Jackson Heights Life

Wow! This is awesome. I personally think this program is great and pretty innovative (and definitely plan to use the Novo brunch discount!) but it seems to be less about the discounts themselves than about actively supporting local merchants and building a sense of community. I like knowing which businesses support and engage with community efforts and am happy to support them in return - a discount is just an extra plus for me. I mean, it's a $10 card - a few uses and you're whole again - how can you complain? I for one support this community building effort!

Julissa was the only one with credible points in that article, although I'm not impressed by her response to the Libre situation. She should come forward with what she knows now. To do otherwise is not quite honest. I also wasn't impressed by any of the candidates. Who is this guy, George Dixon? He's concerned about sending crime elsewhere?? Hello, his JOB would be to address issues in HIS district...what kind of councilperson would he really be if improving his district goes against his moral code somehow?

Aronan - I agree with you 100%, one has little to do with the other. If he broke the law, he deserves to face the consequences. The problem is that some folks are using this opportunity to make a political point. The 'see, we should have kept Sabini' contingent needs to be put in check. People are suddenly concluding that he has done nothing good. It's either amnesia or ignorance (I hope not prejudice).

The man is no saint, but all you Hiram haters were waiting for an incident hang your hat on. He has done some good things such as supporting the restoration of no parking meters on Sunday, being a MUCH more indepedent check and balance on the Mayor and opaque Queens county politics than any other pol (including Sabini), he has consistently supported middle-income and low-income workers (including supporting small businesses in Willets Point and supporting Flushing-Meadows Corona Park from the stupid proposal to put the Jets Stadium on public land). Keep in mind that most Queens pols have their head so far up the County Democratic Party's -ss and Hiram is/was a refreshing, and necessary counterweight to that. Queen's County's recent support for Hiram is ONLY because they realized if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Who is going to play that role now that Hiram may not survive? This is not to say there are not significant and serious concerns with current and past allegations, I just want to add some perspective to this discussion.

Regarding the community board - if you've ever been to board 3 meetings, you see the disfunction immediately. First, no one can understand a single word the chair says! He's a good man, but completely incomprehensible in his speech. He also says to anyone that asks that CB3 plays only an advisory role when it comes to making neighborhood change. This may be true if we are talking letter of the law, but demonstrates a real lack of understanding regarding what he could REALLY do with his position as a bully pulpit. Tell folks in CB 9, 10 or 11 in Manhattan (Harlem) where there was a recent rezoning, that their role is purely advisory and that they have no real power and they will laugh in your face and point to the fact that their collective uproar about the rezoning was what led to a much more watered down rezoning proposal. CB 3 is a joke.

Yogurberry and Yogufiore are owned by the same individual. Yogurberry is a Korean Chain knock-off of Pinkberry. Yogurfiore is a new store modeled on Yogurberry that the owner wants to turn into a new chain himself.

Went to Yogurfiore (however you spell it) today and the place was filled with a diverse crowd, but unfortunately the tables were dirty and so was the floor. When two people are working behind the counter and no one is buying yogurt, shouldn't one of them be cleaning up the place??

I personally think the plain with strawberries is amazing...

Check out the City Room article on the new Starbucks, plus mention of other great coffee places in the 'hood. I think I'm heading to El Pequeno Coffee Shop this weekend!

Here's the link: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/frothing-over-a-starbucks-in-little-colombia/index.html?ex=1364961600&en=a65b4ce832541f4f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Also, notice the interesting and sad quote from Peralta. I am frankly a bit surprised that he would be quoted as saying “The community should not have to settle for less because it deserves the best." What is he suggesting? That our locally grown coffee shops are not the best? In my mind, Starbucks is fine and gives a good balance to the retail on 37th, but we should note that chains send their profits to corporate headquarters while the profit from locally owned stores stays in the community with owners who live and work here. It's called the multiplier effect. For every dollar you spend at Starbuck's, the majority of the profit gets sent away. But compare that to every dollar you spend at Letty's or Expresso 77. Those profits get respent by the owner who lives in the community, shops at local stores and eats at local restaurants. That money in turn gets spent by employees and owners of that establishment, and so on. So every dollar spent in a local store is 'multiplied' many times over every dollar spent in a national chain. I wish our politicians would work as hard to help local stores as they did to get Starbucks in the 'hood. Don't get me wrong, I am not against Starbucks being here - I just want folks to be educated about how their buying decisions affect the neighborhood.

I really like Jardi on Northern and 84th or so?
I love the atmosphere, the tapas are delicious and affordable - and they have a decent wine selection. I'm hoping they canned the really bad latin singer who starts at 10:00. After he starts singing, conversation is useless, although it is good for a laugh.