August 4th, 2007 Morning thru lunch: On Saturday Kate had planned yet another day of looking at various neighborhoods off of the beaten path in the Big Apple's less popular boroughs. Kate really did a fantastic job of putting together our itinerary. Had it been me, I'm not certain I would have chosen many of these locations which I think were very interesting to see. They gave us a chance to see the different faces of the city and really get a better grasp of the culture, and the areas outside of midtown, where the working class lives and thrives.
Queens was our destination on this day, and the tour began in a neighborhood that one of the guidebooks described as "Queens's Williamsburg". (Williamsburg was previously described as a hipster/artist haven in Brooklyn). The first section of Queens was taken in en route to Socrates Sculpture park located in the Ravenswood neighborhood bordering Astoria. To get there we took the metro into Queens to Broadway station, then we walked west toward Manhattan for 10 blocks. The Park entrance is at the end of Broadway, at the waterfront. Then neighborhood reminded me a lot of my former neighborhood in Lowell MA. Actually the neighborhood in Lowell was of all things probably more densely built up and busier. Broadway was busy around the train station, but proceeded to
become sketchy-quiet within a couple of blocks. Many businesses had bars on their windows. There were actually a couple of strip malls, the first I'd seen in my time thus far in NYC. In one strip mall was a White Castle and I joked with Kate that we should go there for lunch. There was a park which we passed where a soccer field was covered entirely with cheap AstroTurf. Western Astoria appeared to be inhabited by many people, but apparently they fled their neighborhood on the weekend. I half expected some tumble weed to blow in front of me.
become sketchy-quiet within a couple of blocks. Many businesses had bars on their windows. There were actually a couple of strip malls, the first I'd seen in my time thus far in NYC. In one strip mall was a White Castle and I joked with Kate that we should go there for lunch. There was a park which we passed where a soccer field was covered entirely with cheap AstroTurf. Western Astoria appeared to be inhabited by many people, but apparently they fled their neighborhood on the weekend. I half expected some tumble weed to blow in front of me.Several blocks into our journey I was suffering, it was HOT! There is no shade in this part of Queens. Most of the buildings are 1 to two stories and front yards tend to be paved and lacking trees. I would say that when we found the sculpture garden it was like a green oasis, but I'd be lying. The sculpture garden sat in a field of overgrown burnt grass, wedged between two scrap metal yards. As there were working studios at the sculpture garden, there were also scrap heaps within the garden. Socrates Sculpture garden was poorly maintained. The river-front spot was nice, but it was so far from any commerce, or any "pulse", that I would almost consider it to be a destination better reached by car. I was especially amused by the spray painted hay bales. Wow.... genius. Someone actually probably had a government grant to do that, and that is the scary part.
On the way back towards Broadway Station we at first were going to try and and walk further down a few blocks to the 30th Ave station. We at first attempted to do this near the park, but found that it took us into what looked like projects and an area even more quiet then the previous section of Ravenswood. We turned back to Broadway and then took a left by the strip mall onto 30th St. This road was a commercial center for the neighborhood and had a few offices, fast food establishments, and hotels. We passed a McDonalds where we stopped to get sodas to help cool off. The McDonalds was like a sauna inside, even hotter than the 90+ weather outside. The air conditioner was broken and a floor model fan circulated the humid air providing little relief for the tortured employees. After our purchases we quickly left for relief back out in the summer sun.
When we finally arrived at 30th Ave it was like night and day compared to Broadway. 30th Ave was lively filled with cafes, bars, grocery stores, and many people. It was vibrant and the change of scenery made me forget about the heat and enjoy the exploration. Kate and I got onto the Metro, which is an elevated train through most of Queens. We next headed out to Astoria-Ditmars Blvd station which was the end of this particular line. We walked around here a little bit, which like 30th Ave was lively and full of commerce. Both of these areas were primarily dominated by Greek or Latino ethnicity. There were many Greek restaurants and a ton of beautiful bakeries.
Kate and I were getting very hungry at this point and we had decided to go to "Jackson Diner" a well know Indian rood restaurant in Jackson Heights. We got back on the train to head over to 
Jackson Heights where this source of nourishment was located. Jackson Heights contains "Little India". This neighborhood was really interesting. It was really dense and the streets were much more narrow than what we had seen earlier in Astoria. The streets were lined with Indian restaurants, grocery stores, and apparel stores. Manikins decorated the windows wearing various Indian fashions, and Indian music poured out of passing cars. Jackson Diner to our great pleasure was having a buffet. The food was great and the restaurant was packed. I don't think I had anything new that I had never tried with the exception of a rice pudding which was almost too sweet. The food was over all some of the best Indian food I've eaten, and it definitely hit the spot.
Jackson Heights where this source of nourishment was located. Jackson Heights contains "Little India". This neighborhood was really interesting. It was really dense and the streets were much more narrow than what we had seen earlier in Astoria. The streets were lined with Indian restaurants, grocery stores, and apparel stores. Manikins decorated the windows wearing various Indian fashions, and Indian music poured out of passing cars. Jackson Diner to our great pleasure was having a buffet. The food was great and the restaurant was packed. I don't think I had anything new that I had never tried with the exception of a rice pudding which was almost too sweet. The food was over all some of the best Indian food I've eaten, and it definitely hit the spot.I'll continue the rest of the journey through Queens in Part 5.
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