After meeting my new classmates and professors in Penn Station, we all hopped on the subway to begin our New York experience in Queens, my hometown. We took the number 7 train to one of my favorite new places, Citi Field (whispering to myself: I still miss Shea Stadium) then walked to Flushing Meadows Park. According to von Pressetin Wright’s Blue Guide New York, Flushing Meadows – Corona Park was a dump! It was hard to believe the very place where I, as a little girl, celebrated Queens Day and sometimes, the 4th of July was where Brooklyn sent its garbage to decompose. I stood under the Unisphere, built for the 1963-1964 World’s Fair which back in my day was a fountain where I cast pennies and made wishes. I felt like I was reuniting with an old friend, yet looking at it for the first time with new eyes.
We then went into the Queens Museum of Art (QMA) which was used after the ’63-’64 World’s Fair as the United Nations General Assembly building before it moved to Manhattan (BG, 497). Never before had I been in this building. I found the Relief Map of the Water Supply System particularly interesting as I learned for the first time our water comes from my beloved Catskills Region. The detail of the New York Panorama is something to behold and was a great site to use as an orientation to where our New York adventures were going to take place.
Lunch was at an exquisite Indian restaurant called the Jackson Diner. A fan of Indian cuisine, I thoroughly enjoyed a buffet meal of nan, assorted curried chicken, paneer and vegetable dishes. This location is definitely on my list where to return to have dinner.
Speaking of dinner, I enjoy visiting Astoria every now and then to enjoy the night life in this area which seems to be in the real center of the 5 boroughs. I never knew this town at one time was the East-Coast Mecca of film. The Queens Museum of Moving Image beautifully chronicles TV and film from the silent film era to the present. What I call the “headshot wall of fame” was my favorite exhibit. It was fun trying to identify movie personalities of old and being surprised with some faces I couldn’t place. I definitely would like to come back to see the Jim Henson’s Fantastic World Exhibit which opens July 16th, 2001.
Long Island City has always been a town for me to drive quickly through to get to the 59th Street Bridge, now known as the Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridge. We walked from Astoria to LIC and passed by MoMA P.S. 1, a location we were only able to view from outside because it was closed. This was yet another place I put on that list of places where I must return to explore. We continued through the streets undergoing gentrification to a most colorful and ultra creative exhibition home to graffiti (or aerosol) artists from around the world, 5 Pointz: The Institute of Higher Burning. Larger than life murals on factory buildings in a concentrated area in LIC make up an eclectic gallery that can be seen while traveling on the number 7 train, but must be witnessed in person.
Speaking of dinner, I enjoy visiting Astoria every now and then to enjoy the night life in this area which seems to be in the real center of the 5 boroughs. I never knew this town at one time was the East-Coast Mecca of film. The Queens Museum of Moving Image beautifully chronicles TV and film from the silent film era to the present. What I call the “headshot wall of fame” was my favorite exhibit. It was fun trying to identify movie personalities of old and being surprised with some faces I couldn’t place. I definitely would like to come back to see the Jim Henson’s Fantastic World Exhibit which opens July 16th, 2001.
Long Island City has always been a town for me to drive quickly through to get to the 59th Street Bridge, now known as the Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridge. We walked from Astoria to LIC and passed by MoMA P.S. 1, a location we were only able to view from outside because it was closed. This was yet another place I put on that list of places where I must return to explore. We continued through the streets undergoing gentrification to a most colorful and ultra creative exhibition home to graffiti (or aerosol) artists from around the world, 5 Pointz: The Institute of Higher Burning. Larger than life murals on factory buildings in a concentrated area in LIC make up an eclectic gallery that can be seen while traveling on the number 7 train, but must be witnessed in person.
We continued to walk through the quiet streets of LIC to see new exclusive high-rise buildings which is home the new generation of yuppies. At the water’s edge one can see the United Nations building, and the beautiful Manhattan skyline. Gantry Plaza State Park was where we sat on the grass, officially reacquainted ourselves to each other as a group, and reviewed the day’s activities. After our short rest, we finished the day’s tour by observing the gantries. The gantries were used to deliver cargo to Long Island City, of Queens, Long Island. It was fascinating to note the tracks that ran from the water onto the land.
From here, we found the nearest subway station to make our way back to Penn Station. It was quite the treat to end the journey with a refreshing beverage at the bar-restaurant Tracks before catching the 8:15 train back to Ronkonkoma.
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