Jackson Heights Life

"JHBG -- Jackson Heights Beautification Group has been working for the last 25 years to make JH a better, safer and cleaner place to live."

Thank you JHBG, for all the work you have done and are currently doing in our community.

Yes, thanks JHBG. You're amazing!

I'm grateful to see this topic thread and it makes not feel so alone to know that others out there are having the exact same issues I am. I am somewhat glad I moved to JH 4 years ago, and I LOVE my apartment and its proximity to the train, but I have days where I DEEPLY wish I was somewhere else for the exact reasons people enumerated:

-No gyms
-No decent brunch spots
-No restaurants serving healthy food (I spent an hour on Seamless and Grubhub the other night trying to find something worth eating for someone on a restricted diet and came up zero)
-No place to go for drinks with friends
-Mediocre grocery stores (for the person looking for decent meat, FreshDirect is the only option, or shop in Manhattan)

I don't expect any of this to change, and I'm working to try to accept JH for what it is. And I do appreciate the farmer's market. And I don't want this to be Williamsburg, but I would still like something better.

I bought my apt at the height of the market, so I'm kind of stuck here.

What's sad is that when it finally makes financial sense for me to leave, I will.

And that sucks because there is so much good here, as well as potential. But I'm doubtful that I'll ever really be more than moderately happy here at best. That really bums me out.

Do you folks who are also ambivalent think you'll stay for 5+ years, or do you see yourselves moving on?

Thanks for letting me vent!

I guess I just don't get the hate for the grocery options here. I'm no gourmet, but I try to cook a couple times a week. I'm able to find everything I need between trade fair and the produce places on 37th at 77th and 78th. I don't usually shop at Met foods unless I can't find it at trade fair. I guess I just don't buy into the whole organic craze, which I think is mostly first world selfishness. I realize that to feed the close to 7 billion people on this planet, we need pesticides and genetically modified foods. I wouldn't do the bulk of my shopping at a whole foods type place even if it were in the neighborhood, because I think it's a waste of money.

"JHBG -- Jackson Heights Beautification Group has been working for the last 25 years to make JH a better, safer and cleaner place to live."

Thank you JHBG, for all the work you have done and are currently doing in our community.

 :rockon:

So much to love and so much potential.  So frustrating.
[/quote]
 :smitten: Absolutely correct

I'm surprised to hear a complaint about our grocery stores. There's no Fairway or Whole Foods but there is a Trade Fair, Met Foods, Korean supermarket, Pacific supermarket, Apna Bazaar, Patel Brothers, and quite a few others no matter which direction you go. It's a reason why so many people love this area.

And as far as eating healthy, there are lots of Indian and Nepalese places which are great for your health. I would skip the Colombian places though... I have no idea what's healthy there. oh wait, smoothies! it's either really healthy or unhealthy.

But as far as the subject matter.... All the area needs is one cool bar and it will all come. And we'll all complain about the people who don't appreciate the area for what it is, the snobbishness, and the high prices.

please do report back about finding similar value, quality of life and amenities in similar proximity to manhattan.

I think this is one of the key issues.  Almost everyone in NY makes some sort of compromise when it comes to real estate.  There are certainly things I would love to have nearby (like a good gym) but when I look at any other neighborhood in NYC that has the same real estate prices as Jackson Heights, I find that there are other compromises that would have to be made.  For example, Bay Ridge has some nice spots for drinks, the water view and a New York Sports Club, but I don't think I would be interested in being so far from Manhattan.  Forest Hills also has similar amenities to Bay Ridge, but I find I significantly prefer the vibe and energy of Jackson Heights.

When I first moved here, I had a hard time grocery shopping because I was used to the specialty markets on 9th Avenue/40th St. (especially for fish).  I gradually became used to picking up a few things here or there on a daily basis in the many grocery spots on 37th Ave. and now I am used to it and can appreciate the good value and selection we have in the neighborhood.  And I also love the options at the farmer's market.

So one thing about Blueroom's list is that it's kind of a stereotypical list of "things people without children like to do." And as we've discussed many times before, JH isn't much of a neighborhood for singles - it's VERY family oriented. I've found JH and Astoria to be in a very close symbiosis over the past decade, where people in Astoria tend to breed and then move to JH.

"No decent brunch spots" - What about Jax Inn? Decent food, nice big booths. Or the French toast at 77.
"No restaurants serving healthy food" - What do you mean by "healthy?" I don't really find any restaurant food healthy.
"No place for drinks" - Legends, Novo, Coyote, Natives come to mind.
Buying meat, etc? - isn't that what the Farmer's Market is all about? And it's the second biggest one in NYC.

I mean, Blueroom is defining a lifestyle where - and I'm not saying it's Blueroom's lifestyle, but it's being defined by this list - where you go out with friends a lot of nights, cook leisurely meals from exotic ingredients at home, and have time to indulge in things like fitness. That's not a lifestyle that most of my harried working-parent friends in JH have been able to live for at least five or ten years now. On other other hand, it's the lifestyle we had in Astoria ... before we had the kids.

Hi,
I'm not entirely sure what your final conclusion would be. Should people who don't have children move away from here? Do people who do have young children not want extra amenities? Do people with teenage children who have more time for themselves not want those things? Should the older adults move elsewhere or should they not want access to those things as well? I know several retired professional couples who live here who miss not having better amenities.

I think it's possible for a neighborhood to serve everyone's needs, especially as diverse a neighborhood as this. I don't think this is about being single versus having children--it's about having a neighborhood with reasonable amenities for all. A gym is not too much to ask for.

As for your suggestions, I appreciate them. I'm not keen on diners, but they're good once in a while. As for healthy food, what about something like Bareburger (I know, you'll tell me to move to Astoria). I do buy meat at the farmer's market, and the market is quite great. It's definitely one of the biggest shining stars of this neighborhood. As for those bars, I've been to a couple of them you mention, and I don't see me and female friends going there. I think finding bars here to occasionally go to with friends is a lot easier if you're a guy.