Mid-August Movie: Mid-August Lunch

After seeing West Side Story last night in Astoria Park, I am officially addicted to outdoor movies. After many failed, foggy, frigid attempts to watch movies outside in San Francisco in the summer, I am giving New York summers a big, sweaty embrace. Ice cream truck + fireflies + twinkly East River + homemade popcorn + warmcool breezes + Jerome Robbins' choreography on a big inflatable screen = a perfect evening. Enough said.

So on that theme, I present another free chance at outdoor film enjoyment this Wednesday, August 11, courtesy of Rooftop Films:

Mid-August Lunch
"Set during a sweltering holiday weekend in Rome, this utterly charming comedy is about a middle-aged man living with his mother who suddenly finds himself caring for four elderly women—a delightful movie about aging, family, friendship, food, and wine." (Gianni Di Gregorio. Italy. 75 min.)

Live music starts at 7 pm, film at 8:30. We'll be there with bug spray on.
Socrates Sculpture Park
32-01 Vernon Blvd
Long Island City

West Side Story (across the East River)

I am blessed (cursed?) with a bizarrely short memory, which means that I am able to read books and see movies over and over again for the first time - and unfortunately, to meet people and have zero recollection of having already done so. (This can be awkward. Not as bad as Memento, but sometimes close.) But tonight, my brain malfunction will come in handy: West Side Story is showing in Astoria Park at 8 pm, which I have surely seen before, but remember it not even a little bit.



My apartment is about as refreshing as the inside of a dryer (which reminds me that my laundry should be done any moment now) and I'm ready for some cooling East River breezes. I am Astoria Park's newest big fan. I've been hitting up the pool that Susanna reviewed a few weeks back most mornings to swim laps before the kiddies take over, and the setting is really quite magical. I'm thinking it sounds like a good spot to catch a musical on the big screen tonight. We're making one of our famous popcorn blends, perhaps with some of the maple sugar I brought back from Vermont, to snack on. See you there!

Credit where credit's due: I found this movie listing on Big Apple Small Wallet. They've put together an impressive collection of free summer film screenings. Just make sure to double check with the venue - tonight's showing of Fame was switched for next week (and I'll definitely be there for that too).

Guest pool explorer: Susanna Schell!

I'm furiously preparing for an upcoming intensive course on rural food systems at the University of Vermont (The Town That Food Saved is fantastic, if you're looking for summer reading that is both light, smart, and inspirational), so today's blog post comes from guest blogger (and my favorite neighbor) Susanna Schell. Enjoy!

for years public pools remained a thing of my suburban childhood: my mother and her perfectly tanned skin, mine burned to a crisp, and the sloshing of chlorinated water in my ears for hours, never clearing until after dinner in our air-conditioned sunroom. they were uncrowded, casual and part of a small community. though i've lived in new york off and on now for twelve years, it took moving to astoria, ny to be reminded that community can and still does exist fervently in the the five boroughs.

i was reminded of this vividly when i ventured west from my apartment last week to astoria park to take a dip in the astoria park public pool. it is the largest of the "robert moses 11" -- an enormous outdoor pool free to the public that opened in 1936, boasting an average capacity of 5,000 people. as a grad student/waitress studying to teach elementary aged kids i'm always looking for ways to save money, particularly when trying to cool off and/or exercise. so when i was told that this pool is FREE i dropped by mid-day, on opening day, to see if it's my kinda pool. 'cause a free pool in walking distance of my house?! and i thought being able to see my job from my apartment window was a NYC miracle.

i didn't find the idyllic suburban pool, but i found something worth taking advantage of, for sure. the ups: it's BIG, it's COLD and it's FREE. it's a vibrant ambiance with happy gleeful families enjoying the sun, the water and the snack bar. you're not going to find a tranquil, serene dip due to the crowds (i had to wait in line when arriving at 1:00pm as they controlled capacity) but as with most else in NYC, the peace is found in taking a moment to simply look up and take in the enormity and breadth of what surrounds you. with views of the triboro bridge, astoria park, manhattan and the east river while i cooled off in the early summer heat wave, the crowds faded away. and if it's exercise you seek, swing by between 7 and 8:30 am, when free adult lap swimming is available.

 

the need to knows: bathing suits and locker pad-locks are required but don't fret if you show up empty handed for there are men selling both outside of the pool (yes, i had to buy a lock). water bottles are allowed, but other food and drink are not so don't be shocked when people ask to look in your bag as you enter. electronics are not allowed in the pool area, but there are wonderful places around the outside of the pool structure from which you can take pics of it all, if you so desire.

the most important tip of all: bring a pair of waterproof flip-flops. alas, crowds in wet places do not lend themselves well to clean and tidy locker-rooms. :)

Up for grabs: Food Film Festival tickets

I've got four tickets to tonight's sold out NYC Food Film Festival event - Edible Adventure #001: Smokes, Ears & Ice Cream (there'll be pig ear sandwiches, people) and I won't be able to make it. The extravaganza features smoked meats from Fatty 'Cue (which you know you're dying to try but can't afford), ice cream from Max & Mina's, and other assorted goodies. The film program is a smattering of shorts on topics of produce, sex, and pork fat. And if all that hasn't won you over: it takes place at the Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City. That's almost tropical.

Message me for the tickets. Don't ever say I don't love you.

(Oh, and p.s.: Volunteering at last night's Asian street food event by Chef Brad Farmerie was a blast. Not to say I told you so, but...I told you so.)

(p.p.s. UPDATE: Check out the event and watch ticket winner Miranda's favorite videos on her blog!)

Alright. It's time...

...that we talk about SummerStage. Honestly, I've been avoiding this one because it's such a MASSIVE offering of events that I wasn't sure how to go about describing it to you - especially since I've not yet been to one of the performances. However, that will all change in a few hours - Mike and I are going to check out jazz with the McCoy Tyner Quartet in Central Park tonight. The show starts at 7, but true to form, Mike has just texted me that he and a dozen other people are already there, patiently awaiting the opening of the doors at 6 pm. I am a lucky lady.

I'll admit that I'm not familiar with most of this summer's performers (except Jimmy Cliff, who is apparently a doctor of something, according to the SummerStage website). That's one of the glories of free shows, though: because there's no financial commitment, you can explore music and performance that you wouldn't take a risk on if you had to buy the ticket. Be empowered by this freedom, my broke friends! There are 33 free concerts at the Main Stage at Rumsey Field alone from now through September, and additional shows throughout the five boroughs, spanning Afro Caribbean dance, Italian pop, Jamaican reggae, Turkish rock, Mexican folk dancing, and more. Good old American snarkiness puts in an appearance when contributors from The Daily Show do stand-up comedy on July 21. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs July 23 and 24, and beatbox artist Doug E. Fresh makes strange and amazing sounds on August 11. This is just a taste - you get the idea. Poke around the SummerStage website and see all that's in store.

Volunteer for the NYC Food Film Festival

NYC Food Film Festival 2010 Trailer from George Motz on Vimeo.

This is another example of an awesome event that you either can't afford or didn't get tickets in time for before it sold out - the 2010 NYC Food Film Festival is hosting a ton of chances to eat delicious food and watch films about that food - what better combination can you imagine? And here's your in: they are in desperate need of lots of volunteers. The festival begins Wednesday and runs through Sunday (July 23 - 27). The Food Bank for New York City receives all the proceeds, and they're coordinating the volunteer efforts - visit their online signup to get involved. The deadline to sign up has passed, but as a volunteer coordinator in a former life, I would bet my student loan money on them taking folks up until the 11th hour (but don't make them wait that long. Sign up now).

A Far Rockaway of the Q53 Bus

We finally caved in this morning when the 10 am temperature had surpassed 90, and set up the air conditioner. While my broke side hates the idea of giving Con Edison another cent on top of our already exorbitant bill, my newly married side likes to think it might be cool enough in our house someday to have a sex life again. Our whirring Samsung box o' magic in the window promises to deliver. My husband is looking better and better already.


Yesterday, though, we weren't quite ready to commit to electrically-generated bliss, and set off for a Bored and Broke Outdoor Adventure...to the beach! I tend to forget how close NYC actually is to real, honest to God OCEAN. When we tell friends that our expedition took us all the way to Rockaway Park, their universal response so far has been: "Whoa. That's a haul." And yes, they're not wrong, but it was worth it.



At the tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, just south of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (didn't know Queens had wildlife other than late night Ouzo-induced Greek dancing in Astoria, did you?), Rockaway Beach is technically part of the five boroughs, but it feels like it could be one of the less ritzy towns on Cape Cod. The beach is blessedly unglamorous - plenty of overweight ten year olds and leathery grandmas to balance out a smattering of bikini-clad teenagers posing for one another. The sand is soft, and because the beach is technically part of the NYC Parks & Rec Dept, it's not a total shithole. And Italian Ice vendors circulate constantly, much to the frustration of the many parents trying to rein in their hyperactive preteens.


We packed chopped up watermelon to help deter ourselves from buying junk food on the boardwalk - the easiest way in the world to save money is to BRING YOUR OWN FOOD. But if you're not that organized, visit the 11 day old Rockaway Taco on 96th Street and Rockaway Beach Blvd, next door to a fledgling organic produce stand that offers just-harvested carrots, small sweet potatoes, and beautiful strawberries. The menu is simple and cheap, and you can grab an iced coffee next door afterward at Jack's Coffee, which also opened at the end of May.

And as it turns out, seems as though we're not the only ones who have sun and waves on the brain this weekend. When our next Con Ed bill comes in, we're shutting off the A/C and heading back to the beach. An awesome cheap day.

To get there: Take A train to Broad Channel (one stop past JFK airport). Wait on the same platform for S shuttle train and take that two stops to 98th street. The beach is a 2 minute walk from there. Another option: we took the R train to the Q53 bus from Astoria, which is a nice ride through the Jamaica Bay marshes. (It's nice to be above ground for your transit every now and again, isn't it? Makes you feel less rodent-like.)

**Update, 6/30/10: that produce stand that I mentioned is getting some attention! It's apparently called Veggie Island, and is described in yesterday's Times.