Jackson Heights, Queens - Part II

JH is the type of hood that's always evolving. There's a large number of families in the JH area and a good sense of community with the co-ops and the many small business owners. (The owner of the Italian deli on the corner even sent us flowers when Caroline was born.) This sense of community, diversity of cultures, architecture, affordability and quick access to midtown beckons to newcomers of all shapes and sizes.

The newest transplants to the hood are just as different as the variety of cultures that came before. They dress and groom themselves differently. They have their own distinct language, strewn with words like Claremont . They are delighted to hear about Jackson Height's FarmSpot. Yes, you guessed it - these people are from Brooklyn.

JH and Brooklyn realtors have been enticing people priced out of Park Slope for a while now and it's starting to really show, through the presence of Polo on kids in Bugs. They stick out like a sore thumb. But now the floodgates can truly open wide. JH is officially no longer one of those neighborhoods summarily dismissed at the start of a new home search. Why? Because, finally, FreshDirect delivers here.

FreshDirect is a central figure in the lives of NYC residents. Based in Long Island City, it is an internet grocery that delivers to most of Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens and selected parts of NJ, Staten Island, etc. - with summer delivery to the Hamptons as well. Commercials feature clients such as Ed Koch, Bobby Flay and Paulina Porizkova. The website displays the shopping lists of Spike Lee and other celebrity customers. In fact, Clay and I used FD alot when we lived in Manhattan. They were usually cheaper than the local grocery store, provided timely deliveries and you could be really specific about what you wanted to receive (i.e. slightly green bananas). According to Joe, one of his friends gets each of his deli cheese slices individually wrapped.

I was excited to try FD again when they started to deliver to JH. Although I thought they would be slightly more expensive than the local Met grocery, I was sure their quality would be higher as well. It only took one order to realize how much I've changed. Items of note:

• All fruits/veggies received were organic. While this is nice, I can't afford to buy apples at $1/apple.
• They're very careful not to damage their fruit. The $1/apple apples were packed in a plastic container suitable for fragile tree ornaments. The Bananas were wrapped in foam to prevent bruising. The box of blueberries was encased in an additional plastic case.
• They're not very careful with their bread. It came completely squished.

All in all, I spent 66 bucks for what I could've bought for less than 50 down the block - and my bread still came squished. I've finally realized how much I've changed. I'm no longer a Manhattanite. I'm so Queens.