Omg....I am sickened at how pure GREED (and that's what it's all about) is allowing yet another great neighborhood to change so quickly! Buildings are being torn down and put up everywhere. The overall # of residents is increasing, which means more packed trains. Rents will continue to skyrocket. And all the new businesses will have the same look, and the overall same type of patrons (i.e., with no old-school residents).
That's what I like about Astoria...the mix of people, and the old-school diners and bars. Sure lots of the new stuff is great, but let's face it...it's the older places that are more in danger, with each and every new business or luxury building or 'mixed-use' building that goes up.
I also heard that Astor Bake Shop is now closed!! Granted, the table service there was always quite lackluster and extremely slow, but the restaurant itself had such a nice ambiance.. .bright and sunny in the day, good food overall (and their pancakes were the best I've found in Astoria) ...and at night it was a cozy beacon in an otherwise no-man's-land part of Astoria. While I don't live over that way, I sure hope another restaurant takes that spot as there's nothing else there for nearby residents.
As for Wave Thai, it so happens I only 'discovered' this place very recently. I went with other friends in the nabe who liked it, my friend got the Street Noodle dish with Beef, I tried it and...I was hooked! I've since ordered that dish a number of times for either takeout or eating in the restaurant (which had a very nice décor).
Ugh...just what we need...more construction. What bothers me more than anything about all this is the underlying sentiment..the core of all this...it's people making deals behind the scenes....poor immigrant workers (often Mexican) doing all this dangerous work.... rich developers who could care less and just see profit in their eyes...often poor-quality fixtures inside all the new apartments which are 'designed' to look all modern and sparkly but are indeed s___ apartments....wide-eyed newbies who move here and think their $2400 One-Month Free 1BR apt is a bargain compared to their old place in Brooklyn....old businesses forced out...etc.
I hate to think the day may come where I decide Astoria just ain't for me anymore.... ;-(
Oh..and other person here who wrote: "Hopefully it'll be replaced by some high-end yogurt or crepe place. Or a rustic looking pub, with natural wood, brick and copper/iron/bronze ornaments. Something new that we need. And decently priced. Perhaps with a twist, like free wifi or arcade machines."
I had to wonder if they were being sarcastic? We already have a high-end yogurt crepe a few blocks away on Ditmars. Rustic pub?...could that be a dig at .....some of those newer bars on Ditmars that went up a year or so ago?...Arcade machines?...clearly a dig at Flattops. ;-)