​Queens is really an international foodie spot. This market is basically the best Queens has to offer. Paella from Spain, hand made twister cakes stuffed with ice cream from Transylvania, vanilla and chocolate cheese waffle rolls from Moldova, and of course Twisted Potato! 

A couple of tips for a really fun night. If you want to drive, get here early to park in the parking lot. Also, bring cash as the ATM line can get long and not a lot of the vendors take credit cards. 

If there’s a food vendor you really want to try, get on that line first. Two hours into the night, many vendors had sold out of half their menu.

Finally, bring a picnic blanket and sit behind the tents with your food. There are picnic tables but they were crowded. Families tend to hang out in the grass area in the back. 

We really wanted paella so this was our first stop which was delicious. This was a seafood paella from Pablo’s Cocina with crawfish, baby shrimp, scallops, oysters, and snails. Big hit in our family.

Kids also enjoyed a Twisted Potato with Parmesan garlic.

Next up, we tried the waffle rolls from Wembie (@vvembie). We tried two of these Moldovan treats, one stuffed with a vanilla cheese cream which was my favorite. The other was stuffed with a chocolate cheese cream which was also great. Next time, I’m going to need to try the cheese stuffed doughnuts which are pretty much my favorite foods together! Genius.
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Last stop was Twister Cakes which featured hand made cakes. They definitely have more of a soft waffle texture. You can try the cakes rolled in sugar or stuffed with ice cream. So we tried both! One cake with cinnamon sugar and another stuffed with strawberry ice cream. Simply delicious. Also, humble beginnings for this Food Vendie award winner. The owner started with his grandmother’s recipe from Romania and still hand rolls them on dowels while you wait!

This market  features the best of Queens. International food from hardworking people passionate about sharing their food with the world. Definitely try it out. 

For Your Information:

Queens Night Market
New York Hall of Science
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Queens
Next Night Market: October 27, 2018

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Karla Guerra
Mom, wife, soccer coach, attorney, and traveler as often as possible. I travel for a different perspective on the world. I was born in El Salvador and moved to New York when I was two years old. As a child, I traveled back to El Salvador. I learned so much just by observing. So I continue to travel, now with my family because I know there are so many clever travel locations our there.​

As a lover of photography, I am always intrigued with those talented individuals who have managed to turn this pastime into a full-time career.  Like any other art, photography comes from the creative vision of the photographer - how to shoot a subject; at which angle; at which precise moment; proper lighting; and all the while having a keen sense of creativity to view something in a way that no one else does. 

Of course, a good photographer also has an educated understanding of how to use their tools in a way that assists in capturing that perfect snapshot. And this, I believe, is the perfect segue to shine the spotlight on Bronx photojournalist, Marisol Diaz-Gordon.   

The artist's work will be a featured exhibit at Bronx Community College (BCC) CUNY, as part their celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month. Entitled "25: A Retrospective," the opening reception and artist talk will take place on Friday, September 28, 2018, from 12pm to 2pm.  ​

Ms. Diaz-Gordon's exhibition is a retrospective in photographs of the past 25 years since she graduated from a place that she says, "set me on my path to become a photographer."  She goes on to praise BCC, which she credits with "learning that my dream of being an artist was possible."  
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A native of the Bronx, Ms. Diaz-Gordon says she knew she was meant to be a visual artist from the time she was nine years old - the first time her mother taught her how to take a photograph. Crediting both of her parents for the unending support given to her to develop her talent and pursue her dreams, it was her mom, she points out, who exposed her early on, to all forms of creative artistry.  From drawing, painting, sewing and other crafts, her mom opened up this world to the artist and consistently encouraged her to follow her passions. 

Growing up in the Bronx projects, as a child, she'd save her precious allowance to buy supplies, one or two items at a time, until she built up a collection, allowing her to paint, and draw.  Interestingly, her love of photography as a vocation was a process, and was first sparked through an elective class in her last semester at BCC, through which, she discovered her "true love of the art form" and refers to time spent during her college years in the dark room as  "magic." 

Both shy and reserved by nature, Ms. Diaz-Gordon says that being behind the camera gave her a kind of confidence and strength to go outside her comfort zone.  Suffering from undiagnosed dyslexia for most of her life, photography and the visual arts was a way for her to interpret the world and express herself. In fact, she likens going out with her camera as going out into an "open classroom." 

Additionally, her interest in photojournalism and long-term projects came as a result of her college documentary class.  Selecting a topic for her course assignment did not come easy until one day, she had what she calls a waking dream, whereby she felt compelled to feature nuns for her project.  Following up on a suggestion by one of her church priests, Diaz-Gordon found herself at the Corpus Christie Monastery, where she would spend hours and hours, building a close rapport with the nuns, capturing their daily life and weaving a visual story through photographs.  Some of her favorite photos, she shared with me, were taken featuring the nuns playing volleyball. 

From this poignant experience, the realization was clear to her that photojournalism was a way of conveying her vision in an objective manner for her viewers to see. This led the artist to take on another project, this time with the Fire Department, spending hours - even sleeping over at the firehouse -  documenting the firefighters' with a close-up and personal view of their dedication and tireless work. 

Both the Monastery and Fire Department projects became part of her portfolio, with which she was able to parlay into becoming a freelancer with local Bronx newspapers, including the Bronx Times. 

During our conversation, it became clear to me, that Ms. Diaz-Gordon not only possesses  artistic creativity, but is also a motivated entrepreneur!  While working as an usher at Radio City Music Hall, while attending college, she decided to just walk right into the nearby Associated Press building to show her portfolio.  Maintaining an open dialog with the AP, she would continue to pitch stories until one day she received her first paying job to cover a twentieth anniversary theatre production about the highly publicized Crown Heights riots of 1991. 
 
Her career also included eleven years at En Foco, a non-profit that helps photographers of color.  Founded in the 1974 by Puerto Rican photographers, Diaz-Gordon became skilled at developing her eye for selecting art for exhibits and the curating process.  This led to teaching photography at the Bronx Museum and creating her own portfolio. At present, she works for Newsday and AM New York. 

She believes that the balance she has experienced and continues to maintain between engaging in documentary and fine art projects as well as photojournalism, enables her ongoing creativity in various photographic styles.   

"25: A Retrospective" is the second exhibit at BCC for Diaz-Gordon. The artist's first exhibit, ten years ago, was a series of black and white diptych and triptych photos, which won her a BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) award.   She was invited to participate this month in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month as well as to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her graduation from BCC. 

The exhibit includes 40 pieces of her work, including photos from both of her documentary series featuring the Corpus Christie Monastery and the Fire Department., up to present day. Diaz-Gordon shared with me, that narrowing down to 40 was no easy task considering the huge archives she has built over the past two and one-half decades.  

You can bet I will be there tomorrow for the opening reception. Stay tuned for more!
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-Elisa

For Your Reference
​
Opening Reception & Artist Talk:
Friday, September 28, 2018 at 12 PM – 2 PM

Location: Bronx Community College - Bliss Hall
2155 University Ave, Bronx, NY 10453, United States

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You guys  know by now how much I LOVE historic information, particularly as it concerns the Bronx!

This week, I was browsing through some photos I had taken of the Throgs Neck Bridge a few months ago and it dawned on me that I'm always confused about how to spell the word "Throgs." Additionally, depending on the source, sometimes it is spelled with one "g" and others, it appeared with two.

This is the sort of stuff that gets my mind going and as a result, I decided to get to the bottom of things! In the process, I found out a few other interesting bits of historic information about this area that I thought would make for a a fun read.  So, here we go!

1. The first European to settle the area was John Throckmorton.
Throckmorton was one of 39 settlers who signed an agreement to form of government in Providence, Rhode Island on July of 1640, according to Revolvy.com.

Three years later, he obtained a grant of land for himself and 35 others in the Providence settlement from Governor Willem Kieft in New Netherland (New York). According to Professor Lloyd Ultan, Bronx Borough Historian, "Throckmorton and his group, unfortunately came at a bad time. There was an Indian uprising that chased them all out and they were very lucky that there was a British warship that just happened to be passing by and saved everybody."  Unfortunately Indians set fire to the houses, the farms and killed all the cattle which the group saw from the ship. 

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2. Throgs Neck has had many names including "Throckmorton's Neck"
The New Netherlanders called this peninsula "Vriedelandt" which means "Land of Peace" in Dutch, because of the lush natural beauty of the region. According to Professor Ultan, after John Throckmorton and his group arrived in the area, and subsequently, left, shortly thereafter, it was called Throckmorton's Neck. 

Now, from my research, according to BoweryBoys.com, ancient spellings of Throckmorton could also be "Throggmorton" or "Throgmorton" which would explain where the "g" (or "gg") originated.  Eventually, considering that such a name was rather a mouthful, it was shortened to Throg(g)s Neck.

To add more interest to this name, BoweryBoys.com states that a cartographer called the area ''Frockes Neck'' in 1668, and George Washington mentioned ''Frog's Neck'' in a journal entry from 1776. That's right! According to Professor Ultan, "if you go all the way back at the time of the American revolution, when the British invaded the area, they saw the name throggs neck and they said, "what the heck is that?" They assumed it must mean Frog. And so all the British maps in the American revolution refer to it as Frog's Neck."
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3. The Throg's Neck Bridge was built to relieve traffic on the Whitestone Bridge
Two miles west of the Throgs Neck Bridge lies the Whitestone Bridge, built in 1939.  By the mid-1940's, it was decided that another East River crossing would aid in reducing traffic. In 1957, construction began on a new suspension bridge, which would be the easternmost East River motor crossing.  The Throgs Neck Bridge was completed and opened on January 11, 1961. 

In the end, however, statistics show it did the opposite with an increase of motor vehicles and more traffic in the Bronx.

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4. Throg's Neck demarcates the passage between the East River and Long Island Sound
Geographically speaking, Throggs Neck is a narrow spit of land in the southeastern portion located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City.  The Throgs Neck Bridge connects the Bronx with the neighborhood of Bay Terrace in the borough of Queens on Long Island.

"Throggs Neck" is also the name of the neighborhood of the peninsula, bounded on the north by East Tremont Avenue and Baisley Avenue, on the west by Westchester Creek, and on the other sides by the River and the Sound. 
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5. Robert Moses shortened Throgg's Neck to Throg's Neck to save paint
It seems that there has always been a bit of uncertainty as to how to spell Throggs - is it one g or two.  However, traditionally throughout most of its history, the spelling has been with two g's.

Ironically, according to Bronx historian, Professor Lloyd Ultan, "some businesses that opened up in the area, local stores, put one G in there" opening things up for two possible spellings.  Then at the time the Throgs Neck Bridge was being built, Robert Moses figured it would cost less in the amount of paint used on the street signs directing people to the bridge to have one g rather than two 'g's. And so he named the Throgs Neck Bridge with one g. Hard to believe, but that's how the story goes.
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So, in the end, there really is no official way to spell Throg(g)'s!

This past weekend, my daughters and I enjoyed an afternoon in the Bronx for the annual Arthur Avenue Ferragosto in Little Italy.

I just love the ethnic diversity of the Bronx!  Depending on the section of the borough you find yourself in, you will be met with a distinct cultural experience filled with celebrations, food and music reflecting the cultural origins of the local residents.

The Belmont Section, specifically, Little Italy as it is affectionately known, has a history that dates back more than a century, when Italian immigrants settled and built a neighborhood rooted in the traditions of their native country.

For over 15 years, the folks in Little Italy have been celebrating the time honored, centuries old Italian tradition of the Ferragosto - a festival observed at the end of the harvest season.

The merchants of Arthur Avenue come together each September to create a day of festivities which includes music, fun activities and an opportunity for the community and beyond to enjoy food and drinks from the neighborhood restaurants, as well as a close-up view of local merchandise vendors.​

Anyone who has followed my blog for the nearly past five years, knows all too well that inclement weather never deters me or my Travelin' Cousin blogging partner, Tanya from our travel and visiting plans.

Well, this past Sunday was no exception.  The rain was coming down pretty hard the day before, around the metro New York area, and, as predicted, it was still pretty darn wet out Sunday morning.​

Regardless of the inclement weather, me and my girls, got dressed, brought along our rain gear and headed north over the Throgs Neck Bridge to the Belmont section of one of our favorite boroughs - the Bronx!

​With the Ferragosto beginning at 12noon, the plan was to leave the house by 10:30.  Even though it only takes a little over thirty-five minutes (with no traffic) from our Long Island town of Garden City to Arthur Avenue, I wanted to play it safe and get there early, as parking is not always easy to come by.

Boy, am I glad we left when we did because things were starting to get congested when we arrived, nearly a half hour before the official kick-off.

Similarly to the Arthur Avenue vendors, I absolutely love what I do - traveling and visiting different destinations and always meeting new people all the time, and so, getting caught in the downpour, only added to the adventure of my day!

As we headed onward, we came upon a sweets table filled with cookies and my faves - RAINBOW COOKIES!! My eyes zoomed in on them and we walked away with a ginormous rainbow cookie from ​Morrone Pastry Shop!! 

​Fresh, moist and rich in flavor, I really tried to keep it to myself, but alas, my kids didn't allow that to happen!!
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(c) travelincousins.com

(c) travelincousins.com

(c) travelincousins.com

Alittle rain (or alot) could never stop the Ferragosto and the heart of the merchants of Arthur Avenue!! Mark your calendars for next September for this Little Italy festival!

​-Elisa

From the time I was a little girl, visiting my extended family in the Bronx, to living on the campus of Fordham University and on Arthur Avenue as a college student, I've always been struck by the sense of pride that Bronxites take in their beloved borough.

Cut to today, and a younger generation, the sense of dignity is still alive, as much as ever! And that brings me to Drea Smith, founder and creative chef of The Uptown Vegan in the Bronx. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Drea at the recent Bronx Night Market at Fordham Plaza, one of the many markets and festivals that she participates in throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, bringing her exclusive brand of vegan sweets and treats.

My palette can unequivocally attest to just how delectable her baked goods are from my personal experience in sampling a few - namely her vegan chocolate and sweet potato cupcakes.  Exquisitely moist with rich and velvety frosting, not even the most discerning palette would ever guess these sweet goodies are vegan!

Drea's commitment to providing yummy, sweet vegan goodness is equally matched by her devotion to the Bronx.  As an online bakery and pop-up shop at expos, fairs and markets, this up and coming chef shared with me that when she is ready to open a store front for The Uptown Vegan, (which she hopes will be in the near future), it will absolutely be in the Bronx. Something Bronxites - vegan and non-vegans - will be blessed to have in their neighborhood!

For now, all orders are via email through her website.

So, what's new from The Uptown Vegan? Well, in addition to her current offering of vegan cookies that include Big Fat Sprinkle, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin and Snickerdoodle, Drea has created recipes for more than a dozen cake flavors for both custom cakes and cupcakes. Her new product endeavor includes vegan cinnamon buns and brownies.  Wow, I cannot wait for these!!

Long gone are the days when vegans and those who enjoy a plant-based diet have a shortage of options!  Thanks to chefs like Drea, the choices are just beginning!
-Elisa