Columbian grocery in Sunnyside Queens

SUNNYSIDE (Queens)

Saturday, Sept. 11 • 1:00 PM

Sunnyside is where NoshNews began— and in a way it’s an appropriate walking tour to remember September 11, 2001, with so many cultures represented within its borders—and within sight of the lower Manhattan skyline! We’ll sample Peruvian, Colombian, Nepali, Romanian, Paraguayan, Lebanese, Turkish, Irish and other specialties. Time permitting, We’ll visit Sunnyside Gardens, the first planned garden community in the US.

Meet 1:00 PM at the Sunnyside Arch, south side Queens Boulevard and 46th Street. Take the #7 train to 46th Street

UPPER WASHINGTON HEIGHTS/MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL (Manhattan)

Sunday, October 3 • 11:30 AM

You’ll relish the contrasts in this neighborhood, which features New York City’s largest Dominican community, one of the world’s eminent Jewish universities and one of our city’s remaining “wonder theaters” - a landmarked vaudeville theater where Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers and Iggy Pop have recently performed and where the 2011 TONY awards are rumored to take place next spring. (And, yes, this is the setting for the Broadway musical “In the Heights”!)

Tastes include Dominican, Mexican, Venezuelan (new!), Salvadoran, kosher and Russian food. We’ll conclude at Fort Tryon Park, where you can enjoy the annual Medieval Festival near the Cloisters.

Meet 11:30 AM at the entrance to J. Hood Wright Park, Fort Washington Avenue & 175th St. Take the A train to 175th Street, take south exit (175th Street).

SOUTH ASIAN JACKSON HEIGHTS (Queens)

Saturday, Oct. 9 • 1:00 PM

In this area dense with markets and restaurants, we’ll sample sweets and savories from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. One or more tastes will come from “Vendy” award-winning food trucks. We will also walk through some of the landmarked blocks of the Jackson Heights Beautification District.

Meet 1:00 PM in front of Dera Restaurant/Shaheen’s Food & Sweets, 72-09 Broadway. Take the 7, E, F, G, or R train to 74th Street/Broadway in Queens. Look for the 73rd Street exit at Broadway.

SPECIAL WALKING TOUR
Full Moon Harvest Celebration — Queens County Farm Museum (Queens)

Saturday, October 23 • 1:00 PM

Noshwalkers, coming as a group, will get a reduced rate to this unique festival in the only still-working farm in Queens County! Although admission to the museum is usually free, this event is not! Please hold this date and watch this Web site for details on meeting time, meeting place and fees. We will take mass transit together to get to the Museum.

JAMAICA (Queens)

Saturday, October 30 • 1:00 PM

This walking tour (not offered for the past 2 years) highlights the diversity of a neighborhood known for its American Revolutionary War roots, its hip-hop tradition and the many jazz musicians who lived nearby, and—increasingly—for the variety of delicious food you can find here. Tastes include Salvadoran, West Indian, Bangladeshi, Filipino, Colombian and more!

Meet 1 PM in front of Capitol One Bank, 146-21 Jamaica Avenue at Sutphin Boulevard. Take E train to Sutphin Boulevard and walk 2 blocks north or F train to Sutphin Blvd. at Hillside Avenue and walk 3 short blocks south. You can also take the LIRR to Jamaica using the discounted weekend Citi-ticket; it’s a one-block walk to the bank.

KOSHER WILLIAMSBURG (Brooklyn)

Sunday, November 7 • 1:00 PM

This walking tour highlights the kosher bakeries, appetizing markets and other specialty shops of Chasidic Wiliamsburg, which combines East European Jewish and Israeli traditions with some contemporary twists. This area of Williamsburg also contains a wealth of late 19th and early 20th century architecture—a feast for the eyes! The tour includes a sit-down at a dairy restaurant.

Meet 1 PM in front of L’Chaim Wines and Liquors, 348 Roeblng Street. Take J train to Marcy Street, walk west on Broadway (you’ll see the lower Manhattan skyline), turn left (south) on Roebling. Please note that the fee for this tour is slightly higher than most Noshwalks because of the higher cost of kosher food.

Elmhurst

ELMHURST (Queens)

Saturday, Nov. 13
1:00 PM

Some call this area NYC’s 4th Chinatown—but it’s actually a lot more! We’ll taste Chinese, Korean, Thai & Indonesian food, and feast on the many amazing markets in this area. Oh yes—there’s also an old French bakery en route! Elmhurst also has some of NYC’s oldest and most historic churches—and a beautiful Thai Buddhist temple, too—all on our route!

Meet 1:00 PM in front of Pacific Market, 75-01 Broadway, Elmhurst. Take the 7, E, F, G, or R train to 74th Street/Broadway in Queens

KOSHER TIMES 2:
SEPHARDIC KINGS HIGHWAY
& A TASTE OF MIDWOOD (Brooklyn)

Sunday, November 21 • 1:00 PM

This walking tour highlights the markets & bakeries—and some history— of two kosher neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

The first is Sephardic Kings Highway, in the Gravesend neighborhood, where Jews originally from Aleppo and Damascus in the Levant (now Syria and Lebanon) recreated their traditions, first in Bensonhurst and then here, when they immigrated to the United States (some via Egypt). This part of the tour will also include a ramble through the residential area here and will highlight some the area’s major religious and cultural institutions. (You may wish to read The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, by Lucette Lagnado, a family memoir which includes a description of this neighborhood.)

The second part will take place in nearby Midwood, where the centerpiece of the tour will be a visit to a kosher mega-market that brings together a huge range of ethnic and organic foods under one roof, combining traditional Jewish foods with contemporary adaptations.

Meet 1:00 PM at the northeast corner of McDonald Avenue and Kings Highway. Take F train to Kings Highway; take Kings Highway exit (north end of train). Please make sure your Metrocard has extra rides, as we will take a bus to Midwood! Please note that the fee for this tour is slightly higher than most Noshwalks because of the higher cost of kosher food.

BELMONT (Bronx)

Saturday, December 4 • 12:00 NOON

This walking tour of century-old Little Italy of the Bronx visits this neighborhood’s famous indoor market, restaurants, cheese shops, bakeries, and more, including a behind-the-scenes look at one of NYC’s oldest bread bakeries, and a demonstration of mozzarella cheese-making.

Mass transit users meet at 11:30 AM in front of the Loew’s Paradise, 2413 Grand Concourse at 187th Street. Take the D train to Fordham Road, exit at 188th Street and walk one block south. (From the East Side of Manhattan, take the 4 train to 161st Street and change for the D. You can also take the 4 to Fordham Road and walk a few short blocks east to the Grand Concourse.). Depending on how cold it is, we’ll walk (not that far, really!) or take the bus to Belmont.

If you’re going directly to Belmont, meet us at 12:00 noon in front of Mt. Carmel Church, 619 E. 187th St., NW corner Belmont Ave. (two blocks east of Arthur Ave). E-mail noshwalks@aol.com for directions and parking information.

Lower East Side

LOWER EAST SIDE & CHINATOWN (Manhattan)

Sunday, December 12 • 12:00 NOON

Sun, rain or snow, we’ll trek through the Lower East Side & Chinatown, two of the most rapidly changing neighborhoods in Manhattan. Stops include candy stores, bakeries, appetizing shops, Chinese markets and, time permitting, Little Italy’s best food market.

Meet at 12:00 noon at First Park, northwest corner of E. Houston St. & First Ave. Take F train to 2nd Ave., exit at 1st Avenue. (South of Houston St., First Avenue becomes Allen St.) You can warm up with coffee at Veselka’s in First Park, or just wait on one of the benches.)

SPECIAL DYKER HEIGHTS EVENING HOLIDAY TOUR (Brooklyn)

Thursday, December 23 • 6:30 PM

Combine a visit to the unique holiday decorations in Dyker Heights with gourmet treats before and after the lights!

Meet 6:30 PM at Caffe Mona Lisa, 1476 86th Street. Take D train to 18th Ave. (near 86th St.) & either walk on 86th Street to the café (10— 15 minutes) as the numbers of street addresses descend, or take the B1 bus on 86th Street marked Bay Ridge. If you prefer just to walk, you can also get out at the 79th Street stop at 17th Avenue and walk to the cafe by following 79th Street to 15th Avenue and then turn left to walk 7 short blocks to the café (which is on the other side of 86th Street – it’s very big so you can’t miss it!)

TRANSPORTATION TIP

If you are using mass transportation, please check www.mta.info for possible changes in subway routes. Go to Service Advisories for NYC Transit and check any subway lines you may take.  As always, leave extra time for weekend travel. The Web site www.hopstop.com can help you plan your travel, and you can also e-mail me for estimates of how long it should take to get to our meeting place. If you are driving, use www.mapquest.com to plan your route. Contact me for parking tips.

FEES (aka the Noshwalks Stimulus Plan)

My 2010 fees for most tours are $40 for Noshnews subscribers and $45 for non-Noshnews subscribers. Longer tours and kosher tours cost slightly more because of the added time and/or extra price of food. Beverages are not included unless these are beverages I want to introduce you to. I provide cups, papers goods, etc., for all tastes, but I encourage you to bring reusable cutlery in a plastic bag to reduce waste. We'll have water to clean off everything.

If we sit down in a restaurant rather than take out food, we will share in the tip. Such sit-down stops have been added to a number of tours (even when the stops are short) and these will be indicated at the outset of each tour and in the text. Any personal orders will be covered by the customer.

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