As the idea here is to show a New York that is no obvious, today I will suggest five things to do in Queens. The borough has more than the JFK and LaGuardia airports. With the price of the dollar, many Brazilian tourists are looking for hotels in the area, to avoid the high prices in Manhattan. The region is rich in parks, cultural activities, food and shopping. You want to get an idea of what to do in Queens? Come with me!
Long Island City – is a region that is growing every day. For you have an idea, renting an apartment in the neighborhood is more expensive than some parts of Manhattan – there are several new luxury condominiums. It is not difficult to understand: it is a quiet place, not far from Manhattan and, when you are near the river, the view is amazing. One of the programs that I highly recommend to do is visit the Gantry Plaza State Park, a park on the edge of the East River, with green area and space to practice activities such as running and walking. The view is beautiful: Empire State Building, Chrysler Building. Roosevelt Island, Queensboro Bridge and even the One World Trade Center, by far. In this park, is located the famous Pepsi sign. The sunset there is also amazing. Do you want to know more about it? Check out this post with more info and photos. Do you want spend more time in the area? If your visit is not during the winter, go to the rooftop of Ravel Hotel.
How to get there: use the 7 subway line and get off at Vernon Blvd station – Jackson Av. You will walk 10 minutes from the station until the park.
Corona Park – It is like the Central Park of Queens – a huge green area! It is in the Corona Park that happens US Open, the famous tennis championship world (in September!). The highlight of the park is Unisphere, this beautiful monument shaped like planet earth, huge! The path from JFK to Manhattan usually passes near the park. The structure of the place includes zoo, lake and green space, of course! To get there, use 7 line.
Socrates Sculpture Park – this park has several sculptures and was built over an old landfill and illegal dumpsite. The place offers temporary exhibitions and annual events like bicycle parade. In the summer, people who pass this way can also check live artistic performances such as theater and opera recitals pieces. And you also have an amazing view to Manhattan and more: admission is free.
Address: 32-01 Vernon Boulevard – Long Island City – use N line.
Museum of Moving Image – you know that there are a lot of museums in this city, right? There are several museums in Manhattan, from the most known as the Natural History Museum, the MoMA and the Met, to the unusual, such as the Museum of Sex. There is also culture off the island too! Is in Queens which is located the only museum in the country dedicated to the art, history, art and motion picture technology in all its forms: the Museum of Moving Image. Movie lovers and game lovers will love the place, which explores all stages of production, promotion and exposure to the film industry involves. Check out a video about the museum here and also a post with more information here.
Address: 36-01 35 Avenue. Tickets coasts $12,50, but admission is free on Fridays, starting 4 pm.
Shopping – Queens has a lot of cool places for shopping. One of these options is Macy’s Backstage, a Macy’s off price store. There are clothes, lingerie, perfumes and cosmetics, bed and bath, decorative items, shoes, bags, accessories … If you want to get an idea about prices and products, just check out this post. Macy’s Backstage is located at Queens Place, a mall, not too big, which also features a unit of Target, that is huge! Another nice place to shop is Rego Center. This shopping center brings together many famous stores like Burlington, Century 21 (huge, organized and more peaceful than the Downtown location), Marshall’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx, Toy R Us and Ulta Beauty. You can see the full list of stores here. Finally, not far from Rego Center, across Long Island Expy, Queens Center Mall is a huge shopping mall with stores like Kiko, Sephora, Mac, Disney Store, Macy’s, Aldo, Apple, Disney Store , H & M, Forever 21 and more. See the full list of shops here.
Addresses: Queens Place – 8801 Queens Blvd – linhas M ou R (a linha M não roda no fim de semana!)
Rego Center – 61-35 Junction Blvd – linhas M, R ou Q.
Queens Center Mall – 90-15 Queens Blvd – linhas M ou R.
Laura Peruchi is a Brazilian blogger, author, and entrepreneur. She has lived in Manhattan with her husband since 2014. Since then, she has shared on her blog varied content about the Big Apple. From travel tips, including unusual things to do, shopping tips, etiquette, restaurants, and a lot more, her blog has become a reference in Portuguese (also available in English) for anyone planning a trip to New York City.
Tags : Corona ParkLong Island CityMuseum of Moving Imagenew yorknew york cityNYQueensQueens Center MallQueens PlaceRego CenterSocrates Sculpture Park
