Day Tripper: Flushing

Between keeping within your budget and scheduling time off from work, planning a vacation can be stressful.

If you find you have too little time to travel and not enough money in your bank account, there’s no need to fret.

Each Thursday, Douglaston Patch will profile one of the five boroughs’ unique neighborhoods, where you can sample some local culture and culinary delights.

This week’s pick is Flushing.

10 a.m.

Spend the morning wandering around Downtown Flushing, especially near Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue. The neighborhood is one of the most diverse in the borough and stores near this intersection reflect a variety of cultures, such as South Asians, Indians, Pakistanis, Koreans and Sikhs.  

Drop by the Queens Crossing Mall, which includes four floors of restaurants and shops, such as Asian-inspired art and clothing.

Then, take a walk to Northern Boulevard to visit the landmarked Flushing Town Hall, which houses the Flushing Council on the Arts.

Noon

Have a bite of Thai food at Green Papaya, located at 38-12 Prince St. The eatery’s menu includes a variety of seafood options as well as curries, soups, noodles, stir-fries and desserts. Customers should expect to pay no more than $15 per person.

2 p.m.

In the afternoon, stop by the New York Hall of Science, located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, to view more than 450 hands-on biology, physics, and chemistry exhibits. The hall was one of the few science museums of its kind when it was created in 1964 as part of the World’s Fair. 

Permanent exhibits at the center include Rocket Park, Realm of the Atom, Marvelous Molecules, Search for Life Beyond Earth and a science-themed mini-golf park.

Currently, the hall is featuring The Sweet Voiced Bird Has Flown, an art exhibition that portrays birds from around the world that are experiencing population declines.

The entry fee for adults is $11, while children, seniors and students with valid ID pay $8. For more information on the Hall of Science, click here.

6 p.m.

A popular site for dumplings, Joe’s Shanghai has long been listed as one of Flushing’s top dining spots. The restaurant, located at 136-21 37th Ave., offers soup dumplings, spicy Szechuan style sliced beef, braised pork shoulders, jumbo prawns with lime sauce, Shanghai fried bean curd and a variety of other Chinese dishes.

The eatery’s two specialty dumplings are crab and pork meat. For more information, click here.