Hello from New York City (5) - A Local Expert Takes Us Through Queens

Yesterday was a pretty interesting day, the weatherof South Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi)
was cool and overcast, with rain coming in during thestores. For a Torontonian seeing all these ethnic
latter part of the afternoon. A few weeks ago I hadstores is not all that unusual, since we have a lot of
booked a meeting with one of the Big Applethat in Toronto too, but I am sure these ethnic
Greeters, an organization of local NYC volunteers thatneighbourhoods must be quite unusual and unique for
takes out-of-town visitors around the city and showspeople who come from smaller less international
them local sights and shares local information. Theplaces.We then took the 47 and 19 Queens bus to a
service is a great way to link up with a local Newneighbourhood called Astoria, where a lot of Greek
Yorker, and best of all, it's free of charge.We wereimmigrants congregate. We ended up having dinner in
supposed to meet Suzanne, our greeter, at 11:00 ama little quaint and cosy Greek restaurant called Zygos
at the 71st Street subway station, but we got a lateRestaurant ("zygos" means "libra" or "balance") where
start after breakfast and there were some delays onwe continued our nice conversation with Suzanne,
the subway system, so we didn't meet Suzanne untilour local expert. Suzanne has been a greeter for the
11:50 am. Suzanne is a former highschool teacher, inlast 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 aNYC, including Harlem and the Bronx, and she loves
problem at all. She was extremely gracious andexploring and sharing the city that she loves with
helpful throughout our entire time with her.Suzannepeople from all over the world.When we left at about
started the tour by taking us through a very upscalea 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 whereeach other quite well on a personal level. We also we
local residents pay higher than normal taxes forended up exchanging email addresses and we
additional services, such as more frequent garbageextended mutual invitations to stay in touch and I
pickup etc. Suzanne indicated that these homes gosaid I'd love to take her around whenever she comes
from anywhere from US$ 1 million and up. Everythingto the Toronto area.The Greeter experience has
was blooming and many local handymen, gardnersbeen excellent, our personal local expert really loves
and maids were on the road. We also had a chanceher city and she loves interacting with visitors and
to visit the old US Open Tennis Center which iswe definitely enjoyed her enthusiasm. I am sure we
located in an amphitheatre right next to the Foresthave a new friend to call up next time we come to
Hill Country Club.On from there we took a bus to theNew York City.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a
Flushing neighbourhood, an area with lots of Chinesewebsite called Travel and Transitions( Travel and
and Korean stores, where Suzanne treated us toTransitions deals with unconventional travel and is
same savory Chinese dumplings. All the time shechock 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 cutsmany other features. You will also find stories about
through all sorts of ethnic neighbourhoods.A quicklife and the transitions that we face as we go
jump onto this very subway later, which runs onthrough our own personal life-long journeys.Submit
elevated tracks through a good chunk of Queens, soyour own travel stories in our first travel story
you can actually see the neighbourhood, and wecontest( and have a chance to win an amazing
arrived in Jackson Heights, an area with a lot of Latinadventure cruise on the Amazon River.
American immigrants and further west we saw lots