When considering local travel a short drive from New York City, the Sullivan Catskills region encompassing Narrowsburg and Callicoon, New York, may not be the first destination to spring to mind. Here’s why it should be. This post is sponsored by the Sullivan Catskills Visitorsâ Association. A recent visit to Narrowsburg and Callicoon in the Sullivan Catskills skyrocketed this part of New York state to the top of…
Whether by necessity or for fun, lots of people have started cooking and selling out of their home kitchens this past year, adding increased variety to Queensâ already super diverse dining scene. Here are 9 to try. [Last update: July 21, 2021] Every other day I seem to learn about another new home-based kitchen or chef in Queensâsomeone with or without professional cooking experience making something delicious for…
What happens when neighbors inspire neighbors to eat something new. Two weeks ago, we hosted our first Eat Something New in Queens challenge, and it was so incredible to see so many community members inspiring each other regarding what and where to eat. I didnât announce it very far in advance, so I was a little concerned about how many people would sign up to participate, but we…
Eds. note: This article currently covers 120+ restaurants in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. Last update: Jan. 2021. If youâre like us, preparing three meals a day gets pretty old by Friday, so every weekend we support local restaurants in Queens via takeout or delivery. For us it also injects a bit of normalcy into our weekâFriday night has always been delivery night; Saturdays are for takeout. More than…
Perched on the edge of West Africa, Senegal has long gone quietly about its business while its neighbors get into all sorts of trouble. Quietly, of course, is a misleading word in the context of Dakar, the sultry capital city and dust-ridden domain of all-night music clubs, infamous traffic, relentless hustlers, and nonstop construction, where the dead silence of night is regularly punctured by soaring muezzin calls to…
This holiday season, hereâs how to give the gift of food and simultaneously support a small New York City-based food business. Itâs finally happening: 2020 is almost over. But first we have the holidays before us and, if youâre shopping for gifts, one simple fact to remember: There has never, ever been a better time to support a small businessârestaurants and food shops included. Gift cards to your…
This article contains affiliate links. There are lots of choices these days for where and how you get your food. But it seems going to the grocery store is increasingly falling out of favor: Even before the pandemic took over our lives, studies showed that millions more Americansâroughly one-third of U.S. householdsâwere shopping online for groceries. We have personally retained regular in-store grocery shopping along with a Sunday…
Sometimes a walk in the woods or an afternoon hunting for sea critters on a beach is just exactly what you need. Here are some of our favorite nature escapes within 30 to 60 minutes of central Queens, NYC. Last update: April 12, 2021. Starting last May, a few months into the pandemic, our family began to venture out of our Jackson Heights apartment to various parks in…
What to do, eat, and drink in pretty Greenwood Lake, just a little over an hour’s drive from New York City. This page contains affiliate linksâif you book through them, we may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you! Summer 2020 was, among other things, the summer of local travel for many of us, and 2021 will continue that trend. I know our…
We’ve all heard about the struggles of restaurants, in New York City and elsewhere, but what about the ones we know and love in our own neighborhoods? It’s a question that’s weighed on me, as the few I’ve been in touch with personally in Jackson Heights have expressed many struggles over the course of the pandemic. A lot of the businesses here in our part of Queens…
