Slushing through Flushing, and QBG compost

Yesterday’s adventure took me to the farthest reaches of northeastern Queens only reachable via the public transportation system known as the subway… dun dun dun, it’s FLUSHING! Seriously what’s the big deal? It’s only 8 express stops away, and even all 18 local stops is still closer and shorter than any train that goes to Coney Island – 18 stops from there won’t even get you to Atlantic-Pacific, let alone back to the City or the L train – but I digress!

The above image says it all for me: the Welcome to China 2011 billboard, the unreadable – by me – shop signs, and the Asian person toting around an American flag-umbrella. This is diversity – and by extension, New York – at its best. Flushing is a whole another world! I headed south on Main Street, walking a leg of the Flushing Freedom Mile, en route to the Queens Botanical Garden (walking gardens during extreme winter conditions is an old past-time of mine).

Crossing the threshold into Flushing – land of big-box stores and Asian markets:

These buildings, their designs and the way they’re constructed with shops wrapping all-around the ground floor, are very Asian-inspired:

check out these sun-faded electronics in a shop window:

I’m sure a person with snow-boots or tennis rackets tied to their shoes could have a lot of fun exploring the QBG – I was prepared but not that prepared, but still managed to snap some wonderful shots (the blown out picture of the Magnolia below was especially captivating, its cupped leaves holding snow):

Finally met up with Gina B. to ask her some questions about compost and worms – which as it turns out they’re having an I <3 WORMS workshop on the 13th, so if you’re looking to give your lucky valentine some good worms (not the bad kind!) the next day, take a look at their calendar. Also check out the aquarium below, which Gina said they found stocked with samples of 3, 4 even 5-year-old compost when they were shuffling around the office last year – sadly, unlike wine, it doesn’t improve with age.