Dirk McCall de Paloma is a foodie who seriously explores spicy and ethnic cuisines and has a passionate connection with people. For the past two years, he has also served as executive director of the Business Improvement District of Sunnyside Shine, a city-funded nonprofit that promotes Sunnyside in Queens as a destination.
“I'm supporting businesses and empowering local communities,” said McCall de Paloma, 55, who organizes cultural festivals. “People come to me with problems. I find solutions.”
The foodie in him loves that he hosts “Taste of Sunnyside Restaurant Week.”
He grew up in Georgia and then moved to New York in 1991 to attend Columbia University's Graduate School of Political Science. In 1994, he began renting his one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of his four-story walk-up building in Astoria, Queens.
“If you're in your 30s, it's okay because you think, 'This is great exercise.' Your butt looks great,” he said. “When I turned 40, I thought I had to live on the first floor. Now that I'm in my 50s, I wish there was an elevator.”
Still, his love for his neighborhood overcame the grueling climb, which made him really good at not forgetting anything upstairs. He lives with Herbert, a 12-year-old Norwegian Forest mix.
natural rise My body starts to move around 6am and I wake up. I don't drink coffee. I'm from Georgia and drink diet he coke. You may be surprised to hear this, but it does contain caffeine. I also want carbonated water. Then I feed Herbert. Herbert is big and fluffy, he has an opinion on everything, and he's the boy who expects breakfast when he sees me moving around.
Reading and making lists For the next few hours, I catch up on the news I get from the internet. LGBT news site Joe.My.God is supplemented with Politico, The New York Times, and The New York Post. Then make a list of errands that need to be done, calls that need to be made, and emails that need to be sent. I like lists. Being able to cross things out gives me a sense of accomplishment.
husband far away I WhatsApp with my husband, who is currently stuck in Bucaramanga, Colombia. We do this several times throughout the day. We met on Grindr in 2019 and got married in 2021. When he went to visit his family, COVID-19 was still an issue. And although travel restrictions have been lifted, he says he is having trouble getting permission from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to re-enter the country. I feel terribly lonely without him. He loves sending voice messages so I listen to them all day long, savoring them.
connecting By 10 a.m., I'm showered and dressed, then catch the Q104 bus in my block to 49th Street and Queens Boulevard. I walk the first six blocks of his Avenue in Greenpoint. This is to liaise with shopkeepers and store owners to make sure there are no problems – that the streets are properly cleaned, that the traffic lights are working, that the furniture is not damaged. I love stopping at small specialty shops like Parrot Coffee for jams, marinated olives and artichokes, and different types of soaps, and Chakra Café for Turkish cuisine. They also sell breakfast sandwiches and baklava, which are very delicious.
group activities A large part of my job is planning cultural events for the Sunnyside community. In the past, it has hosted events such as Day of the Dead celebrations, the Sunny Pride Parade, and Chuseok, the Korean harvest festival. It is important that communities see themselves reflected in programs and that public spaces help promote local commerce.
connect with friends I'm usually at brunch by 2 o'clock. I am an evangelist in this area. My purpose is to bring friends to Astoria from Manhattan or the Bronx who would like to have dinner or drinks with me, but are all too busy to do so. Brunch is usually easier. People don't mind traveling on weekends. Astoria gets a bad rap because it's thought to be far away. They haven't found the beauty yet. My favorite place to go is Salvatoria Kitchen and Bar, which is owned by a lesbian couple. Their pupae are wonderful, as is The Shady Lady and the frescoed Grand Cantina.
Ingredient hunting I cook quite a bit, so it's relaxing. I love hearty Southern food that reminds me of home. I'm always shopping for groceries and looking for interesting ingredients. Last week I got frozen dumplings and wontons from White Bear in Flushing. It's the biggest hole in the wall. Now I'm looking for Armenian cracker bread. When I looked into it, I found out that it was sold at Lego Park.
build connections I coordinate two different groups. One is the Astoria and Western Queens LGBT social group, which I founded with friends in 2006, Out of Astoria. And at AstoriaCentric, 20 to 30 people from the neighborhood gather at a local restaurant. I'm happy to be able to bring people together. There is obvious joy. I used apps when I was single, but it wasn't very personal or social, so it made me feel like I was part of something. Even though I'm married now, I live alone, so a sense of community has become more important to me.
tv fanatic I'll be home by 9 o'clock. I love RuPaul with his Drag Race empire. I watch all the series, but I might spend less time watching Eurovision on TV, which is streaming on YouTube. This is a national composition competition in Europe with participation from 26 to 40 countries. Each song must be no more than 3 minutes long. Abba got his start here and won for Sweden. Celine Dion had her big break as a member of the Swiss national team. A great way to discover unique new artists. I fall in love with the song. There's a song in this year's Finland competition that reminds me of her crappy 90s Euro dances that I love and reminds me of the glory days. The people I want to win usually don't win.
noisy night Lights go out at midnight. My block is particularly noisy. My neighbors are the same way, so they've installed a white noise generator and hung soundproof curtains on their windows. When I'm feeling restless, I write a note on a pad next to my bed. When I'm really groggy, I often end up writing weird things that I can't read the next day.
