When it comes to tourism, Queens is not Manhattan. It's not even Brooklyn. But more and more people are visiting our borough and realizing what a great destination it is.
There's history, culture, views, and food without the crowds or prices of Manhattan. Here are my top favorite places in Queens to bring visitors. The Unisphere and the Panorama of NYC The symbol of Queens, the Unisphere is a giant globe in Flushing Meadows Park.
It's a great spot to hang out and catch Queens at play: walking, biking, skating, running, barbecuing, and playing soccer. Next door is the Queens Museum of Art with its Panorama of New York City, an incredibly detailed scale model of the entire city. It is so well composed that you can pinpoint specific houses, even find your own home.
The Panorama has been delighting visitors since the World's Fair in 1964. More: Visitor's Guide to the Unisphere Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden The Bohemian Hall is a wonderful beer garden in Astoria, Queens. Turn off a crazy urban street--the subway overhead--and escape into this huge beer garden with its shady trees, picnic tables, pitchers of icy beer, and platters of hearty Czech food and barbecue.
This place is a must on summer weekends. Many an afternoon there's stein-thumping folk music. You just have to love the Bohemia Beer Garden: a true urban oasis that's fun for families, visitors, and a cast of NYC neighborhood regulars.
More: Review of the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden Museum of the Moving Image The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, celebrates the history, technology, and art of movies. It is a great museum with a balance of hands-on activities and information that will interest youngsters and adults. Dub your voice in the Wizard of Oz, see how short Robert De Niro is, and create your own animations.
On the weekends, enjoy a screening of a classic or foreign movie in the Rilkis Theater. This museum will delight anyone who loves movies. More: Museum of the Moving Image Visitors Guide Jackson Heights, an Indian and South Asian Neighborhood The streets of Jackson Heights are lined with gold!
Well, not exactly. A row of 22k gold jewelry shops light up 74th Street. It's the main drag of an Indian/South Asian enclave, and has some of the best eating in all of NYC (delicious curries, tandoori, nan, dosas, kebabs, Indian sweets, and more).
There's lots of cool shopping -- saris, bhangra music, Bollywood DVDs -- and even a Bollywood movie theater. This fascinating Little India is a great place to experience Queens' famed diversity. More: Neighborhood Tour of Jackson Heights When it comes to tourism, Queens is not Manhattan.
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