Jackson Heights Life

Wow! I didn't realize that my original post turned into a heated discussion and offended some people here since I have not checked the forum as I was dealing with the closing, final walk through, and all the good stuff...

My husband and I have been looking for an apartment to buy for probably 2 years.  We have been looking around at Washington Heights, Inwood, Williamsburg, park slope, long island city, Astoria.... you name it.

What attracted us originally about Jackson Heights was the beautiful spacious pre-war apartments in the Historical area.  We were so turned off by all the cookie cutter new developments with no personalities. The apartments in Jackson Heights were absolutely gorgeous!  Inwood has some beautiful apartments, but even though it is still part of the Manhattan, the transportation just did not seem very convenient compare to Jackson Heights.
At one point last year, we practically spent every weekends in Jackson Heights looking for apartments.  We walked up and down the 37th avenue numerous times and really enjoyed the neighborhood.  Our first stop was always the Argentina Pastry shop for some coffee and pastries. We loved all the world cuisines we ate here, the Indian and Chinese supermarkets.... I found myself always looking forward to the trips to Jackson Heights, and the commute from and to Manhattan was a breeze.

I for one did not like what was happening in Manhattan the past couple of years with banks and drug stores opening in every block.  And all the new developments happening on the west side! It did not feel like New York at all. I thought Manhattan was losing it's charm and looked more and more like the rest of the America.

Having said that, being a New Yorker, I love to walk every chance I get.
I enjoy being able to work out in a gym that is within walking distance to my apartment so that going to a gym does not need to be a big project. (All women would understand the challenge of getting all the facial/hair products, outfits together trying to incorporate gym into part of you day.)
On a lazy weekend when I am not in the mood to plan ahead and do anything particularly productive but doesn't feel like to stay home, I would take a short walk and spend an afternoon sitting in the bookstore cafe browsing through books and magazines or maybe go see a movie from the movie theater nearby. I was not so lucky on the organic market, I had to take a bus or subway for that one.

Okay, so maybe I am being naive or spoiled... I really did not expect my wish of having the convenience of easy access to these things would cause such strong reactions and the horrible "G" debate.   I love those mom and pop shops. I am excited to move to Jackson Heights.  But I still would love to have movie theaters, Gyms, bookstore, and good organic market around. 
I honestly thought people living in Jackson Heights will enjoy having the convenience of these things too.  Boy, am I wrong.
But does it have to be one or another? It's like... can I say that I love my husband to death but he told bad jokes sometimes and I wish he eventually would learn to pick after his socks??

If I move to Jackson Heights from Brooklyn and hoping for a good pizzeria in the neighborhood or if I come fresh out of the boat from another country and wanting an authentic home cooking restaurant, would it be less offensive?

Anyway, peace and love, my soon to be neighbors!

Welcome to the neighborhood yqc7487.  Many of us are totally in agreement with you.  We love Jackson Heights the way it is, but wouldn't mind having a little more variety and extra amenities in the neighborhood.  I am with you, I rather walk and spend my money in my neighborhood than spend it outside of the neighborhood.  Also, a lot of us do not have so much extra time and money that we can just travel all over New York to go to the gym or get a nice hormone free steak or other.

That would be great if the Y comes to Jackson Heights.  That would really fill a void.  

It would be great too if La Gamin came and then all the people who post anti-gentrification threads on this message board can stand outside staring in the window while I enjoy my wonderful crepe filled with nutella and banana with a glass of wine and cafe au lait while reading a book.  

Okay, so maybe I am being naive or spoiled... I really did not expect my wish of having the convenience of easy access to these things would cause such strong reactions and the horrible "G" debate.   I love those mom and pop shops. I am excited to move to Jackson Heights.  But I still would love to have movie theaters, Gyms, bookstore, and good organic market around.  
I honestly thought people living in Jackson Heights will enjoy having the convenience of these things too.  Boy, am I wrong.

You are not wrong or spoiled.  Welcome to Jackson Heights.  Hope your physical move is more pleasant than your virtual one 

UM...
I don't think anyone was asking for a cheese shop, pet groomer or botox joint.

it seems like those who come here from elsewhere don't share a fondness for such singularity and want to ensure that every five block radius has a sushi bar, an organic bakery, a pet groomer, a wine shop, a cheese shop and a place to have botox injected.

The request, which has been echoed many times on this board, was for a gym and a bookstore. And a movie theatre (we had two until this year, when they both went out of business).

A bookstore seems like a pipe dream. Virtually all the independent bookstores in Manhattan have closed. (I was especially sad to see Applause books and Shakespeare & Co go). B&N and Borders only make half of their money from books...instead from cards, toys, cafe sales, etc. And now even the big guys are losing money:  Barnes & Noble and Borders Bleed Red http://www.thestreet.com/story/10631944/1/barnes-noble-borders-bleed-red.html. They can't compete with Walmart, Amazon and digital downloads. If someone can figure out how to have a bookstore succeed, I'd love to see it (and patronize it) but I think they're going the way of CD stores and Video Rental places...killed off by digital distribution.

I too, would love to see a gym.

Curves may be nice, but as a man, I'm automatically excluded, and it's a mile walk from my house. Plus, I don't like the extreme right-wing political donations of the owner/ceo (I realize that franchisees may not share those views, but it's the largest chain of gyms in the world, and a lot of $$ is flowing through the CEO to political groups I strongly disagree with.)

Multiple branches around the city are a plus. And some might not want to see a "usurious private gym" - rates at the Y are not particularly less expensive just because they're a not-for-profit.  The Y in flushing has a $100 initiation, plus $58 monthly fee, but that doesn't include use of the Manhattan Y's, which have a monthly fee of $90. NYSC does the same one-club membership for $65, as does 24-hour fitness. Bally's is $35 a month (their sub-brand, Crunch is $90/month). The Powerhouse Gym in Corona, Rego Park's World Gym and a lot of the private gyms in Astoria charge around $50 a month. Gentrification Watch: Don't worry, the ritzy, Equinox/NYHRC/Crunch gyms won't be opening out here.

yqc
Welcome to the neighborhood.  For me at least, there is NOTHING wrong with wishing for service "A" ( a good clean affordable gym), "B" (a movie theatre I can walk to) or "C", but to wish for CHAIN/conglomerate a, b or c (which you yourself bemoaned taking all the life out of your soon to be former neighborhood) is what hurts.  It broke my heart to see people jumping up and down with joy in Astoria when a Panera Bread opened up there, in one of the few neighborhoods left in the city with a different bakery on every corner.  It's been hard to watch the city become a more and more difficult place to do business if you don't have a corporate parachute.  Now we're stuck with the same 6 stores every 10 blocks in so many neighborhoods.  It doesn't seem like you can really have both.  But people love the big box stores, that's why they are here.  Enjoy the diversity of jackson Heights, and let's support the smaller stores- I DO believe(hope) this will provide incentive for new stores to fill the vacancies that have recently opened up.  To me the chains reflect nothing of the neighborhood surrounding them....I'll get off my soapbox now- I know I've said nothing new!

I've only been to Trader Joe's once and I was very disappointed it appears the bulk of the store is pre-packaged, processed and frozen foods.  What is so special about this?  Is it the attractive packaging? The friendly cashiers?  Please enlighten me.  

Wow that thread was a veritable love fest for Trader Joe's although the raves were basically for frozen foods, condiments and candy but further I think buying frozen organic vegetables is a little odd kind of defeats the purpose of that whole fresh organic shpiel! 

Please continue discussions on Trader Joe's over at:

New Trader Joe's in Queens

Thanks!

this debate will go on for awhile. but for those who suggest they only want to add a bistro, a cheese shop, a trader joe's. a whole foods, and one entity from columns 'a' through 'w' ....but not displace any of our existing mom and pop shops....

where do you plan on putting the new places? on the current farmland? on the median of 34th avenue?

Wait for a 'mom & pop' hoochie clothing store or a 'mom & pop' cell phone store to go out of business?  
Oh yeah, there are all of those already empty storefronts...