take a rest, take a seat, or just shut the doors and turn up the air conditioning, there are some cool ways out there to beat the heat this summer.
Extreme Indoors
Get shot, and do some shooting of your own, at NYC Painball. |
You don’t have to go all the way outside to play paintball anymore.
The only (legal) place in the city to experience one of the fastest growing extreme sports, NYC Paintball, opened its Long Island City doors in March. Operating 7 days a week, it offers two indoor fields in a 27,000-square-foot facility located on Van Dam Street, just a hop away from the Queensborough Bridge.
“The place gets packed,” said an NYC Paintball employee of the building. He claims that because of its huge popularity, the owners are actually looking to expand to the roof of the building to provide even more paint-shooting fun to more experienced players.
But that doesn’t mean you have to be a trained mercenary to take part in the excitement.
There are special nights for high schoolers, league players and the college crowds. All players are urged to wear old, loose and layered clothing. The games probably aren’t suitable for those with a low threshold for pain-players should be prepared to take shots to the head, chest or anywhere on the body that your enemy decides to aim and fire.
Prices range from $39 for three hours to $49 for five-hours inside, which includes all the necessary firepower and safety equipment. NYC Paintball also offers packages and specials almost nightly. Plus, the facility has a computer café, arcade, pool tables and plenty of refreshments and snacks.
The opportunity to shoot your boss can also be arranged with corporate or birthday party reservations. (MR)
NYC Paintball is located at 47-11 Van Dam St., Long Island City, 1-888-PBALL-NY, www.newyorkcitypaintball.com
Easy, Breezy, Beautiful
Take a drive through the quiet streets of Forest Hills Gardens. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen |
Consider it the ultimate in window-shopping.
Hop in the car, open the windows (or crank up the A/C) and drive into Forest Hills Gardens until the traffic on Queens Boulevard is out of sight and mind. Here, miles away from the Boulevard of Death, are stately homes planted on lush green lawns, forming a colony of dream houses.
A drive through here can leave any couple awe-struck enough to put the loose change swallowed by the couch towards a mortgage. In fact, the entire area was born out of the idea of a single dream home, according to local historian Jeff Gottlieb.
“The building of Forest Hills Gardens homes for the poor and middle-income workmen of Manhattan” was given approval in 1908, wrote Gottlieb on a Web site about the area. “[But] development of the property becomes so expensive that only the rich can afford the homes.”
So what envy-worthy homes are there in Forest Hills?
How about the 5-bedroom brick Tudor single-family home (asking price $1.65 million)? Nearby is a slightly more modest townhouse with 7 rooms-four of them bedrooms-going currently for $849,000.
The spacious homes of Jamaica Estates, Bayside Gables and other luxury real estate hot spots are certainly eye catching and awe inspiring. But there’s something to be said about being within stumbling distance of chic Forest Hills eateries and nearby mansions, no?
Lining the streets are tall, leafy trees whose arms seem like they’re stretching across the street to meet each other. They offer a bit of shade on the drive for those who can, for now, only dream of staying there. (AP)
All-Night Pin Heads
Cool off at Whitestone Lanes or another Queens bowling alley. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen |
Hey, when the sunlight gets too hot to handle during the day, don’t worry-Whitestone Lanes lets you bowl all night long.
Who, you may ask yourself, bowls at 8 a.m.? If you’ve got the $4 fee for 10 frames, go down and find out for yourself.
The lanes fill up with families on weekends and evenings, when the rate is a slightly more expensive $6 for a game, but in the dawn hours you might find yourself dominating the lanes alongside the weird lot of truckers taking brief pit stops from their all-night drives along the expressway.
Like bowling alleys everywhere in the world, it’s the sound that hits you first. The low thunder of the speeding balls followed by the ecstatic crash and clatter of the defeated pins. The visuals quickly follow, however: a 48-lane expanse of never-ending, never-closing, never-ceasing bowling action.
Such is the majesty of the Whitestone Lanes, an all-hours institution about a half-mile north of Northern Boulevard in Flushing, just off the expressway from which this venerable alley takes it name. There are many great aspects of the Whitestone Lanes, but foremost is the undeniable fact that the place just does not close. If there are locks on the doors, they are completely unnecessary.
Whitestone Lanes also features a bowling lounge that, we feel, stands as an icon of well-worn Americana, called The Strike Lounge. There’s a snack bar as well, with the sort of fast food options you would expect from a house of bowling. (AR)
Whitestone Lanes, 30-05 Whitestone Expwy., Flushing, (718) 353-6300.
No Sweat Cinema
Sure, the neighborhood around the Kew Gardens Theater might be reason enough to visit. The quaint shops, rolling hills, tree-lined streets, welcoming pubs and scrumptious restaurants are the perfect precursor to a night of independent film.
The Kew Gardens Theater, with its interior brick and velvet drapes, is as classy as it is entertaining. But the theater is far more than a night out at the movies. Kew Gardens plays the latest in independent film screenings including films that no other theaters in New York, not even the big independent movie houses of Manhattan, are able or willing to procure. Although it saves room for the popular standards, Kew Gardens understands its role in the vibrant film culture of New York City.
Foreign films are regular staples there, and it’s not uncommon for film-obsessed Manhatttanites to make the trip to catch the often-elusive independent gem.
What’s the best part about Kew Gardens Cinema? We particularly love the all-day $5 ticket price on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (PG)
Kew Gardens Cinema, 81-05 Lefferts Blvd., KewGardens (718) 441-9835.
Couch Surfing
Enjoy a classic summer movie, such as “The Sandlot.” |
Okay, forget it. When there’s just no break from the heat wave, lock the windows and kick it indoors. Here’s a list of cool summertime movies you may have forgotten.
Summer of Sam Queens will never feel as hot as it did in 1977, and watching this Spike Lee flick will make you feel comfy in comparison. It follows the downhill slide of a neighborhood king falling from his throne-and meeting up with one of Queens’ terrible legacies, the Son of Sam.
The Sandlot A classic summer story about a kid who moves to a suburban neighborhood and makes friends with a group of kids who spend their summer days practicing on a beat-up baseball field called the sandlot. Lots of good-natured laughs, and some unforgettable characters, like The Great Hambino, Michael “Squints” Palledourous, and Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez.
Summer Rental Hilarious John Candy flick about a family that rents a condo in Florida for a summer and the pandemonium they encounter. After an ongoing feud with a local rich man, Candy challenges him in the town regatta and triumphs in side-splitting fashion. ‘80s hottie Kerri Green plays the oldest daughter, and a pre-pubescent Joey Lawrence plays Candy’s young son. Classic scenes are when the family spends their first night in the wrong house, and when the dog locks John Candy outside in the pouring rain.
Wet Hot American Summer In the world of offbeat comedy, the cast of MTV’s “The State” has carved its own niche. Director David Wain, along with former cast members Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black display their crude, gutsy antics in the setting of a rich suburban summer camp. Plenty of perverted “American Pie” type humor to satisfy teens, but a good blend of awkwardness to appease long-time fans of this cult comedy group. Some recognizable faces include Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rudd, and David Hyde Pierce as a hilarious science teacher.
Friday the 13th Not exactly your typical feel-good summer movie? After this flick came along in 1980, kids thought differently about summer camp forever. One of the top-grossing horror series of all time, Friday the 13th spawned ten sequels (though the producers probably should have thrown the towel in after about four). But no one can deny Jason Voorhees’ status as a one of the top Hollywood icons of this generation. (JF)
Late In The Evening
Enjoy a mid-day or evening concert at the Seuffert Bandshell |
Once that sun begins to set, there’s nothing like listening to feel-good music in the cool evening. Bring a date, bring the kids; either way you can have a great time.
The Forest Park Bandshell has been providing great family concerts for a number of years, and continues the trend in the 2005 summer season. Shows don’t cost a dime, and park visitors can simply put down the baseball glove or fold up the picnic blanket and head over to watch a magnificent free show.
After having acts such as Charlie Thomas and the Drifters, and a Beatles tribute band, this year has plenty of musical and theatrical events to satisfy all ages. July kicks off with a Friday night “Battle of the Bands,” followed by Tequila Sunrise, an Eagles tribute group. Also on tap for July is a puppet show, a Mexican dance company, a rock-n-roll show, and stand-up comedy.
The summer ball keeps rolling right on into August with a theatrical production of Sleeping Beauty. The New Rascals (“Good Lovin’,” remember?) with members from the original line-up, will be performing. Other great performances being offered include a country western show and “Alfred Hitchcock Movies Under the Stars,” which should send shivers up your spine.
The Forest Park Bandshell is located on Forest Park Drive off of Woodhaven Boulevard. (JF)
