| Yesterday was a pretty interesting day, the weather | | | | of South Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) |
| was cool and overcast, with rain coming in during the | | | | stores. For a Torontonian seeing all these ethnic |
| latter part of the afternoon. A few weeks ago I had | | | | stores is not all that unusual, since we have a lot of |
| booked a meeting with one of the Big Apple | | | | that in Toronto too, but I am sure these ethnic |
| Greeters, an organization of local NYC volunteers that | | | | neighbourhoods must be quite unusual and unique for |
| takes out-of-town visitors around the city and shows | | | | people who come from smaller less international |
| them local sights and shares local information. The | | | | places.We then took the 47 and 19 Queens bus to a |
| service is a great way to link up with a local New | | | | neighbourhood called Astoria, where a lot of Greek |
| Yorker, and best of all, it's free of charge.We were | | | | immigrants congregate. We ended up having dinner in |
| supposed to meet Suzanne, our greeter, at 11:00 am | | | | a little quaint and cosy Greek restaurant called Zygos |
| at the 71st Street subway station, but we got a late | | | | Restaurant ("zygos" means "libra" or "balance") where |
| start after breakfast and there were some delays on | | | | we continued our nice conversation with Suzanne, |
| the subway system, so we didn't meet Suzanne until | | | | our local expert. Suzanne has been a greeter for the |
| 11:50 am. Suzanne is a former highschool teacher, in | | | | last 12 years and has studied all areas of New York |
| her sixties, and a very friendly and outgoing individual. | | | | City. She said she travels, by herself, into all areas of |
| We felt bad about being late, but she said it wasn't a | | | | NYC, including Harlem and the Bronx, and she loves |
| problem at all. She was extremely gracious and | | | | exploring and sharing the city that she loves with |
| helpful throughout our entire time with her.Suzanne | | | | people from all over the world.When we left at about |
| started the tour by taking us through a very upscale | | | | a quarter to 7 pm, Suzanne had spent more than 7 |
| Queens neighbourhood called Forest Hill Gardens, | | | | hours with us and we had really gotten to know |
| which is a neighbourhood with private streets where | | | | each other quite well on a personal level. We also we |
| local residents pay higher than normal taxes for | | | | ended up exchanging email addresses and we |
| additional services, such as more frequent garbage | | | | extended mutual invitations to stay in touch and I |
| pickup etc. Suzanne indicated that these homes go | | | | said I'd love to take her around whenever she comes |
| from anywhere from US$ 1 million and up. Everything | | | | to the Toronto area.The Greeter experience has |
| was blooming and many local handymen, gardners | | | | been excellent, our personal local expert really loves |
| and maids were on the road. We also had a chance | | | | her city and she loves interacting with visitors and |
| to visit the old US Open Tennis Center which is | | | | we definitely enjoyed her enthusiasm. I am sure we |
| located in an amphitheatre right next to the Forest | | | | have a new friend to call up next time we come to |
| Hill Country Club.On from there we took a bus to the | | | | New York City.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| Flushing neighbourhood, an area with lots of Chinese | | | | website called Travel and Transitions( Travel and |
| and Korean stores, where Suzanne treated us to | | | | Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is |
| same savory Chinese dumplings. All the time she | | | | chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, |
| explained to us the multicultural character of Queens, | | | | interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights |
| and that one of the main subway trains (the 7 train) | | | | and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and |
| is called "The International Express" because it cuts | | | | many other features. You will also find stories about |
| through all sorts of ethnic neighbourhoods.A quick | | | | life and the transitions that we face as we go |
| jump onto this very subway later, which runs on | | | | through our own personal life-long journeys.Submit |
| elevated tracks through a good chunk of Queens, so | | | | your own travel stories in our first travel story |
| you can actually see the neighbourhood, and we | | | | contest( and have a chance to win an amazing |
| arrived in Jackson Heights, an area with a lot of Latin | | | | adventure cruise on the Amazon River. |
| American immigrants and further west we saw lots | | | | |