LOCAL LOVE
From First Glances to the Altar
12 local couples share their love stories
14 FEBRUARY 2 0 2 0
Photos courtesy of Dawn Christy
VALENTINE’S DAY
BY ALLISON KRIDLE
No matter your relationship status, Valentine’s Day is meant to be celebrated.
Who doesn’t like a little love, right? We talked to 12 local couples who either
met, got engaged or got married in western Queens. Here, we’re sharing their
Nora Ephron-approved love stories.
Dawn Christy
and Chris Burgis
Sunnyside resident Dawn Christy met
her now-husband Chris Burgis in December
2012 at Sunnyside’s first Santathon.
Burgis was dressed in a Santa
suit at the bar Molly Bloom’s (now Ida’s)
that night, and Christy yelled, “Hey Santa!”
at him.
“In walks Santa and bellies up to the
bar next to me. We start talking, finding
out we have a lot in common and where
we have been in life. I started thinking,
‘This guy is great. He is going to be the
father of my children.’ My sister can
vouch for that because at one point, I
turned to her and said it,” Christy said.
Christy hit the nail on the head. Nine
months after meeting, the Sunnyside
couple eloped in Vegas, celebrated
their marriage at Sidetracks in November
2013 and learned they were expecting.
They brought their first child home
from a hospital in western Queens in
July 2014.
“Having grown up in Sunnyside, I know
how special this neighborhood is. And
home is where the heart is,” Christy said.
FAVORITE LOCAL DATE SPOTS:
BOHEMIAN HALL & BEER GARDEN
JACK’S FIRE DEPARTMENT
GANTRY PLAZA STATE PARK
ARRIBA ARRIBA