Models Of Queens
Get Ready To Rock!

Christina Grimaldi
Home: Astoria
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: “Grayish-Greenish”
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 106 lbs.
Stats: 34b, 23, “I’m not sure”  

Watch out guys, Christina really knows how to rock!

This metal maiden was “born and raised” in Astoria and graduated from Bryant High School.

She told us she loves to crank up her favorite bands, which include ICED EARTH, Edguy, Savatage and Outworld.

Although she works in Manhattan as a secretary, “heavy metal is what I love,” she told us.

Her hard rockin’ fanaticism with edgy music has also garnered her attention in the industry – including an appearance on the cover of the metal mag Grimmoire, a pair of book covers and several appearances at the legendary Brooklyn rock club L’Amour.

Christina’s modeling hobby has also helped her meet some of the musicians in her favorite bands including  Jon Schaffer, songwriter and guitarist of ICED EARTH, and Tobias Sammet, the lead singer and songwriter of Edguy.

But, she is also fond of the old neighborhood, she explained.

“I loved growing up in Astoria . . .the neighborhood was good way back when,” before more “city folks” moved into the area.

Christina, said she used to enjoy hanging out at Astoria Park,  — she also misses nights at the former Astoria club “Silver Screen.”

Currently, she enjoys visiting the cafes on Broadway, rollerblading along the Cross Island Parkway in Bayside and horseback riding near Jamaica Bay.

When she’s not rocking out, Christina said she enjoys drawing — “mostly beach scenes,” she said.

Yesterday’s News For Simpler Times

Tucked away on a quiet street in Astoria is the Queens headquarters of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, an umbrella group of Greek organizations in the Tri-State area.

In the building’s lobby are   original newspaper clippings from the 1800s that feature articles about Greek life during that time period. The papers are from various cities on the East Coast, and contain stories about immigration, settlements, and marriages.

One paper, The Essex Register from Salem, Massachusetts, displayed behind glass in the Astoria building’s lobby was a faded, yellow broadsheet featuring stories of Greek life, dated “Wednesday, Sept. 11, 1822.”

Exactly 179-years before the World Trade Center was attacked, the front page news of the day in Massachusetts included Elijah Porter moving his store to Court Street, cheap dry goods going up for auction, and a new shipment of livery and life stock coming into town.

Simpler news for a simpler time . . . not exactly CNN material, but interesting nonetheless.

License To Drink and Drive?

There are quite a few strange folks in this borough. People with a slightly off-beat sense of humor, who have very odd ideas of what makes a good joke.

Take for example, a Maspeth resident who, a few years ago, decided to order New York vanity plates with the letters “DWI” on them . . . of course implying “Drinking While Intoxicated.”

The plates, which are special Queens plates, came in the mail and the resident said he had every intention of putting them on his car. He thought it would be funny.

Well, after seriously thinking it over, he decided that drinking and driving really isn’t funny at all, and decided not to use them. He threw one away, but kept the other plate for fun. On Jan. 5, 2003, he decided to have some real fun with the plate and make some money off of it.

The resident, known only by his eBay name “larry.allie,” placed the oddball item on the auction site with the full explanation of how he obtained it. He also issued the warning, “Please use this plate only for display and do not use it on any vehicles.”

The starting bid on the item was 30 cents. Despite the connection between death, turmoil and jail time and the crime of DWI, nearly 15 people bid on the plate, and the final bid was over $50.

Queens Screams On The TV
 and Movie Screens

Queens gets a bad rap most of the time when it shows up on television programs and movies.

If  watching the small silver screen is any indication, the people of Queens are low-brow , low-class, semi-educated country – well, maybe city – bumpkins.  We’re all blue collar working stiffs with bad grammar and we all have twangy accents in which the letter R doesn’t exist.  We aren’t intellectuals, but we’re very street-smart and aren’t afraid to share our wisdom unsolicited.

Of course, QConf  knows better.  But for the record, so as not to be accused of making up false legends, here are some Hollywood quotes supporting the stereotypes.

Will & Grace (1998)

Karen: I’m not going to Queens, there are people living in cabs down there!!

Coming to America (1988)

Prince Akeem: Is it just me, or does every woman in Queens have some kind of an emotional problem?

It Takes Two (1995)

Amanda Lemmon: Yeah right, and Santa Claus lives with the tooth fairy in Queens.

City Hall (1996)

Kevin Calhoun: Where you going?

Marybeth Cogan: The city.

Kevin Calhoun: Thought we were in the city.

Marybeth Cogan: Not if you’re from Queens.

Terrors of Pleasure (1988)

Spalding Gray: The first thing he does is ask me what do I do for a living. I chose “writer” that day. He says, “Good! We’ll have a lot to talk about. I’m an artist myself. I’m a florist in Queens.”

Seinfeld (1990)

George Costanza: You know what, I’m gonna do it.

Jerry: You’re gonna do it?

George Costanza: I’m gonna convert to Latvian Orthodox, just to be with her.

Jerry: Are you sure about that? I mean, this isn’t like changing toothpastes.

Elaine: Actually, I think it’s kinda romantic. It’s like Henry the VIII converting to be able to remarry.

George Costanza: That’s  it! I’m exactly like Henry the VIII.

Jerry: Yeah, only Henry the VIII didn’t live in Queens with Frank and Estelle Costanza.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Cop: I can put you in Queens on the night of the hijacking.

Hockney: Really? I live in Queens, did you put that together yourself, Einstein? Got a team of monkeys working around the clock on this?

Queens Logic (1991)

Jeremy: So why do you stay in Brooklyn?

Eliot: Queens. I stay in Queens.

Jeremy: Oh, right. Sorry. It’s just that your friends... they’re like those guys in movies that are always from Brooklyn, you know? The Bronx.

[Eliot gets up to leave.]

Jeremy: Why do you keep running away from me? There’s nothing to be afraid of.

Eliot: I’m not running away     from you. I don’t like you. I don’t like what you say, and I don’t like the way you talk about my friends. I know what you’re thinking: here’s this poor, repressed [expletive] from the boroughs who needs to get laid, and you know what? You’re right. But I don’t like you. And if you follow me back into that party, I’m gonna tear off your arm and beat you down the [expletive] street with it. Goodbye, and goodnight.