“Oasis Of Calm” Is The Probably Biggest Cliche In Open Space Planning

Maybe DOT officials should be forced to spend an afternoon in a mock-up 37th Road pedestrian plaza in Jackson Heights before deciding to haul over the leftover lawn furniture:

The new pedestrian plaza on 37th Road in Jackson Heights, in the heart of Little India, is an oasis of calm, a much-needed stretch of open space in a traffic-glutted area of Queens. Or, it is a glaring example of disastrous city planning, a blighted, unlovely esplanade that has all but decimated commerce in the neighborhood.

. . .

On a sunny morning in early March, the street was nearly empty. A few men slept at the blue picnic tables, more than one emitting a scent that made sharing a table impossible. The lounging men have become a fixture since the street closed, people who live nearby said.

One man, who gave his name only as Derek, said he began hanging out on the block as soon as the street was closed. “Rather than be on an avenue that is all active and engines flowing here and going there,” said Derek, as he paced back and forth unsteadily, “it’s calm and tranquil.”

Location Scout: 37th Road in Jackson Heights.

Whoring Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Queens Plaza may not be suitable for strip clubs but it’s perfect for oversize advertisements masquerading as “iconic” signage:

Despite some push back from Community Board 2 at its last monthly meeting, the airline JetBlue said it is confident the city will pass a zoning amendment to allow it to install a 40-foot sign at its new headquarters in Long Island City’s Queens Plaza.

“JetBlue is proud to be New York’s hometown airline,” said Bryan Baldwin, spokesman for JetBlue, in an e-mail. “We would like to be part of the iconic skyline of this great city.”

Baldwin said the airline’s new sign will be a back-lit version of its company logo. It will be on the top of its new headquarters at the Brewster Building, at 27-01 Queens Plaza N., where it plans to move almost 1,000 employees later this year.

“It is not a billboard-type sign and is very in keeping with Long Island City’s industrial history and other existing signs in the neighborhood, including the iconic Silvercup and PepsiCola signs,” he said.

Let’s be clear: The Silvercup and PepsiCola signs are vestigial reminders of the area’s industrial past. That they’re still there is a testament to both our culture’s gooshy sentimentalism in general and Long Island City boosters’ desire not to look like Jersey City. The JetBlue sign is strictly an advertisement. And with the people in charge bending over backwards to entice the company to stay in New York, they were obviously able to offer them something Orlando couldn’t: A big billboard that hundreds of thousands of people could see every day. Which is fine — whatever — but spare us the “iconic” approach because, frankly, the sign is ugly and the lack of a space between “Jet” and “Blue” is annoying.

Location Scout: Queens Plaza.

Community Boards: Is There Anything They Can’t Disapprove?

More community board ridiculousness, this time in College Park, Queens:

CB 7 is standing in the way of the free enterprise system.

All Your JellyNYC Are Belong To Us

Astoria Park to become the next McCarren Park:

While Astoria Pool may be the busiest in the city, drawing more than 150,000 visitors last year, the diving pool nearby has not been used in some 30 years.

Now parks officials are set to turn the former diving pool it into an outdoor performance space, making the park more accessible to residents.

Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. grew up around the corner from the pool and set aside about $1 million for the project.

“This is really going to add something. We’ve got so many artists in Astoria, and this is going to give them a place to perform right here at home,” said Vallone.

“We’re taking this diving pool that’s been vacant for decades and creating a performance space. So what you’ll see is the diving pool filled in, capped over and a nice spot where you can do performances for the public,” said Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski.

Location Scout: Astoria Park.

The Cheekiness Of The Perpetrators Is Troubling Indeed

It’s an interesting theory but I’m not sure I accept the basic premise that mooning is a sort of criminal gateway leading eventually to sexual assault:

A spike in criminal incidents in Astoria, ranging from gropings to smashed car windows to attempted rape, has led three elected officials representing the neighborhood to introduce legislation to prevent crime in the area.

“We’re here to say … we’re going to do whatever in our power to make sure that it’s stopped,” state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said last week.

. . .

“If we don’t put a stop to it now, things are going to get worse and worse,” the senator said. “Today’s groper, today’s mooner can be tomorrow’s rapist.”

. . .

Democratic District Leader Costa Costantinides said the uptick in crime “has been deeply troubling.”

“When you have students running down 23rd Avenue mooning shop owners, that’s serious,” he said.