78th St Between 37th Ave and Roosevelt Ave

   

This typically-quiet residential block was bustling with activity when I walked down it thanks to a Saturday flea market that was being run in a school parking lot. With the elevated 7 line sitting off in the distance and the block being filled with 2 and 3-story buildings, there's no mistaking that you're in queens.

82nd St Between Roosevelt Ave and 37th Ave

   

On Tuesday we took a walk down 74th Street in Jackson Heights and I noted the influence Indian culture had on the block. Just one Subway stop to the east  the layout of the block remains strikingly similar, but the culture changes are drastic. While not strictly defined by one country or group, you're definitely likely to see more bilingual Spanish signs here than back on 74th. There are also more chain stores than I saw on the previous block…Perfumania, Chase, Bank of America, Petland Discounts and others all sit alongside no-name retailers.

Throughout the entire length, the street does this strange, undulating thing in which the sidewalk gets wider and thinner at different parts. It seems this is done to accommodate parking, but the result is just something where I have more opportunities to fall off the curb when I'm not paying attention.

74th St Between Roosevelt Ave and 37th Ave

   

Representing one of countless culturally-rich blocks in Jackson Heights, this segment of 74th Street is overflowing with the smells and sights of India. Colorful and vibrant, every inch of the street is blanketed with people, shops and cars. And while there are certainly more crowded blocks throughout the city, this one gets a strong boost from the huge Subway station on Roosevelt Avenue (serving the 7, E, F, V and R trains).

With hardly a new building in sight, pretty much everything here is crammed into converted storefronts and upstairs boutiques. You're not liable to find many chain stores, but despite that, you could still probably buy everything you'd ever need right here.

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.