Photograph of a squirrel in a Forest Hills house courtesy of the Parks Department It's a walk-up, but the price is right. City squirrels are enjoying the goodwill of concerned citizens and the Parks Dept., who cooperated to install squirrel houses in City Hall Park. Mark Garvin had five of the boxes, which measure about a foot around, built with soft pine for several hundred dollars a piece--city real estate insanity extends to the......

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes. Although the English part of the label references the famous Dylan song, the exact translation of Kaze ni Fukarete Tofu-ya Johnny, stamped on the blue-and-white tubs of premium bean curd, translates to “Johnny the tofu maker blown by the wind.” It’s one of several products made by Kyoto’s Otokomae Tofuten or “handsome guy tofu shop," and......

A former math teacher at MS 190 in Forest Hills was arrested for child endangerment after allegedly sending former and present male students lewd instant messages. Bradley Dieffenbacher, 33, of Long Island, had worked at MS 190 since 2000 until his resignation on February 14, when investigators confronted him. According to the Queens DA's office, between April 1, 2007 and February 20, 2008, Dieffenbacher instant messaged eight boys, ages 12-13, who were either current or......

Three and a half months after Queens orthodontist Daniel Malakov was gunned down at a Queens playground in front of his young daughter, his estranged wife was arrested for his murder. Dr. Mazoltuv Borukhova was charged with murder and conspiracy and taken to a precinct house from her Forest Hills home. Malakov's mother told the Daily News, "They're dirty...her whole family, mother, sisters, all of them are animals. They committed such a dirty act, and......

Our favorite bespectacled WNBC political reporter was beaten and robbed in the West Village last night! Naturally, WNBC has the scoop. Apparently Jay DeDapper, who had finished reporting on the Democratic debate for the 11PM newscast, stopped at a pizzeria on his way home.After he left the restaurant, three people jumped him, hitting him on the head and kicking him, according to authorities. DeDapper fought back, and the attackers eventually fled. The attackers didn't have......

When the mercury broke the 60-degree mark on Tuesday, Gothamist immediately began obsessing about frozen confections. Rest assured, the irony of the situation wasn't lost on us. If anyone offered us an ice cream cone during the recent cold snap that saw temps in the teens, things might have gotten ugly. As is often the case when we crave cold comfort, Gothamist was soon strolling the Tudor-lined streets of Forest Hills Gardens with one destination......

It would seem that the area around Rego Park and Forest Hills that we like to call Rego Parkistan could scarcely support another kosher kebab joint given how ubiquitous these restaurants specializing in Uzbeki cuisine have become. By our reckoning there at least seven of these spots proffering swordlike skewers laden with lamb, chicken and beef along with various Central Asian salads and meat pies. What’s more, with exception of a few that offer such......

An Avis truck exploded at 64th Road and 108th Street in Queens, injuring one person and damaging windows in surrounding buildings. The box truck was parked behind some businesses and blew up around 8AM. At first, residents were concerned it might be some sort of attack, but it seems that a propane gas-barbecue inside the truck ignited, causing the explosion. And authorities say the vehicle was a catering truck. WCBS 2 has video of the......

News that the same man may have raped women he stalked outside the downtown club The Box is alarming New Yorkers who regularly hang out on the Lower East Side. The police released a sketch of the suspect, a white man between the ages of 25 and 40, up to 200 pounds, and taller than 5'8". In the first incident, which occurred on September 30, the suspect grabbed a woman from behind and "made her......

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes. Many of you out there remember snacking on pistachio nuts whose shells had been dyed red. Heck, as kids half the fun was watching your hands change color. The other day we found some pistachios that are just as fun to eat, but decidely more grown-up. While browsing among the dried nuts and fruits at......

An orthodontist was killed while taking his 5-year-old daughter to the Annadale playground at Flushing Meadows Park. Around 11AM, Daniel Malakov was shot in the chest twice by someone who witnesses say was wearing a black fleece. Malakov had been taking his daughter to meet his ex-wife, and his family believes their divorce may be related to his killing. Malakov had won custody of little Michelleka last week "after a brutal court battle," according to......

As much as Gothamist tries to be on the bleeding edge of the food scene in Queens, sometimes only an old favorite will do. Which is exactly what happened the other day when we found ourselves standing in front On the Grill craving chicken shwarma. This three-year old Israeli spot serves up some of the city's best shwarma, and it had been months since we'd had eaten any. So we were jonesing for some of......

Betty Matas passed away in Arizona Monday after battling kidney and heart problems. She was 75 years old. Matas and her husband Bob captured the interest of many New Yorkers back in April, when the couple decided to make their move from Forest Hills, Queens to Sedona, Arizona in a taxi. Their driver was Douglas Guldeniz, a taxi driver from Turkey they met a few weeks earlier when returning from Manhattan to their home......

A Korean restaurant is not something one would expect to find on the border of Forest Hills and Rego Park. If anything the neighborhood is better known for the plethora of Central Asian kebab joints. Nor is Korean chow something you'd expect to find at an old-school spot like the #1 Coffee Shop. Years ago local legend Robbie Richter, pitmaster of Hill Country, worked the flat top one day when the grill man was out......

Holy Tornado, Brooklyn! Reader Jeanne just emailed us with this observation: I live in Kensington, Brooklyn and I think that a tornado just passed through. Have you heard any news about a tornado from anyone else? Around 6:30am there were heavy rains, thunder and lightning when all of a sudden the wind got really loud and we could hear stuff smashing into the house. It was all just 30 seconds or so but now......

Ugh, the story about the woman who police believe hit three pedestrians in Forest Hills on Saturday afternoon gets worse. The Post reports that 54-year-old Susan Karnabe told the police she drank a bottle of vodka 45 minutes before the crash and that she had visited her police officer son, who "told her to get lost or he would call the police." (The court papers say it isn't clear if he knew she would drive,......

Yesterday afternoon around 2:45PM, a drunk driver hit three pedestrians in Forest Hills, Queens. The victims included a 3-year-old girl, her 57-year-old grandmother, and her 85-year-old great-grandmother, who were all walking at the intersection of Yellowstone Boulevard and Gerard Place in Forest Hills. The driver fled the scene, but witnesses called the police with the license plate number. The police arrested the suspect, Susan Karnabe, 54, of Rego Park; she was charged with DWI, vehicular......

Gothamist finally made the trip to Queens to drink and dine at Danny Brown Wine Bar & Kitchen, a stylish spot that looks more SoHo than Forest Hills. Some of you may recall that this eatery located across the street from Councilwoman Melinda Katz's office caught the attention of Daniel Boulud back in May. The French megachef was steamed that Danny Brown, the chef-owner, uses almost the same lowercase "db" on its signage as Boulud's......

When we checked the MTA's Service Alerts for NYC Transit early this morning, there was only a note was flooding causing issues with F service between Jamaica-179th Street Station and the Forest Hills-71st Avenue Station. Now there's a laundry list of subway issues:Due to a water condition at the Parsons Boulevard Station, there is no F train service between the Jamaica-179th Street Station and the Forest Hills-71st Avenue Station. - Stations being bypassed are:169th Street,......

Located on a stretch of Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills better known for antique stores and Eddie's Sweet Shop, a turn-of-the-century soda fountain, is Ran, a small storefront that offers some of the best sushi in Queens. Gothamist isn't sure if the name comes from the Kurosawa flick whose title has been translated to mean chaos or wretchedness, but there's nothing wretched or chaotic here. It's all about impeccably fresh fish expertly prepared. Last week,......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a stabbing on Knickerbocker Ave. in Brooklyn, a shooting on East 166th St. and College Ave. in the Bronx, and a chain saw accident at Crystal Ave. and Wade St. on Staten Island Neighbors in Forest Hills, Queens banded together in order to save four black and white kittens, as the alley the animals called home flooded in this week's torrential downpour. The accompanying photo is priceless. While his......

The charms of Forest Hills Gardens are no longer a secret: Cottage Living has named it the number one cottage community in the country. The country! Forest Hills Gardens is within Forest Hills, Queens, and it was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., son of the famous landscape designer. The article's author, Justin Martin, lives in Forest Hills Gardens and writes:Olmsted's gift was that he was equal parts landscape architect and social engineer. When planning......

Rego Park and Forest Hills have been home to Uzbeki immigrants for so long that many residents and outsiders now refer to the area by the collective name Rego Parkistan. By our count there are at least a half dozen kosher kebab joints between the Boulevard of Death and 108 Street. All of these spots feature flat swordlike skewers upon which have been impaled meat, fish and the occasional vegetable, as well as such "national......

Newsweek released that latest list of 1,200 top high school rankings. It is precisely the kind of list that makes people many parts crazy, because their schools aren't listed at all or because their schools are listed and it'll drive up property prices. The NY Sun says that the list snubs the city, as none of the city's prestigious schools are listed in the top 100: "The top-ranked city school, the High School for......

Betty and Bob Matas, along with cab driver Doulgas Guldeniz, are well on their near-cross-country trek to Sedona, Arizona from Forest Hills. And not only are the Matases' cats Cleopatra and Pretty Face along for the ride, so is Daily News reporter Peter Donohue! We hope that Ford Escape taxi is big enough for everyone - apparently Cleo and Pretty Face hate each other. The Daily News had the charming story about the trio......

There are so many things to love about the story of Betty and Bob Matas and taxi driver Doulgas Guldeniz. Yesterday, the Daily News reported that Guldenez would drive the Matases from Queens to Arizona, where a retirement community awaits the septuagenarian couple. How did an over-2,000 mile fare happen? Well, the Matases were concerned how their cats would weather traveling via cargo load. And the couple doesn't know how to drive (real New......

Yesterday, authorities arrested a 26 year old man for causing 18 rubbish fires in Queens. Kareem Walters was spotted in a crowd of people watching a Rego Park fire around 1:20AM yesterday. The Daily News reports that Captain John Abbruzzese "recognized him from other blazes in nearby Maspeth," so fire marshals questioned Walters. Walters then admitted to the arson, saying he enjoyed watching cars and buildings on fire and how the fire department responded to......

Yesterday, mourners gathered at a funeral for Ari Kraft, a 13 year old Rego Park boy killed by an LIRR train Friday night. Kraft had been tagging signal boxes before crossing the tracks near the Forest Hills station - to rush home for Sabbath dinner - when a train bound for Huntington hit him. Newsday reports that during the funeral, "details of Kraft's death were not discussed...There was no discussion of graffiti art, which......

A young Queens boy was hit and killed by an oncoming LIRR train near the Forest Hills station yesterday afternoon. Ari Kraft and his friends had been tagging signal boxes when a train headed to Huntington hit him. The police say they had been taking pictures of their work before they crossed the tracks to leave. According to the Daily News, Kraft managed to beat one train on a third track and he thought he......

State Comptroller Alan Hevesi pleaded guilty to charges and resigned from office today. From the AP:The plea ends an investigation by Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who had been presenting evidence against the Queens Democrat to a grand jury. Hevesi will serve no jail time, but will pay a $5,000 fine and agreed not to file any appeal. He also agreed not to take office on Jan. 1. Friday's agreement also heads off......