The name alone says a lot, Queens was not named after the Queen by chance. It is the most diverse and multi-ethnic district of the Big Apple , here you can taste almost all the dishes in the world and hear languages from the farthest corners of the planet. Several times a week we drive through this district on our Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn tour and take a look at the following. You can book the tour here.
The Identity of Queens
In 2013, Queens' population was 2,296,175. Queens is home to the international airports of New York-John F. Kennedy Airport and New York-LaGuardia. On November 1, 1683, the borough was named after her in honor of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II of England. Queens is the largest in terms of area of the five boroughs of New York City. Queens is divided into numerous neighborhoods , some of the most famous are: Astoria, Far Rockaway, Flushing, Forest Hills, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Ozone Park, Queensbridge.
Queens: A true melting pot
The district is very cosmopolitan and consists mainly of middle class and wealthy neighborhoods with hotels, large parks and golf courses. However, the district is also known for something infamous : some of the poorest neighborhoods in New York are in Queens. Over 800 different languages are spoken in New York itself, the majority of which are spoken in Queens, more than anywhere else in the world.
The personalities who grew up in Queens
You see him everywhere these days and none other than the current President of the United States, Donald Trump grew up in Queens! 50 Cent , Ja Rule, Nicky Minaj , Christopher Walken, Louis Armstrong or Lucy Liu: Other celebrities from other walks of life also emerged in this cultural melting pot.
Places not to be missed include:
Shea Stadium at Flushing Meadow Corona Park . This is home to the New York Mets baseball team and was the first stadium to host a concert. No less a band than The Beatles were guests on August 15, 1965.
Flushing Meadow Park also had the World's Fairs in 1939 and 1964, where the large globe was installed.
The residential area of the Queens millionaires : You can admire the most beautiful houses, which are eerily reminiscent of the Californian Hollywood star mansions with green lawns, fences and pools.
We drive past all three locations on our Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn tour. You can book the tour here.
