Street Signs of Flushing, New York
A tour of the street signs of Flushing
Flushing, New York (in the borough of Queens) has an impressive downtown Chinatown area. To a native New Yorker, it may appear more like a neighborhood in Hong Kong than one in New York City. It is the second largest Chinatown in New York, next to the one in Manhattan.
I grew up in Queens, not far from Flushing, and used to take the bus there from Bayside as a teen to shop at retail stores that no longer exist in an area that was then dominated by Greek, Jewish and Italian storekeepers.
The face of Flushing has changed, becoming both more diverse and more densely populated, primarily due to an influx of immigrants from China and Korea. Large condo residences and vertical malls are popping up on every vacant lot in between small shops selling Bubble Tea, Chinese pastries and herbal remedies.
A mecca for foodies, the area is filled not only with a variety of authentic Chinese restaurants but also ones serving Korean, Malaysian, and fusion cuisines. The main reason for our visit today, like many visitors, was for great Dim Sum. My son and a friend had eaten at the Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant and recommended it highly.
This experience to a once familiar place (less than an hour away from home) made us feel like we had traveled to another country without the hassle of missed flights or lost bags. Walking around the neighborhood, we couldn’t help but notice how the street signs of Flushing (some of them quirky) conveyed a feeling for the rich character, culture and charm of this unique neighborhood, as seen through my own camera lens.:-)
By the way, the Dim Sum was awesome, too.
Moral of the Story: Intriguing travel experiences can often be found close to home.
This story is linked to Travel Photo Mondays.
Re: The signs in Flushing
By the way, a few years back, there was a great deal of political controversy about whether first responders (police, fire and other emergency personnel) would be able to find businesses in Flushing because so much of the signage was in Chinese characters. Since that time, most signs are also translated into English.
