Queen of Queens

Lonely, unemployed and bored last Friday, I set out on a mission to have the most culturally enriching and fun Friday for the least amount of money. As had my recession breakfast banana and coffee, I decided an adventure was in order. Something raw, something exotic, something cheap… I know, Queens!

At Grand Central, I took the 7 train to Flushing/Main Street where my journey began. It was sunshiny (hence the motivation), so I walked the 8 blocks to the Queens Botanical Garden. If you’re not so lucky, or plain lazy, you can take the Q44 or Q20 and be there in about 5 minutes. Admission is free every day of the week, but I donated a humbling $2. Inside I found and enjoyed a full hour and half wandering around before my stomach started to grumble.

I heard that Main Street, Flushing is home to a variety of food snacky food stands, the best being the Peking Duck Sandwich Stall.  I made my way to Main Street and 40th and stood in the queue outside the “stall.” Just call me Anthony Bourdain because this was straight up an episode of No Reservations. For just one dolla dolla bill y’all you get a duckwich, which was closer to a duck taco. But perspective here people: This isn’t TAO. This is the Peking Duck Sandwich Stall in Queens, and it’s $1. But honestly, the Peking duck was crisp and the scallions were fresh. The hoison sauce was a little heavy, but the bun/taco bread tasted deliciously sweat and fluffy.

Neighboring the Peking Duck Sandwich Stall (I love saying that) are lamb skewers and Vietnamese sandwiches, but a girl can’t be poor and overweight. So I passed on the savory smelling kebabs and decided to feed my mind instead. If Queens is cultural epicenter of the city, then the Queens Borough Library is it’s temple. The library’s 3rd floor houses the International Resource Center where you’ll find special collections such as Han Collection on Chinese Culture, Window on Dynamic Korea, and my personal favorite, Window on Shanghai. The main collection contains books, magazines, CDs, online databases, UN documents and treaties, international business resources and of course, travel information galore.

After reading an hour on the history of Peking Duck, I stumbled out bewildered and promising the librarian I’d return on a gloomier day. When I looked down at my watch it was after four, and I still had to hit the gym before Craft’s Damon: Frugal Fridays dinner. I boarded the 7 back to Grand Central feeling a culturally superior sense of snobbery one would only expect of…well, her majesty.

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Posted by Emma Dinzebach at 06:01 PM
bargain news , Restaurants |