It’s too hard to sit still, and there’s no point to it. Life equals kinetic energy, which is why Verunka Vlkova-Fierro plugs in the 6-foot-long sign as soon as she makes her entrance into the living room.
Dozens of dazzling light bulbs, Broadway brilliant, spell out LASSO THE MOON.
Until recently, Verunka was an opera singer.
Verunka, who is Betty Boop cute and as bright and bouncy as a beach ball, can’t stop herself. She jumps onto the sectional sofa and throws her arms triumphantly…
Forty-eight. That’s how many years the Victory Sweet Shop, Astoria’s oldest Greek bakery, has been serving its traditional desserts.
Forty. That’s how long George and Antigoni Sakalis, the owners and bakers, have been married.
Victory Sweet Shop & Victory Garden Cafe, 21-69 Steinway St.
Fourteen. That’s how many days they knew each other before they became man and wife.
They don’t think there’s anything unusual about their quick wedding or, for that matter,…
There’s one central aisle at Dave & Tony Salumeria. Narrow as a needle and straight as an arrow, it is packed with Italian pastas and cookies, bunches of herbs and cans of tomatoes and olive oil.
Dave & Tony Salumeria on 30th Avenue at 36th Street.
At the back, it cuts to the right, making a short square that bypasses the meat, cheese, sausage and sandwich counter before rejoining the main artery.
Right now, it’s empty. Well, that’s not quite accurate. Albie’s walking…
The map on the wall is punctuated with round red pins that look like Rudolph’s reindeer nose. Each one of them, Ben Taylor explains, marks the spot where Beecher’s Fault, the band he leads with Ken Lamken, has played.
The dots, nearly two dozen in number, travel up and down, round and round and sideways along the East Coast.
Ken’s a native of New Jersey.
Last night, the dot was Lancaster, Pennsylvania. By the time Ken and Ben and bandmates Max Maples (drums), Serge Ruccolo (bass)…
Astoria Characters: The 5-Bark Barista
A chocolate Chihuahua, leading a leash-holding woman, prances into Chateau le Woof.
Rocky, for that is his name, is a regular. He’s coming to meet his girlfriend, Lola, who’s sitting pretty in a sweet sweater on the sofa.Follow the barks to Chateau le Woof on 14th St. at 30th Ave. Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
In puppy love, they romp around and run in circles while everyone coos and oohs at their coy cuteness.
Soon, they are joined by a parade of…
