A Tree Grows in Jackson Heights

Perhaps no one else but myself cares about this, but Bette, the tree planted in December, 2007 outside my window as an early holiday present (okay, it was actually part of the million tree plan initiated in NYC by Mayor Bloomberg and Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project) deserves an update. Here, the before, middle…

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Make me donate to libraries!

Home for books! So, I'm carrying this over from LiveJournal, though I'm sure it's spreading all over the universe. Consider this a kind of sponsorship, the way people sponsor walkers when they hoof it for a good cause. Only neither one of us actually has to do anything — you just have to comment, I…

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Shave and a haircut, too hot

Arrr, she is a fine tradition we have here in Jackson Heights: The cutting of the hair of the dog. Just in time for the temps to hit 100, Ciara got herself all shaved off on Friday after almost a year without a groom. (I know, I know, but it's more than I pay for…

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The tree fairy!

At this time of year, everyone's thinking about what might get left under their tree. Me, I actually got a tree! Well, me and the rest of the Jackson Heights neighborhood. I heard this tremendous drilling sound outside this morning while getting ready for work and discovered they were digging up the sidewalk. Who knows…

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More Park, less Slope, occasional fried onions

The Manchester in Winter I hold no illusions about the neighborhood where I own property (that is, my one-bedroom): With Manhattan real estate officially certified insane, and the best parts of Brooklyn gentrified and cutesiefied and thus largely priced out of reasonable possibility of ownership, that means all eyes are slowly turning to Queens. Long…

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