37th Ave Between 75th St and 77th St

   

After 450 posts covering blocks in Manhattan and Brooklyn, I finally managed to visit a few in Queens. Sorry Staten Island and The Bronx…you'll have to wait a bit longer. It's a common sentiment I'm sure, but the street numbering system in this borough is totally fubar'd. While similar to Manhattan in many ways, it lacks the simplicity of the numbered grid plan which makes its cousin so much easier to navigate. Instead you end up with streets with very similar names intersecting each other; forcing you to notice if it's an "avenue", a "street", or a "place". Plus, as someone who is far more used to Manhattan, something about "37th Avenue" just sounds wrong.

The neighborhood itself is incredible and bustling but not without its flaws. The vast majority of the stores are locally-owned and often feature signs in two or three languages. While a few blocks here and there may have a Chase bank or a Duane Reade, they're far outnumbered by the discount clothing stores and pharmacies.