Flushing, Queens: What to See, Eat and Do

Flushing is considered the real Chinatown (40% of its residents are of Asian descent). So if you're after authentic Chinese food, you need to visit this Queens neighborhood.

Here's what you shouldn't miss in Flushing.

1. Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the neighborhood's biggest attraction, basically the Central Park of Queens.

It packs in plenty of landmarks and city icons, like the Unisphere, that huge globe that welcomed visitors to the World's Fair held in New York back in the sixties.

Another busy spot is Citi Field Stadium, the new home of the New York Mets, located inside the park.

2. Queens Museum of Art

The Queens Museum of Art, also in the park, draws crowds who come to see an enormous scale model of New York (the Panorama).

The Panorama is a highly detailed scale model, designed by urban planner Robert Moses for the New York City pavilion at the 1964/1965 World's Fair. It was also widely used for city planning.

3. The US Open

Every year, between the last week of August and the first week of September, the US Open tennis tournament takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

This sports complex is also located in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens (a park with a lot to offer, as you can see).

They say it's the second largest tennis complex in the world, with 3 stadiums and 18 outdoor courts.

Read more about how to go to a US Open match.

4. The Real Chinatown in Flushing

Plenty of New Yorkers head to Flushing's Chinatown for more authentic Asian dishes at much better prices.

The heart of the neighborhood is the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

The easiest way to get there is to hop on the 7 train and ride it to the last stop, which drops you right on Main Street.

5. Louis Armstrong House

African American jazz musicians came to Queens fleeing racial segregation in the American South.

That's how figures like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald made Queens their home, turning it into a major jazz epicenter.

You can visit Louis Armstrong's house in New York, now a museum. If you're a jazz lover, it's a visit you'll enjoy.

Flushing in Pop Culture

TV fans will surely remember that Flushing is the Nanny's neighborhood: «the flashy girl from Flushing, the Nanny named Fran» (here's the video with the full song).

The sitcom also shows that Flushing is home to a sizable Jewish community.

Contrasts of New York Tour

Taking the Contrasts of New York tour is really handy if you're short on time and want to see the main sights of Flushing along with other great neighborhoods outside Manhattan.

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How to get there

7 train. Flushing-Main St station

Map