Jackson Heights Life

Picnicking isn't really the same thing as using gardens as a playground, though. I'm not terribly old but I also don't care for the sound of children shrieking and yelling. I might just be sensitive because I work from home. That said, I can only think of a few instances in my short two-and-a-half years here where I've heard children even come close to what I consider shrieking in my co-op garden. I lived for eight years in ground floor apartment directly across from a middle school, so I understand true noise.

I've also noticed and appreciated that Jackson Heights has gotten some recent love on Sweeten.

My Jackson Heights kitchen was featured on Apartment Therapy last week and I didn't think to post it here, but this seems like an appropriate thread for it:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-and-after-so-brave-so-good-purple-reigns-in-a-nyc-kitchen-242998

Last week there was a handful of beers. I also think there was wine, sake and sangria.

I'm in a similar situation and am weighing whether I'm going to do cosmetic upgrading or something more serious. I'm having my cabinets painted (I have 38 doors and drawer faces in a kitchen of similar size to the one posted, so it's a bigger project than I feel like dealing with diy) and am changing the hardware myself.

I would like to do a new countertop and backsplash too, but currently there is Formica covering nearly every surface of this kitchen and I was told it would be tricky, i.e. more expensive, to remove it all without destroying cabinets.

I tried Sweeten recently with mixed results (only one contractor responded and he doesn't seem to get my aesthetics and wants to do way more than I would like). One thing to keep in mind with that service is that the minimum suggested budget is $10,000 and that's more like my absolute maximum, including new appliances.

I'm curious if anyone here has had success with contractors and smaller projects. This is more than a handyman job (I'd also like to install a dishwasher where there has never been one). I've reached out to some mentioned here on past threads and have had a hard time getting any responses.

If you're on the east side of the neighborhood, how about Amaru on Northern? Gets good reviews from single female Yelp reviewers.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/amaru-pisco-bar-jackson-heights-2

If you're on the west side of the neighborhood, Saints and Sinners is a brisk walk from 74th Street, I go there for brunch a lot. http://www.yelp.com/biz/saints-and-sinners-woodside

I'm on 85th. You just reminded me that I should revisit Amaru. I peeked in on a weekend when it first opened (well before I lived down the street) and it seemed more clubby than what I'd had in mind. But it might be lower key on a weeknight.

I've only been here a few months, so I'm still sussing out what I can and can't find in the neighborhood. I would say I leave for:

Cheese
Cocktails. Bars with women in them beyond the staff.
Pizza
Middle Eastern food/ingredients
Haircuts
Movies
Clothing and shoes (though I buy 90% online anyway)
Medical services

Er, I guess pretty much everything that doesn't involve Asian or Latino food or a drugstore or bank?

There's also a Don Alex on 95th and 37th, though it's not clear if the two were related. The website only mentions NJ branches, not a second Queens location. http://www.donalexrestaurant.com/