Lovley LIC (Long Island City)

OK, I'm returning with actual entries, and the promise of more to come! Alright back to your regular blogging schedule...(please also scroll down for a Cheap Chick Bargain Bulletin for an event on August 5, 2009-RSVP required.)

P.S. 1
First stop was P.S. 1's summer Warm Up program, a weekly Saturday night party, which I am sorry to say I have never attended despite living in Queens for years. Most of the action this year is centered under cave-like structures covered with fur that, as my friend pointed out, paid homage to Planet of the Apes. As we felt a cooling mist fan our faces, we could people-watch as revelers stood in line at the bar, and ordered barbecue. Toward the museum entrance a DJ rocked some tunes, and people stood around in too-cool for school groups, some with tatts up and down their arms and clad in ripped jeans, while others sported designer dresses, though all danced, and tossed beach balls around graduation-day style.

Once you enter the museum you immediately get a whiff of its schoolroom past, with narrow hallways and doors, brick walls, water fountains, tile floors, and gym-like rooms, where you can almost see phantom ropes hanging from the ceilings. I have to say that one of the first things we saw was one of the coolest exhibits there, IMHO. It was a small rectangular swimming pool where you could look down and see the people on the floor below you, and conversely you could look up and see the people on the floor above you with the illusion of no bottom to the pool.

As we made our way through the museum, the other exhibits ranged from the amusing (a sparkling pink and multicolored flag decorated with glitter) to the touching (photos from Vietnam and Iraq.)

There is a space where you can hear the voice of Marilyn Monroe, a white bed with Gertrude and Alice are written on it in black and white, and a TV that plays a cigarette burning slowly. In one area there is a piano playing by itself as black and white images from a silent movie play in the background.

On one wall a picture of Albert Einstein dominates and is surrounded around pictures of presumably famous vegetarians. Another display that caught my eye was a VCR with videos labeled with the days of the week, with Saturday missing, and listed on-screen. I think one of the most disturbing images I saw was a clip of Leni Riefenstahl (a filmmaker famous for the Nazi propaganda movie, Triumph of the Will) claiming that she at least "didn't drop any atomic bombs on anyone" and "was not anti-Semitic."

Cheap Chick Cheap Trick: Queens residents in certain zip code areas get in for free! If you visit MOMA, save your tkt and you can enter P.S. 1 for free up to 30 days later.

Pio Pio Riko
After we left the museum we headed to Pio Pio Riko, a Peruvian restaurant that states on its menu that it has, "the best rotisserie chicken," and as this is what I sampled, I am pretty close to agreeing with their statement. You can't argue with the prices, they are very Cheap Chick-friendly, my chicken with beans and rice was only around $4, and was very tasty, though I'm not sure if it's the best rotisserie chicken in the city (in my head a little place down in Brooklyn is still a contender for that title...)

The complimentary appetizer was delicious, little round, hot nuts, with a yummy green dipping sauce, but we had to wait awhile for our food. As mentioned above, the prices are v. reasonable, most entrees are in the $12-$17 range, and the servings were so generous that a couple of the guys at our table couldn't finish their meals (though that might have been the second bowl of nuts we ordered...) There is an emphasis on seafood such as squid, shrimp, and fish, though there are some salad and meat options on the menu, and of course the "best rotisserie chicken."

The Water Taxi Beach
After dinner we headed to the Water Taxi Beach, one of the few places in New York City where you may actually want to walk around barefoot due to the yards of sand on the ground. Wooden picnic tables dot the landscape where you can enjoy amazing views of the Manhattan skyline, grab a hot dog, or sip one of the bar's special mixed drinks. Solid floors can be found under a tented area where you can dance your butt off to (somewhat loud) DJ music at night-I think I may have even seen some glow sticks there...Electric palm trees (yes, they're as tacky and cool as they sound) light up the beach area (remember don't bring your bathing suit, you can't go into the water) and you can cool off via a sprinkler system on the fence that sprays water every so often. During the day, there is space for sunbathing, sand castle building, and playing with beach toys. Shovel anyone?

P.S. 1 Warm-Up
Cheap Chick Info: $10, most Queens residents get in for free or save your MOMA tkt, good for free admission to P.S. 1 for up to 30 days.
Location Info: 22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave
Subway: E, V to 23rd Street/Ely Avenue

Pio Pio Riko
Cheap Chick Info: Soups, salads, and appetizers range from $4-$13. Entrees range from about $4 to about $23.
Location Info: 45-23 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside (FYI: this restaurant isn't actually that close to PS1, we actually had a car that night, so this might need to be a separate outing.)
Subway: 7 to 46th Street

Water Taxi Beach
Cheap Chick Info: Admission varies based on events, we got a coupon at PS1 for $5 off a $10, but there are also free events there too.
Location Info: 2 Borden Avenue, LIC
Subway: 7 to Vernon-Jackson Aves.