Queens is my favorite borough in NYC. I want to give this park a higher rating but it's only going to get 3 stars from me. Since there's better, nicer parks in Queens.
If you're visiting NYC then this park is definitely a great park to visit for its own reasons. Its not as interesting as Central Park, not as dynamic and not better than Central Park but that's okay. Before I get to the bad or rather what I dislike about this park, I'll get on the good.
The Good: This park is pretty during the spring and summer when the leaves are growing, the tree's are blossoming and hints of nature come out to play. Its looks MUCH nicer during these times of year. Even during the fall the park looks rather nice. It also never gets crazy packed like Central Park which is something I really love about parks. I hate when parks are too packed on a daily basis if something big is not going on and this park certainly never gets jammed.
Its also pretty spacious, which is great and which is even better if you're into doing some physical activities like biking, skate boarding, playing sports etc. There's a lot of small soccer fields and tennis courts and it seems to mainly cater to the soccer and tennis players. Which makes sense since this park is home to the tennis U.S. Open.
There's paddle boating, row boating and a big ass lake to do that in. And you can rent a bike for an hour and ride around the park for 10 an hour each bike. You can always bring your own bike, skate boards, roller blades and all that of course. Speaking of which, there's a nice little skate rink in the park. There's also an indoor Olmpic sized pool, a zoo and of course, the Unisphere! Which I really suggest you see in the summer when the geysers are shooting off. Its great to see the kids play slide and slide right in the sphere while the water is going off. Right across the park is Citi Field stadium if you want to check that place out, if you're into baseball. Let me not forget there's a nice theatre in this park, though I never been inside and a nice miniature golf course.
They also hold small little concerts, shows here in the park. Usually of different cultures, since Queens is truly the most diverse city in the U.S.
The bad: Its too damn close to all the parkways, highways, roads and surrounded by the them. So, if you're looking for a place to escape the noise of the city, this probably isn't really the place to do so. And some parts of this park can just look straight up ugly since its close to a lot of big box stores and supermarkets and faces the back of them.
This might not be much of a bad thing, but this park is more of a sporty park. Not that you can't lay down and just chill on the grass but everyone is playing soccer/futbol, American football, tennis everywhere. Unlike other parks in NYC, there's not many spots to just lay on the grass and chill. Also, you can only do any type of boating during the weekends, which I still is lame but whatever.Also, RUN away from this place during the winter. It looks so dead and ugly!!
The ugly: This place is just flat. There's no hills, trail ways, nature walks etc. Maybe some bumps in the road but its a very flat park other than that. On top of that, there seems to always be a lot of geese shit around the park which bugs me. If you want to be romantic, do NOT take the person you're trying to impress here.
When it comes down to it, this park is still great in its own right and if you want to explore NYC then its worth a visit. It has its own history which is unique, and the Unisphere is always fun to check out. Its also a great park to do outdoorsy activity and it is a nice park. Its just not beautiful like other parks in NYC ( Forest Park, Prospect Park, Cunningham Park and of course Central Park just to name a few). I find myself coming here a lot to get my sports on and have been coming here for a long time. Good park maybe even great park but its not awesome but its not bad, ya know what I mean? Check it out. read more