America’s Farmland: Queens

I bet a lot of you have a perception of Queens.

You know, that dirty, crowded, warehouse-filled piece of land east of Manhattan.  The highway you hope you don’t get stuck on during your taxi ride into the city.

Perhaps the last thing you’d associate with Queens is a farm.  But I’m here to tell you that the Queens County Farm exists - and it’s pretty cool.

It may indeed be the only farm in America accessible via public transportation - or at least a 25 minute ride on the Long Island Railroad from Grand Central followed by a short cab trip for the final few miles.  That’s the path Tracy and I followed (along with our friend Stephen), to get to the Queens County Farm on Sunday.  We ventured out of the city to celebrate our friend Amy’s birthday.

Amy and her husband Daniel are from Rockford, Illinois and the Midwesterners in them decided it would be a good idea to get in the autumn spirit by tapping our inner farmer.  It turns out the Queens County farm can be dated to 1697, is New York City’s largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland, and is the only working historical farm in the City.

We spent the majority of our afternoon finding our way through the Maize Maze.  I’ll spare you an attempt at a corny joke (ha!) and just say it was awesome.  The farm was cool, but it was best to simply get away from the noises and bustle of the city and breathe some fresh air - even if the fresh air smelled at times of horse dung.

After an obligatory hayride, we headed back to Amy and Stephen’s apartment in Long Island City for dinner.  No, we didn’t have a fancy New York City meal.  Instead, it was simply Better Ingredients, Better Pizza - Papa John’s.  Before you laugh at us and claim that the Mansfields are bringing their love for chain pizza to the Big Apple, I should let you know that the choice came from the birthday girl (with hearty approval from us, of course).

On the subway home both Tracy and I were what I call happy tired…ready for bed, but smiling from ear to ear because of the fun experience and sweet time with new friends.  All in all, it was a graet way to escape Wall Street for a little taste of Main Street - refreshing indeed.