Astoria



…rarely sleeps, especially if one's bedroom is on the street side.

There is a diverse population there now, but it seems that Italians, Irish and Greeks make up the early immigrant population from the last century.

Around the corner from Steinway St. there's an Irish Pub, The Rover, where there are bartenders who speak in brogue. Apparently, that wave of immigration continues. Down the street there's a Mosque which attests to a new wave of immigration.

There is also Rizzo's in the other direction where they make something very similar to what real Sicilian square pizza is all about: delicate and the cheese is kept to a minimum. Watching two male descendants of Sicilian immigrants behind the counter validates that working pizza dough keeps the biceps in the shape that pleases. Enjoying the wonderful taste treat they create while Bonnie Raitt is singing, “Mighty Tight Woman" is a unique experience before topping it off with the drink at the Irish Rover. Astoria is one of the few places where Spanakotiropita is fast food, too. The Greeks have given the world something other than very masculine men.

These days, however, on the street side where there tends to be much activity from the newer wave if immigration, it is quieter than usual. Astoria is one of those unique places where many different people live sharing the same goals and, therefore, where feeling safe and secure is not uncommon. The safety and security is based on common goals not on common culture.

The nightly noise is as welcomed as the diversity: both are indicative of feeling safe.

Let there be noise. There is no God but God.

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