Posts categorized as Rockaway

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. […]

Previously published in The Wave. My neighbor Simon Chardiet* was surfing around beach 99th the day before “blizzard” Stellaaaa. While waiting for the next wave, he noticed a duck getting tossed around. Simon paddled over and saw the fowl was injured. He felt compelled to take action. “It was going to die. If I was that duck, I would hope someone would try to help me and not turn a blind eye.” Simon managed to secure the duck and they both bodyboarded to safety. On land, he got assistance from […]

Matt invented a special sandwich and the only place you can get it is from our corner bodega – 91st and the blvd. We started ordering from Rockaway Express three years ago when we began the renovation – we didn’t have a kitchen. We call the sandwich The Veggie – American cheese, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions with mayo, salt/pepper on a roll. A few weeks ago I was going there to get egg sandwiches and Matt said  “Get me The Veggie with eggs on it.” My mind was blown – brilliant. Let me just tell you this is […]

Very proud of my Mother-in-law Maureen (and Tomato Gal contributor!). She’s been recognized in The Wave for her dedicated service in the beatification of Veterans’ Circle. Check it out! Photo Credit Dan Brown: https://www.facebook.com/skininkmag    

Last summer we were so busy with renovations, it wasn’t even a summer for us. With most of the construction complete, this year is different. It’s only hitting me now… we have a beach house in Rockaway.  Friends, friends of friends, Great Aunt Mary’s second cousin, my co-workers and everyone in-between is dropping in. Text message: “Hey Paula, I’m down in Rockaway, can I park in your driveway? Oh, lets get drinks at Connolly’s too!” After two weekends of random drop-ins, it clicked. “This is going to happen every weekend, isn’t it? I need to […]

The front garden is happening! I’ve been waiting  2 1/2 years for this –  I love gardening (as you know). First things first – the retaining wall needed fixin. At one point a section of the front garden was cemented over to accommodate better parking. Also the wall was essentially falling apart everywhere (as show below). I thought of using brick to rebuild the retaining wall (it would match the steps)  but then I remembered the picture from 1938. I decided to stay with the cement because it would keep the house closer to its original form. My […]

Spring has arrived in Rockaway. Time to get the bike tuned up! The new boardwalk will be done in two months, I can’t wait to cruise the whole stretch. I’m so excited to start gardening. I have big plans for the front garden this year. I’m in the process of writing a post about it. For now, here are some photos of what’s popping up in my garden. The irises. The peonies. To my delight, the Japanese maple twig I took from my sisters’ house last summer is growing! One […]