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Author Topic: Play Street 2011  (Read 8531 times)

Offline NATIVENYER

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Re: Bad news on Playstreet
« Reply #30 on: September 12, 2011, 01:05:30 AM »
Dear Imaniace,

Thank you for your kind and neighborly response!

NATIVENYER
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Offline theplanesland

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Re: Bad news on Playstreet
« Reply #31 on: September 12, 2011, 08:38:50 AM »
As a fellow native New Yorker, I'd like to submit:

We have FIVE SUBWAY LINES in this neighborhood. I understand a small percentage of residents need cars to get to jobs further out in Queens. But "working class people" in western Queens typically don't own cars. They take THE SUBWAY. Guess what I've taken for 37 years. Yep. The subway. My mom? For 62 years? The subway! Admittedly, the subway doesn't get you to work in Floral Park. But that's a minority need.

According to Census 2000, in the zip code 11372, of 31k workers in the neighborhood only 7k drove to work. 21k took public transit, and the rest biked or walked. Car usage is a minority thing here - a very necessary thing for that minority, but a minority thing, and the neighborhood shouldn't have to bend over to cater to it.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-state=dt&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_P030&-tree_id=403&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=86000US11372&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en

Some of my best friends have cars which are critical for their jobs. But don't cry me a river and don't pretend that you're standing up for the little guy here.

Quote from: NATIVENYER on September 11, 2011, 11:17:51 PM
What is going on with 78 Street between Northern Blvd and 34 Avenue tonight?
Supposedly, the Play Street is over and the street should be open to parking.
Many of our neighbors are upset. We are all working class people and need to find parking spaces.
We do not have the resources of more recent yuppie (hipster) residents to pay for private parking or take a car service.

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Offline lmaniace

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Re: Bad news on Playstreet
« Reply #32 on: September 12, 2011, 10:12:37 AM »
You make excellent points, theplanesland, on the reliance of average folks on public transit,
   Growing up in Astoria, my father and everyone of my neighbors took the subway to work. It's a shame that Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan did not succeed. It would have been in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekedays - a time when the overwhelming number of sane people would avoid driving into Manhattan.

And NativeNYer,
   It's important that we can discuss things civilly without name calling, and also I think the Playstreet should become a permanent addition to Travers Park.

Len
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Offline Ed

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Re: Bad news on Playstreet
« Reply #33 on: September 12, 2011, 12:18:13 PM »
So we can't blame yuppie/hipsters for stuff anymore? What will everyone complain about then?
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Offline lmaniace

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Re: Bad news on Playstreet
« Reply #34 on: September 12, 2011, 12:29:30 PM »
To tell the truth, I don't see many real hipsters in the neighborhood - mainly middle- and working-class folks who prefer live in our city than the suburbs.

Also, I have to say a lot of the folks at last night's program on the Playstreet were seniors. Perhaps they were original hipsters from the late 40s/50s, but that may not be who NativeNYer was talking about. BTW, I'm a native NYer, but since this is NYC and the US, that really doesn't give me more say than newcomers.

And yeah, it's tough not to have a scapegoat for every problem you have.
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Offline Ed

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Re: Bad news on Playstreet
« Reply #35 on: September 12, 2011, 01:45:05 PM »
Quote from: lmaniace on September 12, 2011, 12:29:30 PM
it's tough not to have a scapegoat for every problem you have.
And that's the name of that tune....
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Offline Dudley

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Upcoming Play Street Events
« Reply #36 on: September 16, 2011, 11:14:59 PM »
We are delighted to announce that we will continue holding the Play Street on weekends until the end of September.

Beginning at 5pm on Fridays and continuing until 6am on Mondays you can expect to enjoy the car-free street that we have all come to love. We are very grateful to the DoT for their continued support in this matter.

Now we have some upcoming events to announce!

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Tomorrow, Saturday, from 10am-12pm Superkickers will bring cones, nets and soccer balls to the Play Street and give free soccer lessons.

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Later on DJ Tony Mac will return to the street, from 5pm-8pm, playing music, giving away prizes and organizing games for families.
 
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Next week, Chhaya CDC presents...

CHATPATI NIGHT
 
Enjoy a night out in the neighborhood with a screening of the Bollywood movie HUM AAPKE HAIN KAUN chaat and cultural performances!
 
                    Friday, September 23rd at 6:00 PM on the Play Street
 
                    Contact: Anjali Chaudhry at 718-478-3848 x. 23 anjali (AT) chhayacdc (DOT) org
 
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Community Afro-Caribbean dance/movement class - Saturday, September 24th, 10-11am

This is a fun mix of rhythms and movement drawn from Cuban, Haitian, and Puerto-Rican dance traditions. No worries about prior dance experience or lack there of: the main focus here is in sharing dance in a fun environment and a relaxed setting. It's a great way to work out, move to the rhythms, and learn some new steps all while enjoying the outdoors. Class is OPEN level and the community -children and adults- are all invited to participate. There will be live drumming for this class.

About the Instructor:

Goussy Célestin is a musician and dancer with over two decades of experience.
She plays the piano, sings and dances professionally with two dance companies(Retumba and Ase Dance Theatre Collective) both as musician and dancer and has taught residencies and workshops in dance throughout NYC. You can also find her leading her own music projects, or in collaboration with fellow musicians' projects. She also is a lead vocalist for Charanga Soleil.

You can visit Goussy online at www.Goussy.com
 
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Action Toy Origami - Sunday, September 25th - come by any time from 10am - 12noon
Taught by Karen Wellington
 
Come and make a ball, an airplane and spinning top. Durable paper in a varietiy of colors will be available. You will also make a box in which to carry home your creations. All materials will be provided free of charge by the instructor. All ages are welcome. Children 8 years and under should be accompanied by a caregiver.
 
Karen Wellington has taught for the NYC public school system for many years and she currently teaches origami at the branches of the Queens Library System.  Karen has lived in Jackson Heights for 8 years.
 
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De Facto Dance - Sunday, September 25th - 2pm and 3pm
 
De Facto Dance returns to the Play Street! They will perform "A Dancer is a Person is a Dancer" - a piece that combines pedestrian movement, whimsy and awkward/graceful expansiveness into a site-specific Play Street happening.
 
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Grand Concourse plays Ska from 5-7pm on Sunday, September 25th.

The farewell concert for the Summer Sundays series brings a fantastic Ska band to the Play Street!

 
Ska is the musical genre of Jamaican independence in the early 1960's. It's mix of calypso and rhythm and blues created a rich sound that took Jamaica by storm in a very short period of time (even in the USA with the hit "My Boy Lollipop").  Eventually, Ska morphed into the sound we now know as Reggae, which changed popular music forever.  The rich traditions of music that Jamaica continues to give began with one house band called The Skatalites.  50 years later, The Skatalites are still on the road and while the players have changed, the sound remains.
 
Kevin Batchelor is one of those new members and has become a great part of this institution of Jamaican music.  Kevin's talents as trumpet player are matched by his golden voice and his uncanny ability to entertain a crowd. When he is off the road, he leads a six piece, New York based ska group called Grand Concourse, which features our friendly neighborhood songwriter, Jonny Meyers.  The band showcases all original material with close attention to the rhythms and aesthetic of the Jamaican classics.  Get on your dancing shoes for this end of summer blowout as Kevin Batchelor's Grand Concourse makes their Queens debut at Travers Park on September 25th, 5-7pm.
 
More info:
KBGC music - www.facebook.com/kbgcska - "like" them for more info
KBGC album - http://www.theconnextion.com/mossburgmusic/mossburgmusic_cat.cfm?CatID=580
 
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We look forward to seeing you at all of these events. Thanks for all of your support!

The Jackson Heights Green Alliance
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Offline theplanesland

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Wasn't Play Street supposed to be weekends until Oct 31?
« Reply #37 on: October 02, 2011, 03:28:58 PM »
Maybe I'm confused. On Northern Boulevard at 78th Street, there is an official DOT sign which clearly says the street should be blocked off weekends through Oct. 31. But today, the street had cars on it. What happened to "weekends until Oct. 31?"
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Offline ECG

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Re: Wasn't Play Street supposed to be weekends until Oct 31?
« Reply #38 on: October 02, 2011, 04:27:26 PM »
It lasted until Sept. 30th.
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