The Queens Nobody Knows - by William B Helmreich (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The only neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to New York City's largest borough, from the award-winning author of The New York Nobody Knows

Bill Helmreich walked every block of New York City--some six-thousand miles--to write the award-winning The New York Nobody Knows. Later, he re-walked most of Queens--1,012 miles in all--to create this one-of-a-kind walking guide to the city's largest borough, from hauntingly beautiful parks to hidden parts of Flushing's Chinese community. Drawing on hundreds of conversations he had with residents during his block-by-block journey through this fascinating, diverse, and underexplored borough, Helmreich highlights hundreds of facts and points of interest that you won't find in any other guide.

In Bellerose, you'll explore a museum filled with soul-searing artwork created by people with mental illness. In Douglaston, you'll gaze up in awe at the city's tallest tree. In Corona, you'll discover the former synagogue where Madonna lived when she first came to New York. In St. Albans, you'll see the former homes of jazz greats, including Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. In Woodhaven, you'll walk a block where recent immigrants from Mexico, Guyana, and China all proudly fly the American flag. And much, much more.

An unforgettably vivid chronicle of today's Queens, the book can be enjoyed without ever leaving home--but it's almost guaranteed to inspire you to get out and explore this captivating borough.

• Covers every one of Queens's neighborhoods, providing a colorful portrait of their most interesting, unusual, and unfamiliar people, places, and things
• Each neighborhood section features a brief overview and history; a detailed, user-friendly map keyed to the text; photographs; and a lively guided walking tour
• Draws on the author's 1,012-mile walk through every Queens neighborhood
• Includes insights from conversations with hundreds of residents

Review Quotes

"[William Helmreich] paints a vibrant portrait of a place constantly on the go yet at a far less hectic pace than Manhattan--and with better pizza, too. . . . New York fans will devour Helmreich's genial, rich, and constantly illuminating travelogue."-- "Kirkus Reviews, starred review"

"First-rate. . . . a superlative gift idea (perhaps as part of a set, along with the author's earlier walking books) for anyone, walker or not, with an ardor for New York, including armchair adventurers who simply enjoy learning about complex urban societies."---Mark Orwoll, East-West News Service

About the Author

William B. Helmreich (1945-2020) was the author of many books, including The Manhattan Nobody Knows, The Brooklyn Nobody Knows, and The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City, which won the Guides Association of New York Award for Outstanding Achievement in Book Writing. He was Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the City College of New York's Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and at CUNY Graduate Center.