24 | BOROMAG.COM | MARCH 2014 EXPLORE YOUR BORO URBAN ADVENTURE Story + Photos LIZABETH NIEVES According to Urban Dictionary a walkabout is de ned as “A spontaneous journey through the wilderness of one’s choosing in an eort to satisfy one’s itchy feet, a need to be elsewhere, the craving for the open road, that space over the horizon”. During the weekend, once the weather hit a sunny 53 degrees, a walkabout over to Sunnyside was exactly what I needed. I had fallen in love with the neighborhood years ago, speci cally with Skillman Avenue, while living in a charming house in the Sunnyside Gardens area. ƒe rst stop, once we crossed over Northern Boulevard was Stray Vintage located on 48-09 Skillman Avenue. Owned by Tara and Dan Glasser, Stray carries vintage jewelry, antique furniture and an THE impressive vinyl collection. ƒe shop has been open since 2006, and leave it to Dan to be playing exactly the music that you want to hear. Stray sells antique records through www.discogs.com. Keep an eye out for their yearly record fair that will have a couple of DJ’s and outdoor vendors in late May and early June. Check them out online at www. facebook.com/strayvintage.queens and strayvintage.com. Our next vintage nd was the iconic Alpha Donuts located on 45- 16 Queens Boulevard. ƒe tiny diner has been open since 1976 and serves a basic menu with an assortment of fresh donuts; get there early as they are usually snatched up by early afternoon. Portions are enormous, and almost everything is under ten dollars. As we wandered back to Skillman Avenue, we stumbled upon the Skillman Project’s Mardi Gras pub crawl. By 5 o’clock, two hundred fty people had signed up at Murphy’s Lobster Grill on 48-20 Skillman Avenue. We spent the rest of the evening cavorting in and out of venues such as Claret, Flynn’s, ƒe Dog and Duck, and the Copper Kettle. New Orleans style food could be found along the way, as well as a three piece band that weaved in and out of the bars playing “When ƒe Saints Go Marching In”. ƒe Skillman Project is an association comprised of local business owners that puts on about four big events a year. (https://www.facebook.com/ƒeSkillmanProject) Sitting on vintage chairs outside of Stray wearing shiny beads, masks and sipping whiskey, our little walkabout made Astoria feel as far away as winter did for the day.
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