The final web project was an interesting experience from beginning to end. Astoria is a neighborhood which I live relatively near, but have never really been to other than orthodontist visits. It is perhaps a quite famous part of Queens, different from where I grew up in but still undisputedly Queens. New Yorkers have a tendency of getting to their destination as soon as possible without paying much attention to surroundings. We often walk with our heads down and headphones on, and it is considered the greatest offense to look around, take pictures and be mistaken for a tourist. This project forces me to pay attention to my surrounding and discover things that I don’t pay attention to on a daily basis.
I always knew that Astoria was primarily a Greek neighborhood. What I didn’t know was that it was also a very close-knit neighborhood giving off a family-like feel. From this trip, what really stood out to me is that Astoria is really a community. It might not seem that way because New Yorker are not particularly known for close personal relationships with their neighbors, but the abundant family stores we observed convinced me otherwise. While walking on Ditmars, we also saw several old men sitting outside a coffee shop smoking and conversing with one another. In my neighborhood, Forest Hills, I don’t see a lot of this happening.
