Where to begin?!  There’s the accessibility of all you need without having to have a car; the number of playgrounds for kids; the friendly interaction on the sidewalks; and the passion that people have for their community, in whatever way that might be expressed.  (I haven’t lived in other parts of Queens so am talking about my experience of living in Astoria).  

There’s the sense that the neighborhood is always changing, in a dynamic way, while managing to retain a lot of its basic character.  And there’s the wonderful fact that you’re living somewhere with a strong sense of community, but at the same time you have all the inspiration of a megacity at your fingertips – with the hopes, disappointments and experiences that come with that.  It may not be the most easy or comfortable environment to bring a child up in (what is?!) but there’s certainly no shortage of things for them to learn from.

There are certainly parallels with London: both are diverse, international cities.  But in very general terms I’d say the interaction between people of different backgrounds is more open in Queens (and other parts of NYC) than in London.

What was your motivation behind starting the 30th Ave. Project?

I trained as a journalist and enjoy hearing people’s stories, and communicating them.  I realized that there are thousands of stories to be told right here on my doorstep.  I also knew that a lot less is written about Queens than other parts of the city, and that information is a crucial part of community-building.  So I thought why not tell the story of the neighborhood – or at least part of the story – through individual interviews with people who live and work here.

I was lucky to have a lot of support from my husband Carlos through the project (he’s an English professor and proof-read the write-ups before I posted them!).  Though no doubt he’s also relieved I’m not continuing to do an interview a week in the coming year as well.

What was the general response from people you interviewed? Were they excited to tell their stories? Did you experience any resistance?

Overall it was positive and people enjoyed telling their stories.  There’s something about an audio-recorder that sometimes prompts people to say things that surprise even themselves.  And people were excited to see their interviews online, or on the hard copy that I would give to them after posting it.

Photo credit: Jeanne Noonan/ NY Daily News

Getting the interviews did involve persistence though.  I’d say that for each interview on the site, I probably asked around two or three people to be interviewed who declined.  That’s totally understandable: they may have been shy to talk about themselves; too busy with their work; unsure what to make of this English girl coming up to them in the street; or wary of having their photographs and stories online.  (One crossing guard who I asked, said, “you mean it’s going to be on the internet?  After Weiner?  No way!”  I later did interview a crossing guard, Julia Bravo).

What do you hope people will take away from the project?

I’d say both information and inspiration.  Information, in terms of people who live in Astoria knowing more about their neighborhood and its people, and people outside Astoria learning about it too.  A few comments I got on the site and via email were from people who used to live in Astoria many years ago: they said it brought back memories, and also that they enjoyed getting a picture of how the same street they knew so well is today.

Inspiration, because it’s such a dynamic neighborhood, full of people to be inspired by.  For example someone might read the interview with Melissa Rivera or with Sami Mobarak and be motivated to set up their own small business.

What did you take away from the project? Was it what you expected?

In some ways it was what I expected: I already walked up and down 30th Avenue each day and knew it would provide some wonderful interviews.  In other ways it wasn’t.  The interviews evolved in a more ad-hoc way than I imagined, each one unique in terms of how it came about, where it took place etc.  Also, the neighborhood itself took on a more prominent role in the interviews than I had originally thought.  I asked each person about their own lives and work, and also for their thoughts on Astoria.  Themes and interconnections began to appear between the interviews.
An important lesson I took away was to have faith in the street!  If I didn’t have an interview ready to post the following week I’d begin to get a bit edgy, in case I didn’t find one or set one up in time.  So I’d venture out with my son on a Sunday morning.  Invariably we would find someone happy to talk.

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