7 to 46th Street

Photographs: Kelsey Foster

20 mins from midtown

Under the kitschtastic Sunnyside Arch at 46th Street and Queens Boulevard, we spot a couple packing travel toiletries into a suitcase. Okay, we think to ourselves, these people are either overzealous out-of-towners or die-hard New Yorkers. Lucky for us, they were the latter—and the first people we hit up for advice when coming out of the 46th Street subway station.

Stray Vintage & More

Nose-ringed brunet Paula Blinebry, 34, and La Guardia student Vien Do, 24, have been living in Sunnyside for more than five years. Do immediately names Mexican restaurant De Mole (45-02 48th Ave at 45th St, 718-392-2161) as one of his favorite haunts, and Blinebry points us to Stray Vintage & More (48-09 Skillman Ave at 48th St, 718-779-7795), a store that’s her go-to for gifts.

The charming chockablock shop’s owners, Tara and Dan Glasser, make us feel right at home. The newlyweds and Sunnyside veterans opened their maiden venture in November of 2006. “We call ourselves a vintage gift shop,” explains Tara. “We go to estate sales and auctions and handpick our favorite items from the tristate area, but we also sell jewelry and photography from local artists.” Dan chimes in: “Even our cards are made by a designer in Long Island City. Local is good! It complements the green nature of our shop.”

When we ask about Stray’s most memorable sale, Dan recalls a pregnant woman who wanted an antique pram. “Amazingly, a week later, we found one,” he says. “We put a hold tag on it and placed it in the front window. The next day, she came in, hugged us, and bought it. We see her pushing her baby boy around the neighborhood in the pram.”

Realizing we’ve spent an hour at Stray, we ask the Glassers where to head next. They second Do’s De Mole motion, but sensing a storm brewing, urge me instead to take refuge at the neighboring Aubergine Café (49-22 Skillman Ave at 49th St, 718-899-1735); they call it “the pioneer of the Skillman strip.”We are defenseless against Aubergine’s coziness; its inviting tables and magazine racks beg us to while the day away with coffee, crullers and a magazine. We sip superbly foamed cappuccinos while waiting for the rain, rain to go away.

Once the downpour slows to a drizzle, we leave Aubergine and run into 28-year-old Nicole Goksel, whose husband is Turkish. They frequent—deep, delicious inhale; ah, yes—the Turkiyem Market (46-31 Skillman Ave at 46th St, 718-937-3456). Olfactorily possessed, we wander among the halal meats and pale cheeses with a newfound resolve to eat more döner kebabs.

Next, we wander the labyrinthine landmark Sunnyside Gardens (48-21 39th Ave at Gosman Ave). Built in the 1920s, the gardens were one of America’s first planned “superblock” communities. The idea was to take the 17-block area of rentals, co-ops and houses, and join them with gardens so that open space would never be compromised. The historic district has maintained its integrity, making for a glorious, green promenade.

Unable to resist any longer, we decide it’s time to try the doubly recommended De Mole. The small corner restaurant looks out of place in the sea of 99-cent shops, but its cheap prices fit right in. We grab tacos al pastor—pork with pineapple—and bite into the sweet, spicy splendor of an authentic Mexican meal. As we lug our vintage tchotchkes and bursting bellies back to the 7 train, we give in to the charm of Queens.

WE’RE VISITING EVERY STOP!
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