My friend Vernon and I decided to visit some new neighborhoods for us, and so we set off...taking the 6 train up to Parkchester, with our goal Whitestone, Queens. (It's supposedly the best way to get there...so Manhattan to the Bronx...first leg of our day!
Then we hopped on the Q 44 LTD, which took us over the Whitestone Bridge and into the town itself. We walked around the area, which appears to be home to a large Greek population--we saw a beautiful Green Orthodox Church, a Russian Orthodox church with the onion tops, and lots of Greek restaurants and stores. (We found ourselves quoting from My Big Fat Greek Wedding...).
We thought about lunch, and we decided to head for Flushing's Chinatown--but how could we get there? Vernon remembered reading something about a bus, and he was right. (Thank you, MTA Trip Planner and my trusty iPhone!) We took the Q15 right to Main Street Flushing, and after a quick and slightly disappointing stop at the New World Mall for chicken wings, we dined at Spicy and Tasty on a side street. The restaurant is highly recommended, but we felt it had been oversold. The dan-dan noodles were just okay, the Double Sauteed Pork was a bit fatty (although the sauteed scallions were scrumptious), the dumplings were ordinary, and the broccoli with spicy chili peppers was not very spicy and a little too al dente. No matter...we had dessert to look forward to...and a trip to another borough!
We took the 7 and connected with the G, which took us near enough to Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, to get ice cream at Blue Marble. Yum!
Then, home to Manhattan...alas, no time to hit Staten Island and make it a 5-borough adventure...I was volunteering that night on the Audubon eco-cruise...Maybe next time!
