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Published at 1:48pm
Published on 7/24/08
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Having moved just one week earlier from the East Village to Williamsburg, the last thing I needed to do was move again, even for a weekend. And Queens? That borough had already caused the demise of one of my relationships, and besides P.S.1 and the Bohemian Beer Garden, it never felt to me like a place to find a vital New York experience.
Fortunately, Forest Hills is only 20 minutes away from Lexington Avenue, via the E train. Unfortunately, I’m coming from Metropolitan Avenue and Lorimer Street by way of the G (and two transfers), a 45-minute ride. When I finally get outside, I feel the whoosh of traffic on Queens Boulevard (still referred to as the “Boulevard of Death”) and spot an ugly, gigantic Sam Ash store. I feel like I’ve stepped into the world’s most hideous outdoor mall. An outdoor mall with speeding cars.
Yet things improve when I reach the home of my hosts, Steve and Melissa. I discovered the couple through Steve’s blog (backburner.wordpress.com), which featured a witty, defensive commentary on the neighborhood. Stepping inside their two-bedroom co-op, I feel a new, very non-NYC word coming out of my mouth. And that word is spacious.
“I looked at Craigslist before we moved here, and I could only find one place with this price tag in Carroll Gardens,” says Steve, who scored the place for $275,000. “And it was puny.”
Steve and Melissa end up being the perfect tour guides (and not just because he wrote the Forest Hills entry in Wikipedia). Steve has a repository of trivia about the area—“Ray Romano attended that school! Stan Lee grew up near here! Only one person has died in the last five years on Queens Boulevard!” And, as people in their late twenties with decent but not paycheck-bursting jobs, the couple consider themselves typical New Yorkers. Which is exactly the reason they came to Forest Hills.
“We didn’t feel the need to be ‘awesome,’ ” explains Melissa as we make our way to [1]Q Thai Bistro (108-25 Ascan Ave between Austin and Burns Sts, 718-261-6599). “We have room here, it’s affordable, and there are good places to eat.” That includes the numerous Thai restaurants that dot the area. With local artwork, Christmas lights and a giant Twister mat adorning the wall, Q is certainly trying for something…unique. Thankfully, dishes such as the nostril-clearing Chicken Gang Ped ($20) make up for the room’s rather arbitrary decoration.
Down the adjoining Austin Street (Steve: “You’ll recognize this street from Spider-Man!”), we pass numerous chain stores, including [2]Victoria’s Secret, [3]Ann Taylor and [4]Nine West. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; as a shopping area, Forest Hills doesn’t come off as much different than a decent mall or midtown.
Where the area does start to differ is Station Square, the European-styled space surrounding the LIRR station. With its brick roads and Tudor architecture, the area resembles Copenhagen more than its outer-borough neighbors. (A hike away, Forest Hills Gardens is classy too—and if you’re there, have a malted at [5]Eddie’s Sweet Shop, 105-29 Metropolitan Ave at 72nd Rd, 718-520-8514.)
Looking for a younger crowd after hours, Steve suggests we try the pun-tastic [6]5 Burro Café (72-05 Austin St between 72nd Ave and 72nd Rd, 718-544-2984), an unassuming Mexican restaurant that develops a late-night bar scene after the kitchen closes. Good call: With Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights blasting overhead and $8 frozen margaritas (with a free toy!) in hand, I strike up a friendship with excitable bartender Jon Eric. “After a long night of drinking, I’ve woken up once in Florida and twice with a Mohawk,” he tells us, laying down a round of free tequila shots. We can see why.
The next morning, I head out for a newspaper, a bagel and some decent coffee. Fortunately, [7]Hot Bialys (116-63 Queens Blvd at 78th Ave, 718-544-0900) fulfills all three requirements, with the best $1 coffee I’ve had in…well, I haven’t had $1 coffee in a while.
In daylight, some of the charms of the neighborhood are more apparent; walking a block or two off the main shopping strips takes me to a more residential area, full of large gardens and quiet apartment complexes, not unlike Carroll Gardens or other parts of Brooklyn.
But the shopping and food options remain concentrated around Queens Boulevard and Austin Street. The bountiful fruits and veggies, gourmet cheese selection and wide aisles at [8]Natural Fruit and Vegetable (72-56 Austin St at Ascan Ave, 718-268-4477) make Manhattan blush. Also impressive: [9]Soleil (71-43 Austin St between 72nd Ave and 71st Rd, 718-520-8419), a former candle shop that’s recently expanded into half art exhibit, half Crate & Barrel.
Obviously, Forest Hills has the basics covered—and even makes for a fun night out. The suburban side of the area provides a nice feeling of safety and quiet respite. My talk with Jacques Ambron at [10]Madeline Realty (108-23 Ascan Ave between Austin and Burns Sts, 718-520-0303) made it sound even sweeter. According to him, a nice one-bedroom on Austin Street could go for as little as $275,000. “We do have a strong mix of people coming in who wanted to live in Manhattan but couldn’t,” he says. It’s exactly what I heard about Williamsburg ten years ago, when I was looking for a cheap yet up-and-coming place to live. I didn’t bite then, and if history holds true, I’ll be getting my man with a van up in the FH around 2016.
Click here to for a list of hot shops in this and other neighborhoods in Queens.
The stats
Average rent: A studio rental goes for $1,000 a month and a one-bedroom from $1,350 to $1,600. For a one-bedroom co-op to own, you’ll pay $275,000. Commute: It’s 20 minutes on the E train to 53rd St and Lexington Community: Long known as a Jewish ’hood, Forest Hills has recently attracted Asian-American families, too.
