Posts categorized as Rockaway

The first sewing class I attended at  The Studio Phantasmagoria was not what I expected. I walked in and studio co-owner Jackii Ramis told the students to take a seat and relax. “Do you want some tea?”  “Yes!” We all practically said in unison. Already my concern about having know clue how to sew dissipated. Jackii passed out booklets and we  flipped through as the tea steeped. We reviewed the basics, discussed our pencil skirt pattern design and outlined what we would accomplish in each class. After taking our measurements […]

Previously published in The Wave. We’ve had a handful of exotic visitors this year in Rockaway. Over the winter, the Snowy Owl spent a couple of months relaxing in Breezy Point. Several seals hit the beach recently, beating the summer crowds no doubt. In April, two dolphins joined a group of surfers at the line-up for a swim. Rockaway attracts the extraordinary and seemingly is a landing pad for the kooky and creative – humans and animals alike. So when my friend Matt Johnson posted a picture of a peacock […]

The Beach 91st Street Garden will be hosting a FREE yoga glass. Everyone is welcome. Please bring your own mat (there will be a few extras just incase someone doesn’t have one) Bring water, wear comfortable clothing and please let us know if there are any injuries or anything the instructor should be aware of. They kindly ask before class if you are not a garden member to fill out a waiver. If anyone would like to donate to the garden you may on the day of the event or here: https://www.gofundme.com/b91garden […]

Photo courtesy of Tim Hill. Previously published in THE WAVE 125TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE I met Kerry and Jeanne of the O’toole family and Patty Shea last summer as they were walking down my block, all smiles. Turns out, at one time, it was their block too. We had a thriving community back in the day on 91st St.” Jeanne tells me. I was excited to meet these new friends, learning of their lives lived from the 60’s through the mid 90’s, on the same street that I now call home […]

Anne’s husband, Dan Payne getting involved. I “met” Ann Kirby-Payne (@narrowbackslacker) on twitter some years ago – #rockawaybeach. Last week I saw a photo she posted captioned “I just want to give a shout out to @NYCSanitation and especially our #Rockaway team at the QE14, Stephen Dixon Garage for their quick response to my request to adopt a trash bin around the corner from my house!” Adopting a garbage can? Intriguing. I wanted to learn more about the NYC Adopt-A-Basket Program and what is required of its volunteers. I sat […]

Over the summer I wrote a column about the development and design of my front garden. The wholesaler I was working with charged by the truckload, so the price would be the same whether it was half full or packed. This was a great opportunity to get hold of a tree, preferable one native to the area that would provide food for the birds and animal life. After consulting with plant whisperer and good buddy Walter Meyer* of Local Office Landscape Architecture, we decided to go with a serviceberry (Amelanchier […]

My photo diary of the house starts in 1938. Matt bought a print of the above photo from the NYC archive. You can’t view the photo before you buy it which makes for a nice surprise when it comes in the mail. Photo of the house in the 1980s found on this site 80s.nyc. It’s a great resource. Sry, a little bury but better than nothing! Note the cottage house in the background. This is the only visual record we have of it. It looks as if the siding is green. When we bought the […]

 Previously Published in The Wave. Manfeet are neglected, and rightfully so.  But no matter how unseemly they may appear, they are still among God’s creations and merit consideration. Walking on the boardwalk, you’ll see them variously clad, and that’s got me thinking: how do the men of Rockaway feel about summer footwear? Of course, many Rockaway men are sworn devotees of the traditional flip-flop. Most appropriate, right? Some locals wear flip-flops well into November. Local legend John Sica is one of those men. He explains this preference, “I hate laces. Heat […]

Max Power at The Rockaway Beach Brewery Previously published in The Wave. The man. “Don’t move upstate. Move to Rockaway. It’s like the Costa Rica of Queens. You can help us at the bar this summer.” Rashida Jackson urged Matt Preis, more famously known as Max Power*, music promoter extraordinaire, pet guru and overall rad dude. Max has known Rashida Jackson and Patrick Flibotte (owners of Sayra’s Wine Bar) for over a decade. They met when Rashida worked at Maggie Brown, a now-defunct restaurant in Clinton Hill. Max was there often, […]

It just so happened I got booked with some freelance days in the city the very first day the ferry set sail. Perfect timing! Everyone has heard the details thus far, there are some kinks to work out, yada yada yada. But overall the response from our community seems positive, as is mine. After work on May 1st I headed to Pier ll for my voyage back to Rockaway. The ferry before us was at capacity so the line for the 6:30pm seemed endless. The mood was jovial despite this. […]