Friday, July 3, 2009

Atlas Park update

Orange is closed.
The fountains are now off limits.
Not sure what exactly is for lease but the sign looks bad there.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's about time. The fountains were used as sprinklers. People would put beach towels on the grass, eat,drink,change dirty diapers, and not spend money there. Now maybe they will get some good stores that the people from the area would like to shop at. Oh, and get rid of the 45. And please put the 54 back on Metropolitan Ave. where it belongs!With the stores in Forest Hills doing so well, we could use the roads for the cars, not the bus!

Anonymous said...

Give it some time. It will come back. How is that Fondue place holding up?

linda said...

wish they would get better stores. who ever is running the damn place is not doing a great job pulling in better retail. and i have to agree with NO 1 statement, it's not the park and people should respect that.

Anonymous said...

Respect their trees? I have seen people grilling in the middle of Planting Fields Arboretums formal rose gardens and attempting to climb the rare trees in Brooklyn Botanic garden (in spite of written warnings on the maps handed out to all visitors and verbal warnings from guards.)

The only thing that arrogant people respect is a quick trip to court.

Anonymous said...

"How is that Fondue place holding up?"

What Fondue Place? There's a Fondue Place at Atlas??!! Says a lot for their advertising at Atlas.
Atlas wasn't the brightest idea. It was doomed to fail fom the day the first shovel went in the ground. Damon listened to his sycophants and not the people in the neighborhood. Yes please move the buses back to the original routes (Like THAT will ever happen)

Borders Patrol said...

Putting in a word for Borders, which is a real asset--a wonderful place to browse and shop for books, music, video(Except for annoying teens who have too much of a free ride there and should be reined in). That is your anchor store; Work from there. If Borders leaves, that will be it.

Unknown said...

1. Please don't move the 54 back. It makes sense for it not to go through a cemetery and stop where there are people and businesses. Its a big help for people shopping at k-9 (who has been there longer than the mall)
2. Were any of you complainers even at the Glendale Civic Meeting held at Atlas when we met the members of the bank who is currently managing the place?
3. Stop wishing they would get better stores and start calling and emailing them every week. If enough people ask for the same thing maybe Atlas will have some leverage when they go to these stores to ask them to rent space.
Marketing@theshopsatatlaspark.com
4. I've been begging them to get an Apple Retail store. They are not only a retail giant, they also offer free computer and software classes & free internet access. Queens needs an Apple store! :)

Anonymous said...

Better stores? you complained the ones that are there are too pricey?
Claire's pricey? wow

Anonymous said...

Lets see - people complained the current stores were too pricey (Borders, Claires anyone?) and now you want better stores - guess what Banana Republic and Gap can be as expensive as the stores already there - the complainers will never be happy

Anonymous said...

"Better" stores doesn't mean pricier. It means more in line with what the neighborhood wants. Stop catering to Forest Hills when your chief shoppers are from Glendale and Middle Village.

Anonymous said...

I think closing the fountain is going to hurt Atlas in the long run--especially during the summer months. I'm sure that many families who brought their kids to the fountains shopped as well. Last summer I took my kids to the fountain at Atlas at least twice a week. We always went to lunch at Johnny Rockets or California Pizza Kitchen and made a stop at Borders or Claire's (not to mention a stop at Starbucks for myself). I won't be there as often this summer because the fountain is closed and I'm sure this is also true for many other families. The fountains were one way of drawing people to Atlas where some, inevitably, spent money. While I'm sure it's true that not everyone who was there for the fountains shopped, there are plenty who did. This is business they are now going to lose, and by the looks of things they don't need to lose more business.

Erik Baard said...

The first time I arrived at Atlas Park it was surreal. I had biked through graveyards and industrial zones and then coasted down the little entry hill...to a secret, Antebellum village? Had New York managed to separate Southern gentility from the nasty baggage? Park rangers (actually costumed security guards) strolled a wonderful central green. Even better was later seeing kids playing in the fountain.

But of course it was all a bit sterile, being a planned and tightly managed mall.

What's missing, and would justify a bus route, is a nice, big library. That public presence and community gathering would transform the place into a real neighborhood center.

Ah oh, Folks said...

Scounting for bike lanes Eric?

Anonymous said...

Atlas is not a bad place - kind of pleasant and clean. It's the wrong time to attract retail as there are more store closures than openings across the country.

When things get better, a retail mix which reflects MV and Glendale economic tastes would be a better bet to succeed.

I suggest more entertainment type stores and service stores which serves neighborhood needs. How about a Post Office, a supermarket etc ?

Anonymous said...

"It's about time. The fountains were used as sprinklers. People would put beach towels on the grass, eat,drink,change dirty diapers, and not spend money there."

The fountains were used as sprinklers? The fountains were used exactly as they were intended to be used. I have seen the sprinklers on 20-25 times and NEVER saw a diaper being changed. Ewww and how dare people eat/drink near a fountain.

You really sound like you have something very unpleasant STUCK UP YOUR ASS!! I think I know you. You must be the miserly old geezer on my block whose furious anger is directed towards the 14 yr old who distributes the neighborhood circular.

Grow up old man. Life aint bad.

And Erik Baard, to say that Atlas needs a library when its main anchor store is a book store is kinda silly.

Anonymous said...

"Please don't move the 54 back. It makes sense for it not to go through a cemetery and stop where there are people and businesses. Its a big help for people shopping at k-9 (who has been there longer than the mall)"

Before Atlas the 54 was a straight run to it's destination, both ways. Moving it was the inconvenience, to the passengers especially who take longer to get to and from work to a poorly used mall.

"Were any of you complainers even at the Glendale Civic Meeting held at Atlas when we met the members of the bank who is currently managing the place?"

The Glendale Civic has no credibility when the mall is concerned. They lost that when the y chose to have their meetings at the mall.

"I think closing the fountain is going to hurt Atlas in the long run--especially during the summer"

How can you "Hurt" Atlas? They're already dying a horrible slow death? Poor planning is the problem, now we're stuck with this huge white elephant that no one knows what to do with..

Erik, The Hemmerdingers are scumbag developers and will do what scumbag developers do, ruin neighborhoods.
The Mattones are no better just look at what they did to College Point

Anonymous said...

I hate to tell you this, however, the fountains were to be used as fountains. This was going to be a HIGH END shopping area. Not a place to bring your own food. Sit, look at the greenery, look at the fountains, relax, shop, dine in the restaurants. People could not pay the prices in some of these shops. (let's leave out Claire's and Borders) $100.00 for a T shirt,$200.00 for jeans. The movie was going to be "So Ho" no new releases. All that has done is bring teens from all ages to wander the streets. Hanging out on the bridge that you can't walk over it at night. I am willing to bet that the Fair is sorry they moved from Ridgewood! A lot of the stores that were requested are not there. The rent and regulations kept a lot of people away. Go to community meetings, you will learn something.

Unknown said...

If you want to bring your kids to run around in sprinklers you take them 4 blocks away to the park, not to the mall. I go to Atlas at least once a week sometimes 2 and sit and have coffee. Unfortunately most people with kids in queens (and I'm sure other places too) seem to have no consideration for others. They bring young kids out to late night movies rated PG 13 & R and then yell at them when they get antsy. They breast feed and change diapers in clear view of people eating. All it would take is one child to get hurt running in the sprinklers and Atlas would be in even worse shape than they are already. The area was not built to be a play ground. There are no protections for children to safely play.

Unknown said...

Oh and you complain about the Q45 being moved to Atlas. Have you taken it.. ever?? Have you ever tried to get to the 74th Street for the E from Glendale? It takes the over crowded 29 to Queens Center and then the local over crowded R to 74th. Right now the 45 is a straight run and takes less time.

Anonymous said...

Are some here actually arguin that the probs of Atlas Park are diaper changin and breat feedin? What kind of world do u live in??? Wake up, morons. I am no spring chicken, and I think your criticisms are the mark of stupidity.

Anonymous said...

Are some here actually arguin that the probs of Atlas Park are diaper changin and breat feedin? What kind of world do u live in??? Wake up, morons. I am no spring chicken, and I think your criticisms are the mark of stupidity.

NO, THE PEOPLE DONT WANT TO LIVE IN A 3RD WORLD NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPREAD.

LET THEM HANG OUT AT 'HONEST JOE' CROWLEY'S OFFICE LOOKIN FOR A HANDOUT.

Anonymous said...

While it's true that the fountains in Atlas were not built to be a playground, someone obviously thought it was a good idea to allow kids to play in it for the past few years. Most likely as a way to bring in business, which it did. Now many people who would have spent money at Atlas will be at the park, instead. It seems to me they should be trying to find ways to get people to come to Atlas instead of giving them reasons to go (and take their money) somewhere else.

One of the problems Atlas has is that half of the people in the communty want a family-friendly mall, while the other half want a mall that caters mostly to adults. It can't go both ways. It seems to me that Atlas was more family friendly, but now it looks like that could be changing. If it does they will lose what business they still have.

Anonymous said...

Last week surveyors were scoping out the vacant property adjacent to the mall. Apparently something is in the works already.

Keep Glendale Glendale said...

Thx for that piece of news about the surveying. The Humdingers still own that property. Let us not get distracted. The residential towers are the real issue and always have been.

Jason said...

I was on the Brooklyn bound Q54 last week in the wee morning hours with one other passenger on board. When we hit Cooper the driver asked if either of us had to get off on the new route. When we told him we didn't he just drove straight through St. John's.

What a cool guy.

Erik Baard said...

I'm writing only of my experience of the place itself and fully confess to ignorance about the developers and the politics of the community board, civic association, etc.

As for a library, I did consider the Borders but a modern library is a community center, performance space, educational resource, and so much more.

Erik Baard said...

I'm writing only of my experience of the place itself and fully confess to ignorance about the developers and the politics of the community board, civic association, etc.

As for a library, I did consider the Borders but a modern library is a community center, performance space, educational resource, and so much more.

Anonymous said...

I am a longtime Queens resident and was initially pleased when Atlas Park opened since it is much closer to my home than Queens Center. For the past several years I have gone to Atlas Park usually twice a week in the summer with my 2 sons. Typically we would go to see a movie, have lunch at either Johhny rockets, Chili's ot California Pizza Kitchen then let the boys play in the sprinklers for a while. Not once were any signs posted or were we being told that the children shouldn't play in the sprinklers. Parents were encouraged to let their children have fun. Any place that has that type of sprinkler it is for the children to have fun in. I won't be spending any time there anymore since the shops aren't that good anyway.

Anonymous said...

If any of you actually saw the drawings before it opened they had pictures of kids in the fountain. It was supposed to be open air space you were able to walk on grass and sit. their problem was making it to high end and expensive for stores to come in. Thier initial idea was to have a seperate butcher station seperate fruit & vegetable store etc like in grand central station What we got was lousy Amish Market. And if you all don't know Borders is in bankruptcy and looking for someone to take over otherwise they will also be shutting down. The main problem is it's in the middle of now where. I'm lucky I can walk there.

Anonymous said...

I am missing the fountain for the kids. It was a great place for the kids to hang out while my husband and I shopped (we'd take turns watching them). Now we drag them into the stores with us which is not fun. The mall was intended for families - which is why they have those ridiculously expensive rides come in every once in a while, the train in front of the amish market, the toy store and kiddie party place, family restaurants like Johnny Rockets and Chilis, and let's not forget the themed events: winter palace, the huge holiday teddy bear with the dumb name, pictures with Santa, etc. The retailers are losing busines because of the loss of the fountains - that is a fact.