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Favorite bridges, from our readers

This morning we asked, “what is your favorite bridge in NYC?” and got some answers! A couple people really like the Queensboro Bridge:

@QueensNYCity Queensborough Bridge because it’s free.” – Rene2D2‏@I_Am_The_Wall

“The 59th Street/Queensborough/Koch Bridge is my favorite! It was visible from our apartment in LIC and always thought it was more distinctive than the others. Walked across it once. It has a majestic feeling to it. Miss seeing it (now I live in Florida).” – Linda Hervas (in our comments)

We also heard from Mike Anz @mikeanzz about the Hell Gate Bridge: “@QueensNYCity I’m in love with the damn bridge. Might just paint it myself one weekend.”

Beach 91st in the Rockaways before and after

Even after all these weeks and months, we are still shocked by the before and after scenes in parts of the Rockaways. You’d think we’d be used to it but we’re just not. We caught this before and after shot posted by the folks at the Rockaway 100th Precinct Community Affairs Facebook page. It’s just… wow.

Image source: Rockaway 100th Precinct Community Affairs Facebook page

Where will you watch the Super Bowl this Sunday? We’ve got some suggestions as to where to do that.

Our own Danielle McClure put together a short list of some great Super Bowl XLVII spots for Sunday, all right here in Queens – Astoria, Jackson Heights, Bayside, and Elmhurst. There’s plenty of drink, barbecue in some cases, and prix fixes as well. In particular, we love how poetic time at Bourbon Street could be, since the Super Bowl is down in NOLA this year. But Bud’s Ale House, Legend’s, and Play Lounge are also great choices. We hope you have a excellent time, wherever you decide to hang!

Stop Alternate Side Parking Now!

The folks in Hunters Point really don’t want to see alternate side parking (ASP) in their neighborhood. So some residents have put up this page, Stop Alternate Side Parking Now! There sure are some strong opinions – they feel that ASP would be stressful, add extra pollution, and they voice a suspicion many folks in Queens have said casually – that street cleaning as performed as it is does not actually clean the streets (do you agree?). They also give some advice that can be applied to many, many situations like this, “To have even greater impact than just a petition write your personal reasons, hardships, and suggestions for better solutions to our representatives.” Here’s to citizen action.

Jamaica Bay is full of life despite Sandy crashing it

We were pleased to read about all the wildlife in Jamaica Bay these days. The bay was severely damaged after Hurricane Sandy, but nature has a way of repairing itself and moving on. And so it is in process of doing that, and the birds have found their way there. Since it was so cold last week, the snowy owl and snow geese, among other wintering birds, felt right at home. We wonder how they will handle tomorrow’s warm weather, though. We are very fortunate to have such an incredible natural lagoon in our fair borough. If you have some time, it’s well worth a visit, too.

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This question is inspired by this post over on Astorians.com – Falcon or Hawk – Let the Debate Begin! – and it got us thinking- have you seen any actual wildlife recently here in the city? We’re not talking pigeons or squirrels, but real deal wildlife. We know there’s a hawk family that hangs out near the Triboro/RFK bridge; and of course various animals have gotten loose in the past year – we’re looking at you, peacock. So let us know what you’ve seen recently – leave us a comment here or via twitter at @queensnycity!

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Image source: A. Drauglis Furnituremaker on Flickr

Jamaica Bay is a 39-square-mile area in Queens that’s home to one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the Northeast (the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge), but most New Yorkers have barely heard of it, let alone been there (besides flying into JFK Airport or passing by on the way to Rockaway Beach). Dan Hendrick wants to change that with his film Jamaica Bay Lives, which will detail the rich history of the bay, the current issues surrounding it, and the potential it holds.

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We’ve heard reports of four separate raccoon sightings on or near 4th Avenue over the past week. Three of the sightings were on Carroll Street—one guy says he saw a raccoon scurrying from the stalled construction site on the corner of Carroll out onto the avenue—while the fourth was close to the entrance of J.J. Byrne Park on 3rd Street. The iPhone pic to the right was captured two nights ago by one of the employees of the car service on Carroll and 4th. The driver says the raccoon hissed at him when he was going in for the close-up. GMAP

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A reader asks the Times, “One of my neighbors in Gowanus has taken to keeping a rooster in his backyard. It wakes me up nearly every day. Is it legal to keep a barnyard animal in New York City?” Nope, male chickens are not allowed, though their opposite-sex counterparts are. According to the health code, most barnyard animals are against the law in any “built-up portion of the city” aside from horses, chickens and rabbits, and permits plus coops and runways are required for the latter two.
Photo by garreyf.