Posts categorized as Rockaway

“The evening arrival of the Wounded Warriors was wonderful made better by the enthusiastic cheers of so many beautiful children. Their artistic efforts were greatly appreciated and their joy was infectious. A huge crowd joined the children and we were all proud to honor the soldiers.” – Fran Honan Friends of Memorial Circle organized a sign-making party for the kids on 119th Street ahead of the Wounded Warrior parade on Wednesday, July 9th. Gather at Memorial Circle, Rockaway Beach Blvd at 120th Street by 6:15 p.m. to welcome them to Rockaway. […]

We have a working toilet, no walls to enclose it but hey, we’re not picky. Things are moving along, here’s the update. (Yes it looks crazy, we know) We hadn’t planned on changing the windows but Maureen found a deal on Craigslist for Andersens that we couldn’t pass up. They’re in great condition. We couldn’t believe someone would throw these out! Another person’s trash… that’s what they say, right? We managed to replace all windows on the first floor. The new ones bring in more light – I’m very happy with […]

Jon Bon Jovi in front of our house in a cool car.  Working on the front garden has proven to be a great way to meet my new neighbors. Everyone has been super nice and welcoming. During conversions with various people, the movie No Looking Back has come up.  ”Your house is in that movie!!”  they say. We discovered this awesome fact for the first time from a patron at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club a few months ago. Our house appears in the movie from the outside, when the scenes cut to the […]

View letter full size. We’re working on submitting permits to DOB for the renovation, and they want records showing the historical use of the house as a three family building. The first thing we noticed is that I’m the first non-Irish person listed on any record having to do with the house ever! More importantly, we came across a letter from what became the DOB from 1939, stating that the house was used as a three family and the bungalow as a two family as far back as 1928. The […]

This past weekend the 116th Street Partnership, community volunteers and the NYC Parks Department gathered to brighten up Beach 116 with garden accents. The Wave often notes about these local events. Also, information about community cleanups can be found on the NYC Parks Department website. Get involved and support your local businesses. The Beach 116th Street Partnership was founded by business owners along the Rockaways’ central business corridor to address the destruction after Hurricane Sandy. What started out as a response to a disaster has transformed into an effort to build a better and stronger community […]

It may not look like much progress but it is (!!) – the framing and plumbing are pretty much done. The doors still need to be framed and toilets/sinks/showers get installed later in the process – we’re getting closer. Next up is electrical and then we’ll start the sheetrock. Yes, walls – Allelujah! Here’s a photo journal of the progress: This is the new framing, looking from the kitchen into the dining room. It’s generally an open layout. Our contractor removed the kitchen sub-floor because it was in horrible shape. […]

This is the first garden post for the new house!  There’s much to be done and it’s exciting, but more so overwhelming. I decided the front yard was most important to start on. Having a lush garden will detract from our current dilapidated exterior. The first task was to remove about 7 inches of sand left behind from hurricane sandy. Once I started digging, I discovered there was a weed barrier tarp layered on. I wanted to get this up so whatever I planted could grow deep. Removing this was not […]

Our friend Sean is helping us with the house, working on various construction projects. While gutting the bungalow, he found several relics from days long gone. Knowing I would want these, he saved them. (Thanks Sean.) There was  life in our bungalow before it fell into disrepair. I’m imagining the families that moved in and out – working, trying to make ends meet, having fun, enjoying the beach, maybe getting married and having kids or maybe getting separated or maybe a single old Irish grump who loved Turkish cigarettes lived […]

Photo via Last Dragon Pizza Facebook Since reading on DNAinfo about the underground pizzeria Last Dragon, we’ve been dying to try it out. Last Dragon Pizza is the creation of Nicole Russell, 41, a super-fan of the cult classic film who slings her pies like blue arrows at her home in Arverne. A few weeks ago Susanne and I made arrangements to pre-order for a Wednesday night pick-up. After much back and forth, we agreed to order The Glo!!!  It would be smart to try the “nuts and bolts” pizza first, we thought.  The Glo!!! is […]

We recently caught up with Rockaway residents Beth Waytowich and Tara Mckiernan, co-owners and creators of  the End of the A Mobile Boutique. Yes, we’re talking about an on-wheels fashion boutique servicing the Rockaways! Here’s the scoop… Q: What was the inspiration for End Of The A Mobile Boutique? The inspiration for the name ‘End Of The A’ is Rockaway being the last stop of the A train. The idea for a mobile boutique stemmed from Tara and I wanting to turn our love for fashion and the beach into a business. Rockaway […]