NY World's Fair and more in the QNYC Evening Edition for Monday October 1, 2012

The World’s Fair in NYC – a brief history

This is a great article on the New York World’s Fair – both of them – which is full of interesting stuff. When you walk around Flushing Meadow’s Corona Park, you can still see relics of those celebrations, the most prominent being the Unisphere from the 1964-65 World’s Fair. The theme for the 1939-40 World’s Fair was “World of Tomorrow” and the 1964-65 World’s Fair was “Peace Through Understanding,” a poignant concept as the world at that time was under the threat of nuclear annihilation. The 1939 New York State Pavilion building is now known as the Queens Museum of Art.

Bedbugs found at LIC’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s headquarters

Well, these nasty suckers are back in the news, this time showing themselves at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s headquarters in LIC. City Room reports that, “a single bedbug led to fumigation of one floor of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, on Friday. The episode occurred on the 19th floor of the 21-story glass-and steel Gotham Center at the corner of Queens Plaza South and 28th Street.”

Astoria Bier & Cheese is fabulous

In case you missed it, over the weekend we checked out the soft opening of Astoria Bier & Cheese. They place looks great, they have a lot of interesting beer available in bottles, as well as ten tap beers each day. We saw people eagerly perusing the shelves, enjoying a cheese plate with some beer, and hanging out with friends. There is a small bar, a seating area in front, and a cheese counter towards the back where you can sample cheeses that interest you. Staff is very helpful, too.

We bought a little bit of Ubriacone, a raw cow’s milk cheese from Italy. Apparently the name of the cheese means “great big drunk.” Probably has something to do with the injection of wine into the cheese. It tastes amazing and goes very well with the excellent NY State apples you’re starting to see in stores and markets around the city.

Greenbay Market explodes with Fall

This little market (they used to be known as Y&Y Green Organic) on Broadway in Astoria (GMAP) has put together quite a Fall display. It really draws you in – there are lots of apples in there, too.

PARK Smart may be coming to Jackson Heights

Finding a parking spot on the street can be rough in Jackson Heights, as is the case in a lot of densely populated parts of NYC. So, DOT would like to try something called PARK Smart. How does it work? It “aims to increase the number of available metered parking spaces by encouraging motorists to park no longer than necessary. The meter rate is higher when demand for parking is greatest and decreases when demand is lower.”

And here is what they would do:

The plan would increase the time limits on parking meters from one hour to two hours on 74th Street between 37th Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue, and on Roosevelt Avenue from 74th Street to 82nd Street. But whereas now a 60-minute stop will cost you $1, under a new, ‘progressive rate’ plan, some meters would be bumped up to $1.50. A two-hour stay would cost $4.00. In addition, meters on that stretch of 74th Street, as well as meters on 37th Road, would shut off at 10 p.m. instead of the current 7 p.m.”

The local Community Board will vote on it this month.