Exclusive | New York City: Neighborhoods Part Nine

Queens continued...

The Unisphere is the symbol of Queens with its site at Flushing Meadow-Corona Park. The park was the location of both the 1939 and 1964 World's Fair, with some of the buildings still remaining.

In the park, the Queens Museum of Art (718/592-9700) not only houses some spiffy art exhibits, but also features an exact panoramic replica of the five boroughs of New York City (the world's largest scale model).

Queens Theatre In The Park (718/760-0064) is an excellent alternative to an Off-Broadway show and its prices, taking place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. (Take the #7 train to 111th St. station, then a shuttle bus to the theater.)

Walk across the footbridge and you'll encounter the New York Hall of Science (718/699-0675) and Queens Wildlife Center (718/271-1500).

Sporting buffs will want to catch a baseball game at Shea Stadium (123 Roosevelt Avenue; 718/507-6387) home of the Mets or if you happen to find yourself here during the U.S. Open, the new Arthur Ashe Stadium, part of the USTA National Tennis Center (718/760-6200), is located between Shea Stadium and the Queens Museum of Art.

Since downtown Flushing is just one more subway stop and the end of the #7 line, take advantage of the neighborhood's Asian cuisines including Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian, Japanese and Cantonese. The area is considered to be the Chinatown of Queens with Main Street providing bus access to most of the rest of the Queens'; neighborhoods.

Kum Gan San (138-28 Northern Blvd; 718/461-0909; $9-19) is the local's place for Korean cuisine. Pho Vietnamese Restaurant (38-02 Prince St; 718/461-8686; $9-14) is highly recommended.

For Kosher Chinese vegetarian food, try Buddha Bodai (42-96 Main St, 718/939-1188; $9-19).

Get some authentic steamed buns at Tianjin Gou-bu-li Bun (GBL, 135-28 40th Rd; 718/886-2121; $4-7).

With the accessibility to Manhattan and outlining areas of Queens, consider staying at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel (135-20 39th Ave; 718/460-6666 or 800/325-3535; $169-290), just off Main St. LaGuardia airport is nearby with a location that's not far from Jackson Heights. There are several hotels to choose from including Crowne Plaza (104-04 Ditmars Blvd; 718/457-6300; $169-329) and LaGuardia Marriott (102-05 Ditmars Blvd; 718/565-8900 or 800/228-9290; $189-369).

STATEN ISLAND
Staten Island is New York's other island borough, reached by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the second-largest suspension bridge in the world, or by the Staten Island Ferry.

Venerable and romantic, the ferry ride offers spectacular views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, nicely enhanced, we find, by humming the theme song to Working Girl.

Historic Richmondtown (441 Clark Avenue; 718/351-1611) is 30 minutes from the ferry terminal on the S-74 bus, and offers 25 acres of dirt roads and historic 19th-century buildings. The Jacques Marchais Center of Tibetan Art (338 Lighthouse Ave, at Richmond Rd; 718/987-3500; $5) is famous for its sculpture garden and Tibetan temple.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine

Related Articles:
New York City: Introduction
New York City: Where to Stay
New York City: Where to Eat
New York City: Where to Play/Meet
New York City: What to See and Do
New York City: Where to Shop
New York City: Resources