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April 5, 2009

Petey’s Burger/Astoria Park, Astoria, Queens, NY

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Continued from: Easter Egg Hunt, Central Park, NY

NYCity Mama and family made their way across the newly renamed Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, and over to Astoria, Queens (31st Street, which is the first exit).  They were hungry, and her boys were getting irritable due to feeling the same. Mama and her husband decided on burgers.  Mama loves burgers, but not just any burger.  Though there are some great burger joints in the city, they wanted to venture out for a bit to try other great places.  She refuses to pay a lot for a good burger (though she agrees that paying more than the cost of a McDonald’s burger is well worth the money) and hates it when the burger is turned into a fancy-shmancy inedible piece of meat.

This is never the case at Petey’s Burger, in Astoria, Queens. Burgers are, as burgers should be, inexpensive and quickly served, and out-of-this-world delicious!  They are located right off the train line (N, R), so an easy reach for anyone wanting to venture into Queens.

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img_3760There are no high chairs, and the space is kinda small, but the staff is super nice, and the ambiance is really laid back.  Mama had the boys sit, while her husband placed their orders.  She was glad that the wait wasn’t long because things were looking a little serious!

img_3759Mama’s favorite is Petey’s Melt, where caramelized onions, secret sauce, and cheese, are perfection on a sourdough bun. The supplies of fries are endless, and though the milk shakes are extra, they are worth it.

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The boys happily, and quietly ate their lunch, while the baseball game played on the flat screen T.V.  It was great to have them be still and not bothering each other cause it allowed for Mama to slowly savor every delicious bite of her meal.

When they  were done, Mama and Daddy decided to take the kids to the park to play around a bit and get a little tired. Right down the block on the corner of 30th St. is  the Athens Square Park, its name honoring and celebrating the Greek community which in large part makes up the area of Astoria, Queens.

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They have some great sculptures of Greek philosophers as well.  This is something that Mama really appreciates about the NYC playgrounds.  Each playground has something that tries to educated and celebrate that of its surrounding community.  And it’s wonderful because when you travel to so many playgrounds, in all the different boroughs, as Mama tends to do, you also have the opportunity to point something different and new to your kids, something they can learn about and ways to embrace diversity and cultures.  It’s really a wonderful gift.

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Unfortunately, the play area was being remodeled and was closed.  But now the boys were asking to play at the “wee“, so Mama thought of a great place to take them, a place that she herself spent many hours long before.  They made their way, a few blocks over, to Astoria Park.

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The park, located alongside the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, is a beautiful place to spend sunny days and hot summer afternoons.  The pool, closed until late June, offers free swimming lessons like many of the public city pools do, and charges a small yearly membership fee, with children under 18 entering at no cost.  It has a wonderful picnic area, and so many other facilities, and is such a beautiful place to visit.

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Adjacent to the pool is the Charybdis Playground (click on link for cool story about its name).  The boys ran to it, and despite the cloudy sky and extremely windy weather, they seemed to be completely content, and all three boys ran and tackled and played, while the adults tried to keep warm!

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Eventually the temperature seemed to start dropping, and the wind got chillier and stronger.  Mama and Daddy each picked up a little boy on their shoulder and they made their way back to the car.  The boys thought Mama’s wind-disheveled hair was the funniest thing, and wouldn’t stop telling her so (boys!), but she posed for a few pictures despite it!

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img_3819A long, fun-filled day.  Clouds, chill, wind, and all.


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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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2 Comments
  • Lisa
    April 6, 2009

    You two look cute together. I can feel the love!!

    Also, the pics were fantastic, as usual 🙂

    Reply
  • Easter Egg Hunt in New York City | NYCity Mama
    June 18, 2010

    […] To be continued:  Petey’s Burger/Astoria Park, Astoria, Queens, NY […]

    Reply

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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Every time I’m in NYC I feel both a longing for Every time I’m in NYC I feel both a longing for it and a relief to not be living here full time.

I love that there are still communities holding on to remaining close knit, authentic, and supportive of each other. Nowhere anywhere can compete with the diversity - food, people, languages - all of it. 😭

The access to creativity…and if you come in the spring (or in the fall) it’s magic. 

But…there is so much that remains inaccessible to so many. The inequality and economic disparities are glaring and any sense of balance is a dream, with so many living paycheck to paycheck trying to get their heads above water.

Don’t get me wrong. I love it here. I miss it, and feel so damn lucky that I can come and get my fix, see family, visit with friends any time I want without a hassle. It is my city and I’d be mad if someone talked sh*t about it 😂😂 But I get it. It’s tough. But that’s why I love fellow city folks too, because we’re tougher.

Grateful for everything life in the Finger Lakes has gifted us. We remain so happy to have made the move and have built such a dream life there. And also that my city is a short drive away. ♥️

#nyc #lifeinnyc
New York City moment: This poor hawk was just tr New York City moment: 

This poor hawk was just trying to have its breakfast when a large audience not only gathered to watch it, but also proceeded to mislabel it calling it an eagle. The insult. 😂 

One lady to her male partner:
 Her: “Omg. I didn’t know eagles ate other birds!”
Male partner: “Of course eagles do! They are predators!”
Me: 💀💀

#nyclife #nycmoment #nyc
Last night I explored the @tinbuilding located in Last night I explored the @tinbuilding located in the historic South St Seaport of Manhattan on Pier 17. 

This 53,000-square foot, two-story market really is a beautiful culinary destination. Shop for everything from delightful sweets, unique spices and aromatics, olive oils, coffee, and other artisan goods. Eat everything from vegan to seafood, pastas, and meats. Or, like I did, spend time with friends at any one of their eateries.

This marketplace opened in September 28, 2022, by French Chef and restaurant owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten and is helping to bring new life to a beloved NYC neighborhood that has continuously worked to recover after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

I absolutely indulged in shopping at this market, loved my dining experience at Frenchman’s Dough, and can’t wait to go back.

#nyceats #upscalemarketplace #tinbuilding #iloveny
This photo is 12 years old. Hahaha...can you tell? This photo is 12 years old. Hahaha...can you tell? This memory. I had just started blogging not too long before (2008!!!)...and was already experiencing so many accolades, a surge of opportunities, success, and growth. I honestly could not believe my life then; I had entered this space so blindly. I just wanted to share my insights with my family, not realizing it would reach so many more. And I certainly had NO idea how far it would take my family AND me. My goodness.

I recently sent my CV...yup, my whole resume, to someone who requested it, and in doing so, I seriously thought, "Oh, they're not going to think I've accomplished enough in my professional life." Instead, in the following interview, they expressed being in awe of all I have done and continue to do. "You are BUSY!" Though these hardworking-but-never-hard-enough immigrant genes don't always allow me to appreciate all I have accomplished, photos like these take me back to this moment that truly says, "Damn, girl. YOU DID THAT." Thank you to all the readers and followers who uplifted me and my work over these 10+ years and continue to do so. It's been an incredible adventure!
If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a des If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a destination for you. This list of good eats were all within close proximity to each other and spots we made time for during our short weekend visit. So definitely note that this doesn’t even begin to cover the tip of the iceberg, but makes a good starter list!

📍@ShortStackEats in the heart of Downtown Madison is clearly a UW favorite. Loved their pancakes! We thought it was a pricey for breakfast, and only offered drip coffee, but the scene was fun, food was good, and service was friendly.
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📍@StringsRamen is a chain, but I have to say it is some of the best ramen I have had in a long time. I especially loved how you can choose your ramen but heat level but also by Japanese region which allowed us to taste a couple of new flavors!
📍@Parthenongyros has been around awhile (hubby recalls coming here during his college years!) and was voted #1 take out in Madison! Though we indulged inside and away from the snow. A delicious, quick bite when strolling around State Street.

And again, this is just a starter list. There is so much more to eat and enjoy in this top foodie city! What other spots would you add to this list?

#madisonwi #foodiegram #foodiedestinations #goodeats @destinationmadison
I love to travel. It has always been important to I love to travel. It has always been important to my family. My parents got my first passport weeks after I was born. They couldn’t afford to travel like I do now, but they understood, as immigrants, the absolute privilege that comes attached to having that shiny blue American booklet and they wanted me to have it.

I was yet again reminded of my privilege when my travel back home on this last trip was delayed over 24 hours. I have a village in place to make sure my kids were ok. Having my own business meant I didn’t have to report in to anyone, and was still able to work remotely so none of my clients were inconvenienced by it. Though the airline covered our hotel and food, we never worried that we couldn’t do it ourselves otherwise. While we were annoyed, we weren’t stressed.

So while I love to travel, and I love sharing my travels with you, I acknowledge that being able to do so, and dealing with the consistent travel disruptions so prevalent today without worries is a privilege…one that started with a little blue booklet that gives me more access to the world than some others do.

And I want us all in this travel space to be reminded of this. Of how lucky we are. Of our privilege to access and time and money.

So let us travel with grace and awareness. Let us remain rooted in reality and perspective. Acknowledging that our escapism isn’t one so easily accessible to others. Understanding that this is also why local stories have as much value as those to exclusive destinations, if not more. And, never forgetting, especially in the travel influencer and media space, that were it not for hosted campaigns and paid-for travel opportunities, most of us wouldn’t be able to afford the lifestyle we so beautifully curate online.

It doesn’t matter how often you travel, or how far. Just that hopefully you will be able to gift yourself the experience of doing so and experiencing something new.

#travel #travelmedia #travelinfluencer #wheretonext

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