Hey There, Random Astoria News

A number of newsworthy things have crossed our desk as of late, so I thought I’d just round them up here in one place.

Simply Fit. We’ve learned more about when they’re opening: “We’re one month out from the opening of the new studio! And we FINALLY have the Grand Opening date to share: Saturday, September 17th!” And yes, there will be a party.

Sweet Scene. Commenter Kat Hartman on our Sweet Scene post exclaims, “Hey guys! It’s opened and really nice. Good coffee and treats (AWESOME mango sorbet). The women who run it are lovely.”

The Last Word. It opened on August 16 and we’ve heard positive feedback about the Square Hardware signage they used. However, we’ve heard that there’s also an entrance from the back side of the place that you’d think would be a bypass of the whole speakeasy thing, but that contradicts this account over on Astorians: “Two good friends went last night. They said there was a crowd and the goofy factor was off the charts. No one allowed in. You must leave your cell phone number and they will call you when there is room and you can come in. The wait was about an hour.”

Business for sale. That cute little donut/coffee spot on Astoria Blvd South and 35th Street is for sale.

Locus Cafe. Crepes and coffee spot Locus, in the old Waltz-Astoria space, has closed. Frankly, we’re not surprised—we never saw many people in there. The owners were very nice.

Morning Bee. Reddit reports that Morning Bee (former home to Tapioca Story) has changed their name to Panda Cafe “and they have ramen now.”

Cafe 23. This Steinway Street cafe is open now and has decent reviews on Yelp. If you look at the photos you can see that local celebrity Berch has contributed some art to the place.

COFFEED. Their newest location on Hoyt is open. 26-08 Hoyt Ave. South.

Astoria Park. Good news is that the park will get $30M for improvements. Look forward to some areas closing in the process.

Save the Date: SAFE Disposal Event. SAFE means “Solvents, Automotive, Flammable, Electronics”—save the date for Saturday, September 17 for a disposal event at Astoria Park. This is a great way to get rid of all that stuff in a responsible manner.

Trivia for a Cause. Tomorrow evening (Sunday 8/21) from 7-9pm at QED, Trivia for a Cause will benefit LIC’s Hour Children, a terrific organization that helps formerly incarcerated women and their kids reintegrate into the wider world.