Corona, NY

Corona began its construction in 1854, the same year that the New York and Flushing Railroad began servicing the area. This helped the area grow quickly, and it continued to grow into the 20th century. Corona then saw a large wave of immigrants come in the 1950s from the Dominican Republic, Italy and many Latin-American countries, helping to form the ethnic melting pot that makes up modern Corona.

The Queens Museum can be visited at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and has a great spot for those interested in different cultures and art. The museum, formerly known as the Queens Art Museum, houses many international contemporary-art exhibits that reflect the vast amount of diversity within the borough. The neighborhood also hosts several events annually, including the Tour De Queens Bicycle Race, the Halloween Shocktoberfest for children and the March of Dimes Walkathon.

Due to the diverse population of the neighborhood, the restaurant development in the area followed suit with a very wide variety of ethnic cuisine available. Rincon Criollo has been in Corona since 1976 and was styled to resemble a family restaurant originally from Havana, Cuba. This establishment serves all types of authentic Cuban dishes, including their must-try ropa vieja, which comes with shredded spicy beef slow simmered in a tomato-based sauce with onions and green peppers, and packed with flavor.

For the Italian food fanatics, Leo’s Latticini, or otherwise known by the locals as “mama’s,” has great Italian subs on their fresh-baked bread. Their signature sub, the meatball parmigiana, comes packed with juicy hand-made meatballs, and covered in their red sauce and melted Parmesan cheese. Plus, to be honest, fresh-baked Italian bread just makes every sandwich better.

The area also has a wide variety of authentic Mexican, with one of the local favorites being Empanadas Cafe. Here chefs serve their signature empanadas in over 30 varieties, ranging from their sweet empanadas with Nutella and banana, to their savory empanadas with chorizo and potato.

The Queens Theatre in town makes for a great night out and provides the perfect place to take a date. This establishment presents theatrical works, live music, dance and many other types of live performances. The theater also has a small cabaret and bar, so that you can make a full night out of going to a performance. To find more of a bar scene, Glazz Nightclub has a really cool spot with a second story dance floor and a rooftop bar. Patrons enjoy live music almost every night of the week, and DJs playing house music on Friday and Saturday when they open all of the floors of the club for dancing.

The neighborhood has a very walkable feel as Corona’s boundaries do not stretch very far, and everything can be reached fairly quickly. Biking can be done in some areas, but the majority of streets in Corona do not have bike lanes.

As for the public transport, the IRT Flushing Line 7 train runs through town and stops at 111th Street, 103rd Street-Corona Plaza, Junction Boulevard and 90th Street. Six public buses on the Q line also serve the neighborhood. Both Uber and Lyft can be used in the area and service quick transportation to all of Metropolitan New York City with their convenient phone applications. Parking remains available on the streets in most all areas, but must be done by free permit, which can only be obtained by residents.

The neighborhood has several parks within its boundaries, and also one of the biggest and most beautiful in all of New York in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The park itself spans across 1,200 acres, making it over one and a half times bigger than Central Park. The park includes about any recreational option you could think of with indoor racquetball, basketball and handball courts, as well as a track and ice rink. Meadow Lake sits within the park, and there you can rent boats, fish or even hydrobike. The park also has a perfect play zone that can be used by kids of all ages and even by those with disabilities, and furry friends enjoy a dog area where dogs can be walked on leashes. The park also hosts the U.S. Open tennis tournament every year.

Also in Corona, a very popular spot for bocce exists in William F. Moore Park. The park, also known as “spaghetti park” by many of the locals, has one of the few lit courts in town, making it a very popular place to play Queens' favorite sport. The park also has a field area with park benches and walking trails for those looking to relax.

Corona maintains a reasonable cost of living, for the most part, and the average living expenses typically sits about 9 percent above New York City. The average rental rate for a one-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood runs at $1,570, slightly below the New York City average.

To get to the center of New York City via public transportation usually costs around $4 to take the train from Corona to Penn Station. For those that prefer to drive on their commute or to travel around, the gas prices in Corona fluctuate with the prices in New York City and stay within 1 percent of the prices there; although, Corona's gas prices hover close to 16 percent above the national average. Nightlife advocates beware here, as a beer from a bar in Corona usually costs $7 to $9, and liquor drinks run as much as $15 in some places.

Many shops surround Junction Boulevard, the neighborhood’s main shopping district, and the Corona area also has a huge mall called Queens Center.

The Queens Center Mall has over 100 different stores and has favorites, including Michael Kors, Bebe and Coach. Corona’s shopping area houses many different types of boutiques and clothing stores all across and around Junction Boulevard. Junction features the Made in Colombia Boutique, Prima Donna Boutique and many other little stores and shops. Made in Columbia Boutique has an interesting selection of imported clothing ranging from denim to tops, and even many workout items. Everything here actually comes from the country of Columbia.

Prima Donna Boutique stocks a variety of apparel, such as shoes, tops, denim and jewelry. Here, most of the items come from American brands including Hobo and smaller brands, such as Georgi Jules jewelry.

The area’s grocery stores also match the diversity of the neighborhood, and many ethnic grocery stores sit within Corona. The Indian Grocery Jay Maharaj carries many Indian groceries and meats. Several Latin American groceries also operate in the neighborhood, including La Cueva Deli and Grocery, and Alondra Deli Grocery Corner.

The Sea Town Corona’s Fish and Farmers Market also serves the area, selling not only freshly caught fish and fresh-baked goods, but also fresh produce and other meats.