Flushing Meadows Corona Park—covered in snow

Over the 3-day Presidents Day Weekend, I was hoping to go somewhere new or different since I had the extra time off work. When I woke up that Monday morning and looked out my window to see a fresh layer of snow on the ground, I decided that after completing some chores, like doing laundry and getting lunch, I'd venture out to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Flushing, Queens, to see the Unisphere and its surrounding 'meadows' blanketed in a light sheet of snow. I'd seen this place before, but I knew I wanted to see it again in the snow. It was either that or Coney Island, and I didn't really feel like going to the beach...

While there, I planned to visit the Queens Museum of Art for the first time to finally see the New York City Panorama—and I did! See next post for pictures...

The 2010 ING NYC Marathon

Sunday, November 7th was a fun day. Like Christmas. I woke up early and turned on the TV to watch the INC NYC Marathon playing live on channel 4. Then I left my apartment, got on the subway and made my way out to Long Island City to see it in person.

Two years ago I watched the marathon from the sidelines of Central Park West, 59th Street and Columbus Circle. The 2008 marathon was my first taste of a national running event and my first time learning about such an event in which runners begin in Staten Island and make their way across the five boroughs of New York City, toward the finish line in Manhattan's Central Park. Along the 26.2 miles that they run, participants get a chance to see so much of the city, which is great for the out-of-towners. From the views while running over the Queens borough Bridge around Mile 18, to the adrenaline kick from the cheering crowds as they enter 1st Avenue in Manhattan, to the relief when they make it to the scenic home stretch in Central Park, I'm sure it is an inspiring event, and as I Still Heart New York puts it, a very competitive event to get into.

My participation in the event was all about handing out free bananas to the runners around Mile 17 as they passed the Citibank building in Long Island City, and just before they get to the Queens borough Bridge. Agent J and I set aside our cameras for most of the day while we passed out around 150 bananas, claiming all the while, "Let's buy more next year!"











And from my friend Joseph's flickr photostream:


Another banana shot! At first people weren't taking them,
so we moved to various spots along them mile until we
could get a crowd interested in taking some!

The Amazing Maize Maze in Queens

So after traveling East on the BQE and LIE, we ended up in Floral Park, Queens, to attend the Amazing Maize Maze at the Queens County Farm Museum. We had to sign up and get a wristband to enter the 3-acre corn maze, where we were greeted by a volunteer among the tall stalks. He described to us rules of the scavenger hunt—to look for clues and puzzle pieces in order to complete the maze. We were also instructed to carry tall flag poles for them to spot us with in case we got lost, and to use code words when asking for clues on how to find our way out.

It was a very scenic adventure!

Learning the rules of the maze

We begin the corn maze!

Volunteers up on a viewing deck that helped to give out clues

 

Mailboxes with puzzle pieces

Signs with clues

The last leg of the maze - another viewing deck where the DJ stood

The view from the deck, of the 3-acres of corn stalks

After the maze, we took a look at the farm animals

pigs mixed in with sheep

llamas

A pumpkin patch!

This event will be going on every Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm through November 7th, 2010.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Ever since last summer I've been meaning to get out to Flushing Meadows to visit the park and see the famous Unisphere and Pavillion from where the 1964 World's Fair took place. But it rained almost every day last summer so it wasn't ideal for sight-seeing.

This summer the weather's been great but it's been so hot—too hot for outdoor adventures. So I waited until it cooled down over Labor Day weekend and fit in some kayaking, picnicking in Central Park and a visit to this unique place located in Queens.

Joseph from I Still Heart New York and I took the 7 train out to Mets-Willett Point where the old Shea Stadium used to be and where the US Open is taking place (nearby at the USTA Tennis Center) [sorry if I got any of that wrong. I don't know much about tennis or football].

I got a nice tour of the grounds, including a walk over Amphitheater Bridge out to Meadow Lake and past Queens Theater and the new skating park.

Best of all, I finally got to see the giant globe of the Earth that can be spotted in many movies and TV shows (think King of Queens), and even from the sky...

The Unisphere


The observation towers, which were used in the Men In Black movie!


The Pavillion

The Unisphere again

Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens

At the time there was just one week left of the Play Me, I'm Yours piano installation throughout the city, so I went to Long Island City's Gantry State Park to listen to the music, observe the public and get a good view of the city from across the East River—all in one!


So while I was out there I spent a good couple of hours taking pictures and baking in the sun, enjoying the view of the blue-hued Manhattan skyline that stretched in front of me.


View of the Manhattan skyline with the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and United Nations.

The Pepsi Cola sign, which residents of Queen and Long Island City view as "aloC espeP" since it faces away from them and toward Manhattan.

Two famous buildings from a distance

From Queens you can sometimes see two of our city's most famous skyscrapers - The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building. Whether it's dark or bright, day or night, you can see their pointy tops beyond the few tall buildings and water towers in Long Island City.

It's always nice to be on the subway and look out the windows or across the platform to see amazing sights like these. I hope that everyday commuters take a moment every now and then to enjoy the unique and bold sights and sounds that we have all around us from whatever point in New York City we might be in - Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, The Bronx or Manhattan.

View of The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building from Queens borough Plaza

The MoMA in Queens

There's a MoMA in Queens! I didn't realize that until now. The venue is called: P.S. 1 MoMA: Contemporary Arts Center.




I've been reading about this awesome installation by Leandro Erlich titled Swimming Pool and was unsure of the piece's ending date (March 09? October 09?) so I rushed over there on Sunday afternoon to check it out and see for myself what it would be like to stand inside of a swimming pool, fully clothed and camera equipped.

Erlich's installation is a full size swimming pool that is actually empty except for a few inches of water on the surface that lie above a full length piece of acryllic. You can enter inside the empty pool by taking the stairs underneath the deck, through a hallway and then into a small entrance way, and look up at the visitors above as they look down at you, standing inside a pool, unwet!