Queens: The Melting Pot Is Hotter Than Ever

The melting pot on a high boil in Flushing

Along Main and Union Streets many of the signs and the conversations are in Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese. A street vendor blasted Chinese pop music. At a sidewalk counter you can buy Peking duck to go. I passed under the wide window of a tea shop where high school kids sat people-watching and text-messaging as they sipped bubble tea, the sweet Chinese tea with pearls of tapioca in it. At a Chinese grocery tiny grandmas elbowed me aside, the better to haggle with the grocers over vegetables and fruit.

I was walking with John Liu, the city councilman for District 20, which includes Flushing. Liu was born in Taiwan and has lived in Flushing since his family moved there in 1972, when he was 5. In 2002 he became the first Asian-American on the New York City Council. He was happy to play tour guide on the crowded streets.

Indians, Pakistanis and Afghans also make their homes in Flushing, alongside growing groups of Mexicans and Central Americans. They have all followed previous waves of Russians, Greeks, Italians, Irish and African-Americans.

If America really is a melting pot, Flushing seems one place where it's on a high boil.

Great article that captures a great deal about Flushing, I recommend checking out the following link above.

Police Raid Flushing Warehouse: Find 16 Million in Counterfit Goods

Queens Police Make City's Largest Counterfeit Bust

Police in Queens made one of the biggest counterfeit busts in city history Thursday night.

Police raided a warehouse on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, and seized the merchandise with an estimated value of nearly $4.5 million.

Among the items seized were 50,000 pairs of sneakers, more than 30,000 counterfeit handbags, and 5,000 pieces of clothing.

Police said the estimated retail value of the legitimate versions of the items is approximately $16 million.

There go my new pair of Air Gordans I was going to buy on Main Street this weekend.

Queens Botanical Garden Giving Away Land?

Well not quite, so don't be alarmed. For those of you salivating at the though, better luck next time.

Per Splittinghairsinforesthills

In a rare instance of land literally being given away in New York, the Queens Botanical Gardens has set aside four 15-x-15′ plots of land for gardeners age 55 or older as part of their Senior Garden. If anyone is interested, call soon because the spaces within the plots fill up fast and are all taken by end summer.

The Giveaway Garden (there, I renamed it) is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, and is located in the southwest quadrant of the QBG near the College Point Boulevard gate, a several-minute walk from the main gate on Main Street.

More information: 718-886-3800, x525

Sounds like something nice for older people who don't have a back yard to plant in. I'd be weary of someone swiping my Cherry Tomatoes or Basil. On that note, anyone who wants a 15 x 15 lot to plant in my back yard please call: (718) 762-... okay I've changed my mind.

Tour De' Queens Anyone?

Streetfilm: Queens Roller Racing

Bike racing comes to Queens as people will bike from one end of Queens to the other. I Unfortunately I couldn't embed the video from Streetblog.com. It looks pretty cool, this is something anyone with a free weekend afternoon should try, I don't think Northern Boulevard or Queens Boulevard are too bike friendly, so I will get to see a whole lot more side streets than I ever had before. Also biking through Flushing Main Street could be pretty interesting as well. Catch the action on June 8, 2008.

Last week, the Transportation Alternatives' Queens Committee hosted a fundraising Roller Race at the Creek & Cave bar. Watch this short video and find out what exactly a roller race is. If you would like get more info on the Tour de Queens and the Queens Volunteer Committee, contact Mike Heffron.

Lets put those nice underutilized bike lanes around Queens to good use since I never see anyone use them to this day and a belated Happy Easter.