Queens – the behemoth of the five boroughs – is almost six times the size of Manhattan and occupies a third of the total city area. This neighborhood owes its diversity to the fact that around half of its residents were born abroad. In no other district in the USA do so many different nationalities live side by side in such a small space. Queens stretches from Long Island City, which offers beautiful views of Manhattan, to the wetlands of Jamaica Bay. This wealth of cultures is reflected in the Greek taverns of Astoria (aka ‘Little Athens’) as well as Jackson Heights’ blend of Latin American and Southeast Asian cultures. Flushing’s Chinatown is now larger than Manhattan’s.
According to Itypetravel, Queens was home to the United Nations from 1946 to 1949. And in the 1920s and 1930s it was an important film metropolis: The Marx Brothers, Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and DW Griffith filmed here, among others. One of Queen’s most famous ‘kids’ is Joe McEnroe.
Long Island City (LIC) is a borough in the borough of Queens and one of New York’s up and coming hip areas. New hotels have made LIC an attractive lodging area in NYC. The once-industrial enclave is just minutes by subway from Midtown Manhattan. In LIC there are numerous buildings from the turn of the century: the former factories have been converted into galleries, hotels, museums and studios.
There are also many restaurants, shops and cultural institutions in LIC.
Information about Queens & Long Island City
Location and size
With a land area of 461 km² and a water area of 178 km², Queens is the largest of the five boroughs of New York City. It is located on western Long Island and coincides with Queens County.
Inhabitants
Queens unites people from about 150 nations, a total of about 2 million people live here.
Getting there
Long Island City (LIC) in the Queens district is about 10 minutes by car from Midtown Manhattan:
- Eight subway lines connect LIC to Midtown Manhattan
- The East River Ferry offers direct service from LIC to Midtown and Lower Manhattan
- Public transportation provides direct access to both La Guardia and JFK International Airports
- Biking in Long Island City is easy: there are bike lanes on both the Queensboro and Pulaski Bridges and throughout the surrounding area
Travel around the world by subway
On a trip through New York’s largest district, Queens, you will get to know the most diverse nations of the world :
Those wanting to experience Queens can take a ‘miniature trip around the world’ on Line 7, which has been designated an ‘International Express’ by the Queens Council of Arts. Discover Spanish theater, enjoy traditional Irish music in a pub, shop at an Indian sari shop or shake your hips at a Colombian nightclub on a discovery tour along the seven-mile route through Northwest Queens. The 7 Train is considered a “Living Heritage Trail” and is therefore a quasi-listed monument.
When the subway roars out of its tunnel on its way from Times Square to Flushing in Queens, it first enters an industrial area that doesn’t look particularly remarkable at first glance. But in fact, that is exactly where life takes place: People from around 150 different nations live here, all of whom have brought a part of their tradition with them. After New York’s immigration boom in the early 1900s, Queens gradually grew into the diverse neighborhood it is today. Of course, the immigrants also had to adopt parts of the American lifestyle, but they have retained many customs of their own tradition.
Stops between 33rd Street and the end point of Flushing Street (Main Street) are ideal for the ‘world tour’ through Queens:
33rd Street Station: Traditional Irish character with pubs, dance and music events
Station 46th Street: The Orient is alive. Delis make you want more.
Stations 52nd St. and Woodside/ 61st Street: The former Irish quarter has become a Latin American enclave with the appropriate rhythms and restaurants.
Station Broadway / 74th Street / Jackson Heights : Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi district known for curries, tandooris, Bollywood DVDs and cinemas. Saturday is market day along 74th Avenue. It is also worth taking a look at one of the sari shops.
Stations 82nd Street / Jackson Heights and 90th Street / Elmhurst Ave: Mexican-Caribbean flair.
Stations Junction Blvd. and 103rd Street / Corona Plaza: On Friday, when the Muslims living here go to the Masjiid Alfaloch House of Worship (42-12 National Ave) for Friday prayers, traffic comes to a standstill. Afro-American elements can also be found here, for example Louis Armstrong’s house can be visited here (34-56 107th St, Corona).
111st Street station: “Spaghetti Park” is what locals call the central William E. Moore Park (51st Ave. and 108th St.) where Italian-born New Yorkers meet for bocce and soccer.
Station Willets Point / Shea Stadium or Citi Field : Most people come to Flushing Meadow / Corona Park to watch baseball. Other attractions include the New York Hall of Science (46th Ave/111th St.), an interactive technology museum for children and adults, and the Queens Museum of Arts (NY City Bldg, next to the Unisphere). Here you can find the largest architectural model in the world: The “Panorama of the City of New York” is 60 meters long and 30 meters wide and depicts all 850,000 buildings in New York on a scale of 1:200. The Empire State Building is around 30 cm high in the model. With 895,000 individual parts, there is a fantastic overview of the entire city with all parts of the city.
Flushing / Main Street station: The “Middle Kingdom” awaits visitors at the terminus: a new Chinatown is currently growing here, which is said to be more authentic than the one in Manhattan.
Cultural attractions in Long Island City
LIC has a wide range of exceptional art museums and galleries; Here are some examples:
Dorsky Gallery: Representation of Contemporary Visual Art.
Fisher Landau Center for Art: The Contemporary Art Collection of Emily Fisher Landau.
MoMA PS1: One of the oldest and largest not-for-profit modern art institutions in the United States.
Museum of the Moving Image (located in the nearby Astoria district): The museum focuses on the arts, technology and social impact of film, TV and digital media.
The Noguchi Museum: The museum houses the extensive collection of artworks by Isamu Noguchi.
SculptureCenter: This gallery focuses on the experimental and innovative development in the field of modern sculpture.
Socrates Sculpture Park: Here large sculptures are exhibited in a park.
For more information about Long Island City, Queens , call: +49 89 552 533 806.
