Soniya Munshi, CUNY graduate student: According to Soniya, my informant, Sunnyside has changed greatly since she was raised there in the 1970s to 1980s. Having returned to live in Sunnyside recently, she has reported seeing new communities of Bangladeshis in particular, and Southeast Asians and Eastern Europeans in general and mentioned the continuing prevalence of the Irish, both the descendants of the Irish from the turn of the twentieth century immigration wave and contemporary Irish immigrants. She also noted that huge changes have come over Skillman Avenue, a major avenue running through Sunnyside, in that it now consists of "gourmet stores," "bistros," and other places that tend to appeal more to the wealthy, instead than the "bodegas" and "run-down delis" that used to populate it. Lastly, she cited recent tensions in the neighborhood owing to efforts to designate Sunnyside Gardens as a landmark. Such tensions specifically derived from those who feared that the landmark status would make Sunnyside Gardens "less affordable" and "exclusionary" versus those who fear that the "beauty" of the community would be lost without such a status.[1]
Jason Essex, interior designer: The following is from an interview in "City Living: Sunnyside" from amNewYork:
Jason Essex, 38, works as an interior designer in Manhattan. He has lived in Sunnyside, Queens for six years.
What's so great about Sunnyside?
[My partner and I] both work in Manhattan. It's eleven minutes to Grand Central every time and when I take a cab to Columbus, it costs ten bucks. It's the best-kept secret of New York. It's quiet, convenient, with tons of restaurants from lots of different ethnicities. Our friends from the city come all the way to Sunnyside just to eat here.
What's your favorite hang-out?
Probably P.J. Hogan's on 42nd Street.
How has Sunnyside changed since you moved here?
It was a low-income Irish neighborhood, but that's changing. They put in new restaurants, brand-new gourmet grocery stores, a spa (which is unlikely for a place like this) … They re-did our building's façade.
What kind of people live here?
Some professionals from Manhattan like us, and then you have some old-timers, teachers … Prices are already going up, especially in Sunnyside Gardens.
Go to Conclusion.
This page was created by Amy Lu.