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 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:

• Greek Orthodox Good Friday Pascha Street Procession – Epitaphios. This event is one of those things that sets Astoria apart from the rest of the city. It is a wonderful expression of local culture.
• Orange is the New Black in Astoria. The show’s first season was a TV-binge-watchers dream (well, lets face it—all seasons have), and it was awesome to see so many locations in Astoria.
• The Agony of Last Night’s Broken Subway Commute. The first and only post in which I told the story with animated gifs.
• On the Topic of Astoria’s (Lack of) Food Diversity. This was in response to a comment on another post that proclaimed that Astoria’s food diversity was lacking.
• The Chuck Jones Animation Exhibit, “What’s Up, Doc?” at MOMI is a Must See. I loved having the chance to preview what was to become one of MOMI’s most popular exhibits.

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!

3 Comments

Susan July 2nd, 2015

Thanks for everything, Meg, and best of luck in your new endeavors.

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Erin Smith July 1st, 2015

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 July 1st, 2015

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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