A Free Ride For Queens Culture

Queens has art, theater, architecture, fabulous green space and music. As the most culturally diverse county in the nation, it has cuisine from fried plantains to humus to dim sum.
And now, through the efforts of a consortium of cultural institutions, community groups and government agencies, discovering these landmarks and treasures has never been easier.
May 12 marked the official champagne send-off of the Queens Culture Trolley, which offers free transportation service to the boroughs major attractions, every weekend from noon to 5 p.m.
At the launch, Tom Finkelpearl, executive director of the Queens Museum of Art, noted that while Queens is rich in culture, its not always easy to navigate.
"We know that Queens is a really great place," he said. "We know how to get to the restaurants, we know how to get to the shopping areas, but if youre not from Queens, it can be really tough to get around. That is one of the basic ideas behind this trolley. It takes you by the hand and brings you to all those wonderful places."
The service, which unofficially began about a month and a half ago and is maintained by the Parks Department, runs in a free loop from the Queens Museum of Art to other stops in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, including the New York Hall of Science and the Queens Zoo. From there, riders can take the trolley to the Queens Botanical Gardens, the Louis Armstrong House and historic Jackson Heights. It also offers access to the culinary delights of Northern Boulevards restaurant row and shopping at both 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue.
Riders can take the trolley to an attraction, get off and tour and then take the next trolley back to the park or to another attraction.
"The basic message is that people can come to the park and can get on the trolley for free to be taken through the borough to many of the local cultural institutions," said Finkelpearl.
Borough President Helen Marshall, who called the trolley "a wonderful way of moving around the borough," stated that one of her most important duties as borough president has been promoting tourism.
"I never realized that it would flourish as much as it has," she said. "This trolley is going to bring even more people to our cultural institutions."
According to Finkelpearl, the trolley basically advertises itself. "It has the magic word on it," he said. "It says free."
There are, of course, brochures, but the most important factor in getting people on the trolley is the business partnerships that have developed with restaurants like Jackson Diner and La Pequena Colombia. The stops themselves provide advertising.
"Its a round trip," said Finkelpearl. "Its not just museum visitors visiting the community, its members of the community taking the trolley from their neighborhoods and the subways to the park and other areas."
A secondary goal of running the cultural circuit is to promote the idea that people can visit the world by coming to Queens.
As the signs begin to go up around the borough and interest grows, the trolley will help residents and newcomers alike explore and enjoy.
"With what is going on in the world right now, its really incredible to be living and working in a place where people from different cultures get along with each other like they do in Queens," said Finkelpearl.