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Travels With Travis
by Cynthia Kraman 10/28/2007Neighborhood: Outer Boroughs, Queens
Travis Barker–he of the Eminem-a-like hip hop wigger lifestyle replete with marital discord (in his iteration it includes a catfight between the old ball and chain and pre-prison Paris Hilton)–yes, that Travis Barker, was briefly my boon companion aboard a rather small US Air carrier for some four hours when the traffic radar in Atlanta [...]
The Silent Minority
by Joseph Scalia 07/12/2007Neighborhood: Jamaica, Queens
In the divorce papers filed by my ex-wife, the second one I mean, she said I never paid attention to her. While we were still living in the same house she also said, “You never listen to me.” “What?” I generally responded from the other room. For the record, I am, in fact, a great [...]
Rory
by Thomas R. Pryor 12/31/2006Neighborhood: Outer Boroughs, Queens
Early March 1954, in a Woodside apartment overlooking the # 7 Subway El and the Long Island Railroad station below it, two express trains crisscrossed, one rattling over the other. “Bob, please get me some food.” Patricia pleaded from the kitchen to the living room. “There’s plenty of food,” Bob answered as he played with [...]
A Fair Trade
by Deirdre Faughey 12/31/2006Neighborhood: Outer Boroughs, Queens
Somewhere, over the din, a thin voice called out, “Open!” I darted around, swaying from one foot to another, but before I could realize what had happened the elderly woman in line behind me had already scampered around to the newly opened lane. In her shamrock green coat and stiff knit hat, she leaned over [...]
Dom’s Wife
by Mickey Z. 11/24/2006Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens
When you live in an apartment building, you never know who the hell is gonna move in next door. I remember being in my late teens when a Greek family moved out two doors down and an older couple took the apartment. The guy’s name was Dom and he fixed televisions for a living. A [...]
Power (Outage) to the People
by Mickey Z. 07/27/2006Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens
I slept on my fire escape one night last week but it wasn’t due to martial strife or a daredevil spirit. Rather, the sight of yours truly three flights up sporting boxer shorts and a death grip on the bars came courtesy of Con Edison (with a nod to Mayor Bloomberg). The lights first dimmed [...]
The Origin of Pickles
by Hal Sirowitz 07/26/2006Neighborhood: Queens
“Where does a pickle come from?” I asked my second grade class. “It comes from a diner,” one student answered. “And before it got to the diner, what was it?” “It was always a pickle,” he said. “It was once a cucumber,” I countered. “It was soaked in vinegar until it became a pickle.” “You’re [...]
Decking Out in Anytown, Queens
by Jen LiMarzi 06/01/2006Neighborhood: Outer Boroughs, Queens
The first nice weekend of the season, temperatures in the 70s, a light breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. A year ago today, I would have had a pang of jealousy thinking of the suburbanites who were combing their garages and heading to Home Depot to find tiki torches, bug zappers, weed whackers, [...]
Waiting to be Deciphered
by Alex 04/20/2006Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens
On the way to the laundromat I passed a message chalked out on the sidewalk. In large, neat block letters on a square of pavement it read: “The best part about the night was taking the train home with you.” The note seemed to be directed at the building across the street, but looking up [...]
Gluttony is the Only Winner
by Joseph Scalia 02/09/2006Neighborhood: Jamaica, Queens
Well, Super Bowl Sunday is done, or so they tell me. I was oblivious to the hype and I had no idea that Super Bowl Sunday had arrived until Saturday night, when someone asked me where I was going to watch Super Bowl XL. I thought “XL” meant “Extra Large,” a size that, over the [...]
Schooling at 204 Center
by Mickey Z. 01/12/2006Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens
Basketball has always been my favorite sport to play. I guess that came from living in an urban environment and not always having money. If you had anywhere from 2 to 10 guys, all you needed was one ball and at least one basket. It was a little more complicated in the winter. Fortunately, a [...]
Off Track Betting
by Bruna Mori 11/17/2005Neighborhood: Jamaica, Queens
Off Track Betting could be a Greyhound Bus Station at 4 am or a bar where I learned to play spoons. It could be a retiree’s living room. One, someone calls him Bobby, who possesses comfortable gems on his finger and windbreaker. I watch him scribble “faster” at the top of each race, not for [...]
