A Day in Long Island City with Sidewalk Labs' Vanessa Quirk

Vanessa in her element, by Steffie Van Rhee

I'm Vanessa Maria Quirk, I'm the Editorial Manager at Sidewalk Labs, an urban innovation company focused on improving quality of life in cities. My background is as an architecture journalist (I made my way to Sidewalk by way of Metropolis Magazine and ArchDaily) and create/support all our editorial content, including our blog, newsletter, and "City of the Future" podcast (subscribe!).

For the past seven years, I've called New York City my home. I had a brief stint in Harlem (when I studied at Columbia Journalism School), then four years in Astoria, Queens, and now I reside in Long Island City, Queens. I miss the Greek Tavernas and low-key vibes of Astoria, but LIC has its own charm too. And, with the pandemic making my life more local than ever, I've definitely been grateful to have LIC's beautiful parks, convenient ferries, and great small businesses right on my doorstep. I live here with my partner and my two roommates — I was grateful, too, to live with people when a pandemic made casually socializing almost impossible.

I’d always been a big podcasting nerd with aspirations for making podcasts of my own, and so over the course of the pandemic, I leaned into learning more about podcasting. In the summer of last year, I started two podcasts on the side: Uncertain Things, an interview show I make with my journalist roommate, and Urban Roots, an urban history show I make with a historic preservationist and friend in Cincinnati. The first season of Urban Roots, a special season on Black Cincinnati, aired June 5 and runs through July 17, so it's been a very hectic summer indeed. Which you'll probably be able to tell from this day in June…

9:00am: After lounging in bed for a while, I finally get up around 9:15 and leave my heavily curtained bedroom to discover that it's a beautiful, sunny day.

The final cut of an episode of Urban Roots is ready for me to listen to. This is one of my favorite stages of the podcast production process. At this point, I'm listening for small tweaks: should I re-record that line to have a more upbeat/somber/measured delivery? Should we move the music a beat earlier or later? Could we add a sound effect here to drive that point home?

When I’m working on an episode, I like to listen in two stages: first without looking at a script, so I can get a sense of how the episode's working. And then again with the script in front of me, so I can keep track of every little detail.

9:30am: With stage one, I like to walk around while I listen, so I get dressed, put on some sneakers, and head to one of my favorite haunts: the Hunter’s Point park (a collaboration between SWA/Balsley and Weiss/Manfredi), which is just a few blocks from my house. People are already out and about: walking their dogs, working out on the green, playing volleyball, even holding dance rehearsals.

I listen to the episode and wander through the park, taking my time and enjoying the sunshine. On my way home, I grab a coffee at a local chain, Black Star Bakery. I don't get a cookie or a croissant (though they, as always, look divine), and opt instead for a healthy breakfast at home. I make myself some chia pudding with fruit and nuts, putting notes in the script while I eat.

11:00am: I usually work out around this point in the late morning. Either I take a class from stephklo or I sign on to Beachbody.com and watch a video. I had this subscription before the pandemic, and I'm incredibly glad I did when my gym closed. Working out regularly has helped keep me sane. I'm sure it's also bothered the heck out of my downstairs neighbors. But so is city life.

But today there is too much to do! So I shower, get dressed, and hop on a zoom meeting with my Urban Roots co-host and editor to go over our final notes for the episode. After the meeting, I know what lines I need to re-record. So I set up in my podcast studio, a.k.a a crammed corner of my bedroom, and start recording.

2:00pm: By the time I finish, hunger strikes hard. Usually, I make myself something quick at home or go out for a bite at one of our local cafes. Lately I've been loving 51st street bakery: they have a beautiful back garden and serve healthy, light bites. Plus, they don't mind if you sit and work for hours, which these days I'm often doing. So I head there to get a salad and keep working!

I shoot a message to my roommate and Uncertain Things co-host Adaam to see if he wants to join me. We are fans of getting out of the house to work and now that it's a possibility again, we take advantage as much as we can. Adaam joins me and we reach out to some potential guests while enjoying our coffees in the garden.

5:00pm: Once 51st closes at 5, I head home and recruit my partner into helping me clean up the house in anticipation of a few friends coming over.

7:00pm: After so long without socializing, having friends over still has a special thrill. Today it's Jennifer, one of my closest friends in New York who, too soon, will be making the move to Seattle for greener and more spacious pastures. And Pablo, a friend of ours visiting from Chile, where Jen and I met (I lived there for four years out of school; in fact, getting hired at ArchDaily, which is headquartered in Santiago, is what set me off on my architecture career!).

We had drinks and chips and talked tattoos (Pablo just got a gorgeous one from Clunes Tattoo) and how I'd love to get one one day but probably never will. We, of course, talked Covid: Chile is still experiencing strict lockdowns, so Pablo was pretty weirded out by all the un-distant behaviors he was witnessing stateside. We explained that life in New York was basically, crazily, back to normal. We went for a walk so we could show him.

8:30pm: First, to the park again, to stroll along the water and catch the beginnings of sunset with the Manhattan skyline behind. We saw lots of people, masked and unmasked, enjoying their summer evening. Then to Plaxall Gallery — every Thursday through Sunday evening Culture Lab LIC hosts live music there, which is one of our favorite neighborhood activities (while the band mostly plays on the stage, the drummer is always on the back of a pickup truck, which I love). While we're there, hunger strikes. Rather than get a hot dog or beer at one of the food trucks, we decide to treat Pablo to a NYC Streetery experience.

Vanessa her fiance Zev at dinner. Photo by Pablo Noel.

As we're leaving Plaxall I spot a LIC Business Development stall and pick up a little small business passport: new places to explore! Then to a not so new place, Dai Hachi, a local Japanese restaurant that has one of the best outdoor dining set ups. I call up my roommates to join us. We order sushi and talk all manner of subject matters, from anime to global politics (as we do).

10:00pm: Eventually, with the food devoured but the conversation still flowing we head home. Jen gets on the subway, Pablo comes over for a cup of tea and a bit more conversation. And when he leaves around midnight, my day, a very full and delightful one, comes to a close.