The Off Track Betting parlor on Maspeth’s Grand Avenue feels like an extension of the senior center next door. Most of its patrons are white, elderly, and have the time and funds to spare on gambling. They also appear to be leaning in favor of John McCain for president. While the economy appears to be an important concern, comments about Barack Obama’s race and economic policy indicate the patrons’ fear of an Obama presidency.
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Taken last night outside the Metropolitan Avenue terminal of the M train in Middle Village.
My favorite time to drive on the Long Island Expressway is on Sunday mornings, when it appears nearly empty. My hormones beg me to step on the gas, pretending I am in Monte Carlo or Daytona. Fortunately, my better judgment keeps me within 60 miles per hour. In the two weeks between the centennial of the Long Island Motor Parkway and the New York City Marathon, a thought sparked in my mind- what if the Long Island Expressway were to be used for professional racing once a year?
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They emerged in the most puzzling manner, shirtless out of a storm sewer drain. The three teens were arrested for criminal trespassing. Located at Underhill Avenue and Fresh Meadow Lane, the 12-foot-wide drain is large enough to fit a car, and transports more than the excess storm runoff. It is a link into the watery past of Queens.
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And then there were two… The Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church is tucked on a midblock slope in Maspeth named after Monsignor Frank Bulovas. Parked on the sidewalk outside the church an Acura license plate reads Siauliai, and a Benz reads Lietuva. That’s the native name for Lithuania, a West Virginia-sized Baltic state represented by the church. With the 2007 closing of Our Lady of Vilnius in the West Village, only Transfiguration and the Annunciation Church in Williamsburg remain as the city’s sole outposts of Lithuanian Catholic traditions. (more…)
Tony Nunziato is known for his activism. He served in the environmental committee of Community Board 5 and as president of Maspeth Town Hall. He makes his rounds along Grand Avenue, discussing local concerns with businesses and residents. After years of activism in protests and community organization, he is now seeking to join the most elite body of community representatives in Albany as a State assemblyman.
“This is truly grassroots, like our forefathers,” said Nunziato. On Sept. 27, his Enchanted Florist took on a new role as his official campaign office. “It’s in the back of the store,” said Nunziato. The store was founded almost 90 years ago, and has been operated by Mr. Nunziato for about 25 years. The Nunziato family has been in the flower business since arriving to America in 1901, opening their first shop in Woodside.
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Maspeth Playground Opens in an audio piece.
The voices behind the images and quotes are in the story below. They include the principal, students, and officials from the Trust for Public Land.
The playground of the IS 73 Frank Sansivieri middle school in Maspeth was once an anonymous asphalt lot, offering few options to the students, aside from basketball and handball. The only touches of green were grassy cracks in the blacktop and ailanthus weeds on the periphery. Responding to the community’s need for more parkland, the Trust for Public Land facilitated the transformation of the schoolyard in an inclusive process where the students produced a lasting impact.
Student Anthony Cuocco, 13; Allison Suquitana, 12; principal Patricia Reynolds