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Queens Top Touring Experiences | Long Island City and Astoria | Jackson Heights | Flushing and Corona

Just for the museums and restaurants alone, a short 15minute trip on the 7 train from Grand Central or Times Square to Long Island City and Astoria is truly worth it. In Long Island City, major must-sees are MoMA PS1 and the Noguchi Museum. No trip to Astoria, nicknamed “Little Athens” would be complete without sampling Greek cuisine and stopping at newly-renovated Museum of the Moving Image.

Jackson Heights is home to the city’s largest Indian population. It’s a wonderful place to spend an afternoon browsing its shops and dining in one of the many authentic restaurants.

Top reasons to trek out to Flushing and Corona include seeing the New York Mets new stadium, Citi Field, spending time at the expansive Flushing Meadows– Corona Park—especially if traveling with kids—and enjoying Italian ices from the Lemon Ice King of Corona, a neighborhood institution.

QUEENS TOP TOURING EXPERIENCES

THE 7 TRAIN: A FOOD LOVER’S FAVORITE SUBWAY LINE

Manhattan may be known for its fine four-star restaurants, but food lovers know there’s one train line to take to some of the best eats in the city. The 7 train snakes its way through the middle of Queens, and conveniently also through some of the best eating neighborhoods in New York. Because the tracks are elevated, it’s easy to get a handle on your surroundings—and to know where to find the train once your explorations are through.

Irish expats have long settled in the adjoining neighborhoods of Woodside and Sunnyside (near the 61st Street stop), the site of many great Gaelic bars and a few restaurants. Get a proper Irish breakfast, including black and white pudding, at the casual Stop Inn (6022 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside | 718/779–0290). At Donovan’s (Roosevelt Ave. and 58th St., Woodside |

718/429–9339) ask for extra napkins and get one of the best burgers in New York City, nicely charred and served with home-cut steak fries.

But the main reason foodies flock to Woodside is for the Thai restaurant Sripraphai (64–13 39th Ave., Woodside |

718/899–9599), pronounced See-PRA-pie, widely considered the best Thai restaurant in New York. Don’t miss the crispy watercress salad and the larb (ground pork with mint, lime juice, and onions). It’s closed on Wednesday.

At either the 74th Street or 82nd Street stop, diverse Jackson Heights offers not only outstanding Indian restaurants but also many other Southeast Asian spots and fantastic eats from all over Latin America. Named after a town in Puebla, Mexico, Taqueria Coatzingo (76–05 Roosevelt Ave., Jackson Heights | 718/424–1977) has deeply flavorful mole poblano. Those in the know stick to daily handwritten specials like Pipian en Puerco Rojo— pork cooked in red pumpkin-seed sauce. ElChivito D’Oro III (84–02 37th Ave., Jackson Heights | 718/424–0600), a Uruguayan diner, serves up parades of grilled meats called parrilladas—easily enough for two. Since many Uraguayans are of Italian heritage, Chivito also serves delicate pastas.

The 7 train may save the best for last: at the end of the line is Flushing, home to the second-largest Chinatown in the United States. (First is San Francisco’s.) Wide streets have few tourists and many interesting stores and restaurants, making the long trip worth it. The standout is

Spicy and Tasty (39–07 Prince St., at 39th Ave., Flushing | 718/359–1601), which lives up to its name with numbing Szechuan peppercorns and slicks of red chili oil. Tea-smoked duck has crispy skin and smoky, salty meat. Eggplant with garlic sauce tastes of ginger, tomatoes, and red chilies. Cool it all down with a Tsingtao beer.

A few tips: Bring cash, because not many of these restaurants accept credit cards. Be prepared to encounter language difficulties, as English speakers are in the minority. In Manhattan, catch the 7 train at Times Square or Grand Central Terminal.

LONG ISLAND CITY AND ASTORIA

Long Island City (L.I.C. for short) is the outer-borough art capital, with MoMAPS1, which presents experimental and formally innovative work; the Noguchi Museum, showcasing the work of Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi in a large, peaceful garden and galleries; and Socrates Sculpture Park.

Nearby Astoria, nicknamed Little Athens, was the center of Greek immigrant life in New York City for more than 60 years. An increase in Greek affluence has meant that many have left the borough, but they still return for authentic restaurants, grocery stores, and churches. Here you can buy kalamata olives and salty sheep’s-milk feta from storeowners who can tell you where to go for the best spinach pie.

Today substantial numbers of Asian, Eastern European, Irish, and Latino immigrants also live in Astoria. The heart of what remains of the Greek community is on Broadway, between 31st and Steinway streets. Thirtieth Avenue is another busy thoroughfare, with almost every kind of food store imaginable.

Astoria is also home to the nation’s only museum devoted to the art, technology, and history of film, TV, and digital media. The newly-redone Museum of the Moving Image has countless hands-on exhibits that allow visitors to edit, direct, and step into favorite movies and television shows.

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EXPLORING LONG ISLAND CITY AND ASTORIA

Top Attractions

Fodor’s Choice | MoMA PS1.

A pioneer in the “alternative-space” movement, PS1 rose from the ruins of an abandoned school in 1976 as a sort of community arts center for the future. MoMA PS1 focuses on the work of currently active experimental and innovative artists. Long-term installations include work by Sol LeWitt and Pipilotti Rist. Every available corner of the enormous 100-room building is used; discover art not only in galleries but also on the rooftop, in the boiler room, and even in some bathrooms. On summer Saturdays from 3 to 9 pm outdoor dance parties attract a hip art-school crowd. | 22– 25 Jackson Ave., at 46th Ave., | Long Island City | 11101 | 718/784–2084 | www.ps1.org | $10 suggested donation,

AND ASTORIA

After you’re finished with the sights, why head back to Manhattan? End your day with dinner at one of Astoria’s legendary Greek restaurants (on or near Broadway), or venture to the Middle Eastern restaurants farther out on Steinway Street.

Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden.

$ | EASTERN EUROPEAN | If your favorite outdoor activities include drinking beer and eating kielbasa, you’ll love this place. The last survivor of the more than 800 beer gardens that once graced New York, this popular spot offers imported Czech beers and Central-European eats like pierogi and schnitzel. Get there early to avoid long lines. Just drinking? Bring cash, as credit cards are reserved for orders from the kitchen. Bad weather? Don’t worry: indoor seating is available. | 29–19 24th Ave., between 29th and 31st Sts., | Astoria | 11102 | 718/728– 9278 | MC, V | Subway: N to Astoria Blvd.

Kabab Café.

$ | MIDDLE EASTERN | Middle-Eastern restaurants are a dime a dozen in N.Y.C., but Egyptian-Mediterranean spots are a rarer find, attracting foodies like celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. This charming yet eccentric 16-seat café, which excels at interesting home-style dishes, is a true hidden treasure. The menu changes nightly, but exceedingly tender lamb stuffed with pomegranate is always great. | 25–12 Steinway St., Astoria | 11103 | 718/728–9858 | Reservations not accepted | No credit cards | Closed Mon. | Subway: N to Astoria–Ditmars Blvd.

Taverna Kyclades.

$ | GREEK | The current powerhouse of Hellenic eats in the neighborhood, Taverna Kyclades offers Greek classics at a higher level than you’d expect, given the simple decor and unassuming location. Fried calamari and grilled octopus make appearances at rock-bottom prices, despite their obvious quality, as do more out-of-the-ordinary dishes like “caviar dip” and swordfish kebabs. Be prepared to wait for a table at peak times, as they don’t take reservations. | 33– 07 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria | 11105 | 718/545–8666 | tavernakyclades.com | Reservations not accepted | AE, MC, V | Subway: N to Astoria–Ditmars Blvd.

Uncle George’s Greek Tavern.

$ | GREEK | This local 24-hour favorite serves simple preparations of Greek dishes, especially those involving fish. | 33–19 Broadway, Astoria | 11106 | 718/626–0593 | Reservations not accepted | MC, V | Subway: N to Broadway.

JACKSON HEIGHTS

Even in the diverse borough of Queens, Jackson Heights stands out for being a true polycultural neighborhood. In just a few blocks surrounding the three-way intersection of Roosevelt Avenue, 74th Street, and Broadway, you can find shops and restaurants catering to the area’s strong Indian, Bangladeshi, Colombian, Mexican, and Ecuadorian communities.

Built as a planned “garden community” in the late 1910s, the area boasts many prewar apartments with elaborate block-long interior gardens as well as English-style homes. Celebs who grew up in the area include Lucy Liu and Gene Simmons. It’s also the birthplace of the board game Scrabble.

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WHERE TO EAT IN JACKSON HEIGHTS

Delhi Palace.

$ | INDIAN | Jackson Heights is full of Indian restaurants, but Delhi Palace, specializing in north Indian cuisine, stands out from the competition. Fans cite their varied daily $10 buffet, friendly service, and fewer crowds than the popular Jackson Diner down the street. Try the thin and crispy potato-filled crepes called masala dosa, made to order. |

37–33 74th St., between Roosevelt and 37th Aves., Jackson Heights | 11372 | 718/507–0666 | AE, D, MC, V | Subway: E, F, R, M to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave.; 7 to 74th St.–Broadway.

Spicy Mina.

$ | ASIAN | Since 2003, fans of Mina Azad’s Bangladeshi food have eagerly followed her career. They mourned when her Sunnyside restaurant closed, and cheered when she

briefly popped up again, cooking in Manhattan. Now they trek to the border of Jackson Heights and Woodside to wait patiently through spotty service while she prepares elaborately spiced feasts from scratch, an anomaly in a sea of steam-table buffet restaurants. It’s also BYOB. | 64–23 Broadway, | Woodside | 11377 | 718/205–2340 | MC, V | Subway: G, R, M to 65th St.

SHOPPING IN JACKSON HEIGHTS

At Patel Brothers (37–27 74th St., near 37th Ave. | 11372

| 718/898–3445) let your nose lead your way through the aisles of this Indian grocery store minichain, inhaling the heady scents of rich spices, rare Kesar mangoes, and other exotic produce. Then follow your curiosity through dozens of varieties of lentils and an entire aisle devoted to rice before stocking up on spicy fried snacks and cheap souvenirs for the folks back home.

For special keepsakes, head to Sahil Sari Palace (37–39 74th St., between Roosevelt and 37th Aves. | 11372 |

718/426–9526), filled with bolts of colorful silks and ready- to-wear sequined saris.

FLUSHING AND CORONA

Before it became a part of New York City, Queens was once many small independent townships. So it makes sense that the historic town of Flushing is today a microcosm of a larger city, including a bustling downtown area, fantastic restaurants, and bucolic suburbanlike streets nearby.

Flushing may seem like a strange name for a town, but it’s an English adaptation of the original (and hard-to- pronounce) Dutch name Vlissingen. The Dutch named it for a favorite port city in the Netherlands.

Next door, quiet Corona could easily be overlooked, but that would be a mistake. Here are two huge legacies: the music of Satchmo and the cooling simplicity of an Italian ice.

EXPLORING FLUSHING AND CORONA

Top Attractions

Citi Field.

The Mets are justly proud of their brand-new stadium, designed to hark back to Ebbets Field (where the Dodgers played in Brooklyn) with a brick exterior and plenty of bells and whistles, from a batting cage and wiffle-ball field to the original giant apple taken from the team’s old residence, Shea Stadium.

The Mets unfortunately christened the stadium in 2009 with a terrible season, but even those who aren’t Mets fans and simply love baseball should come to see the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, a soaring multistory entrance and history exhibit dedicated to the Dodgers player who shattered baseball’s color barrier.

While here, don’t miss making a stop at the more-than- fabulous food court behind center field, Shake Shack burgers, surprisingly inexpensive beers such as Czechvar and Leffe, and even lobster rolls and tacos.

Though it seats fewer people than Shea by about 10,000, tickets are not hard to come by, especially later in the season. Still feeling nostalgic for the old Shea? Pay your respects at the plaque in the parking lot. | Roosevelt Ave. off Grand Central Pkwy. | 11368 | 718/507–8499 | www.mets.com | Subway: 7 to Mets/Willets Point.

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

Standing in the lush grass of this park, you’d never imagine that it was once a swamp and a dumping ground. But the gleaming Unisphere (an enormous 140-foot-high steel globe) might tip you off that this 1,255-acre park was also the site of two World’s Fairs.

Take advantage of the park’s barbecue pits and sports fields, but also don’t forget that there’s an art museum, a petting zoo, golf and minigolf, and even a model-plane field.

There’s way too much to see here to pack into a day, so aim to hit a few primary spots, noting that while several are clustered together on the northwest side of the park, visitors should be prepared for long peaceful walks in between. The flat grounds are ideal for family biking; rent bikes near the park entrance or Meadow Lake from March to October.

TIP Although the park is great in daytime, avoid visiting once it gets dark; there has been some crime in this area.

At the northwestern edge of the park, the New York Hall of Science (718/699–0005 | www.nysci.org | $11; free Fri. 2– 5 and Sun. 10–11 Sept.–June | Sept.–June, Mon.–Thurs. 9:30–2, Fri. 9:30–5, weekends 10–6; July and Aug., weekdays 9:30–5, weekends 10–6) has more than 400 hands-on exhibits that make science a playground for inquisitive minds of all ages. Climb aboard a replica of John Glenn’s space capsule, throw a fastball and investigate its speed, or explore Charles and Ray Eames’s classic Mathematica exhibition.

Behind the Hall of Science lies the intimate Queens Zoo

(718/271–1500 | www.queenszoo.com | $8 | Early Apr.–late Oct., weekdays 10–5, weekends 10–5:30; late Oct.–early Apr., daily 10–4:30; last ticket sold 30 mins before closing), whose small scale is especially well suited to easily tired young visitors. In only 11 acres you’ll find North American animals such as bears, mountain lions, bald eagles, and pudu—the world’s smallest deer. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome from the 1964 World’s Fair is now the aviary. Across the street is a petting zoo.

Between the zoo and the Unisphere, you’ll find the Queens Museum of Art (718/592–9700 | www.queensmuseum.org | $5 suggested donation | Sept.–June, Wed.–Sun. noon– 6; call for extended hrs in July and Aug.). Don’t miss the astonishing Panorama, a nearly 900,000-building model of N.Y.C. made for the 1964 World’s Fair. Many unsuspecting park visitors looking for a bathroom instead find themselves spending hours checking out the intricate structures that replicate every block in the city. There are also rotating exhibitions of contemporary art and a permanent collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass. | Between 111th St./Grand Central Pkwy. and Van Wyck Expressway at 44th Ave., | Flushing | 11368 | Subway: 7 to 111th St. or Willets Point.

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Each August, 700,000 fans come here for the U.S. Open, which claims the title of highest-attended annual sporting event in the world. The rest of the year the 45 courts (33 outdoor and 12 indoor, all Deco Turf II) are open to the public for $20–$60 hourly. Make reservations up to two days in advance. | Flushing Meadows–Corona Park | 11368 | 718/760–6200 | www.usta.com | Subway: 7 to Willets Point.

Worth Noting

Louis Armstrong House Museum.

For the last 28 years of his life the famed jazz musician lived in this modest three-story house in Corona with his wife Lucille. Take a guided 40-minute tour and note the difference between the rooms vividly decorated by Lucille in charming midcentury style and Louis’s dark den, cluttered with phonographs and reel-to-reel tape recorders. Although photographs and family mementos throughout the house impart knowledge about Satchmo’s life, it’s in his den that you’ll really understand his spirit. | 34–56 107th St., at 37th Ave., | Corona | 11368 | 718/478–8274 | www.louisarmstronghouse.org | $8 | Tours hourly Tues.– Fri. 10–5, weekends noon–5 | Subway: 7 to 103rd St.– Corona Plaza.

Queens Botanical Garden.

Adjacent to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, these 39 acres include rose and herb gardens, an arboretum, and plantings especially designed to attract bees and birds. An environmentally friendly visitor center uses solar energy and recycles rainwater. | 43–50 Main St., | Flushing | 11355 | 718/886–3800 | www.queensbotanical.org | Free | Apr.– Oct., Tues.–Sun. 8–6; Nov.–Mar., Tues.–Sun. 8–4:30 | Subway: 7 to Main St.–Flushing.

QUICK BITES: If you’re looking for authentic Queens experiences, there are few as true as eating an Italian ice from the Lemon Ice King of Corona (52–02 108th St., at 52nd St., | Corona | 11368 | 718/699–5133) while strolling by a nearby bocce court on a hot summer day. There are no seats and the service can often be gruff at this neighborhood institution of more than 60 years, but none of that will matter after your first taste.

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Exploring The Bronx | Where to Eat in The Bronx | Shopping in The Bronx

Many tourists feel as if getting up to the city’s northernmost borough is a schlep because it looks so far away from midtown Manhattan on the map. But in actuality, travel time from Grand Central is no longer than taking the subway from the Upper West Side to the Financial District.

That said, if you’re looking to spend the better part of a day outside at the Bronx Zoo or New York Botanical Gardens—considered top sites in all of New York, not just in the Bronx—and want to sample what some call the city’s most authentic Italian food on Arthur Avenue, it’s well worth a visit.

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EXPLORING THE BRONX

TOP ATTRACTIONS

Fodor’s Choice | The Bronx Zoo.

When it opened its gates in 1899, the Bronx Zoo had only 843 animals. But today, with 265 acres and more than 4,000 animals (of more than 600 species), it’s the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States. Get up close and personal with exotic creatures in outdoor settings that recreate natural habitats; you’re often separated from them by no more than a moat or wall of glass.

Don’t miss the Congo Gorilla Forest ($5) a 6.5-acre recreation of a lush African rain forest with two troops of lowland gorillas, as well as white-bearded DeBrazza’s monkeys, okapis, and red river hogs. At Tiger Mountain an open viewing shelter lets you get incredibly close to