The Sunnyside Of Life

We stopped in the neighborhood liquor store aka the gargantuan Lowery’s Wine Factory Outlet Store (40-14 Queens Blvd, Sunnyside 718.784.2334) – which we have found to have a terrific selection and some of the best deals in town, beating out those across the bridge and wine.com. Apparently this year’s best-selling champagne is Veuve Clicquot, over Moet in past years. People seem to be going more high-end these days.

In their champagne aisle, you can get the nifty Veuve Clicquot City Traveller which includes a 750ML bottle, 2 flutes & tote bag – all for $89.99. Perfect for a party on-the-go! We also confirmed with the staff that today is the busiest day of the year for the store, with Christmas Eve coming in second. Go get your champers on…CHEERS!

The New Year is approaching and I’d like to suggest a resolution that follows one of my main tenets of SAFETY FIRST!

Queens Boulevard has been well documented as the BOULEVARD OF DEATH due to dozens of pedestrian fatalities over the years (apparently after claiming 72 lives from 1993-2000). The most recent reported fatality was just before Christmas as reported here on Gothamist on 12/20/07. Sad.

Much has been done by what I assume is the Department of Transportation to prevent this including; staggered and longer walk signs, curbside guardrails, and fencing alongside the BLVD underneath the elevated 7 subway. From what I’ve witnessed though most of the error seems to be pedestrian. The way the traffic patterns have been programmed, there seems to be lulls of traffic before the light changes. The walkway is deemed safe by the naked eye so hordes of pedestrians start crossing. Then seemingly out of nowhere a car comes barreling down, honking loudly and trying to clear the way through the pedestrian walkway and through the yellow light. This happens again and again throughout the day. I bet if I stand outside on a weekday I could get some video proof of this quite easily. The same goes for pedestrians trying to beat the light as well.

So in 2008, please show some patience and wait for the light. And of course, since everything you need to know you learned in Kindergarten: look both ways before crossing. Happy New Year!

New York Sports Club (39-01 Queens Blvd.  Sunnyside 718.361.2254) has finally opened its Sunnyside branch yesterday after months of renovation and membership drives. The new fitness center is NYSC’s sixth location in Queens with 15,000 square feet on 39th Street near the northeast corner of Queens Boulevard. This poses the first competition to the LIC YMCA down QNS BLVD on 33rd street.

Fox News Story on the new NYSC

Both locations feature state-of-the-art equipment with outstanding amenities, like a sauna and dedicated personal training area. All of the cardio equipment is equipped with personal viewing screens which allow members to watch tv, or listen to music, while they work out. The fitness floor has a large selection of strength equipment which is expertly laid out to optimize workout time. Members of both locations will get to choose from a wide variety of fitness options, including group exercise classes like cardio kickbox, boot camp, and pilates-based mat.

I was a member of the YMCA for 4 years but recently made the switch over to take advantage of what I hope will be better instructional classes, facilities and proximity to home. Walking the 7 blocks to the Y should have been part of the workout but alas it was always a deterrent. The Y is more family-oriented with daycare, children’s programs and also boasts an indoor swimming pool. NYSC has a 2-week trial membership so you can be the judge and find the best fit for you.

YMCA membership rates $44 month, initiation fee waived through Feb 4th

NYSC membership rates $54 month, processing fee waived for now

Time to get fit Sunnysiders!

Welcome to Sunnyside, New York City. The sunshiniest neighborhood in all of Gotham. I spent the first year of my life in Sunnyside (b.1974) and returned 28 years later. Needless to say, in the 28 years since and more significantly in the 5 years since I’ve been here the neighborhood has changed immensely and continues to do so at a rapid rate. This blog is here to chronicle the happenings of the neighborhood and hopefully become a resource for others. Come see the Sunnyside of life!