Leisure
Queens Firefighters Put Pen To Page By JESSICA ABLAMSKY Two Queens firefighters share a passion for more than just saving lives. Lieutenants Terry Bro dy and Jame s Dillon have joined forces to promote their self-published books. “Re scuing Madison,” by Terr y Brody, is a love stor y for young adults about a romance between a pop star and a firefighter. It is based on his unsold screenplay of the same name. Brody star ted the novel about a year after Sept. 11, in a conscious at tempt to write something lighthearted and fun. The t iming was no accident. His first day in the field was after the terrorist at tacks. “We were [originally] scheduled to be in the field on Sept. 13, but once the planes hit, they said, ‘Here’s your gear, go to your local firehouse,’” he said. “We went there, and they sent us to Ground Zero.” Ever yone in his unit escaped w ith their lives except for one lieutenant, Paul Mitchell, who was not so lucky. Despite that inauspicious beginning, Brody loves his job. “I really look forward to going to work,” he said. “Ever y day you seem to be doing something to help someone out.” Married with two children, 2-year-old Riley and 2-month-old Quinn, Brody lives in Patchogue and works for Ladder 128 in Long Island City. Although he has yet to sell a screenplay,
Terr y Brody, author of “Rescuing Madison.” he has been writing them for 15 years. “It’s just something I happened to pick up after college and just really enjoy,” Brody said. “The screenplay [“Rescuing Madison”] seemed to get quite a bit of at tent ion, but nothing ever happened. So I thought I would write it [as a book] and see what happened, get it into the hands of the audience.” He would like to one day see it published by a major publishing house, but his No. 1 goal is to get an agent. “I like to do it my way,” Brody said. “I
REVIEW
Treasure Of Amazon Lands At Hall Of Sci By Jessica Ablamsky In these cash strapped times, Queens parents can take their kids to the Amazon without leaving the City. A new exhibit at the New York Hall of Science, “Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes & Other Riches,” explores the world’s widest and most biologically diverse river. The hands-on, bilingual English and Spanish exhibit is on loan from the Miami Science Museum and runs until Aug. 22. “Along the way you’ll encounter stingrays and red-bellied piranhas, which may be small but are definitely Youngsters poke their heads up for a 360-devicious,” said Margaret Honey, gree view of life inside an Amazon stream. P re s i d e n t a n d C E O o f N YS C I . “You’ll come face-to-face w ith an anaconda, and you’ll find out what it’s like to be stung by an electric eel.” As visitors wander the floor, they will learn about environmental threats to the area, field research and resource management activities in the region and ways that people celebrate the river. Interactive activities include observing live piranhas, stingrays and tetra fish; strapping on anaconda tails, dolphin hats, and stingray vests to join an Amazonian festival; and w r e s t l i n g w i t h a l i f e - s i z e , s o f t Sticking their arms into the muck, students feel sculpted anaconda. around to see if they can tell what lies at the “[The exhibit] helps us all, young bottom of the river. people and old people, to understand why the bio diversity is important for that and there’s lot s of cool stuff.” region and ultimately the planet’s well beThe New York Hall of Science is located ing,” Honey said. at 47-01 111 St. In May and June, hours are On May 6, second grade students from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through ThursPS 16 in Corona at tended a sneak preview day; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday; and 10 of the exhibit with teachers Antonella Ruiz a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends. Admission is $11 and Elisa Mart inez. for adults and $8 for kids ages 2-17, college “It’s amazing,” Mart inez said. “Any time students with a valid ID and seniors ages 62 there is something with animals, the kids a n d u p . F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , g o t o love it.” nysci.org, or call (718) 699-0005. Monica Tenezaca, one of the students, Reach Reporter Jessica Ablamsky at agreed. jablamsky@queenstribune.com, or (718) “It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s lots of fun 357-7400, Ext. 124.
www.queenstribune.com • May 13-19, 2010 Tribune Page 23
meat and pasta that will please any lover of Italian cuisine, we chose the Melazane Parmigaiana, Penne with Bolognese Sauce and the Veal Marsala. The Melanzane Parmigiana was a hear ty plateful of eggplant stuffed with mozzarella, mushrooms, onions and spinach in a light pink sauce. The vodka sauce blended perfectly with the stuffed eggplant. It is a dish that will not leave vegetarians feeling left out of the fun. Truly delicious. The Penne with Bolognese Sauce was a On a Thursday evening, we ventured out heaping mix of car rot s, celer y and fresh to Great Neck for a late dinner at Café ground meat in tomato sauce. The zesty sauce and ma n-sized por tion of Classico. We were immediately seated and offered drinks and a RESTAURANT beef is sure to satisfy any appetite. menu. The Veal Marsala was served While we waited for our food, with veal sautéed in marsala wine we munched on the sliced bread and thick cut mushrooms. The that is ubiquitous in Italian resfresh mushrooms and plate-licktaurants. Delivered fresh daily, ing-clean sauce was a hit. the Tuscan bread is perfect for Despite the fabulous array of the connoisseur, cr unchy on the dishes, we wisely left room for outside and chew y on the inside. dessert, and chose the Chocolate After debating a number of apDream and Fr utt i Di Bosco. Our pet izers, we started with the Sionly mistake was in devouring the Chococilian Salad and Italian Avocado Salsa. The Sicilian Salad was a mix of chopped late Dream before finishing the Fr ut ti Di celery, car rot s, mushrooms, onions a nd Bosco. The Chocolate Dream lives up to its tomatoes in a lemon garlic dressing. The vibrant colors and fresh ingredients make name. A thick slice of smooth and velvety for a tast y and at tractive dish that is per- chocolate cake whose best feature might be the fudge-like frosting; it is an extravafect for the tomato lover. The Italian Avocado Salsa was a delight- gance that must be savored. I dare chocoful concoction of avocado, grilled onion late lovers to finish without moaning. The Frut ti Di Bosco is a mix of berries and tomato with four grilled jumbo shrimp. The strong grilled flavor and meaty texture topped with powdered sugar on a whipped of the shrimp was offset perfectly by the filling with a cake-like crust. Light and flabut tery, tangy salsa: a treat for the eyes as vor ful, it is pretty as a picture and tastes as good as it looks. well as the palate. With prices that star t at $8.95 for an apFeeling it a shame to waste the salsa we found so enjoyable, we spooned it onto our petizer to $23.95 for a three-course dinner bread while we waited for the next course, Sunday through Friday, if you are thinkan experiment I would recommend to any ing about going to T.G.I. Friday’s, spend a few more bucks at Café Classico instead. Café Classico customer. –Jessica Ablamsky While the menu has a wide array of fish, CAFÉ CLASSICO 76 Middle Neck Rd. Great Neck, NY 11021 (516) 829-8008 CUISINE: Italian HOURS: Sunday through Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. PARKING: Street RESERVATIONS: Accepted CREDIT CARDS: MC, Visa, AmEx
it one more push.” Married with two children, 11-year-old Emily and 9-year-old Mat thew, Dillon has garnered plenty of suppor t from his family. Whatever happens, his book has been wort h it. “The way I look at it, if one person avoids an accident and says, ‘Hey, you know what, that book was right,’ it was wor th all the effort,” he said. Dillon’s first book has barely left the ground, but he already has plans for the second. “Without even put t ing pen to paper, in my head I probably already have 60 ideas for the next 101 t ips,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is a never-ending market for people who can’t drive.” To buy “Re scui ng Madison,” g o to amazon.com or rescuingmadison.com. To buy “101 Tips for Lousy Drivers,” go to lousydrivers101.com. Reach Reporter Jessica Ablamsky at jablamsky@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 124.
Tribune Photos by Jessica Ablamsky
A True Italian Classic
gue ss I’m a lit tle stubborn that way.” James Dillon, a Port Washington resident who works for Engine 112 in Astoria, heard about Brody after reading an ar ticle about him in another newspaper. “I said, ‘Oh, this is fate,’” Dillon said. The genesis for Dillon’s book, “101 Tips for Lousy Drivers,” was 10 years ago when his nephew was learning to drive. Dillon started writing down advice for his nephew based on things he saw on the road everyday. “It wasn’t long before I had 101 tips,” he said. “You could read the whole book in 10 minutes. It’s not meant to be a driving manual. It’s just a lighthearted look at the stuff we see everyday out there.” Aimed at first-time drivers, the book’s goal is to get young people safely from 17 to 21 years old. He tried to get it published for nearly a decade. “The publishing industry is impossible,” he said. “I’ve had editors say, ‘Oh, I loved it, it’s fantastic.’ For years it kind of laid on the back burner, and I said, why don’t I give