56 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
A week with many acts of kindness
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With the storm severely
pounding Florida, I
was so grateful that my
stepson Jon Yunis -- who lives in
Sarasota, Florida -- had bought
one-way tickets to New York to
protect his family. But my cousin
Peter Ostrowsky decided he
would “tough it out” and remain
in Miami. Thankfully, his home is
intact, but he lost electricity.
Somehow, Florida is my
“extended family” state, and
everyone I know knows someone
affected by the ugly Hurricane
Irma’s horror as it churned its way
there, landing in the state that is
one of my favorite vacation places.
Houston -- which was hit by
hellish Hurricane Harvey -- is
the city which my other stepson
Harvey calls home as does
my dear friend Claire Shulman’s
astronaut daughter Ellen.
Thankfully, their homes suffered
little damage but many of their
neighbors were not so fortunate.
The kindness of Americans who
want to help is overwhelming.
It’s our time to be grateful and
therefore to give generously. A
safe way to donate is through the
United Way organizations in the
cities where so many people are
in need. Our acts of kindness go
a long way!
Greenport our Next Destination
Our new Long Island
Press lifestyle newsmagazine
is featuring destinations
to visit on Long Island.
This week, it is Patchogue, a
unique village on the south shore
of Suffolk County where
artists live in housing
designed to allow
them to work and
live in the center
of town.
All along
Main Street,
there is a thriving
dining and
night scene, and the
Patchogue Chamber
of Commerce has hundreds
of members. The town is also
home to the award-winning St
Joseph’s College.
The shining light on Main
Street is the lovingly, newly renovated
playhouse in a former old
movie theatre. It’s worth a visit!
In October, we will feature
Greenport on the North Fork
of Suffolk County. This past
Sunday, I made my first visit
there. Friends Pouran and Kia
Eshghi drove
with me to their
favorite places
to buy freshly
caught fish,
flowers and “the
best corn anywhere!”
As we drove down
Route 25, we passed winery
after winery, and potato
and corn farms, and I saw one
craft beer “farm.” Then, we
went into the bustling town to
dine at Claudio’s on the water,
a fourth-generation group of
waterfront restaurants.
I look forward to our spotlight
on Greenport, a town in
its glory days with housing prices
soaring and a growing millennial
community. Stay tuned!
World class event
This past week, Queens
County hosted the world
class U.S. Open tennis
matches. The world came
to our city to watch the superb
tournament at the Billie Jean
King National Tennis Center in
Flushing Meadows Park.
I had the pleasure to see the
matches from the President’s
Suite, which gave me a ringside
seat. It was the first year that
I saw the dome over Arthur
Ashe Stadium put to use - once
closed and once open. When I
saw the Rafael Nadal match on
Wednesday, rain threatened all
day, but with the closed dome,
the match went on seamlessly.
The climate was perfect in
the enormous stadium and
I loved how the spectators’
applause for the players roared
and reverberated through the
space, then absolute silence
reigned as each play began.
With the dome open, the
sky looked like a movie set,
spectacularly clear, and I loved
looking up to watch the big,
fluffy clouds blow by.
Being in the President’s Suite
includes a superb meal of creative
American cuisine served
with fine wines. It has open seating,
and I had the chance of sitting
with people from England
and the man who runs the Royal
Box at Wimbledon. The next
day, I dined with a woman who
represents a chocolate company
in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
But the most fun was to
speak to and sit a few rows
from Robert Redford, one of
my favorite stars, and to see
former Mayor David Dinkins,
who is now over 90 and looks
and sounds great. He introduced
me to ice hockey star
Rod Gilbert, a former Ranger
who turned out to be a great
friend of my friend Juliana
Terian! What a world!
Of course, the real stars were
the players, and they are spectacular
to watch! I saw their
strength and stamina and it
took my breath away. After all,
the Open brings the best players
in the world to us.
USTA President and CEO
Katrina Adams explained in
her welcome letter that the
revenue from the U.S. Open
goes to support grass root
tennis programs around the
United States. I was particularly
struck to see people with
disabilities playing matches in
their wheelchairs. Also, there
are many days and hours when
you can go on the grounds for
free to enjoy the 15 restaurants,
multiple merchants and
“the scene.”
Try it next year. You too will
love the experience.
Betty Catalfo and Lois Christie in
the Mercedes box
Neeha and Eddie Alhuwalia with their daughters
Juliana Terian with Robert Redford
at the US Open