Leaving Brooklyn: Where to Take Your New York City Vacations In the Other Four Boroughs
- Ruth Fremson c/o The New York Times
Queens
Queens is the perfect place for a Brooklynite to vacation because, well, it’s really very convenient, seeing as we share a border. I mean, you can hop back and forth between Bushwick and Ridgewood like it’s no big deal. Amazing. And, in fact, you’ve probably done a little Queens vacationing this summer already by heading out to the Rockaways, right? If not, get on top of that, because Queens has some of the nicest stretches of sandy shore in the city, and we should remain mindful of the fact that this is an area that’s still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, so, you know, support the Rockaways.
But there’s another way to do a Queens vacation that doesn’t involve going to the beach, and will feel even more exotic—dinner and a movie. That’s right, all you need to feel like you’ve both traveled somewhere far away, and also are still firmly in the greatest city on earth is to get dinner and a movie. Queens has an abundance of excellent and affordable restaurants, but the one we’re most excited about right now is Biang! in Flushing. An off-shoot of the renowned Xi’An Famous Foods, Biang! has a slightly more upscale atmosphere while still offering incredibly generous, well-priced portions of authentic and insanely delicious food. The must-orders include the Spicy & Tingly Boiled Tofu “Skin” Skewers, Spicy Cumin Lamb Burgers, Spicy and Sour Lamb Dumplings (trust me, you can’t have too much lamb here), and Hot Oil-Seared Biang Biang Noodles. But really, it’s hard to go wrong, and Biang! has a very non-Chinese-speaker-friendly menu, so take some chances. Be bolder than I am and go for the Lamb Face Salad, which, yes, does include eyeballs.
And then, after you eat—or maybe before, I don’t know how you want to arrange your day—go to one of the coolest, small museums in New York City, the Museum of the Moving Image. There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on there right now, including an exhibit on the transformation of Walter White of Breaking Bad and one called “Cut Up,” which explores what happens when popular, familiar media is edited into something else entirely. But also, beyond the exhibits, the museum will be hosting a series starting August 10 curated by J. Hoberman and called “Fun City: New York in the Movies 1967—75.” Movies shown from this golden era of filmmaking include Serpico, Superfly, The French Connection, and Across 110th Street, all of which are worth the trip to Queens. You’ll feel like you’ve taken a trip back to a whole other era, all without leaving the five boroughs.
Biang!; 41-10 Main Street, Flushing
Museum of the Moving Image; 36-01 35 Avenue, Astoria