Queens - Queens

Queens
(New York)
Queens collage
Location
Queens - Location
Flag
Queens - Flag
StateUnited States of America
Federated stateNew York
POSTAL CODE110--, 111--, 113--, 114--, 116--

Queens is a district of the city of New York.

To know

The Queens[1] is a crescent-shaped district (with a kind of "tail") that crosses the area of Long Island and hosts the two most important airports of New York City, the LaGuardia (LGA) and the John F. Kennedy (JFK). It is also home to the largest ethnic diversity of any region of the world, divided into many small enclaves. For example the area of Jackson Heights it hosts a large community of Indian origin, followed by the Colombian area and then by the Mexican one. Each of these features tons of traditional shops, restaurants and bars and festivities that are only slightly modified to cope with the harsh New York winter weather.

Geographical notes

The geographic center of New York City is right in Queens, and the borough is also home to the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park area, the site of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. The area around the park still hosts a interesting museum and some artistic and architectural works dating back to those events (including the Unisphere, a steel sphere weighing 300 tons and representing the world: it is the largest existing of its kind, also appeared in the movie "Men In Black"). The northern part of the old fairground hosts Citi Field, home of the New York Mets professional baseball team, a and lo USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. tennis tournament Open, one of the 4 "Grand Slam" tournaments; going further north you can stroll along the bay of Long Island, theLong Island Sound. The park also houses a science museum, a zoo, pedal boats and is the place where many other events of great appeal and interest are held.


How to orient yourself

Map divided by regions
      Long Island City and Astoria - Traditionally industrial, Long Island City is becoming an arts district. Astoria is famous for the Greek community, but there are also Asians, Latin Americans and Europeans. There are many trendy restaurants in Astoria and Steinway Street is the center of shopping.
      Jackson Heights - A large area inhabited by Southeast Asian groups, with many Indian restaurants flanked by groceries and other shops, including a cinema showing Bollywood films, has its center between 74th St. and Roosevelt Avenue. The rest of the neighborhood is a large Latin community, represented by Chileans, Mexicans, Argentines. Other communities are found in areas such as Woodside, famous for Thai restaurants and Filipino markets, and Elmhurst, where virtually every Southeast Asian nationality is found, along with Chinese, Koreans and all the others mentioned above.
      Flushing-Northeast - At the end of line 7 there is a large Chinese community, but there are also important groups of Koreans and Indians.
      Forest Park - A large park in central Queens.
      Jamaica - Important transportation hub, large African American community, King Manor Museum, and many cultural spaces focused on African American art.
      Rockaways - A popular summer resort since the 1800s, The Rockaways have grown into a mix of posh, poor and middle-class neighborhoods.


How to get

Aside from the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges, all bridges can be covered on foot or by bicycle. However, be prepared for long walks as Queens is really very large and not exactly designed to be walked around so a map is always needed.Unfortunately most tourists who see Queens do so by bus to and from the airports. The guard is JFK, a shame as Queens are worth a visit. It can also be done with an experienced driver, many others may find it difficult to find their way around the streets of the district. However, a good part of Queens can also be seen by subway. The trains of line 7 are a true cultural experience because they run for most of their route on the surface, thus giving the opportunity to admire a large part of the area. A tour of Queens cannot fail to include eating in at least 3 different ethnic restaurants in the various enclaves.

Other subway lines useful for getting to and from Queens are the A, E, F, G, J, M, N, Q, R, and Z. The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has several stops in Queens: the the main line runs through the central area while the Port Washington line runs along the north coast (including a stop in Flushing).

There are also express buses in eastern Queens and the Rockaways, usually in areas not covered by subway lines. The main communication arteries for express buses (those closest to Manhattan) are Queens Boulevard and Woodhaven Boulevard.

Local buses that go to Midtown Manhattan are the Q32, Q60, and Q101. The M60 runs to Upper Manhattan from LaGuardia Airport.

The Q48 is the ideal bus to go to East Queens fromLaGuardia airport, drops you off at Flushing-Main Street Station. Other buses from LaGuardia Airport are the Q33 and Q47 to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue subway station, and the Q72 to Rego Park and Junction Boulevard stations.

Q10 and Q3 start fromJFK airport. The Q10 goes up to Lefferts Boulevard and reaches the subway stations where lines A, J / Z and E / F pass. Q3 goes east Queens enters the Nothern Jamaica area to 179th Street station on the F line.

To know how to reach a feet or in bicycle Queens, you can also consult Transportation Alternatives.

How to get around


What see

Queens is a district that has its own charm in diversity and variety. While the west area that is closest to Manhattan is typically urban, much of the east area is suburban in character. As in any district, as you get closer to Manhattan it becomes more and more difficult to find individual homes. The most urbanized neighborhoods are located in the north-west: Astoria and Long Island City (LIC), with the latter also hosting the main skyscrapers of Queens, including the "other" Citibank building, which is located directly across the East River from the far more famous skyscraper. located in Manhattan. The 50-story building is the result of Citibank's attempt to create a new business district directly in Long Island City, and is the tallest building in New York State outside of Manhattan.

  • P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, ☎ 1 718 784-2084. Simple icon time.svgThu-Mar 12-18. Backed by the Museum of Modern Art, this new and affordable contemporary art museum is housed within an old public school and the conversion left behind many of the school's features such as large classrooms (perfect for installations) and bathrooms which are a real leap into the past. P.S.1 is a few blocks south of the Citibank tower on Jackson Avenue, it also has a bar and outside seating. 
  • Steinway & Sons Pianos, 1 Steinway Place, Long Island City, ☎ 1 718 721-2600. The most famous pianos in the world. In spring and autumn they also offer free guided tours to see the craftsmen at work. Better to call a month in advance and book, otherwise better adapt to the virtual tour via the website. 

There are many other museums in Long Island City, including theIsamu Noguchi Sculpture Museum in Noguchi's old studio, the Museum of African Art, Sculpture Center, and the Museum of the Moving Image in which there are interactive spaces on the history of video games. In the area there are also free spaces such as the Socrates Sculpture Park overlooking the East River (next to Price Costco on Vernon Boulevard.), and the Fisher Landau Center which houses a private collection of contemporary art.

(A general tip regarding New York City museums: if you work for large companies like IBM, GE, or Citigroup, check if your company is a partner. This applies to all museums.)


On Jackson Avenue, across the street from PS.1, there is an equally fascinating place: 5 Points one of the few areas in New York City where graffiti is legal. The whole building is decorated (even inside, if you can find a way to enter). 5 Ptz is NYC's underground soul at its finest, although artists have to apply for a permit from an unknown dude behind a locally advertised email address (which perhaps ensures the high standards of the artists' work) . Some taggers have ruined the place with their stupid writings; however the art here is better and newer than the many works on display at PS.1. Make sure you walk around the whole building. Just below line 7 of the train that runs on the north side of 5 Ptz you will find a large space used for loading and unloading trucks: here are the best examples of art. A fire escape goes up to the roof and of course every part within reach is decorated here as well. If you are passionate about the genre, don't forget the camera.

At Flushing Meadows Corona Park (on line 7, Shea Stadium stop) there is the Queens Museum which offers the opportunity to admire visual arts, attend cultural events, admire the memorabilia of the World Fairs and also an accurate scale reconstruction of the whole city. Very accurate indeed, except they have yet to remove the World Trade Center.

Just off Northern Blvd between Astoria and Long Island City, at the intersection of 35th Avenue and 36th Street, you will find the Museum of the Moving Image, which focuses on cinema and television, including video games, and which hosts several temporary exhibitions. The Kaufman-Astoria Studios (where Sesame Street was filmed, among others) is in part; there is also a huge new cinema and a 24 hour diner / bar (sevono carafes of beer) which is called Cup. Take the R / V / G or N / W lines.

What to do

Citi Field, the stadium where the New York Mets play
  • Baseball game. Go and watch a baseball game New York Mets at Citi Field in Flushing. 
  • Tennis match. Go and watch the matches of the tennis tournament U.S. Open to USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center which is located in Flushing. This tournament is one of the 4 of the "Slam" together with theAustralian Open of Melbourne, the Roland Garros of Paris and the tournament of Wimbledon held in London. 
  • You can also go to the beach without leaving Queens, as the Ramones used to say "we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach." Rockaway Beach in reality it is a beautiful strip of clean sand on a small peninsula connected by a bridge (you can travel by bike) and by subway (line A) to the rest of Queens (it can also be reached by road from Nassau County, Long Island, and in bridge from Brooklyn). Aside from the ever-visible Empire State Building, and planes from nearby John F. Kennedy Airport, it's arguably the most bucolic place in New York City. Rockaway's cleanest beach is located at Jacob Riis Park, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. Remember that topless is allowed on all New York beaches even though few women do it. Warning: Jacob Riis is a federal beach and therefore is subject to and different laws from the rest of Rockaways.

Visit the agricultural markets of:


Shopping

  • Jackson Heights. There are many shops to buy saris, particularly on 74th St. north of the subway stop. 
  • Flushing. There are many Chinese supermarkets and other shops where you can buy products from various sources. 
  • Clothing. At bargain prices along Steinway in Astoria (Line R) and along Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica (Line E). 


How to have fun

If you like sago and tapioca tea there are plenty of places to visit within walking distance of Flushing Station - Main St (line 7). One of the best is on the corner of Main St. and 39th Av.

  • Bohemian Hall (The Beer Garden), 29-19 24th Avenue (Just west of 31st Street. N / W to Astoria Blvd.). Carafes of Czech beers and wooden picnic tables and outdoors, amidst hundreds of people. 

Woodside is the area frequented and inhabited by the Irish, you will find pubs and many happy hours at reasonable prices. Try the sandwiches at Donovan's.

Where to eat

The almost snobbish attitude one sometimes finds in Manhattan hardly reaches as far as Queens, which makes it even more enjoyable for those who live there. There are still some fine bars in the district, but the restaurants are the real flagship and for one simple reason: if the cuisine and the way of eating in Manhattan are considered as "yuppie", the restaurants in Queens are instead addressed. to a truly authentic clientele, which animates the different ethnic communities and therefore the cuisine here is much more authentic and genuine. Another way to describe it is: come here if you like spicy cuisine. If you really want to try the specialties of Hong Kong or of Tibet, Indonesia, Colombia, Peru, India, Argentina, or anywhere else, in Queens you will find it.

Here are some of the most interesting areas:

  • Flushing for Taiwanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine (Fay Da in Main St., among others, offers good Dim Sum). At the terminus of Line 7 in Flushing you will think you have ended up in Hong Kong. If you walk along Northern Blvd instead you will see a long line of Korean restaurants in the direction of Nassau County.
  • Woodside near 61st St is where you find what is recognized as the best Thai restaurant in New York, Sripraphai, 6413 39th Av. Near Roosevelt Av. And 65 St, (718) 899-9599. At Woodside the Filipino restaurant Ihawan, 40-98 70th St near Roosevelt Av., (718) 205-1480. Very popular with Filipinos and non-Filipinos, it is very famous for its grilled pork. Quite busy on weekends.
  • Jackson Heights close to 74th for Indian and Afghan restaurants. Try it Jackson Diner a on 74th a few steps from Roosevelt Ave. (lines E and F stop here as well as line 7).
  • Jackson Heights close to 82nd and 90th Sts. for Colombian, Peruvian, Ecuadorian and Mexican restaurants. Pollos In La Brasa Mario has several locations spread across Queens and two here (one between 83rd and 37th Ave; another near 81st street on Roosevelt).
  • Elmhurst offers excellent Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian restaurants. Try it Pho Bang if you like Vietnamese cuisine (there are many other locations in Queens, including one in Flushing on Kissena Blvd). Penang (Malaysian), has offices in many other American cities.
  • In the area of Middle Village / Ridgewood / Maspeth (near the M line terminus) you will find Rosa's Pizza (one between Fresh Pond Rd. and Metropolitan Ave .; the other is along Metropolitan Ave. at the end of Middle Village). Among the best pizzas in Queens, it also has other locations.
  • You eat very well in the area of Forest Hills, where it is also located Nick's Pizza in Austin St. On the ground floor of the hotel on the LIRR station square is Bartini's, a small lounge bar famous for the hundreds of martinis it has to offer. E / F or express trains up to 71st-Continental Av.
  • Astoria Greek and Czech cuisine, but also some of the trendiest clubs and diners in Queens (close to the TV studios). Kabab Cafe at 25-12 Steinway St is great for Egyptian cuisine. Mombar Egyptian Restaurant instead it is an institution of Astoria. Remember 25-22 Steinway St as there is no sign. Near Astoria Boulevard there is Sabry's, one of the best seafood restaurants in the area at prices that are a fraction of those in Manhattan. Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden it's a classic beer-garden and a Czech cultural center which is very crowded during the summer. They serve food until midnight and various events are held.Tokyo 1 at 3105 24th Avenue (near 31st street) is a Japanese restaurant where you can eat good sushi at reasonable prices. Los Amigos is a Mexican restaurant just off the Ditmars Avenue stop on the N line. It is on 31st Street. Great food and drinks.
  • If you just want to eat a burger then go by Jackson Hole Diner on Astoria Blvd between Jackson Heights and Astoria. It is a real diner (formerly Airport Diner as in "GoodFellas") transformed into Jackson Hole (another of the New York-only chains).
  • Other beautiful places are located in Hunters Point, southwest of Long Island City.
  • Along Cross Bay Blvd a Howard Beach there is Captain Mike's, a converted yacht selling crabs, prawns and beer: eat at the bar or use the take-away service; summer only.
  • Crown where there is a large Italian and Hispanic community and the "Lemon Ice King of Corona", very popular with Mets fans before and after matches.


Where stay

There are many hotels in the Flushing area that serve LaGuardia Airport, including a Sheraton. There are many others in the Kennedy airport area of ​​Jamaica, but this is generally an area not suitable for tourists, unless they need to be close to the airport. Some of the hotels in Jamaica are listed as "3 stars", but they are poorly maintained. Other hotels are located in Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Elmhurst, Long Island City, and other neighborhoods.

Average prices


How to keep in touch

Useful information

  • Discover Queens Visitor's Center, 90-15 Queens Blvd (inside Queens Center, Subway: M / R to Woodhaven Blvd), ☎ 1 718 592-2082, @. Simple icon time.svgMon-Fri 10-18, Sat-Sun 11-19. 
  • Unlike the rest of New York, Queens addresses include the neighborhood rather than the entire borough (for example, Flushing, NY; Woodside, NY).
  • Queens as a whole is the second safest borough in New York City right after Staten Island. However, even within it there are some less safe areas. The following link is an unofficial map showing the most sensitive areas: [2]


Other projects

  • Collaborate on WikipediaWikipedia contains an entry concerning Queens
  • Collaborate on CommonsCommons contains images or other files on Queens
3-4 star.svgGuide : the article respects the characteristics of a usable article but in addition it contains a lot of information and allows a visit to the district without problems. The article contains an adequate number of images, a fair number of listings. There are no style errors.