Un Verano in Flushing Meadows
Visiting The World's Park before summer ends (but no worries because I'll do another one of these come fall)
When you walk your dog on a Monday in the grasses of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, beware the chicken bones. The fowl trash may feel like a nod to Flushing Meadows’ early 20th century role as a landfill, but I also see it as a weekend well spent. Charcoal grills providing the backdrop for kebabs, sweet corn, and yes, those chicken legs and wings. Families all over Northern Queens light birthday candles and toss volleyballs over nets. This park was where I learned how to ride a bike and where in the midst of a pandemic, we taught our first child how to ride his. It’s where I walk our giant dog, watching cricket games as he chews on what’s hopefully a fallen branch from a nearby London Plane and not a wing.
Photo: My cousins and me in front of the Unisphere in 1988. Clearly, we were thrilled.
Running Through Water Around the World
After a bike ride in the dead, thick of August to the sky blue floor of the Unisphere, all I wanted to do was jump in. The base of the 120-foot stainless steel globe is not in fact a pool, but to my 8-year old brain it did have the most epic sprinklers. Popping out the kickstand, I probably said, “watch this,” to my mother either implying care for my bicycle or watch me run through the fountain. No cops or parks department police to stop us kids from finding a way to beat the heat. After a thorough soaking, a hug for mom to share the cool and the wet. And then back on our bikes through the park as pink skies set over the ducks in the meadow.
Photo: My sis and baby Karina enjoying un globo rojo. Peep my sis’ very 2024 ballet flats.
A Summer List for Flushing Meadows–Corona Park
1. Rowing and Dragon Boat Festival
You can totally row in Meadow Lake, something I only recently discovered upon hearing the muffled sound of the boats’ Coxswains. The adult program is over now but hopefully it will continue next year. Teens can do the program year-round, which is pretty cool. And if you just want to spectate, consider checking out the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival every August.
2. Birdwatching
Photo: Red-winged Blackbird taken by Rose Poole
When I walk Jupiter, our 160lbs mastiff-mix, the only people not staring at us are the birders. Their eyes are fixated behind telescope lenses to photograph one of 188 species of birds in the park. In the summer you can find: Foraging Common and Forster's Terns, egrets, and Osprey amongst several others including my favorite, the Red-winged Blackbird.
3. Mini-Golf
My oldest son loves the Flushing Meadows Pitch & Putt course and so does his dad. I’m not the biggest golf fan, so this is lost on me, but one thing that’s accommodating is that they stay open super late (till 1am) in the summer and they’re pretty affordable at $7-$8 for kids and $18.75-$20.50 for adults. Plus you may spot a groundhog or two.
4. Home for Retired Playground Animals
You have to believe this was someone in the parks department suffering from life-long nostalgia or who just didn’t want to see playground animals in the dump that came up with this idea. These six playground animal sculptures that were unable to dodge water balloons, hugged without consent, and stomped on for decades, can be found in the park surrounded by benches and refreshed landscaping for a “contemplative experience.”
5. US Open (But try to make it cheap 🤷🏻♀️)
I hesitated to put this one on here, because with as much $ earned from this event, the park should have waaaaaay more funding. Without sounding like a vieja, we never really had to pay a ton for US Open tickets. They were easy to come by through public programs or at the advertising agency where my mom worked as an admin. When one of the media bigwigs she worked for didn’t care to go, they’d offer them to her. I was lucky, it was awesome, and I am grateful.
Photo: That time generational luck spread and our eldest was able to attend the US open because a media bigwig offered his dad spare tix and he ended up on the Jumbotron.
I’ll never forget the first time I went with my madrina, Isis, and she yelled at this young couple behind us because they were talking about their sexual escapades. “There’s a kid in front of you,” she said. Not sure, how that would go today. Would Isis receive a verbal 101 on sex positivity, her photo on Instagram going viral? Who knows. Either way, she wouldn’t care. That was Isis.
I don’t claim to know any hacks on how to make the US Open more affordable today. Really all I know is that if you have an Amex card, that might help, and there’s always the ‘grounds only’ option. But in researching this, I found a guy by the name of P.J. Simmons who wrote a comprehensive take on attending the US Open with some very helpful tips.