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Of New York
City's four outer boroughs, its largest, Queens is probably the least
visited by outsiders - not counting when they arrive in New York via Queens'
airports: La Guardia or John F. Kennedy International. Unlike Brooklyn or the
Bronx, Queens has no hyped drawing card to pull visitors in. However, the
individuality of its neighborhoods, a leftover from the fact it was never its
own city before being incorporated into New York in 1898, just a county of
separate towns and villages, is reason enough to warrant exploring the borough.
While here, you can travel from Greek
Astoria
through Irish Woodside to Indian and South American
Jackson Heights
and finally Asian
Flushing
, which can feel as suburban as Long Island some days and as exotic as
Hong Kong on others. You'll find a few underrated museums and no
shortage of delicious ethnic foods - just follow the #7 train, which
chugs through most of the borough; Turkish breads, Romanian sausage,
Indonesian noodles, Tibetan pork, Argentinean steak, vegetarian Indian,
Cantonese dim sum, and some of the best Texas barbecue in the city
await.
Momagns
From summer 2002 through 2005, Queens will be the home of the Museum of
Modern Art, while its new facility is being constructed in Manhattan.
MoMaQNS , 45-20 33rd St at Queens Boulevard (tel 212/708-9400) can
be reached by the #7 train to 33rd St stop and will offer exhibitions
and educational programs, along with a café and design shop. Highlights
include a special installation of the museum's permanent collection.
Call ahead for scheduling.
Astoria
From summer 2002 through 2005, Queens will be the home of the Museum of
Modern Art, while its new facility is being constructed in Manhattan.
MoMaQNS , 45-20 33rd St at Queens Boulevard (tel 212/708-9400) can
be reached by the #7 train to 33rd St stop and will offer exhibitions
and educational programs, along with a café and design shop. Highlights
include a special installation of the museum's permanent collection.
Call ahead for scheduling.
Shea
Stadium and Flushing Meadow Park
Take #7 train to Willets Point for Shea Stadium
(Roosevelt Avenue off Grand Central Parkway; tel 718/507-8499), home of
the New York Mets. The Beatles famously played here in 1965 as did the
Rolling Stones in 1989; but concerts out here are very rare. Baseball
games, on the other hand, are frequent between April and October, and
the Mets have a solid and loyal fan base.
From Shea, you'll easily find your way to Flushing Meadow Park. The
New York Hall of Science , 46th Avenue and 111th Street (hours vary,
so call ahead; $7.50, $5 under 17; tel 718/699-0005,
www.nyhallsci.org ), is a concrete and stained-glass structure
retained from the 1964 World's Fair (you'll see the best remaining
structures deeper within the park). This is an interactive science
museum kids will love; it's fun but can be exhausting for adults. The
adjacent
Wildlife Center
(once the zoo) features exclusively North American animals. But the main
reason to come here is to see the Unisphere and the Queens
Museum of Art.
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The
Unisphere is a 140-foot-high, stainless steel globe that weighs
380 tons - probably the main reason why it never left its place in the
park following the 1964 World's Fair. It was finally declared a
landmark, to the delight of the borough, and it's now lit at night - you
may have seen it when you came in from the airport. Carefully designed
pathways connect lawns, small pools and two lakes. On a summer day, the
park is swarming with kids on bikes and rollerblades; you can rent a
bicycle yourself, or even a boat.
Explore Shea Stadium and Flushing Meadow Park
Queens
Museum of Art
Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun noon-5pm; suggested donation $5; tel
718/592-9700, www.queensmuse.org. #7 to 111th St.
Housed in a 1939 World's Fair building which served briefly as the first
home of the United Nations, the Queens Museum has been open since
1972. The must-see here is the Panorama of the City of New York ,
which was also built for the 1964 World's Fair. With a one-inch model
equal to one hundred feet of city, the Panorama (and its 835,000
buildings, plus bridges, piers, rivers and airports) is the world's
largest architectural model.
Bronx /
Central Bronx and
Belmont /
Bronx Zoo
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New York City
Highlights
When to go
Arrival
Transportation
Walking
Eating and drinking
Kids New York
Kids activities
Kids toys, clothing
Kids cultural
activities
The Giuliani years
September 11, 2001
World Trade Center
Best of New York
Gays and Lesbian
G & L accommodation
G & L bars
G & L Clubs
Media
N Y tours: bus/copter
N Y tours: water/walking
Free museums hours
Staten Island ferry
Parades and Festivals
Shops and markets
Clothes, fashion
Diamond District
Food and drink
Liquor stores
Music
Music-special interest
Art galleries |
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