Walking Through Queens

Queens is supposedly the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. and well it could be. Originally established by Dutch Colonials, it was and continues to be settled by new citizens coming to America who choose to live near their point of entry into the country for convenience and money reasons. Many find that they love the area and stay here, adding to the rich cultural life of this community. Queens, the city's largest borough, contains Little Jamaica with its heavily Latin, Caribbean and African population, Flushing's Asian population and Astoria's heavily Near Eastern populations. Steinway & Sons was located here and contributed enormously to the burrough's growth and prosperity. Quakers and idealists located here, too, fighting to establish communities that were free of any persecution and that lived lives dedicated to peace and harmony. The old buildings in Queens attest to the historical wealth of it progress through time, its struggles and its achievements.

http://www.newroticnewyorkcitytours.com/
Now here's a tour after my own heart, or, should I say, after my own stomach! These New York tours are truly off the beaten path of the usual bus tours for visitors. They focus on the out of the way, the peculiar, the distinctive places and people that make New York one of the most interesting and nutty places on earth. They focus on the history, the demographics, the cuisine and the neurosis that makes this city very special. These tours take visitors shopping in local markets and dining at local ethnic restaurants no other tour would ever even touch. The real heart of Queens is the focus of this tour. As described in the web site the tour is an immersion into"the socialogical smorgasbord and human buffet New York is famous for." Their Queens tour takes visitors into the heart of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. Included in this smorgesbord of delightful sights and tastes is descriptive information about three centuries of religious architecture here, ethnic supermarkets, a ride on the #7 International Express train, and the home of Louis Armstrong. Visit a huge movie studio and Roosevelt Island for vantage points of Manhattan and its surrounding islands not available on other tours. And listen, folks, these tours are absolutely guaranteed to please or you pay not one red cent.
Marc Preven
NEWrotic New York City Tours
70-25 Yellowstone Blvd., #5K
Forest Hills, NY 11375
Telephone: (718) 575-8451

The Queens Historical Society has sponsored some video walking tours that explore in depth the interesting history of the Queens area. Channel 13 has broadcast these videos and they are now available to the general public.
Kingsland Homestead,
Weeping Beech Park,
143-35 37th Avenue,
Flushing, 11354,
718-939-0647, x17
http://www.thirteen.org/queens/about.html
This video tour is available for purchase by donations of $75 to the channel 13 news program, which is accessible from a link to the right of the home page of the site. It is just one of a series of nine walking tours of the entire New York City area. It would probably be worth a purchase by anyone wanting to learn about the city and especially history buffs, who could add it to their libraries.

http://queens.about.com/od/neighborhoodtours/a/queens_tours.htm
This site offers several very interesting walking tours of Queens and I honestly am getting hungry as I write this. The diversity of this place is astounding and I can only imagine how incredible the aromas of exotic curries, Asian barbecues, Irish stews and steaming noodles all blending together would slay even the staunchest of dieters. Just click on their self-guided tours suggested and see what's in store as visitors board the # 7 train and take the time to shop and eat at some of the many ethnic neighborhood restaurants and stores along the way.