Over the years I’ve traveled to New York City many times but never the borough of Queens. In your head you have a mental picture of the NYC map as if Queens has a “hard” border but really it is just attached to Long Island which goes out to the East.
We met a friend in Queens and went to Bohemian Hall which is one of the best beer gardens in New York City. It is over 100 years old and was built by immigrants from Eastern Europe. We went straight outside since it was a beautiful day in 70 degree weather (one of the first nice days of the year in mid April) so I didn’t see the interior of the building.
It opened at noon and soon was full of young and trendy new York types – not the downtown all-in-black types, but the borough crowd that was forced out by incredibly high costs and also those with young children. We saw a lot of strollers and kids running around, it sort of reminded me of Wicker Park over the last few years.
We had lunch and it was a great platter. They also served beer by the pitcher that wasn’t the usual Bud / Miller corn water. All around a great time and highly recommended. It was only a $2.50 train ride from Manhattan and the walk from the train stop was only a few blocks.
This is a video of the beer hall in action. Now I can say that I’ve been to Queens!
Cross posted at LITGM
How strange. Those look like real people that close to NY City.
Reminds me of the Mannerchor garden, here in Southtown San Antonio – which was the hangout for the local German element, and which has the oldest 9-pin bowling alley in Texas.
Pictures here – http://www.satxproperty.com/blog/german-influence-in-south-texas-during-the-early-years/print.html
I’d eat there. The food looks good and it looks like a fun time. Nice to see.
Sgt. Mom, speaking of San Antonio and of authors- do you know David Liss?
Sorry, Gringo – don’t know him. I know a handful of other local authors, but most of them are indies, like me.
“sort of reminded me of Wicker Park over the last few years”
Carl, the real pioneers moved up the street to Old Irving, Portage Park, Jeff Park, etc into the bungalows.
I have to say, as an Ohio boy/Madison grad married to a Chicago gal, we’ve been living in Eastern Long Island for the last 13 years.
We’re Long Islanders now. We see the bridge.
If you look at a map, you won’t see any bridges between NYC and Nassau County. Nassau and Suffolk counties make up Long Island. Kings and Queens counties are the bouroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in NYC. Your map may make it appear that the four make a single land mass.
We see the bridge. When you drive from LI into the city, there is a bridge. Brooklyn and Queens are not on Long Island. We don’t care what your map says.
It’s a local cultural thing, but it is very real. You may have been to Queens, but you have not been to Long Island.
If you want a North Fork wine crawl I can make recommendations…
Just sharing a local prejudice I was astonished to pick up and embrace.
It’s funny how it’s the new money that revives and perpetuates those types of prejudices.
We travel from time to time to Westchester County to visit family and friends, and, while it’s not at the level of Suffolk County, I don’t find that thinking there about the Bronx. If anything it’s the opposite. People are trying to keep their ties to NYC. Although that could be because they’re big Yankees fans.
Been there numerous times. A nice place on a summer evening, with a few non-hipsters, no less. Probably would have visited more often but the lengthy subway ride from my part of Brooklyn, and the sheer numbers of places to set and quaff locally, I didn’t make it that often. I believe there were bands also, or perhaps it was a special event…plus, one can only take just so much Staropramen.
Grurray –
Oh, my “new money” (minus the money, oh well I can hope) prejudices go much further than that.
I also point out to Giants and Jets fans that the state of New York hosts only one football team, the Buffalo Bills.
The Giants and Jets play in New Meadowlands, New Jersey.
They hate it when you point that out.
I also cook them deep dish pizza.
When I bought my house, the realtor I purchased through left the _town_ she was born in once a year, she left Suffolk for Nassau once a decade or so. It is absolutely amazing how many people out here have never been to the city. Or seen the Statue of Liberty.
But the winters are lovely. Even this year, a coworker was commenting on how the snow didn’t actually melt before the next storm came by and said “This is like a Minnesota winter!” I just looked at her and said “Um, NO.”
– Mike