I know it's too late to get input on where to stay in New York while I'm there in May because I already booked it a while ago... but what can you tell me about Long Island City? Does anyone know what the area is like?

We're actually staying at the La Quinta inn on Queens Blvd. We picked it because

1. we were tired of trying to figure out where to stay and couldn't really agree on much!

2. I don't think it's really much of an expensive tourist area

3.the price was within our range

4. it's not too far from the surrounding areas we want to visit. Not too many miles away from the city either!

So if anyone has input or info on that area, let me know. And what is the nearest/closest subway near there?

Thanks ahead of time for any kind of input!

That's my zone.

You actually aren't in Long Island City, you're in Sunnyside by my count. It's not the most visually attractive part of Queens nor the most lively, but there's interesting things around there and it's easy to get to.

Your subway stop is 40th Street on the #7 train. The 7 is the most frequent train in the city, so it'll be very, very easy to get to and from Manhattan. One thing to watch out for is when leaving Manhattan, get on a LOCAL train, not an EXPRESS train, because the expresses skip that stop.

The stretch of Queens Boulevard right near your hotel has some interesting ethnic restaurants and coffee spots. There's a good Turkish restaurant at 40th Street. Chips, a nouveau-Mexican place I really like, is between 42nd and 43rd, along with some Irish pubs with actual Irish people. There's a new coffee shop around 44th Street. (Most of the action is between 39th and 47th Streets, so walk downstream, not up.)

Here's a recent article on Sunnyside:

[travel.nytimes.com]

From Sunnyside, it's very easy to get to the PS1 contemporary art museum in Long Island City, to Grand Central Station, or to the ethnic haunts in Woodside, Jackson Heights and Flushing. Ask me if you want to know more.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2007 03:35PM by askanewyorker.

Red Rocks...a great place to see a concert too
Indeed Mr Red hits it right on...we live on 46th
Street aka Bliss Street in Sunnyside just two stops
from La Quinta. As you will see the subway you'll be
taking is an elevated rail, a gorgous archetectual
wonder with a surprise feature. It's like a canyon
underneath. The echo is mind boggling. Say, "hello'
and hear yourself at least 5 times repeating,
repeating....yesterday a trumpet player gave a concert
at 46th st. The acoustics where perfect. Bliss
restaurant is on 46th street two blocks off Queens
Blvd. It has a great back garden the the food very
good $12 -$18 entrees. Sunnyside Gardens are here too
which is a very quaint tree lined neighborhood.

[www.zwire.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2007 03:36PM by askanewyorker.

OMG that is some GREAT advice. So you would recommend taking the 7 from 40th street rather than from 33rd street? Why is that? Is it the walking distance?

Thanks for the recommendations on the eats! All the places sound delightful!

Thank you for the articles as well.

Walking from 33rd-37th you're walking through kind of a bleak semi-industrial area marked by drive-up banks and gas stations. From 37th-40th you're in more residential and business Sunnyside with ethnic restaurants and the beginning of some street life. In other words, the walk to/from 40th is much more pleasant and friendly and interesting, and slightly shorter too. You'll see when you pass by on the train.

Wow!

Thanks for the info on the neighborhood. We are staying in the same hotel in mid-June. I really appreciate the tip on the trains from Manhattan. Nothing worse than watching your stop go by at high speed. From what I've read, the 7 train is only 2 blocks? True?

Also, wondering how close I am to the Assembly Hall on Greenpoint Ave.

Bringing teenagers, how safe at night? We have some late plans in the city and won't get back to hotel until late. Safe walk from #7?

Thanks for all your input, I was raised in Bayside and Melville, but I don't know this area very well.

Deb

Yeah, the #7 at 40th Street is only two blocks away. The stops aren't that far apart over there.

It's safe at night towards the 40th Street direction, but the area down back near the 33rd Street stop creeps me out a little because it's deserted and non residential. I've often gone to restaurants for dinner around the 40th Street stop, and there's a movie theater at 42nd Street, so there are people on the street up there. The #7 really does run 24 hours. And if you're really tired, you're VERY close to the midtown tunnel - so call it a $10-15 taxi ride from midtown.

I have never heard of an "assembly hall" on Greenpoint Avenue, so I had to Google it.Looks like it's on 44th Street just south of Queens Boulevard. So that's only, like, six or seven blocks from the hotel, and it's in the "nice" direction. VERY convenient.

Thanks Red.

Hope you don't mind if we pick your brain a bit more over the next few weeks. We'll be in town less than a week, all the info we can get the better.

Debbie

I'm here for ya, Debbie.

Red Rocks, nice pun KM

Rockin' Red, are there any B&B's in that area?

Long Island City and Sunnyside have changed quite a bit since this thread was going, in 2007! Long Island City is full of fun places to visit, lots of good restaurants and such. We tried one called El Ay Si not too long ago and loved it.47-38 vernon blvd, 7 train to vernon jackson.

Long Island City is a great neighborhood to stay in if you are visiting, so is Sunnyside.
For lunch in Long Island City try Brooks Restaurant at 2428 Jackson Ave.
there are tons of bars and restaurants and good things to do, and it is very close to Manhattan.