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Queens Belongs To The Tourists Now
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 26, 2015
Modified Aug 26, 2015
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Scott Lynch/Gothamist
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 26, 2015
Modified Aug 26, 2015
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With Brooklyn safely in ruins, it appears both real estate agents and tourists have turned their attention to Queens, a borough that does not yet have a bespoke hat shop but just you wait!
The Times reports that tourists are flocking to Queens in selfie stick-toting droves, drawn to the wildlife, cultural institutions like MoMA PS1, and the Queens Museum, in addition to Citi Field, where a sports team is reportedly gearing up to disappoint the masses.
Queens's fame has spread far and wide: "She said, ‘I’m so excited to see Long Island City. Everybody in Paris is talking about Long Island City.’ And I said, ‘Really?’ ” Rob MacKay, director of public relations, marketing and tourism for the Queens Economic Development Corporation, told the Times, regarding a French tourist he spoke with recently.. “She said, ‘Can you take me to Sweetleaf? I said, ‘Sweetleaf?’ She said, ‘Yes! Everybody in Paris is talking about Sweetleaf!’ ”
The city's tourism marketing agency, NYC & Company, found a 12 percent uptick in Queens visitors from 2012 to 2013, a spike higher than those found in more popular Brooklyn and Manhattan. Hotels are being built, dumpling shops are being feted by travel books, and museums are selling more and more admission tickets as out-of-towners make their way to a once more-or-less ignored borough.
Not that this is the first time we're hearing of Queens's tourist allure. In December, Lonely Planet declared it the #1 spot to visit in the U.S., having apparently never dealt with the 7 train on a weekend. Of course, now that the Times has given Queens a gilded crown, we can expect Whole Foods to move into Elmhurst tout suite—but don't worry, Queens residents, it's only a matter of time until the Reef sandal-bedecked crowds make their way to Staten Island.
Tagged
queens
real estate
tourism
Rebecca Fishbein
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