounded by other semi-dilapidated buildings. The fact that most businesses were shuttered for the weekend contributed to the impression of “deadness” in contrast to the liveliness of our previous visit. A furniture store sported beautiful handmade woodwork in its windows but it was unclear whether it was defunct or not. Ironically, a karate studio sporting self-defense classes was located quite close to the 114th police precinct.
The area was dominated by the constant overwhelming audio of cars rushing down the Grand Central Parkway. It seemed like an uncrossable distance lay between sides of the highway. The Spiderman mural on the other side of the expansive highway seemed to be miles away. The area was rife with gas stations and car repair shops, giving it a more generic and industrial feel in contrast to the communal feel of our prior visit. Next to the gas station there was a Starbucks. An Indian bakery across the street was the only vestige of local businesses. However, on the street that lay in the shadow of the train overpass there were many Greek bakeries. These bakeries provided samples of sticky baklava, oozing with honey and nuts. There was also a very expensive gourmet Greek supermarket. It had an extensive selection of cheeses and olive oils, which was rather overwhelming to a less selective shopper like me.
Time: 6pm
Location: Astoria Blvd and Steinway St
This area restored the community feel we felt on our first visit. There were people having cell phone conversations in Russian and Arabic and couples walking with baby strollers.
Steinway was dotted with benches which weary mothers sat on to rest. There were all kinds of businesses: clubs, liquor stores, discount stores, Islamic clothing stores. The odor of hookah emerged from nightclubs such as Fayrooz. Hookah comes in various fruity flavors like apple; the sweet aroma of apples and tobacco wafted through the air. Again there was the smell of grilling food from the kebab truck called Farid’s grill.
Although Astoria is a large neighborhood in a huge and populous city, there was an everybody-knows-everybody vibe in some places. Random passersby often stopped suddenly upon recognition of old friends and began exchanging greetings in Arabic. This gave me the perception that the individual communities within the diverse area are very tight-knit. Many people are immigrants and may find solace in being with people who know their culture and speak their language.
There were many places to sit and just chill. Many cafes advertised featured singers. People reclined in backyards of restaurants and sat on comfortable couches in a frozen yogurt place. People also filed in and out of banks, depositing and withdrawing money. Bodega cashiers sat at their posts, bored and waiting for customers. Some children cried while their parents attended to them.
