New York City Flushing

Queens Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows/Corona Park (www.queensmuseum.org), The Queens Museum of Art presents an unlikely marriage of exhibitions by contemporary artists and memorabilia from the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World's Fair. The star attraction is a 1:1200 (1 in.=100 mi.) scale model of New York City created for the 1964-65 World's Fair by Robert Moses and Raymond Lester. Viewers originally enjoyed the panorama from a simulated “helicopter ride” within an enclosed balcony above the model. Binoculars are available at the gift shop so that you can find your favorite street or building. Suggested donation $5, students and seniors $2.50, ages under 5 free. Open W-Su noon-6pm, tours Su 2, 3 and 4pm. Wheelchair access.
Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. (www.flushingtownhall.org), Since it was built in 1862, the Flushing Town Hall has changed hands several times. Now run by the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts, the center is one part concert venue and gallery, one part educational facility, and one part support system for the local artists, who are allowed to use the hall's Steinway pianos and sell their wares in the gift shop. The hall hosts a wide range of performances, many of them free or at budget prices. The entrance and stairwell are filled with autographed pictures of just about every jazz artist you could name, all of whom performed here. Suggested donation $5. Tickets for concerts and events $5-$50. Student tickets available. Box office open M-F 10am-5pm, Sa-Su 2hr before performances. Building open to public Sa-Su noon-5pm. Wheelchair access.
Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St. (www.queensbotanical.org), Located in the heart of Flushing, the Queens Botanical Garden is a colorful palette of floral goodness. Highlights include a Rose Garden, an Ornamental Grass Garden, and a Bee Garden where honey is made before your very eyes! Treat your nose to a Kaltman Family Fragrance Walk, which is lined with particularly fragrant plants. Information about guided tours and events can be found in the visitors' center (on your right when you use the Main St. entrance). $4, seniors $3, students and ages 3-12 $2. Free W 3-6pm, Su 4-6pm. Open Apr 1-Oct 31 Tu-Su 8am-6pm; Nov 1-Mar 31 Tu-Su 8am-4:30pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Unisphere, In Flushing Meadows/Corona Park (www.nycparks.org), This 140 ft., 700,000 lb. model of the Earth was erected in honor of the New York World's Fair in 1964, when space travel was the hot new thing. Rising 12 stories high, Unisphere is the largest world model ever created. Gilbert D. Clarke may not have anticipated the development, but it has also become Queens' signature monument. Free. Open daily. Wheelchair access.
Citi Field, Roosevelt Ave. (newyork.mets.mlb.com), The Mets' fans mean business. You can see it on the adulatory bricks of the fan-walk as you approach the entrance to Citi Field, which has been the team's home since 2009. Although on the streets the Mets are often called the “Amazin' Mets,” or the “Miracle Mets” they were not always such. The team holds the record for most losses, a distinction they earned in 1962 during their first season. Since then, they have played in four World Series and have won two. You can see the Amazin' Mets play a home game at Citi Field, which is also home to the famous Home Run Apple from the old Shea Stadium, the Mets Hall of Fame, and an enormous, neon-blue “42” at the entrance to the park, which is a tribute to Jackie Robinson. Tickets $11-460. Box office open M-F 9am-5pm, Sa-Su 9am-6pm; tickets also available 2½hr. prior to games. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.