The Sunnyside Of Life

Sunnyside Chamber Tree Lighting – December 1st

Betty — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:38:14 +0000

The Sunnyside annual tree lighting is on December 1, 2009 at 6:00pm at Sabba Park located at 50th Street and Queens Blvd. Little Friends School, a local early education school where my nephew attends will be contributing their ornaments to the celebration. It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas!

Sunnyside Chamber Tree Lighting

Date: Tuesday December 1, 2009

Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Next reminder: The next reminder for this event will be sent in 1 day, 12 hours, 1 minute.

Location: Sabba Park, 50th Street and Queens Boulevard

Street: 50-01 Queens Boulevard

City State Zip: Woodside, NY 11377

Phone: (718) 784-8437

Notes: Father Brian Dowd and Father Joseph Jerome will be there. Come sing a carol or two. All are welcome! Some of our best carolers are Muslim and Jewish.

There will be delicious hot chocolate from White Castle to ward off the chill, and the pride of Sunnyside, the Sunnyside Drum Corps. Bring the kids: Santa Claus is paying a visit!

Directly after the tree lighting, you are invited to a prix fixe supper at Dazie’s Restaurant. $25 includes glass of wine, tax and tip! RSVP to Luke at (718) 784-8437 for the dinner.

Halloween Harvest Festival @ Socrates Sculpture Park – October 17th

Betty — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:29:04 +0000

On Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 11AM until 2PM, Socrates Sculpture Park will present the 9th annual Halloween Harvest Festival. This FREE family and community event celebrates Halloween and the fall harvest with creative activities in the dynamic setting of Socrates Sculpture Park.

The 2009 Festival theme is glamrock! Visitors will experience a live concert by New York’s own, Audra Rox and become the rock stars of their dreams with the help of Socrates Sculpture Park artists Martin Basher, Pilar Conde, Lars Fisk, McKendree Key, Zak Kitnick, Samara Kupferberg, and Athena Preston (all costume making materials will be provided and will be free of charge). Participants will also have the chance to join a Giant Instrument Jam with Freestyle Arts Association; get glamorus with Transformation! Facepainting by Agostino Arts; try harvest foods from Sage General Store; picnic in the Park; or just watch the fun!

Back by popular demand, Socrates will also host its 6th annual Canine Costume Contest at 1pm (registration at front gate). Visitors can enter their dogs and win fabulous prizes for being the cutest, scariest, best dressed or most rocked-out pooch. BARC Shelter, will be in attendance to help judge the contest and offer information about adopting a pet. Dr. Jules Adams from City Vet will also judge the contest.

At 2pm, The Red Door Theatre Company will present a special outdoor performance of the The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Chrysten Peddie has adapted this classic Halloween tale by Washington Irving for the Company’s 3rd year with Socrates’ Halloween Harvest Festival. Come see Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel, and Brom Van Brunt, as they tell the story of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. A blanket or lawn chair is recommended. The performance is free of charge. For more information about The Red Door Theatre Company visit www.thereddoortheatre.com.

Socrates Sculpture Park is open 365 days a year from 10am to sunset and is located at the intersection of Broadway and Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City/Astoria, Queens.

Saturday, October 17, 2009
11 AM – 2 PM
1PM 6th annual Canine Costume Contest
2PM The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
FREE / RAIN OR SHINE

Michelin Guide Recommends Sunnyside’s Bliss Bistro

Betty — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:13:12 +0000

In exciting news, the highly regarded international French dining guide Michelin has recommended local Bliss Bistro for their 2010 Guide. Michelin has been in the business of evaluating and recommending restaurants and hotels for over a century. Their anonymous full-time professional inspectors visit restaurants and hotels, and evaluate them on a range of criteria. The Michelin Guide New York City 2010 is the fifth edition since Michelin began reviewing restaurants in New York.

Bliss Bistro serves classic French bistro fare, making it the only French restaurant in Sunnyside. Open every day with an outdoor garden open in good weather and serving brunch on the weekends.

Bliss Bistro
Menu
45-20 Skillman Avenue
Sunnyside NYC
718.729.0778
www.blissbistro.com

Time Out New York, August 2008:

“Chef-owner Alim Maruf’s inventive, market-driven French cuisine is as well-executed as the comestibles found on some like-minded menus across the East River. A frisée salad cradles rich duck confit, and tender rings of calamari are seared with onion and garlic to beautiful effect. Entrées are simple and satisfying—try the shell steak, deftly grilled and paired with sautéed potato. Laurent Tourondel, meet your outer-borough match.”

Why I love Sunnyside, Queens

Betty — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:25:26 +0000

Not too long ago, Bronx native (and assistant to the president of Time Out New York) Monika Fabian told Time Out New York why she loves her neighborhood in Sunnyside, Queens here.

We couldn’t agree more! There are so many reasons to love Sunnyside, let me count the ways:

Super Tuesdays at Center Cinemas (42-17 Queens Blvd): $4 major films all day!
Sunnyside Gardens Tennis Courts: Membership has its privileges in the form of har-tru courts.
Old Castle Fresh Farms (39-50 Queens Blvd): A welcome 24-hour addition to the neighborhood and usually a free treat for your child, especially if they’re cute. We were initially super-excited for the “Sweet Corn Ice Cream” but then sadly realized that they were offering “Sweet Corn” and “Ice Cream.” They do have locally baked Eleni’s delicious chocolate chip cookies – you can just taste the butter melting in our mouth.
P.J. Horgan’s Burger (4217 Queens Blvd): Order with a side of onion rings and you’ll be in burger heaven.
Sugar & Joe Cupcakes (42-20 Greenpoint Ave): Mocha, pumpkin and rocky road – oh my! You had me at sugar.

We’ll continue this list in the weeks to come. Meanwhile please feel free to share some of the reasons you love Sunnyside.

Discover Queens Restaurant Week : October 5th-15th

Betty — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:09:40 +0000

Dine and discover the diverse culinary offerings in Queens during our 14 day restaurant week. Discover Queens Restaurant Week offers patrons the opportunity to visit participating restaurants and dine from special menus at a prix-fixe price of $25.

From October 5th – 15th (Monday through Thursday) enjoy Greek in Astoria, Italian in Sunnyside, French in LIC, Italian in Bayside and Asian in Flushing with restaurants participating from all over the borough.

The launch for Discover Queens Restaurant Week takes place on September 29th with Borough President Helen Marshall welcoming restaurants to Queens Borough Hall Plaza to meet with the press and offer samples of their prix-fixe menus.

WIN A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO A PARTICIPATING RESTAURANT!
Email us the names of your three favorite restaurants and why for a chance to receive a gift certificate to one of our Queens Restaurants. Click here to enter.

Go forth and eat like a king in Queens! List of participating restaurants here.

Sunnyside Logo Art Show – Friday, October 2nd

Betty — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:58:31 +0000

Winning logo by Ben Perez

Sunnyside Shines is proud to host a show of original logo art based on the theme of Sunnyside. After launching a contest for a logo that captured the essence of Sunnyside, they received over 200 images from over 50 artists.

This event is our way to say thanks to all the artists who shared their creative inspirations.

Sunnyside Logo Art Show

Opening Reception

Friday, October 2, 6 – 8 pm

live music by guitarist Tosh Sheridan

Refreshments will be served

@ Sunnyside Shines – office

45-56 43rd Street

one block south of Queens Blvd.

Sunnyside, New York 11104

www.sunnysidebid.org

The 3rd Annual Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival – Saturday, September 12th

Betty — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:04:19 +0000

Cannes, Toronto, Tribeca… Sunnyside!?!? Now joining the canon of great film festivals, we’d like to introduce The 3rd Annual Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival. All great things start small and who knows, you could be catching a glimpse of the next Spike Lee or Spike Jonze…

THE 3rd ANNUAL SUNNYSIDE SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER 12th, 2009
Start time: 7:30 pm with music by Woodside’s own Kristen Cerelli.
Films at 8 pm.

Location: Sunnyside Gardens Park, 49th St. & 39th Ave.
Rain or cold weather location: Sunnyside Community Center
43-31 39th St. between Queens Blvd and 43rd Ave. Same date and time.
Refreshments will be served.

THE 3rd ANNUAL SUNNYSIDE SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM:

Lords of the Playground, Director Matt Fabiano
Ticket to Bollywood, Director Zoe Sullivan
King Jeff, Director Phil Dale
Weeki Watchee Girls, Director Kim Cummings
Steve’s Perfect Vacation, Director Anandh Ramesh
Which Way, Director Nic Beery
Maine Story, Director Nina Chernik
Dated Advice, Director Dan Truman

*All of the 44 films that were submitted for consideration had wonderful attributes. Some will be considered for next year’s festival. Thank you to all of the filmmakers who sent us your work.

For more info, please go to: www.sunnysideshorts.net.

US Open Tennis Championships: Free Qualifying Tournament Aug 25th-28th

Betty — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:56:08 +0000

The US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, Queens, is one of the premier sporting events in the world and a must for tennis fans. I’ve played on the USTA practice courts before so I like to think about what could’ve been if only I picked up a racquet 30 years ago, instead of a mere 2 years ago!

The best kept non-secret is the free access during the Qualifying Tournament. Enjoy some of tennis’ best players without the steep prices. Save it for the food! The free four-day Qualifying Tournament is held on field courts at the USTA National Tennis Center. Here is where professional tennis players compete to qualify for berths in the US Open. You may even catch a glimpse of tennis royalty as many players are around practicing.

Qualifying Tournament
Tuesday, August 25, to Friday, August 28, 2009
Gates open at 10 a.m. Free!

Open Practice Day
August 30, 2009
Come see many world-class tennis stars getting ready for the opening day of the tournament.
Gates open at 11 a.m. Free!

@ USTA National Tennis Center
Subway 7 to Willets Point / Citi Field

Sunnyside Summer Streets – Saturday, Aug 15 – Join the Fun!

Betty — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:31:06 +0000

Bloomerberg’s Summer City Streets finds its way to Sunnyside. Join the fun at 46th Street by the Arch transforms once again into a public plaza and play space. Bring the kids, play giant chess and enjoy! Live Music – 3pm

Saturdays – August 15, 22, 29
46th Street & the Arch
at Queens Blvd
12 noon – 7 pm

Sunnyside Strawberry Festival – Saturday, June 13th

Betty — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:22:33 +0000

All Saints’ Episcopal Church present their annual Strawberry Festival. Naturally, strawberries (and ice cream) will be served up at this homey Sunnyside affair. Parishioners are also cooking international foods and a motley group of vendors are also selling their wares at this event redolent of summertime in small-town America.

Saturday, June 13th, 2009
10am – 6pm
43-12 46th Street
between Queens Boulevard and 43rd Avenue
Sunnyside
718.784.8031