Where to Get Cultured for Your Staycation
Welling Court Mural Project Street Corner via Atlas Obscura
It’s been a while since we’ve been able to travel, but traipsing across Queens has a tendency to make you feel like you’ve gone across the world, with nothing but your Metrocard. Forget cramming onto a plane with hundreds of other people — explore the city you’re in.
In this three part series, we’ll tell you where to eat, visit, and relax.
Where to Visit
Queens Jazz Trail: Originally commissioned by the Flushing Town Hall, the Queens Jazz Trail map highlights the history of jazz in Queens. Although many famous jazz musicians passed through Manhattan’s bars and clubs, their residence of choice was in Queens. Find out more about where Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong lived and the hidden jazz history of Queens!
Visit the Louis Armstrong House Museum here.
Bowne House: The Bowne House is the oldest house in Queens and the second oldest in New York State. Built in 1661, the Bowne family lived there until 1945, when the property was deeded to the Bowne Historical Society. It is most famous for being the setting of John Bowne’s defense of religious freedom that led to the creation of the principles later codified in the Bill of Rights.
Flux Factory: Flux Factory is an incubation and laboratory space for innovative artwork that helps the city thrive. Visitors can view art galleries or attend live shows that in past years have included, “Long Walks on the Beach,” where strangers met up to stroll on the Rockaways. During the pandemic, Flux Factory pivoted with the Light Windows virtual exhibition, featuring curated lit-up windows around New York City to reduce the sense of isolation.
Join the Don’t Let It Slip Through Your Fingers: Solo Exhibition by Dario Mohr here.
Welling Court Mural Project: One of the best examples of contemporary street art on Earth, the Welling Court Mural Project is founded and directed by Alison Wallis. Where museums can feel inaccessible, these works are free to the public and serve as direct aid to communities ravaged during the COVID-19 crisis. Read, for instance, about Lady Pink’s and other artists’ work here.