Where: In a borough chock-full of neighborhoods, Flushing is the largest, ranging from the enormous Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to Utopia Parkway in Auburndale. To the north, it goes up to the Whitestone Expressway and Bayside Avenue, where College Point and Whitestone intersect. Kew Gardens Hills is to the south, separated by the LIE.
Commute: At Flushing Main Street, also thought of as the heart of downtown Flushing, the #7 subway train is a quick 30-minute trip to midtown Manhattan. The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) Flushing stop along the Port Washington line is also a quick trip to either the city or to Long Island. The Q 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20A, 20B, 25, 27, 34, 44, 48, 65, 66 and QB 1 also serve the neighborhood. The QM 2 runs express into the city as well.
In the well-to-do North Flushing area, the Broadway LIRR station also heads into Manhattan. Via car, the Whitestone Expressway connects Flushing to the Bronx, south to the Van Wyck Expressway or to JFK Airport, and to the Grand Central Parkway and LaGuardia Airport.
What you’ll find: Flushing is known for being home to the second largest Chinatown in New York City along Main Street, where there’s everything from McDonald’s to plentiful Asian restaurants and street vendors. The shopping hub includes mini-malls, mainstream stores like Old Navy, herbal medicine shops, Chinese bookstores, grocery shops and music stores that have the latest hits from Asia.
Then there is Flushing Town Hall, located at 137th Street and Northern Boulevard, which is a great place for local art and music. Its Art Gallery stages exhibits throughout the year, often featuring local Queens and New York artists. They also host live jazz concerts and cabaret performances and offer Saturday-morning art workshops for children. In addition, there is the abundance of parks in the area such as Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a neighbor of Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets, and the U.S. National Tennis Center, and other picturesque parks such as Kissena Park, Bowne Park and the Queens Botanical Garden.
Neighborhood Life: A few years ago, downtown Flushing was spiraling downward. Crime was up and the area was downtrodden. But money was invested, led by the Flushing Business Improvement District (BID). New restaurants, banks and stores were created, older establishments made a huge effort to clean up their image, and now downtown Flushing is on the upswing.
Housing: Prices in Flushing are at an all-time high, especially to the north where most single-family homes begin at $800,000 and go up as high as $1.5 million. Even in downtown Flushing, where there are more co-ops, condos and high-rise buildings, the average single family home sells for $600,000.
Schools: An abundance of schools are nearby, like John Bowne High School, Robert F. Kennedy High School, Francis Lewis High School, Flushing High School, and Townsend Harris High School along with Queens College, one of the most highly-respected institutions of higher learning in the tri-state area, and a great selection of elementary and junior high schools such as St. Andrew’s and St. Mel’s Catholic Schools along with P.S. 20, 21, 22, 24 and 32 and many more.
