If you’re traveling to Flushing to catch some US Open Tennis
(which officially kicks off August 29), be sure to check out New York Magazine’s list of 50 things to do in
Queens, which I found tucked at the bottom of their Guide to the US
Open.
The list was
published in their July 18 issue as a “pre-gentrification” list, warning folks to get to Queens before it becomes the
next over-populated ultra hot spot. Some of their suggestions are perfect fillers between matches, and a good
opportunity to see more of what some are calling the next “it” borough. Here are just a few items from the list:
Food: Eat at Rizzo’s (Pizza), Sripraphai (Thai) or Cevabdzinica Sarajevo (Bosnian)
Art: Visit the Sculpture Center, Noguchi Museum or
Fisher Landau Center
Shopping: Browse at Newman Gifts or the Greek markets on 30th Avenue in Astoria
Outdoors: Spend time at Juniper Valley Park,
Sunnyside Gardens or Hermon A. MacNeil Park
Further details about all these places (including phone numbers, addresses, etc.) are in the article. And if the
tennis really doesn’t interest you, then catch a game at Shea Stadium! The
Mets are home
against the Phillies for a mid week series 8/30 – 9/1.
???iŸ%Ÿ% his wife Catherine loved to travel.
The halls of the hotel are lined with black and white photos from the early 1900’s, showcasing the company’s
manufacturing operations, as well as their trips abroad to places like Egypt and Spain. The $2 million hotel, built in
1932, was modeled after a similar one the couple had vis???TŸ%Ÿ%the Mediterranean. Rooms like the Iberian Lounge and
Castilian Ballroom are decorated with lush carpets, towering palm trees and handsome furnishings. According to hotel
literature, famous world-traveler Lowell Thomas described it as, ”…a palace that out-places the ???šŸ%Ÿ%of the
Maharajahs of India.”
The hotel is a unique and popular spot for weddings, but it also clearly attracts many vacationing families, drawn
to the hotel’s extensive offering of outdoor activities, including t???uŸ%Ÿ%ing pools, tennis and bocce courts, nature
trails, two championship golf courses and a fitness center.
I took an hour to tour the nearby 23-acre Hershey Gardens (http://www.hersheygardens.org/), which includes
a Butterfly House, a Japanese garden, and a replica of Mrs. Hershey’s original rose garden. Hotel guests receive free
admission to the gardens and the Hershey Museum (http://www.hersheymuseum.org/). Another perk that may be
worth the hefty hotel price is that
Hersheypark (http://www.hersheypa.com/attractions/hersheypark/index.asp) opens an hour earlier each day for
hotel guests only. The free chocolate ba???UŸ%Ÿ%heck-in was a welcome treat ???yŸ%Ÿ%