Gildo and Yukari
How could someone say “I was born and
raised in Astoria,” and not win someone over
right from the start?
Turns out, it worked quite well for Astoria
resident Gildo during his first exchange with
his now-wife Yukari, who moved to Astoria
from Kobe, Japan, in 2000. Gildo and Yukari
met at the pastry shop off Ditmars called
LaGuli’s in October 2001.
32 FEBRUARY 2 0 1 8
“We were waiting on line to buy coffee
up Ditmars and I introduced myself to
her. I am originally from Astoria born and
raised and welcomed her to the neighborhood,”
Gildo said.
Gildo and Yukari got married in June 2004
with a simple wedding at City Hall. After, they
celebrated with a large shindig at the Greek
restaurant Stamatis off 23rd Avenue in Astoria.
The longtime love birds don’t have any
plans to move away from Astoria. According
to Gildo, everything they need is here — most
importantly, each other.
VALENTINE'S DAY
Photos courtesy of Gildo and Yukari Photos courtesy of Erica Romero and JB Reefer
Favorite Date Spots:
Astoria Park
Noguchi Museum
Museum of the Moving
Image
Erica Romero
and JB Reefer
When most of us wait for the subway, we don’t
normally think how perfect it would be to propose
or be proposed to directly in front of the
“Broadway” sign on the platform. But for Erica
Romero and JB Reefer, whose relationship was
born in Astoria and continues to thrive here,
then it is the most romantic and ideal spot to
decide to tie the knot.
The couple initially spotted (or swiped) each
other on Tinder in 2015 and started their first date
off at Sek’end Sun off Broadway.
“Erica was wearing these jeans with rips and totally
blew me away. We romped around Astoria for
eight hours — probably the longest first date I've
ever been on — and I was immediately obsessed,”
Reefer said. “I spent way too much that night at La
Sala. She's fun to hang out with and I didn't want
her to leave, so swanky drinks and deep couches
did the trick. Erica's amazing. I was hooked.”
The couple is getting married this summer at the
Museum of the Moving Image, and Romero and
Reefer still frequent Sek’end Sun after big moments in
their relationship. After Reefer proposed to Romero at
the Broadway station, they met up with friends at the
Astoria hot spot and popped a bottle of bubbly.
“We commute to work together every morning
and always stand right by that sign. That public spot
is so much more to us. Every day, we get to stand
together right where we got engaged and relive it
all over again,” Romero said.
Favorite Date Spots:
DiWine
Taverna Kyclades
Il Bambino
Sweet Afton
Astoria Park
MoMA PS1