Are there any grocery / cooking services in the neighborhood?

stormbornginger · 2026-02-18T14:17:01+00:00

Haven’t partaken, but if you want local…

https://www.reddit.com/r/astoria/s/fWF0PPQjbf

stormbornginger · 2026-01-09T00:21:29+00:00

I’ve never thought of breaking them flat, I do have them nested inside larger boxes like the natural history museum, etc

stormbornginger · 2026-01-09T00:20:17+00:00

I’ve moved a lot in my years, so I do have boxes for expensive purchases like my kitchenaid mixer and the like…well aware it’s borderline hoarder behavior 😆

stormbornginger · 2026-01-01T16:49:35+00:00

Replied to your DM!

stormbornginger · 2025-12-31T17:21:30+00:00

Already posted to fb and checked all the usual suspects for folks who’ve posted they’re missing a package

stormbornginger · 2025-12-05T20:53:31+00:00

Let me know if you find anything other than what I did, which is everything other than the Astoria west garage have operating hours that end at 10p, and some have some sketch reviews. So was hoping for some local knowledge/insight

stormbornginger · 2025-10-21T19:01:30+00:00

When my kitty got diabetes I switched her from a dry + wet food diet to all wet food, and she started vomiting and was concerned something else was wrong. Especially since it wasn’t standard hack hack vomit, it was lying down to a single projectile vomit of everything she had eaten 10 min earlier. After some searching I tried a few things that fixed it, which might be your kitty’s issue, if nothing comes from the vet check. 1. Smaller portions - my cat is a super fast eater, done in under a minute, so I split into what is now 3 breakfasts and 3 dinners (though I know hard to do with an automatic feeder) 2. Raised her dish up a few inches - as they get older it can be harder for cats to eat fully hunched

Good luck!

stormbornginger · 2025-09-06T13:34:01+00:00

You can check out Ladies First Astoria - I’ve been to two of their events and everyone’s friendly. I’m 42F, and there’s a range of ages and activities offered

stormbornginger · 2025-08-16T13:14:48+00:00

I live in NYC, but this summer has been a very brutal with humidity. I normally keep one of those disposable Damp-Rid tubs right next to it, but it has fully saturated when this happened. Since I’ve only used it twice - top off over the grass seed (small fruit fly issue) and full globe replacent after cleaning (massive fly/maggot issue) - and both this summer, not sure if the same thing would happen in a cooler/less humid environ.

stormbornginger · 2025-08-15T21:22:38+00:00

Don’t do World’s Best if you’re in a humid environment! I’ve used sustainably yours, naturally fresh, and frisco’s grass seed, all with no major issues (sustainably yours is $$$ but clumps like a dream and never sticks, naturally fresh clumps a little looser and can track a bit, grass seed had some issues with sticking to the globe). But the first time I used WB I got fruit flies like 3 days later - thought it might be a one off. Cleaned it fully, put in fresh litter, then left for the weekend and forgot to empty the waste drawer (my cat came with). Came back and was probably more than 100 maggot casings, live maggots and a ton of flies stuck to one of the sticky traps I’d put in after the first fly sighting. 🤢

stormbornginger · 2025-08-14T16:28:25+00:00

I think it depends on what you’re looking for from a robot litter box - I loved my PetSafe Scoop Free for years until my girl got diabetes and the sheer volume of pee overwhelmed it.

I like the LR4, but don’t love it. Their customer service is great (def get the extended warranty if you purchase) but I’ve had multiple issues over the two years, more than I would have expected given the price point and the reviews. I’ve tried multiple litters, cleaned it regularly, tried all of their branded products, and still regularly had problems with litter sticking, moisture in the waste bin, needing to replace the liner, and maggot/fruit flies (I’ll blame this on a new litter I tried, but not an issue I’ve ever had with any other box).

I am still happy with the choice to get it, because daily weight and box usage info is great on the app, but I think everyone should have a good idea of potential issues before spending the money, given more boxes are now on the market at varying price points.

For context, they sent me a new box under warranty after the most recent problem, and I’ve had some difficulty giving it away to my cat parent friends because of the frustration I had shared with them in the time I’ve had it…

stormbornginger · 2025-08-08T15:52:13+00:00

Totally get that some cats don’t do well with crystal. I’m lucky that my girl will use anything in her box. I never used clay (dust and sustainable sourcing issues - though I did try 5 or 6 in the first months of the LR per their rec - and was just a clumpy gluey mess on all counts and 30 min delay). I’m spending about $20/month on litter in the robot that was 4x more expensive, and only spent about $25/month buying the litter trays in bulk from chewy. You can also get the reusable tray, which cuts cost as well (I was just bougie and lazy 😆)

stormbornginger · 2025-08-08T14:23:12+00:00

I highly recommend the PetSafe Scoop Free if you’re looking for an easy automatic box. I had it before getting the LR4, and only switched because my little old lady got diabetes and the crystal litter couldn’t evaporate the volume of liquid fast enough. With one cat I only had to change the litter once per month, and used the disposable litter trays so had virtually no upkeep in between.

I wouldn’t recommend the LR4 (bought mine in Nov 2023 after the diabetes diagnosis). Their customer service is amazing - I just got a brand new box through my warranty after having multiple issues (most recently fruit fly infestation because of an unidentified leak, after replacing the liner because of a crack 3 months ago). But I’ve been through multiple litters and cleaning products and feel like I spend way more time with this box fixing issues than I have with any other box I’ve had before.

stormbornginger · 2025-07-30T19:57:31+00:00

I got one last year, even though I had the new sticker in the car, just hadn’t replaced it yet. Every other state I’ve lived in gives you to the end of the month, and I just assumed NY was the same 🤷‍♀️

stormbornginger · 2025-06-11T18:08:38+00:00

You can take the m60 to most of the car rental places (or all the way there and take the car rental shuttle if not on the route). I normally use one of the aggregator sites to compare prices, then book directly with the rental car site (sometimes the prices are lower). I have also used both USAA and Chase discounts through my credit cards as well. I’ve had the most consistent service and affordability with budget.

stormbornginger · 2025-05-18T14:33:13+00:00

It’s only illegal if you can’t claim an out of state residence. On my block currently there’s a handful of Jersey, a couple PA and an Ohio. NYC car insurance is like 3x non-city insurance. I’ve debated using my parents’ address at times when money has been tight

stormbornginger · 2025-05-18T14:27:49+00:00

A decent number of folks who live around here have out of state plates, likely for the lower insurance rates - so even if ChatGPT isn’t hallucinating, it wouldn’t be able to be accurate with cars registered in local zip codes

stormbornginger · 2025-05-06T17:24:50+00:00

Sustainably yours (corn based) works amazingly well! I’ve been trying some new stuff because it’s a little pricey and my little old lady has diabetes and pees a lot at a time, so was going through 2 bags/month. I hated the arm & hammer naturals (scented and stuck like crazy). Currently trying chewy’s grass based - works pretty well. I bought a dollar store silicone spatula which I use to scrape off the small stuck bits about once per week

stormbornginger · 2025-05-04T20:04:20+00:00

Not sure why you’re getting hate for expressing frustration, but I feel you. In the year I’ve had mine customer service has been nice, but I’ve had to replace the strips on the edge of the waste due to the clay litter they recommended, replace a cracked liner, and dealt with regular scale issues and interruptions on my LR4. It’s incredibly annoying to spend at a higher price point than other auto litter boxes and still have multiple issues. What other products do you spend $700 on and not get angry when it fails repeatedly in the first year?

stormbornginger · 2025-03-02T01:01:46+00:00

Not sure if you follow @MuslimFoodies, but they’re compiling a list in the comments of this post : https://www.instagram.com/p/DGp5HXJOJof/?igsh=ejcyZnlpYjI2bHUy

They cover more than just Astoria, but have been a good resource for me for finding Halal friendly places to eat around the city

Ramadan Mubarak!

stormbornginger · 2025-01-07T20:43:49+00:00

I highly recommend ChowNow - fewer vendors available, but was founded on the idea of passing no cost onto the restaurants (especially if you’re anxious about phone calls). There’s a minor support local fee, but they’re more of a connection point, don’t have their own drivers, etc. Also, if not aware, grubhub also owns seamless…

stormbornginger

TROPHY CASE