1. Anyone who has ever lived in Queens knows that it's the most underrated borough in New York City. Sure, it's not as glamorous as Manhattan or as cool as Brooklyn...
2. ...but it's easily the most ethnically diverse part of the city.
3. It's also a chill, unpretentious, and relatively inexpensive part of a sprawling metropolis that is often none of those three things.
4. In fact, a good chunk of Queens is just straight-up suburbia. But like, less than an hour away from the heart of Manhattan.
5. Even if you've never been to Queens, you've still probably heard about the beer garden.
6. There are actually two of them now. That's how much Queens residents love to just hang out and day drink.
7. Though, let's be real, the original Bohemian Hall is definitely the best one.
8. Being underrated has its benefits, though. For example, Queens residents get to enjoy nice public spaces like Gantry State Park that are rarely as crowded as the ones in Manhattan or Brooklyn.
9. Astoria Park is one of the biggest and best parks in the entire city, but most people outside of Queens don't even know it exists.
10. Which is great, because you wouldn't really want the rest of the city to know they can go swimming in Astoria Park's enormous, glorious public pool.
11. And Queens residents can enjoy a romantic evening stroll through the park in peace.
12. And shhhhhhh, let's keep the carousel at Forest Park between us.
13. And sure, everyone has at least seen a photo of the Unisphere in Corona Park...
14. ...but they probably don't know about the amazing scale model of the entire city at the nearby Queens Museum.
15. Or the New York Hall of Science!
16. Queens is home to some of the coolest museums in the entire city. Like, say, the Noguchi Museum...
17. The Museum of the Moving Image...
18. The Louis Armstrong House...
19. Or best of all, PS1 in Long Island City, which hosts some of the most exciting contemporary art in the world...
20. ...as well as awesome parties and concerts in the summer.
21. Of course, the best reason to love Queens is all the food. Like, say, all the authentic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine you could ever want all throughout Astoria...
22. ...or the best soup dumplings you will ever eat in Flushing.
23. There are Halal carts, everywhere and at all hours.
24. Idiosyncratic takes on pizza at Rizzo's on Steinway Street...
25. ...and a creative spin on pub food at Snowdonia in Astoria.
26. You can find extremely authentic Latin food all over the borough. At Tierras Colombianas you can have a traditional bandeja and basically just die of too much good food.
27. There's always a variety of world class vendors at LIC Flea in the summer...
28. ...and seriously amazing brunch at MEXI'Q in Astoria year-round.
29. M. Wells in Long Island City is basically an avant-garde steakhouse...
30. ...while Queens Comfort serves up inventive takes on classic comfort food. (And, as an added bonus, is always B.Y.O.B.)
31. The Korean food in Flushing is no joke...
32. Seriously, it may well be the best and most authentic Korean food you'll find anywhere in the United States.
33. There's one especially amazing block in Astoria where you can find excellent Brazilian barbeque at Carioca Grill...
34. ...right next door to the equally astonishing Tamashii Ramen.
35. Astoria has so many amazing bakeries that it sometimes seems like there's one bakery for every 10 residents.
36. You can also get fresh pan de bono at the Colombian bakeries in Jackson Heights...
37. ...mere blocks from where you can sample the finest Bengali treats at Maharaja Sweets.
38. Or, if you have a truly epic sweet tooth, you can get one of the enormous sundaes at Eddie's Sweet Shop in Forest Hills.
39. Or visit the famous Lemon Ice King of Corona.
40. The Jackson Heights area is the closest NYC has to a Little India, and the food there is incredible.
41. Everybody always talks about Jackson Diner for good reason...
42. ...but the little sweet shops in the area, like Rajbhog Sweets, are truly outstanding.
43. Also, if you ever want to window-shop or just look at pretty things, the sari shops and jewelry shops in the area will never let you down.
44. Queens also has Rockaway Beach, which is arguably the best beach in the entire region...
45. ...and Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets.
46. Queens has plenty other less obvious destinations like the wonderfully odd Socrates Sculpture Park...
47. The alternative comedy mecca The Creek and the Cave...
48. The hookah lounges in Little Egypt along Steinway Street...
49. And, sigh, the now-defunct graffiti park 5 Pointz.
50. The most baller karaoke rooms in the world exist in Flushing.
51. And you can find one of the most elaborate spas in the world at Spa Castle in College Point.
52. Queens is a place where it's totally normal to see public bocce courts...
53. ...or turn a corner and see one of these totally bizarre clowns.
