wei yau
04-07-2005, 07:20 PM
Taken from the "lightning bug" thread (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=54511#post54511).
First, lived in Corona, Queens. Just blocks away from the Junction Blvd station for the #7 line.
My grandparents used to live in Middle Village, right off of Woodhaven Boulevard. When I was little, and would spend the night, my grandma and I would sit outside on the porch and watch the planes fly overhead into La Guardia.
From our vantage point in College Point, the planes flew directory over our heads. I remember going to MacNeil park and watching the rescue efforts for that one plane that slid off the runway and into the water.
And if no one knows what the hell we're talking about, I've found a map of the Queens neighborhoods so people can get some sort of reference (see attached) as well as a small blurb on some of the more "famous" neighborhoods (http://gonyc.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.queensbp.org%2Fcontent_web%2Fdepts%2Fcultural_affairs%2Fneighborhoods.htm).
Great map. Thanks. I've been meaning to get an NYC subway map to frame as poster in our basement. The basement is our "New York" room and has several different pieces reminding us of home.
Also, if people didn't know, NYC is actually more than just Manhattan. Manhattan is one of five boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island) which in total, are considered New York City. For the most part though, if you speak to anyone outside of Staten Island ... Staten Island doesn't count. It smells really bad, probably because it houses the city landfill. :P
Ahh, not that I ever did suspect you were being false about your New York origins. But, your factual statement about Staten Island is concerete evidence that you're a true New Yorker.
In addition, to complicate things even further, Brooklyn and Queens are actually part of Long Island, Bronx is actually part of the "mainland" and Manhattan and *ahem* Staten Island are their own individual islands.
And despite all of these geographic oddities, it is almost impossible to get lost in the five [sic] boroughs. Provided you could count and had some sense of direction, you could always find your way home. Here I have to memorize the location of multiple streets named after trees, horses and Confederate heroes.
:deepsigh: I miss home. :cry:
So, do I. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily want to move back there, not unless my salary was increased substantially. But, I do miss home.
I miss having walking-distance access to grocery stores and bodegas. Nowadays, I have to drive to get a thing of milk.
I miss having stores open beyond the ungodly hour of 7pm. Nowadays they roll-up the sidewalk as soon as the sun goes down.
I miss actually knowing my neighbors because I'd see them as I commute to work. Nowadays, I get in a car. They get in theirs. And we communicate via bumper stickers and personalized license plates.
I miss the Lemon Ice King of Corona.
I miss hot dog vendors.
I miss being able to walk in any given direction and always being able to find something different to do. Nowadays, it's the same strip mall over and over again.
First, lived in Corona, Queens. Just blocks away from the Junction Blvd station for the #7 line.
My grandparents used to live in Middle Village, right off of Woodhaven Boulevard. When I was little, and would spend the night, my grandma and I would sit outside on the porch and watch the planes fly overhead into La Guardia.
From our vantage point in College Point, the planes flew directory over our heads. I remember going to MacNeil park and watching the rescue efforts for that one plane that slid off the runway and into the water.
And if no one knows what the hell we're talking about, I've found a map of the Queens neighborhoods so people can get some sort of reference (see attached) as well as a small blurb on some of the more "famous" neighborhoods (http://gonyc.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.queensbp.org%2Fcontent_web%2Fdepts%2Fcultural_affairs%2Fneighborhoods.htm).
Great map. Thanks. I've been meaning to get an NYC subway map to frame as poster in our basement. The basement is our "New York" room and has several different pieces reminding us of home.
Also, if people didn't know, NYC is actually more than just Manhattan. Manhattan is one of five boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island) which in total, are considered New York City. For the most part though, if you speak to anyone outside of Staten Island ... Staten Island doesn't count. It smells really bad, probably because it houses the city landfill. :P
Ahh, not that I ever did suspect you were being false about your New York origins. But, your factual statement about Staten Island is concerete evidence that you're a true New Yorker.
In addition, to complicate things even further, Brooklyn and Queens are actually part of Long Island, Bronx is actually part of the "mainland" and Manhattan and *ahem* Staten Island are their own individual islands.
And despite all of these geographic oddities, it is almost impossible to get lost in the five [sic] boroughs. Provided you could count and had some sense of direction, you could always find your way home. Here I have to memorize the location of multiple streets named after trees, horses and Confederate heroes.
:deepsigh: I miss home. :cry:
So, do I. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily want to move back there, not unless my salary was increased substantially. But, I do miss home.
I miss having walking-distance access to grocery stores and bodegas. Nowadays, I have to drive to get a thing of milk.
I miss having stores open beyond the ungodly hour of 7pm. Nowadays they roll-up the sidewalk as soon as the sun goes down.
I miss actually knowing my neighbors because I'd see them as I commute to work. Nowadays, I get in a car. They get in theirs. And we communicate via bumper stickers and personalized license plates.
I miss the Lemon Ice King of Corona.
I miss hot dog vendors.
I miss being able to walk in any given direction and always being able to find something different to do. Nowadays, it's the same strip mall over and over again.