Nonprofit giving and more in the QNYC Evening Edition for Friday November 9, 2012

Guide to nonprofit giving 

We put together a post of Queens-based organizations that would welcome your donations, especially during this “season of giving.” Of course, donations to Hurricane Sandy have been in the forefront of people’s minds, but these are some giving options year-round. We hope they will be of help.

Queens Midtown Tunnel finally open!

We were pleased to learn yesterday that the Midtown Tunnel was going to open again – yet another step toward normalcy here in NYC. Both tubes were opened at 6am this morning.

Top 5 posts on QueensNYC in October

It really comes down to geography, food, and weather. Our top five posts range from the opening of the first cheese shop in Astoria, to the anticipation of Hurricane Sandy – these two things could not be more different from each other. And then there’s the perpetual interesting in learning about the border between Queens and Brooklyn. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Feats of modern mechanical strength – the MTA brought subway cars on flatbed trucks to the Rockaways

The MTA has a Flickr account and they update it regularly – lately they created a photoset of the work they did bringing subway cars to run within the Rockaways. Currently, the tracks at Broad Channel – which connect the Rockaways with the rest of Queens – is severely damaged and won’t be up and running for months. But the MTA thought running a shuttle within the Rockaways was still a good idea (we expect the locals will agree). So they brought some trains out there on flatbed truck and installed them on the tracks. Pretty cool.

Astoria Art Festival starts tonight

Earlier in the Fall we told you about an open call for artists for the first ever Astoria Art Festival. Well, the time is upon us and the festival is starting tonight at 9pm with an opening reception at Hell Gate Social. There will be art all over the place in Astoria, and you can browse at your leisure.

The two big events tonight are the opening party at Hell Gate Social and the after party at Sparrow Tavern. At Hell Gate Social (12-21 Astoria Boulevard – GMAP) from 9pm-1am there will be a group show and DJs, as well as a slideshow of the artists/vendors selling “Jewelry as Art.” The Sparrow Tavern (24-01 29th Street – GMAP) after party starts at 1pm and will be showcasing photography by Pamela Curtiss, and a slideshow of all artists in the Festival. There will be a DJ here, too, as well as drink specials, all happening until Sparrow closes.