Flushing Meadows has a soft spot in my heart for a variety of reasons. First, the obvious: it's the site of the US Open where I can see my favorite tennis players whacking balls on the hot hard courts, hopefully with their shirts off (well, the males.) But secondly, I always think of Homer Simpson dreaming of actual flushing meadows because he drank so much crab juice on their visit to New York that the site of a Flushing Meadows bus brings thoughts of hopping through rolling meadows with flying toilets fluttering all around him.
I had never been to the actual town of Flushing Meadows. On Saturday, I went out there for dinner to meet a friend. I was a bit curious about what to expect as I rode the lovely 7 train past Long Island City, Jackson Heights and other notable Queens enclaves. I know Queens is actually very diverse with lots of different ethnic groups, like the Greeks of Astoria, the Colombians of the Jackson Heights and the Chinese at my destination of the day in Flushing. But when I think of Queens, I think of:
and Italians screaming things like, "Screw you. You wouldn't know a good Manicotti if it came out of your ass."
Queens is also the birthplace of Vincent Chase and his Entourage posse. But when he delivers the last line in his movie, Queens Boulevard with such bravado "I am Queens Boulevard," I just don't think that's really something to brag about.
Having now experienced Flushing Meadows, I now know where the 8 billion Chinese people outside of China and Chinatown live. Coming out of the subway was like stepping out into Beijing. I heard there are a lot of Koreans there and lots of Korean businesses, but I didn't get to see them. I suppose with that knowledge, I myself, one day, can say "I am Flushing Meadows." I just think that line needs some more ooomph to it to make it more eloquent and descriptive:
I am "Kinko's."
I am "Fruits and Vegetables."
I am "7-Eleven."
I am "Blade, Boards & Skates."
I am "Glatt Kosher."
I am "Ray's Pizza."
I am "air traffic control."
I AM Flushing Meadows. Hmmm. That sounds pretty good.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
What It Means To Be Flushing Meadows
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4 comments:
You can be Flushing Meadows if I can be Hell's Kitchen!
Can I be the Meat Packing District?
Hey, I had the best Chinese food in Flushing Meadows last year one night after a Mets game. It's like the Manhattan Chinatown, but larger and much cleaner.
Actually, there is no town called "Flushing Meadows." That's just the name of the park, which is located between the neighborhoods of Corona and Flushing. And Flushing is where you get all of the Chinese and Korean food. Did you know that Flushing is the busiest commercial district outside of Manhattan?
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