18 The Courier sun • JUNE 26, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Two hookah lounges open on Bell Boulevard in Bayside, hoping to spread the smoking sensation outside of already popular areas. Louis Armstrong Day was part of an exceptional year for Satchmo Thanks to his songs, movies, tours and TV appearances, Louis Armstrong had been world famous for about three decades by 1964, but regardless, this was a breakout year for the Corona resident. On May 9, 1964, “Hello Dolly,” Satchmo’s title song to an eponymous Broadway musical soundtrack, knocked the Beatles from the number one perch on the Billboard charts. (The Fab Four had enjoyed a 14-week run at the top with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “She Loves You” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.”) Armstrong, who was 63 at the time, was the oldest artist ever to attain a number one pop hit, a record that still stands today. But the jazz trumpeter was about to hit a higher note. A few weeks later, the World’s Fair organizing committee declared June 30, 1964 to be “Louis Armstrong Day” in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. On that afternoon, Pops rode in a motorcade through the fairgrounds, enthusiastically waving to fans. Then, Armstrong, wearing a Native American headdress, and his band jammed before thousands of fans, climaxing in an encore version of “Hello, Dolly!” The concert took place in the Singer Bowl, which had been built for the 1964 World’s Fair. Afterward, it was converted for tennis and renamed “Louis Armstrong Stadium.” It presently sits within the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. To celebrate this tremendous year, the Louis Armstrong House Museum has partnered with the Queens Museum to offer two upcoming activities. This Sunday, June 29, the museum will open Ambassador Satchmo at the World’s Fair, a series of never-before-published photographs of the jazz legend during the day he was honored. His close friend and personal photographer, Jack Bradley, documented the day’s events. The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 14. To kick off the installation, the Queens Museum, located in the New York City Building in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, will host A Jazz Soirée with Catherine Russell from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 29. A Grammy-winning vocalist, Russell is known for a sultry, sweet voice. And just like Satchmo, she has performed around the world. This article is part of a series by the Queens Tourism Council that will run periodically until October in commemoration of the 75th and 50th anniversaries of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, which took place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. For more information, go to www. itsinqueens.com/worldsfair. QUEENS LOCALS OPEN HOOKAH BARS IN BAYSIDE BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected] @liamlaguerre Bayside is getting hooked up with hookah. Hookah enthusiasts opened two lounges on the Bell Boulevard commercial strip within the past three weeks, hoping to spread the smoking sensation away from crowded, known hookah areas such as Astoria. “Anybody that’s into hookah or that’s serious about hookah would have to go to Astoria, but Astoria is saturated with lounges,” said Sandy Diaz, co-owner of Galyan Hookah Bar, which is between 38th and 39th avenues. “The reason we brought this concept here is because there is a void that needs to be filled.” Diaz, a Flushing resident who grew up in Glen Oaks, opened the lounge as a restaurant and bar that serves a fusion of Middle Eastern and American food, meaning that patrons can expect everything from burgers and fries to lamb. But Galyan primarily targets hookah– lovers or customers interested in trying the Middle Eastern delight. There are dozens of flavors for the hookah, ranging from Skittles to mango, and each costs $15 to $20. Not to be outdone, Pyramids, which opened few blocks south near 41st Avenue, offers a wide variety of flavors as well, such as vanilla and blueberry pancake, for a similar price range. They also have a custom mixand match option. Pyramids owners, longtime friends Amarjit Singh of Ozone Park, Maneet Dhillon of Briarwood and Dave Verma of Bellrose, brought the lounge to Bell Boulevard after sensing a lack of hookah establishments. A DJ system is set up prominently in the lounge and modern party music is spun nightly. “We want people to relax, have a good time and enjoy the surroundings,” Singh said. “We want people to be comfortable when they come here.” Although the two lounges opened around the same time, they have no affiliation and owners said they don’t see each other as a business threat. “No beef, we’re all family,” Dhillon said.
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