....February 6, 4:20 PM
 
 
 
Buying Boardwalk
As one of eight siblings, life for Sarah Fears kept her grounded. Seven girls, one boy.

“There was always a line for the bathroom,” she said.

An unabashed tomboy, modeling never really struck Fears as a career option. It wasn’t until a friend and fellow model noticed Sarah’s height and figure and decided to bring her to a photo shoot that Sarah got the gist of things.

Now she’s been modeling professionally, bouncing around to shoots around the country, hopping between home in Missouri and New York since 2007.

“There is nowhere else I’ve been to where I can sit on the subway and hear 10 different languages spoken at once,” she said of her experience in the City.

Still, she’s keeping her rural upbringing close to her heart, and is pursuing a veterinary degree and studying to be a horse trainer. And while life by a barn sounds great, Sarah claims to have mastered a Donald Trump impression when playing Monopoly.

“I’ve only lost one game of Monopoly in my entire life,” she said. “And I’ve been playing since I was 5.”

The love of the game has caused her banishment from some homes, where her intense Monopoly game-face has scared off many.

“I’m going to win the World Series of Monopoly,” she said, with nary a chuckle.


Sarah Fears
Home: Rego Park
Age: 22
Height: 5’11"
Weight: 130
Stats: 34-27-35

 
 
Lauper Still Having Fun

Ozone Park girl Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper has always been a little “Unusual.”

While Madonna was jump-starting her career in typical pop star fashion: by crooning about virginity and sporting a “Boy Toy” belt, Lauper, who was raised in Ozone Park, solidified her place in music by fabricating a distinctive sound made up of punk, new wave and pop music.

She was the first artist to have five top-10 singles from the same album and, famously, altered the words to her smash hit, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” because she decided the original lyrics were too misogynistic.

It should come as no surprise that a trailblazer like Lauper, now 56, continues to rack up Grammy nominations. On Feb. 8, root for the Queens chanteuse as she competes alongside Kylie Minogue, Daft Punk and Moby for the “Best Electronica/Dance Album of the Year” award for her latest hit album, “Bring Ya to the Brink.”
Queens Beep Vehicles Only

"Borough President Vehicles"
Queens Borough President Helen Marshall claimed a curious first last week.

Marshall occupied the top of the Department of Transportation’s reserved parking spot list with a whopping 31 spots reserved for her and her staff.

The Beep edged out City Comptroller Bill Thompson who has a huge staff, by 5 spots. The Queens Beep's number dwarfed some of her fellow borough presidents like Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion who had only three parking spots.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg eliminated many of the reserved spots last year, but left nearly 200 untouched.

Marshall’s office did not elaborate on why so many parking spots were reserved.
What Is Eric Gioia?

A question on millions of TV screens last week.
Last week Councilman Eric Gioia got some national television time, but not from a cable news network. No, his name came across loud and clear in a medium that likely has a much greater audience – the popular game show “Jeopardy.”

During the game Wednesday night, under the heading Diplomacy, the $1,200 answer read “NYC Councilman Eric Gioia said 10 U.N. Missions owe the City $8 million in these.”

The correct question was “What are unpaid parking tickets.”

The following day the Philippines paid $9 million in back taxes to the City, a portion of which was for parking tickets.

Now, for $100, after the upcoming Department of Justice ruling, how many terms can a term limited Councilmember serve in New York City?
Shea Hey To The Ruins

Shea it ain't so: The end of a New York era!
Shea Stadium once housed Tom Seaver’s strikeouts and Mike Piazza’s monstrous home runs. Now, Shea looks more like the victim of a giant monster.

Well on schedule to be wiped off the map before the 2009 season’s opening pitch, what remains of Shea looks like the tattered remains of a Godzilla attack.

The deconstruction has started, worked its way towards home plate, from the left and right field corner, until it is finally gone.

Should you not have any photographic evidence of what Shea used to look like, take a peek on Google Maps, where Citi Field is just a name and Shea Stadium majestically stands whole.
Queens Rules

Take one guess as to the happiest borough in the City. If you said Queens, you get a pat on the back.

According to the Citizens Committee for New York City, more than half of the people residing in the most diverse borough are “very satisfied.”

Adding to the happiness factor in the borough, almost one-third of Queensites say they look next door and see someone they call “friend.”

In Staten Island and Manhattan, only 17 percent can find a friend in a neighbor.

So, before you say Queens ranks way behind Manhattan, if you’re looking for a good time, why not just go next door?


Confidentially New York . . .

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