Putting aside my cave dwelling ways I ventured forth on the #7 train to it final destination in Queens. Flushing, Main Street was at one time a traditional Main Street filled with small stores, coffee shops and with houses and apartments surrounding its edges. Its history is long; Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, 10 miles (16 km) east of Manhattan. In the last few years the Asian population has taken over the main strip and its burst into a bustling thoroughfare of mini malls, interesting food marts that sell things I cannot identify.
You may scoff at my 20 minute ride if you are used to foreign traveling taking you far and wide. However, it requires the rigors of an athlete to maneuver Flushing’s busy streets of people, families, baby carriages, wheel chairs and delivery people bringing food to the less hearty. There was one morning, standing on a street corner, a large truck pulled up with fish still jumping in its back and flashing in the morning sun. One, attempting escape, landed at my feet, flopping towards certain freedom down the sewer drain. Unfortunately, it was scooped up and thrown back into the truck.
Today, armed with an Ikea catalog for the ride, I arrived at my destination to find several new shops, as well as, two new malls had opened up adding more foot traffic to the already busy streets. I visited the newest and smaller mall on Roosevelt Avenue, where the first floor held a most amazing grocery store. Then upstairs to the second floor where smaller shops snaked around the edges. I came across a large wall of glass and from there I took this photo of Main Street. I should have taken some video because it was the loudest place I had ever visited. On the top floor there was the Grand Restaurant that seemed to hold an enormous amount of gold and crystal dangling from its ceiling.
From there I walked towards Citi Fields, past the line of last stop buses to the new mall. It was a big mall with a Best Buy, Target, Marshall’s, Bath, Bed and Beyond, plus much more. I got lost with a couple of guys trying to find the rest rooms, but did find another enormous Asian market that bears a visit at another time. I walked miles for the consumption of goods. Miles. Miles. My feet burned. But you will be happy to know I know have two new bras and two new lamps. So I will be both well lifted and brightly lit.
Today I strove to have a mini adventure. And I did. I dove into the crowds, peering, sniffing and touching things that had no name for me. I walked towards an uncertain destination to find a mall of gargantuan proportions with people eager to buy. The country may have lost its triple a rating, but capitalism was not dead.
Down the block stands the church where Francis Lewis once worshiped back when Flushing was Dutch farmland and full of possibility. Would those early settlers be pleased? Would they celebrate the country they helped build could now allow a whole new set of immigrants to leave their mark on Flushing? I hope so.
My adventure was small, but I walked the path of history to my own possible future.