Of all the neighborhoods, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park may be one of the most surprising places to see in New York. And there are a ton of interesting things to do in Flushing. It is home to sports fields, playgrounds, the Queens Zoo(opens in a new tab), the Queens Night Market, and it even hosts the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival(opens in a new tab). Here are our top three reasons to visit Flushing Meadows-Corona Park!
The Unisphere
Easily one of the most recognizable sites in Queens, the Unisphere(opens in a new tab), created for the 1964 World’s Fair, is a giant globe standing 140 feet high. It was dedicated to “Man’s Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe.” The three rings encompassing the structure are believed to represent the paths of Yuri Gagarin (the first man in space), John Glenn (the first American to orbit the earth), and Telstar (the first active communications satellite). The Unisphere has become a bit of a movie star, having been featured in movies such as “Person of Interest,” “Black Rain,” and “Men in Black.”
Queens Museum
The Queens Museum(opens in a new tab) is one of New York City’s hidden gems! Home to the “Panorama of New York City” this room-sized scale model of NYC was built to celebrate the city’s municipal infrastructure created by former NYC Planning commissioner Robert Moses. Like the Unisphere, it was created for the 1964 World’s Fair.
In addition to the panorama, the Queens Museum’s permanent collection contains works by Salvador Dali, Mark Dion, as well as a large collection of Tiffany glass.
Citi Field
In 2009, Citi Field(opens in a new tab) replaced Shea Stadium as the Met’s home field. (If you really want to see New York passion, ask a local whether they prefer the Mets or the Yankees!)
While the whole of New York City is linked by 2,027 bridges, and the Mets themselves are a historical “bridge” to the city’s past baseball teams: the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. Accordingly, Citi Field’s architecture also features an impressive bridge motif to pay homage to those two aspects. Citi Field offers a wide variety of tours where you can learn more about the stadium’s history. If you’re feeling romantic, they even offer customized packages for proposing to your loved one on the field!