I’ve lived in Flushing almost all of my life from the age of 7 and it has changed drastically since then. One thing to note is that there is much more to Flushing than the Main Street/7 Train area. Growing up, I only went to Main Street to catch the 7 to get into Manhattan or Long Island City for work. I soon discovered I much preferred taking the LIRR (Port Washington branch) instead which was a much shorter commute. There are stops all along North Flushing – the closest to me being Broadway.

It was a wonderful place to grow up. I have fond memories of playing sports (baseball, hockey, tennis, etc) in the street (I lived on a block between Northern & 35th Ave), riding bikes to Bowne Park, or rollerblading towards Bayside. I always felt safe and my sister and I would often set up an Ice Tea stand in the summer selling cups for 25 cents, or try to get as much money for our baseball/basketball collections. There were times we’d beg my mother to allow us to go down the street to see a movie at the Quartet (now a Chinese supermarket) or have lunch at Dion’s Coffee Shop (now Kimora Kim’s Lingere shop). The parking lot next to the supermarket is where The Reception House used to be, which my uncle owned. We went to countless family parties there. I went to school at St Andrew Avellino until the 7th grade which was a couple of blocks away from my parent’s house.

On Northern between 160 and 161st there has been a video game store – where I remember my sister buying a Sega Dreamcast, and a record store – where I remember buying cassette singles of Guns N Roses, Cypress Hill, and other music I can’t remember. There was a store on the corner of 161st and Northern – can’t remember the name, that sold snap bracelets and pogs! Now almost all of the storefronts are in Chinese/Korean and it is a very different environment from when I was younger.

When you move away from Main & off of Northern Blvd and explore the side streets – you’ll find beautiful tree lined blocks with some really gorgeous homes. The area where I grew up contains a diverse mix of Asians, Italians, Greeks, Irish, etc. Much of my immediate family from my mother’s side all still live in the area within a 10 block radius. I, myself, almost moved just a few streets away until the night before lease signing when I realized it wasn’t the right choice for me.

It is still a relatively safe neighborhood (certain parts), but for anyone new to the city – I wouldn’t recommend it as a place to live. If you need to commute to Manhattan and don’t want to spend the $180 a month on the LIRR pass – you’re only viable option is to find a place in South Flushing. South Flushing to me, while it has great food options, is not really an enjoyable/trendy place to live. It gets insanely crowded, dirty, lots of pushing and shoving, not as safe, and doesn’t have much in terms of a nightlife. After a certain hour, it’s pretty quiet with most places closed.

I would most definitely recommend it for couples who perhaps drive, have a little more money – want a more suburban lifestyle, and don’t care so much about going out a lot. I then would advise looking to North Flushing/Bayside.

I’ll always have fond memories of Flushing but I can’t help but miss the Flushing of 15(ish) years ago.