Best of Bayside

07/08/2026

💙 3+ Years of Building Community.
2,200+ Connections.
Countless Lives Touched. 💙

When I started Best of Bayside, I wasn't chasing followers.

I wanted to create a place where people felt they belonged.

A place where neighbors could discover local happenings, support one another, find helpful resources, and feel more connected to the place we all call home.

Today, we're celebrating 2,200+ connections and 3+ years of building community on Instagram.

Over the years, we've shared resources, celebrated milestones, highlighted local events, supported nonprofits and important causes, and directly connected a complete stranger with a life-saving kidney donor.

That experience reminded me how powerful storytelling and community can be.

Since then, I've been working on something I hope will help even more families navigating the organ donation journey, and I can't wait to share more about it soon. 💙

🎉 One recent celebration perfectly captured why Best of Bayside exists.

Community member Audra, owner of Great Bear Auto and Body Shop and founder of Women Auto Know, recently celebrated two exciting milestones.

💙 After we featured her business on our Best of Bayside social media platforms, she was invited to lead a paid workshop with MetroPlusHealth.

💙 Separately, after attending a Best of Bayside event, she made a connection that led to her being featured on a FourLeaf Federal Credit Union Bethboard.

Moments like these remind me why this community exists.

Building Best of Bayside has taught me something important.

The greatest opportunities begin with genuine connection.

When people feel seen, supported, and connected, incredible things can happen.

That's the approach I bring to everything I do.

To everyone who has supported Best of Bayside in any way...

Thank you. 💙

We have some exciting things in the works, and I can't wait to share them with you soon.

I'd love to hear from you.

💙 What's been your favorite Best of Bayside memory, connection, or success story?

Here's to the next chapter. 💙

Erica Rose Siegel
Neighbor • Friend • REALTOR®
Creator of Best of Bayside

07/04/2026

Today, we celebrate Independence Day.

This year, I'm celebrating something personal.

The freedom to build Best of Bayside's next chapter differently.

Three years ago, Best of Bayside began to help neighbors discover, support, and connect while celebrating the good in our community.

Together, we've built something I never could have imagined.

❤️ Helped reunite lost pets with their families.

🩺 Helped connect a stranger with their life-saving kidney donor.

📖 Created an Organ Donor Advocacy Playbook to help others navigate a similar journey.

🏘️ Celebrated hundreds of local businesses online and in person.

🤝 Created community and business events that sparked relationships that otherwise may never have existed.

Along the way, I realized I'd become so focused on helping others build visibility that many people no longer knew what I actually do for a living.
I'm a REALTOR®, and real estate is what allows me to continue investing in this community.

Every client helps make this possible.

This journey has changed me.

Encouragement.

Resistance.

Disappointment.

Moments reminded me why I started.

Through it all, I've never stopped believing in this community.

I've poured countless hours, resources, and my whole heart into this mission.

Community shouldn't come at the expense of the person behind it.

To keep serving this community, I also need to take care of the person behind the platform.

So this Independence Day, I'm making a commitment to myself.

I'm choosing sustainability over burnout.

I'm choosing collaboration over obligation.

I'm putting my real estate business first so I can continue serving this community.

We'll continue to discover, support, and connect.

In a way that's sustainable and built to last.

Thank you to every neighbor, business owner, nonprofit, volunteer, client, and friend who has believed in this mission.

Thank you for believing in this community.

Thank you for believing in me.

Here's to the next chapter.

I hope you'll be part of it.

Erica Rose Siegel
Neighbor, Friend, REALTOR® and Creator of Best of Bayside

🐾 Discover. Support. Connect.

07/03/2026

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July.

Before celebrating with family and friends, I hope you'll take a few minutes to hear this incredible story.

06/26/2026

National Homeowner Month is a reminder that homeownership is about more than property ownership.

It's about creating stability, building community, and leaving something meaningful for future generations.

As someone who has spent nearly two decades helping people navigate real estate and approximately forty years living in Bayside, I've seen how deeply homeownership impacts families and neighborhoods alike.

🏡 More Than a Mortgage: What Homeownership Really Means

Every June, National Homeowner Month gives us a chance to reflect on something that goes far deeper than square footage, interest rates, or market trends.

A home is where life happens.

It's where children take their first steps. Where family traditions are created. Where generations gather around tables that somehow always find room for one more person.

Here in Queens, homeownership often represents years of sacrifice, perseverance, and hope. It is not simply a financial milestone. It is the fulfillment of dreams, the creation of stability, and the opportunity to build something lasting for future generations.

As someone who has lived in and around Bayside almost forty years and has worked in real estate for nearly two decades, I have had the privilege of witnessing countless stories of determination, resilience, and pride in homeownership.

This National Homeowner Month, I encourage homeowners to take a moment to honor what they have built.

And if you're still working toward homeownership, know that every step forward matters.

📩 If you have questions about homeownership, buying, selling, or investing, I'm always happy to be a resource.



🌹Erica Rose Siegel
REALTOR® | Trusted Guide & Community Connector
Marketing & Visibility Strategist
Creator of Best of Bayside
Keller Williams Realty Landmark
Local • National • International
📱 917-579-3897

06/23/2026

🌈 Pride Month recognizes the LGBTQIA+ community and honors the ongoing pursuit of acceptance, visibility, dignity, and equal opportunity.

At its heart, Pride is about people and the universal desire to be seen, respected, valued, and welcomed for who they are.

Strong communities are built when neighbors support one another, when kindness leads the conversation, and when people feel they belong.

This month serves as a reminder that compassion, understanding, and respect help create communities where everyone can thrive.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Pride Month filled with connection, belonging, and kindness. 💙🌈

🌈 Pride Month recognizes the LGBTQIA+ community and honors the ongoing pursuit of a world where people can live openly, safely, and authentically.

As someone who helps people navigate one of life's biggest transitions, I've learned that home is about more than a property. It's about feeling welcomed, respected, and connected to the people around you.

The strongest communities are built when people feel they belong. This month serves as a reminder that kindness, compassion, and treating one another with dignity help create neighborhoods where everyone can thrive.

Wishing everyone a Pride Month filled with respect, understanding, and meaningful connection.

💙 Here's to community, kindness, and belonging.
🌹Erica Rose

06/21/2026

Happy Father's Day, Bayside! 💙

Today, we celebrate the fathers and father figures who have helped shape our families, our neighborhoods, and our community through their love, guidance, support, and sacrifice.

Father's Day is a chance to recognize the important role dads play in our lives, whether they're cheering from the sidelines, offering advice when we need it, teaching life lessons, or simply showing up day after day.

To all the dads, grandfathers, stepfathers, mentors, coaches, uncles, and father figures in our community, thank you for everything you do.

Feel free to share a favorite photo, memory, or shout-out to a father or father figure who has made a difference in your life. 💙

Happy Father's Day from Best of Bayside!

06/21/2026

Today, we celebrate the fathers and father figures who have helped shape our lives through their presence, sacrifices, guidance, and unconditional love. 💙

Father's Day exists to recognize the important role that fathers play in the lives of their children, families, and communities, often through countless acts of support that happen quietly behind the scenes.

Whether you're a dad, grandfather, stepfather, mentor, coach, uncle, or someone who has stepped into a fatherly role when it was needed most, thank you for the impact you've made on the lives of others.

Wishing all the fathers and father figures in our Best of Bayside community a very Happy Father's Day. 💙

06/02/2026

🚨 Pet Parent PSA 🚨

Yesterday, Princess Poppy somehow turned on a burner while I was at the gym. 🐾

Thankfully, I got home when I did. Furrever grateful. 🙏🏼💜

Furrever grateful,
🐾 Erica & Princess Poppy

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day has me reflecting on the invisible battles so many people quietly carry, including many of our Veterans. ❤️‍🩹

While we gather with family and friends and honor those who sacrificed for our country, I also think it’s important to acknowledge the men and women still fighting battles long after their service ends.

The reality is heartbreaking:
22 Veterans lose their lives to su***de every day.

Please check in on your people.
Reach out.
Start the conversation.
Remind someone they matter.

You never truly know what someone is carrying, which is why compassion, connection, and community matter so much.

And if you are struggling yourself, please know you are not alone.

Veterans Crisis Line:
📞 Dial 988 then press 1
or call 800-273-8255

Leadership is not just about business.
It is also about humanity and looking out for one another. 🇺🇸

05/18/2026

Thank you. Truly. 💙

Best of Bayside hit 2,100 followers a few weeks ago, and we’re approaching 2,200.

Honestly… I’ve had complicated feelings about it.

I never built this community for followers.

I built it for connection.
Collaboration.
Visibility.
Support.
Hope.
Action.

Over the last 2½ years, my team and I have spent countless hours hosting events, promoting businesses, sharing resources, amplifying causes, and helping important stories reach the right people.

Including helping connect a complete stranger to a life-saving kidney donor.

And I did it with heart.

What many people may not realize is that creating something positive and consistent behind the scenes takes real time, energy, staff, strategy, and money.

For a long time, we charged small fees simply to help support the work being created behind the scenes, not because this community was ever meant to replace my actual business. Earlier this year, we began offering many resources FREE because we genuinely believed this neighborhood needed something collaborative and encouraging that didn’t really exist elsewhere.

A space where businesses could feel supported and neighbors could feel more connected in a world that honestly feels lonely sometimes.

Somewhere along the way, I think many people forgot something important:
This girl sells real estate. 🏡❤️🙋‍♀️

The same storytelling, networking, marketing, visibility, and relationship-building skills that built this platform are the same skills I use to help buyers, sellers, renters, and investors every day.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting, protecting my peace, and figuring out what’s next in a way that feels more sustainable and reciprocal.

If you’ve ever wanted to support me back: Invite me to events.
Refer me when real estate comes up.
Share opportunities.
Share our resources.
Continue utilizing what we’ve worked hard to create for this community. 🤍

If Best of Bayside has positively impacted you, your business, or your life in some way, I’d genuinely love to hear about it below. 💙

Erica Rose Siegel
Creator of Best of Bayside
REALTOR® | Community Connector & Marketing + Visibility Specialist