Astoria, Getting Personal
Jul 01, 2015

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye WHA – Love, Meg

Today I’m writing to bid you a fond farewell – I am leaving We Heart Astoria. Well, I’ve actually been de facto gone since June 1, but I feel that (…)

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Photo credit: Meg Cotner

Photo credit: Meg Cotner

Today I’m writing to bid you a fond farewell – I am leaving We Heart Astoria. Well, I’ve actually been de facto gone since June 1, but I feel that now is the right time to say goodbye. I have enjoyed the 5+ years spent building WHA and its sister sites (We Heart LIC, We Heart Sunnyside), as well as the pre-WHA years at Joey in Astoria where I cut my Astoria-writin’ teeth. All in all, I’ve been blogging on these two sites for a total of 9.5 years, quite a good chunk of time.

I’d like to thank both Mackenzi and Judith for traveling with me on this adventure, and doing a terrific job in nurturing this little site. I learned a lot from them and with them, and am grateful for those experiences. I’d also like to thank Emily Rios, who has done such a great job handling our biz-dev needs.

And thanks to all our contributors over the years—your posts added a lot to the site! My favorite contributor post by far was from the talented team of Anne Noyes Saini, Sue Yacka, and Tina Corrado, who put together the epic Unsung Tacos of Astoria: Western Queens’ Overlooked Mexican Mecca (I was fortunate to be able to tag along on some of their eating adventures). Truly, this is one of my favorite posts of the entire lifespan of We Heart Astoria.

I thought I’d share with you some of my other favorite posts I’ve written:

I’m also grateful for having the chance to meet so many business and restaurant owners here in Astoria. This is a big food town, and it was always a thrill to get to know the restauranteurs a little better than I would have as simply a patron. Some of my favorite restaurants and cafes have come and gone (RIP 718, Harissa Cafe, Freeze Peach, Bistro Les Minots, Ubol’s Kitchen, L’Artiste) but there are so many that remain (e.g. Il Bambino, Rest-Au-Rant, The Thirsty Koala, The Queens Kickshaw, Sparrow, Sweet Afton, La Rioja, Leli’s) and I’ve been delighted to welcome the newcomers (e.g. 60 Beans, Pye Boat Noodle, OK Cafe, Tufino, Mundo, Chela Y Garnacha, The Bonnie) to the neighborhood. And this is only a partial list.

In case you’re wondering, I’m not leaving Astoria itself. And I’ll still be exploring and experiencing all that the neighborhood has to offer, recording it on social media (as we do). Keep up with my adventures on Twitter and Instagram, where I’m the most active. I also plan to write more over on Harmonious Belly, my cooking blog that focuses in part on traditional foods of all kinds (both cooking and eating). Much of my writing these days has turned toward the field of development communications (fundraising), which has brought me much satisfaction (please reach out if you would like to chat dev-com/fundraising!)

Last of all, I want to thank you for reading We Heart Astoria. Thank you for spending time on the site, reading our posts, and giving us feedback. And coming to our anniversary parties! It was always so much fun to meet you in person.

Thanks to all, and see you around Astoria!

About Meg Cotner

Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver.

3 Comments

Erin Smith

Thank you for all you have done for Astoria, Meg! You have been more than a blog writer, but a real powerhouse for the Astoria community. Best of luck!

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Adam

Thanks for all the posts and editing and the founding of this site! It’s been a tremendous community resource over the years. Sad to see you go, but happy for you that you’re taking new steps. Best of luck to you in your new endeavors!

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