Hanging out in Queens

[samhexum]

NYC will add new red light cameras at 450 intersections before end of year: DOT – amNewYork

WWW.AMNY.COM

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The city Department of Transportation (DOT) will be activating 250 new red light cameras at intersections across the Big Apple over the next...

Horse racing in New York set for dramatic change in 2026 with opening of new Belmont Park, closing of Aqueduct this summer – amNewYork

WWW.AMNY.COM

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The new year promises to be a monumental one for horse racing in New York — with the opening of a reimagined Belmont Park and the closing of...

Brief lesson on the rise of a Long Island City art mecca: Our Neighborhood, The Way it Was – QNS

QNS.COM

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Located at 22-25 Jackson Ave., P.S. 1 currently serves as an annex to the Museum of Modern Art, showcasing all kinds of contemporary exhibits...

[samhexum]

Your guide to the newest culinary adventures in Queens

QNS.COM

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From a bubble tea shop to a long-awaited Colombian restaurant, here are the latest places to explore for your next culinary adventure in...

 

[samhexum]

After taking office this month, Council Member Phil Wong announced his office is partnering with the NYPD Transportation Bureau to address transit safety and “quality-of-life” concerns, such as illegal parking.

According to 311 statistics compiled by the State Comptroller’s office, illegal parking has been one of the top three complaints within District 30 for years now, with residents reporting an uptick in the behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic. Wong stated he would address the issue throughout his time on the campaign trail and met with traffic enforcement officials Jan. 12 to begin the work of fulfilling the promise.

Wong met with Transportation Bureau Chief Olufunmilola “Lola” Obe and Deputy Chief Brian O’Sullivan to discuss how best to approach the law-breaking on the majority residential streets of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale. The bureau plans on working with local precincts and citywide traffic units to lay the groundwork for targeted responses regarding the vehicles in District 30 and the rest of the city.

In 2025, the 104th Precinct alone towed close to 1,000 cars, with plenty more in the jurisdiction of both the 110th and 112th Precincts. Wong noted that the agency and police will put emphasis on targeting RVs parked long-term on residential streets, trucks parking overnight and the many auto-body shops and tow companies that use public streets to store cars. On Jan. 11, Wong posted on Facebook showing several derelict cars, both abandoned and stored out front by the auto-body shops, being towed in coordination with the 104th Precinct.

[samhexum]

Two lifelong friends from France saw a childhood dream come to fruition with the opening of Le Petit Paris, a bakery and café serving treats like hand-rolled croissants and freshly made pastries, including their signature “Flankie,” made with a chocolate chip cookie crust and topped with vanilla flan.

The bakery, located at 81-45 Lefferts Blvd. in Kew Gardens, opened at the end of last month in the same building where the German and Polish deli, Homestead Gourmet Shop, stood for nearly 80 years. The shop has since been reimagined as an expansive space with French music playing in the background and cozy tables, perfect for grabbing a rose latte or a sandwich on a warm baguette.

In the few weeks since the bakery has opened, customers have really gravitated towards some of their classic items, like their croissants, made with fresh butter from France and handrolled each morning; however, their Flankie, a fusion of a chocolate chip cookie and flan, has quickly become a fan favorite for its delicious and unique concept, blending American and French sweets.

“Our signature pastry is our Flankie,” said Le Mezec. “It has a chocolate chip cookie dough crust and a vanilla pastry on the inside. We also have a pistachio flavor for a weekend special, but I would say it’s the product that really represents us-you can find this one only here.”

Other pastries to explore when visiting the shop include the Kouign Amann, made with croissant-style dough and baked with butter and sugar for a caramelized finish, and the mixed berry tart, prepared on a croissant shell and filled with vanilla pastry cream and fresh fruits, such as raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. 

 

Le Petit Paris opens in the former Homestead Gourmet Space

QNS.COM

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Two lifelong friends from France saw a childhood dream come to fruition with the opening of Le Petit Paris, a bakery and café serving treats like...

 

[samhexum]

Where to eat in Queens for NYC Restaurant Week

QNS.COM

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Mid-winter in just got a lot less bleak with the start of NYC Restaurant Week from Jan. 20 to Feb. 12, including an array of restaurants in...

 

[samhexum]

https://qns.com/2026/01/new-sopranos-exhibit-set-to-open-in-astoria/

Inside ‘The Sopranos’: New MoMI exhibit features iconic sets and rare scripts

[samhexum]

https://qns.com/2026/02/chain-businesses-common-jackson-heights/

Chain businesses becoming increasingly common in Jackson Heights

[Lucky]

Corrupt lawyers in Queens? Why has the OP not told us about this? I am shocked!

From the nytimes.com:

A luxury penthouse apartment, with polished stone countertops and stunning views of the New York City skyline, would seem like an odd expense for a public defender organization whose clients are poor defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

But Lori Zeno, the founder of the public defender organization Queens Defenders, paid to rent a luxury apartment and many other things, federal prosecutors said, with stolen public money.

Ms. Zeno and her romantic partner, Rashad Ruhani, used more than $300,000 of the organization’s funds on indulgences like a vacation to Bali, teeth-whitening procedures and repairs to a Mercedes-Benz, according to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.

On Tuesday, in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, Ms. Zeno, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. Before being arrested, Ms. Zeno said, she had sought treatment for mental health issues and alcoholism.

Mr. Ruhani has maintained his innocence, while a third defendant in the case, Kimberly Osorio, was charged in October with lying to federal investigators.

“It’s a very sad moment,” said Steven Legon, a lawyer for Ms. Zeno, whom he called a “very accomplished attorney,” after the proceeding.

Ms. Zeno is set to be sentenced on April 20. Russell Noble, an assistant U.S. attorney, said the government would seek a prison term of four to five years for Ms. Zeno.

The case unearthed a disturbing level of graft, particularly for the leader of an organization that represents the city’s most vulnerable residents. The Queens Defenders, which Ms. Zeno helped found in 1996, is one of a number of nonprofits that are paid through city, state and federal contracts to represent defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement that Ms. Zeno “brazenly betrayed and abused her position of trust as the director of a nonprofit.”

 

Ms. Zeno became the organization’s executive director in 2018, earning about $400,000 a year to lead the organization. She was fired in January 2025 after the organization said it discovered “several irregularities” from an independent forensic audit.

After Ms. Zeno was fired, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice announced it would reassign the services behind the organization’s annual contract, worth $32 million, to the Brooklyn Defenders, another public defender organization in New York City.

“Queens Defenders is under new leadership and focused on our work to serve the people of the borough,” Mike Scala, the president of the Queens Defenders board of directors, said in a statement.

Some people who worked with Ms. Zeno at the Queens Defenders have described her as a tyrant who bullied racial minorities and women. In a separate federal lawsuit filed in 2024, Ms. Zeno and the organization were accused of racial discrimination and retaliation by three former employees.

Ms. Zeno, according to the lawsuit and former employees, routinely berated and belittled staff at the organization’s office in Far Rockaway, Queens, imposing a culture of fear. She once told her staff that she would “eviscerate” and sue a lawyer who went on maternity leave and did not return to the organization, according to court papers.

 

Beginning in 2024, prosecutors said, Ms. Zeno and Mr. Ruhani began a romantic relationship and drew on the organization’s funds to embark on a wild spending spree. They spent thousands on luxury items from Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and Ralph Lauren. More than $39,000 was spent on rent for the penthouse, prosecutors said, along with DoorDash deliveries and an 85-inch television.

“They were not, in fact, business expenses,” Ms. Zeno said in court on Tuesday.

In addition to the theft of funds, prosecutors said, Ms. Zeno hired relatives and friends of Mr. Ruhani for jobs in which they did no work. One of the people Ms. Zeno hired was Mr. Ruhani’s wife, who despite living in Saudi Arabia, was paid $60,000 to lead a nonexistent health and wellness program at Queens Defenders.

 

Santul Nerkar is a Times reporter covering federal courts in Brooklyn.

 

•  

 

[samhexum]

Marking 100 years since ‘The Radio Burglar’ fatally shot NYC patrolman in Woodhaven

https://qns.com/2026/02/100-years-radio-burglar-shot-patrolman-woodhaven/

Nearly a century later, Patrolman Kenney has not been forgotten. In 2024, at the request of the Newtown Historical Society, the corner of 80th Street and 90th Avenue was co-named in his honor, ensuring that his sacrifice would be remembered.

[samhexum]

The Diocese of Brooklyn announced Wednesday that seven Catholic schools will be closing in June, including six in Queens, at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

Ongoing financial challenges and sustained enrollment declines were cited as the main factors leading to the decision to close these elementary schools. The schools were determined to suffer from these challenges after an extensive review process analyzing enrollment trends, operating costs, capital repair needs and long-term sustainability, considering rising costs of insurance and pension obligations.

“This is an extraordinarily difficult moment for our school communities,” Diocese Superintendent of Schools Deacon Kevin McCormack said. “These schools have served generations of families with dedication and faith. The decision to close them was made only after careful consideration and with great sorrow.”

The seven schools that will close at the end of the school year include six in Queens:

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Cambria Heights,
St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy in Elmhurst,
St. Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Academy in Jamaica,
Incarnation Catholic Academy in Queens Village,
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Academy in Woodhaven and
St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy in Ozone Park.

[samhexum]

https://qns.com/2026/02/fairview-residents-heat-outage/

‘I don’t feel safe in this building’: Fairview co-op residents left in the cold for 16 days amid heat outage

The building where the grand central and LIE meet... I delivered the NY Post there when I was in college.

[samhexum]

A cozy Filipino cafe serving creamy Ube lattes and honey-calamansi chicken poppers just opened in Elmhurst in the space where Pata Cafe, a local Thai gem, stood for a decade before permanently closing.

Bukas Cafe, located at 56-14 Van Horn St., has transformed from a no-frills Thai restaurant with authentic dishes to an intimate cafe that feels like visiting family for coffee and good conversation, filled with books, lush plants, and serene jade walls. As customers walk in, they’re greeted warmly by owners Anna Javier and Angel Carreon, despite the morning rush, as they take orders, prepare drinks, and dishes inspired by Filipino recipes with a modern twist, letting everyone in on the delicious flavors they have to offer. 

The pair had previously lived in the Philippines and planned to move back there and open a cafe, but the opportunity to open one here came up when Pata Cafe closed, and it seemed like the right decision to open in Queens. Together, the couple have always loved creating new recipes to share with one another and finding recipes online that seem unique and fun to try. They named the cafe ‘Bukas,’ which has two meanings in Filipino, “tomorrow” and “open.”

Presently, the cafe has a small food menu with selections like Poprito, chicken poppers with adobo aioli dip, or tossed with honey calamansi or Filipino-style buffalo, as well as the Adobo Jalapeno Melt, made with a choice of chicken or pork adobo flakes, mozzarella, pickled onion and jalapeno on sourdough with adobo aioli dip. The Pimiento Melt is another option: a house-made pimiento spread with a five-cheese blend on sourdough, served with a condensed milk dip on the side.  

Presently, the cafe is open Wednesday through Sunday until 4 or 5 p.m., but eventually, they would like to expand to late-night hours and offer a dinner menu with food and drink for a low-lit, cozy space to get dinner and meet with friends. 

“We want people to truly experience Bukas, not only in the morning,” said Carreon. 

Bukas Cafe is open Wednesdays 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursdays to Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. as well as Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, follow them at @bukas.cafe.

 

[samhexum]

https://qns.com/2026/02/butterboy-baking-nyc-first-filipino-cake-workshop/
 

https://qns.com/2026/02/arcade-social-space-metropolitan-building-lic/

[samhexum]

Northwell Health has acquired a 338,000-square-foot abandoned department store at 96-05 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park for $235.5 million from Steve Roth.

The retail property, known as Rego Park I, was most recently home to a Marshalls and a Burlington, before they moved out approximately one year ago. Since then, the site has been vacant. Prior to Marshalls and Burlington, the space was occupied by a Sears. It was also once housed by an Alexander’s, before the department store filed for bankruptcy and closed its 11 locations in 1992.

Northwell Health has not yet gone into detail about its plans for the property, which also includes a parking garage with 1,236 spaces. While Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Forest Hills is only one mile away from the property, at 102-01 66th Rd., it is possible that they may transform this space into another hospital that may be more accessible to residents in the area.

“Northwell has a long-standing commitment to ensuring our neighbors and patients across Queens can access world-class health care regardless of their ZIP code or their ability to pay,” Northwell Health said in a statement. “We’re excited to explore ways this strategic investment can serve more New Yorkers and meet the diverse health care needs of all the communities we serve.”

Over the last 20 years, Northwell Health has made 20 acquisitions. These property purchases have helped it grow over this period of time into the largest private employer in New York State. Today, it has more than 100,000 employees.

Northwell Health also owns properties across the street from Rego Park I, including the Rego Park Tower at 95-25 Queens Blvd. and a 1-story building adjacent to it.

The property was built in 1959. It was bought by Roth’s real estate firm, Alexander’s Inc., in 1995, one year before a Sears location opened there. Roth and his partners stand to gain more than $140 million from the $235.5 million sale.

Alexander’s Inc. relocated the recent occupants of this property to the adjacent Rego Park II. Both properties are part of the mixed-use Rego Park Center.

The property was built in 1959. It was bought by Roth’s real estate firm, Alexander’s Inc., in 1995, one year before a Sears location opened there. Roth and his partners stand to gain more than $140 million from the $235.5 million sale.

Alexander’s Inc. relocated the recent occupants of this property to the adjacent Rego Park II. Both properties are part of the mixed-use Rego Park Center.

[samhexum]

https://qns.com/2026/03/forest-hills-stadium-economic-impact-report/

Economic impact report finds Forest Hills Stadium generated $42.5 million for local economy

[Lucky]

@samhexum has done a masterful  job of keeping this thread about a suicide in Queens at the top of the lists for several years now, so I am happy to bump the thread so he doesn't have to. Some have suggested starting a more relevant thread about Queens, leaving out the suicide, but sam knows best. I suspect it will thrive for years to come.

[samhexum]

Fans of the local Sichuan restaurant Ma Lala Chinese have something new to look forward to now that Nice Day Chinese has moved into the space, continuing its initiative to save small-owned Chinese American restaurants from shuttering.

The restaurant, located at 42-02 30th Ave. Astoria is the brand’s first Queens expansion, preserving many of the restaurant’s most popular dishes with the original founder and chef still in the kitchen as part of the Nice Day team, while offering elevated takes, house-made dim sum, and made-to-order dishes prepared with fresh ingredients.

“The uniqueness of [Ma Lala] is that it served a lot of authentic Chinese food dishes,” said Yong Zhao, who founded the brand with his wife, Wanting Zhang. “It’s been loved by the neighborhood for so many years, but we will make sure it’s served right, so the dishes are prepared with fresher ingredients and we keep the menu organic.

Nice Day Chinese was founded in 2014 by Zhao and Zhang while they were still students at Yale University. Their landlord, who was also the owner of a local Chinese restaurant, was grappling with the future of his business when his daughter, who had recently graduated from college, wasn’t interested in taking over the restaurant. When the pair observed a dilemna popping up for small-owned family Chinese restaurants who were either retiring with no one in the younger generation to pass the business down to, or struggling to stay open due to rising costs of running a small owned business, the couple felt inspired to start their own brand, which gives owners the option of staying on board at the restaurant with less obligations than running the business if they’d like or handing it over, knowing their most popular dishes will be preserved while adding new ones.

“When people first came here in the ‘90s, China was very poor, so they came here for the American dream, but after 2015, the development in China made the new generation of immigrants, so they don’t come her to work in restaurants anymore,” said Zhao. “A lot of restaurant owners’ kids went to

Harvard, Cornell, and they’re not coming back to work front of house, but the restaurant’s been loved by the neighborhood for so many years, so we started to think about the future of Chinese food as my generation changed.”

Since their first storefront in New Haven, they’ve expanded to owning five more restaurants including their newest one in Astoria, which they learned about through a mutual friend. The restaurant has been popular for authentic Sichuan dishes, such as spicy Sichuan crispy chicken, double-cooked pork belly, and mala dry pot, as well as American Chinese dishes like chicken with broccoli and sesame chicken. Nice Day has added an assortment of dishes as well from boiled fish with green peppercorns, handmade soup dumplings, and starters like their cheeseburger egg roll, housemade crab rangoon, and Sichuan French fries. They also serve milk tea in five flavors including brown sugar, jasmine, and taro, and offer desserts like mochi rice balls and pumpkin pancakes, emphasizing creating each dish with the best ingredients, made fresh, for customers to enjoy their meal and still feel good afterward.

Edited April 4 by samhexum
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[samhexum]

https://qns.com/2026/05/concert-season-forest-hills-stadium-summer/

Music fans across New York City and beyond are eagerly anticipating another epic season of concerts at Queens’ iconic Forest Hills Stadium this summer.

The dynamic 2026 lineup features returning music legends, like Bob Dylan and Queens’ own Paul Simon, along with global stars the Zac Brown Band, Haley Williams, Wilco, the Dave Matthews Band, Erykah Badu, Bright Eyes, Zeds Dead, the Black Crowes, Jon Batiste, Geese and more!

So, get your tickets and get ready to enjoy a diverse array of unforgettable performances presented by this historic, 13,000-seat stadium that Billboard has named one of the top music venues on the East Coast in 2025.
 

[samhexum]

CM Wong announces Summer Concert Series and ‘Movies Under the Stars’ at Juniper Valley Park
https://qns.com/2026/05/cm-wong-summer-concert-series-juniper-valley-park/

[Luv2play]

On 2/3/2026 at 2:01 PM, Lucky said:

Corrupt lawyers in Queens? Why has the OP not told us about this? I am shocked!

From the nytimes.com:

A luxury penthouse apartment, with polished stone countertops and stunning views of the New York City skyline, would seem like an odd expense for a public defender organization whose clients are poor defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

But Lori Zeno, the founder of the public defender organization Queens Defenders, paid to rent a luxury apartment and many other things, federal prosecutors said, with stolen public money.

Ms. Zeno and her romantic partner, Rashad Ruhani, used more than $300,000 of the organization’s funds on indulgences like a vacation to Bali, teeth-whitening procedures and repairs to a Mercedes-Benz, according to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.

On Tuesday, in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, Ms. Zeno, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. Before being arrested, Ms. Zeno said, she had sought treatment for mental health issues and alcoholism.

Mr. Ruhani has maintained his innocence, while a third defendant in the case, Kimberly Osorio, was charged in October with lying to federal investigators.

“It’s a very sad moment,” said Steven Legon, a lawyer for Ms. Zeno, whom he called a “very accomplished attorney,” after the proceeding.

Ms. Zeno is set to be sentenced on April 20. Russell Noble, an assistant U.S. attorney, said the government would seek a prison term of four to five years for Ms. Zeno.

The case unearthed a disturbing level of graft, particularly for the leader of an organization that represents the city’s most vulnerable residents. The Queens Defenders, which Ms. Zeno helped found in 1996, is one of a number of nonprofits that are paid through city, state and federal contracts to represent defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement that Ms. Zeno “brazenly betrayed and abused her position of trust as the director of a nonprofit.”

 

Ms. Zeno became the organization’s executive director in 2018, earning about $400,000 a year to lead the organization. She was fired in January 2025 after the organization said it discovered “several irregularities” from an independent forensic audit.

After Ms. Zeno was fired, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice announced it would reassign the services behind the organization’s annual contract, worth $32 million, to the Brooklyn Defenders, another public defender organization in New York City.

“Queens Defenders is under new leadership and focused on our work to serve the people of the borough,” Mike Scala, the president of the Queens Defenders board of directors, said in a statement.

Some people who worked with Ms. Zeno at the Queens Defenders have described her as a tyrant who bullied racial minorities and women. In a separate federal lawsuit filed in 2024, Ms. Zeno and the organization were accused of racial discrimination and retaliation by three former employees.

Ms. Zeno, according to the lawsuit and former employees, routinely berated and belittled staff at the organization’s office in Far Rockaway, Queens, imposing a culture of fear. She once told her staff that she would “eviscerate” and sue a lawyer who went on maternity leave and did not return to the organization, according to court papers.

 

Beginning in 2024, prosecutors said, Ms. Zeno and Mr. Ruhani began a romantic relationship and drew on the organization’s funds to embark on a wild spending spree. They spent thousands on luxury items from Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and Ralph Lauren. More than $39,000 was spent on rent for the penthouse, prosecutors said, along with DoorDash deliveries and an 85-inch television.

“They were not, in fact, business expenses,” Ms. Zeno said in court on Tuesday.

In addition to the theft of funds, prosecutors said, Ms. Zeno hired relatives and friends of Mr. Ruhani for jobs in which they did no work. One of the people Ms. Zeno hired was Mr. Ruhani’s wife, who despite living in Saudi Arabia, was paid $60,000 to lead a nonexistent health and wellness program at Queens Defenders.

Santul Nerkar is a Times reporter covering federal courts in Brooklyn.

 

•  

 

What sentence did Ms. Zeno receive on April 20th? Curious minds want to know.

Edited May 5 by Luv2play

[samhexum]

Barnes & Noble had previously been an occupant of the Bay Terrace Shopping Center until its closure in 2015. Construction is set to begin within the next 60 days on its new location, which will occupy the former Express space.

A new lease with Barnes & Noble had been approximately two to three years in the making, according to Cord Meyer Development. Cord Meyer Development was interested in bringing back Barnes & Noble based on the iconic bookstore’s newer, smaller concept designs.

The new location is expected to span around 10,000 square feet, which would take up less space than the previous store’s 17,000 square feet.

[samhexum]

https://qns.com/2026/05/lgbtq-spots-western-queens-pride-month/
Five LGBTQ+ owned spots to visit in western Queens during Pride Month

Edited May 27 by samhexum
for existential reasons

[samhexum]

Woodhaven’s identity has long been tied to trees. The neighborhood developed along the edge of the old forests that gave nearby Forest Park its name, and thousands of trees still populate the area. Many of them have compelling stories to tell. This is a tale of two historic trees in Woodhaven: one that was cut down nearly a century ago and another that still stands after more than 225 years.

The first tree was known to locals as the “Famous Black Walnut Tree,” a familiar and beloved landmark for generations. It stood on the northeast corner of Jamaica Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.

Today, that corner is a busy intersection, with approximately 65,000 vehicles passing through each day, in addition to the tens of thousands who travel through by bus and train. But in the time of the Famous Black Walnut Tree, Woodhaven was largely farmland, and Woodhaven Boulevard was little more than a quiet, narrow dirt road.

The tree stood at the corner of the Dominicus Vanderveer farm, which stretched from Jamaica Avenue north to Park Lane South. With its massive trunk and broad canopy of twisting branches, it was celebrated for its impressive size, age and distinctive silhouette against the skyline.

Long regarded as a symbol of Woodhaven’s rural past amid increasing development, it served as a point of local pride and a living reminder of the landscape that existed before the neighborhood began its transformation into the bustling community it is today.

It is easy to imagine that tree and the community that grew around it, a landscape of sprawling farms and wide-open spaces. How many people found refuge beneath its branches on a hot summer day, enjoying its shade and the quiet of an intersection so different from the one we know now?

As the 20th century approached, however, Jamaica Avenue became increasingly crowded with new buildings, leaving little room for an old tree like this one.

One local community leader had a pen fashioned from the tree’s wood. One hopes that this small piece of Woodhaven’s history still survives somewhere, perhaps as a family heirloom whose story has long been forgotten, or tucked away unnoticed in the back of a drawer. Or perhaps, like the Famous Black Walnut itself, it has vanished forever. All that remains now are descriptions of the tree and our imaginations.

The second tree still stands today in the Wyckoff-Snediker Family Cemetery, located behind All Saints Episcopal Church on 96th Street. This cemetery served as a private burial ground for many prominent Queens and Brooklyn families from the late 1700s through the 1890s. Over the course of more than a century, more than 200 people were laid to rest there, making it one of Woodhaven’s most historic sites.

Standing watch over their graves is a magnificent Quercus velutina, or Black Oak. With a massive trunk measuring nearly 50 inches in diameter, it towers above the cemetery and parish hall, casting a wide canopy of shade. Visible from 96th Street, it remains one of Woodhaven’s most striking natural landmarks.

An arborist’s assessment conducted about a decade ago estimated the tree’s age at approximately 225 years, perhaps even older.

More than just a part of the landscape, this Black Oak is a living witness to Woodhaven’s history. Recently recognized by the New York City Parks Department as one of the “Great Trees of New York City” for its historical, botanical and cultural significance, the Black Oak remains both a living monument to Woodhaven’s past and an enduring connection to those who came before.

These two trees, like many thousands of others in Woodhaven, have stood for generations, silently bearing witness to the community’s growth and transformation. If only they could speak.

[samhexum]

On 4/18/2023 at 6:52 PM, samhexum said:

 

 

[samhexum]

Mixue opened its doors on July 1 at 41-01 Kissena Blvd. in Flushing. Since then, its popularity has skyrocketed. This Chinese-originated fast food chain is widely known for its vanilla soft serve, bubble tea and fruit teas and arrived to a lot of excitement in the neighborhood.

Mixue is a food chain that originated in Zhengzhou, China. It’s popular for its cheap prices, including a vanilla soft serve for $1.19 and $2 lemonade in the U.S. According to allrecipes.com, Mixue has surpassed McDonald’s and Starbucks location numbers. Mixue has 48,000 stores globally, while McDonald’s and Starbucks are at have 42,000 and 43,000, respectively.

Mixue’s prices are so cheap because they own their entire supply chain. Yahoo Finance says, “Controlling everything from the agricultural source to the cold-chain logistics allows the company to supply over 1 billion global franchise locations with significantly reduced distribution cost.”

https://qns.com/2026/07/ringo-starr-perform-forest-hills-stadium-oct-1/

Queen of cinema: A movie theater blooms in Queens

After Emelyn Stuart was told the building containing her movie theater in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, for eight years was being turned into condominiums, she had to decide what to do.

Stuart had just spent $250,000 on a new auditorium at her Stuart Cinema and Café and had commitments to studios for movies, but no movie theater to show them. It was not the way she wanted this “movie” story to end, but it came very close to an unhappy ending until Stuart rewrote the story.

She recently walked through the solution, a new cinema in Long Island City she had built in about two months. She strolled through auditoriums with 45 and 50 seats, smiling and a survivor in a tough business. 

The cinema has comfortable chairs (yes, more comfortable than her first cinema), a better café and shows blockbusters and smaller movies.

“It took me eight years to build the audience and the following. I had to move quickly. I found this space,” she said as she walked through the cinema, which opened in May. “I’m super happy. The old space was smaller. We didn’t have a kitchen. We always wanted to have a kitchen so I could offer more food.”

Businesses open all the time, but this new cinema is not an ordinary business, showing movies, dreams on the screen, and doing much more, providing a venue for everything from parties to festivals as well as blockbuster and smaller movies just blocks from the Museum of the Moving Image.

“We don’t really need to be on a main avenue, because we draw in foot traffic. They were willing to offer me a long-term lease and willing to work with me,” Stuart said of a landlord that gave her a launchpad to keep her dream alive. “I’m only 10 minutes from my old location. So I wouldn’t have to lose those customers.”

Stuart invested in new projectors, as well as $350 leather seats and soundproofing and, as she puts it, has a space as good and modern as any other movie theater.

“I have everything they have in the theater, but it’s smaller,” she said. “The studios had no issue giving me movies.”

She and her cinema do more than show big movies, presenting private events and private screenings and a path to at least consideration for big awards.

“We help filmmakers qualify for the Oscars,” Stuart said of smaller movies. “We do birthday parties, panels. A lot of people meet in our space. People can play their wedding anniversary video and have a whole night for themselves.”

Queens World Film Festival Executive Director Katha Cato sees the new cinema as boosting indie movies in the borough.

“The Stuart Cinema and Cafe is another giant leap forward for a thriving indie film community exploding in Queens,” Cato said. “Two additional screens in Queens make so much more possible for all of us working to bring these independent voices forward.” 

Local movie makers see the new movie theater as a new way to reach audiences at a smaller venue.

“I was thrilled to screen at Stuart Cinema,” said Patricia Silva, whose award-winning movie “Bright Vignettes: How Astoria Got its Pride,” was screened there, near the core of the movie itself. “It’s an independent theater.”

Stuart worked in corporate America, at large law firms and brokerage houses, before she began producing film and television, facing problems with distribution.

“People were like, ‘You’d better build your own movie theater,” Stuart said. “That’s what I did. And here I am.”

While movie theater food typically means popcorn and soda, not being a huge fan of this fare, she opened a smaller café at her first cinema and a larger one here.

“I’m Dominican,” Stuart said before going over the menu in her film version of a field of dreams. “I’d love an empanada. What if we had a spicy latin burger? What if we had a Cajun chicken sandwich?”

She offers Coquito Spanish egg nogg, in keeping with her Dominican roots. “We sell it every day,” Stuart said. “Most people make it only for Christmas.”

Stuart said there is more space between rows and the “theater is bigger” as crowds arrive, often to see big movies, even as she works on projects as well in Brooklyn.

The new cinema has been doing well, opening with the new “The Devil Wears Prada” movie and Michael Jackson biopic “Michael.”

“They both did amazing,” she said of showings that attracted old and new fans, not just of the movies, but the movie theater.

The cinema, she said, is the only Afro Latina-owned movie theater in New York State in an industry that often remains male-dominated.

“It’s a very closed, old boy, old school network,” Stuart said. “A lot of people pass their theaters down generation after generation.”

They just finished showing “Scary Movie” and “Toy Story Five,” helping drive business. “Movies are doing better here than at my other theater,” Stuart said before pausing. “It could also be that we have better movies now. We’ve got movies that people are excited about.”

She also shows smaller movies and thinks out of the box (office) when it comes to menu, providing popcorn with a twist, such as chocolate whiskey flavor. 

“We have something nobody else has,” Stuart said. “We have liquor-infused popcorn. People don’t have to drink alcohol. They could also eat the popcorn.”

We talk as Stuart walks through her cinema where others get to see, if not her dreams, movies she shows, and share in her dream.

“We’re about to start ‘Toy Story,’” Stuart says, although every day is another page in her own story as well. “A staff person comes in and programs all the movies and then we’re good to go and they just play.”

She is running a movie theater, half Hollywood and half home, with pillows on a bench that make you feel like you are in a place built and furnished with love.

“These days, my favorite movie is ‘The Greatest Showman,’” Stuart says of a movie that, in some ways, echoes her story. “It’s really about the underdog and it’s a musical with dancing.”

They have a stage (although no backstage) in both auditoriums where they presented a puppet show, burlesque show for Pride month, comedians, spoken word and showed the FIFA World Cup United States versus Bosnia.

They also offer special discounts ($8 movies on Wednesday) as a dream that nearly turned into a disaster, like a phoenix, grew wings and turned into a sequel in an industry where that sometimes happens.

“The audience is out there,” Stuart said with a smile that just months ago might have been difficult to imagine. “We consider ourselves a gathering space. It’s not just about the movies.”