If you're super into sociology, go back here: Woodside

Woodside: The Not-So-Serious Stuff

What can I do here?

I'm sure it will come as a surprise to everyone, but there is a long-enduring stereotype that Irishmen (and women) enjoy recreational drinking. Ironically enough, Woodside has taken after its early inhabitants and is full of pubs, bars, and more recent additions, latin clubs and bars. Coincidence? I think not. Who said newcomers can't be fun? Take that, Maspeth.

There's not that much to do in Woodside during the day, but here's some stuff you can do and see:
People tend to take walks around the three large cemeteries as they're the only real green space. These cemetaries are Calvary Cemetery at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd., the adjacent Mount Zion Cemetery at 59-63 54th Ave., and Saint Michael's Cemetery at 72-02 Astoria Blvd. The neighborhood also has a strong history of community unity, with many war memorials and small park spaces created, largely due to the efforts of the newspaperman Ed Foley (discussed in the interview with Andrew Vertullo).

Doughboy Park

This is a popular historical park in Woodside.

This is the doughboy sculpture in Doughboy Park^[1]

Doughboy Park is at the intersection of Woodside and Skillman Avenues in Queens. In WWI, British soldiers referred to their American counterparts as "doughboys" because of the large round buttons on the American uniforms which reminded them of the biscuits known as doughboys. The sculptor of the Woodside Doughboy also created a doughboy for the Flanders Field Memorial in De Witt Clinton Park. Burt W. Johnson, the sculptor, was a student and brother-in-law of renowned artist Augustus St. Gaudens. Johnson sculpted a somber World War I soldier holding his helmet in front and his gun to the side. This statue, which was his last before dying, stands on a granite pedestal designed by C.N. Kent and inscribed "LEST WE FORGET 1917 1918."

Woodside residents remember that before the statue, soldiers gathered here before departing to fight. Since the dedication in 1923, community members have gathered at the monument every Memorial Day for patriotic ceremonies. In 1928 the American Federation of Arts selected the Woodside Doughboy as the best war memorial of its kind in this century.

NYC acquired this land in 1893 as a playground for P.S. 11. The land was eventually deemed unfit for children's use and given to the Parks department in 1957. The site was transformed from a children's play area to a sitting area for adults. ^[2]

If you want to party...

Seán Óg's
Here, you can find darts, Karaoke, indoor beach parties, and English Premier League soccer too.
60-02 Woodside Ave.
718-899-3499

Saints and Sinners
Another popular bar.
59-21 Roosevelt Ave.
718-396-3268

The Cuckoo's Nest
and another one...
61-04 Woodside Ave.
718-426-5684 ^[4]

Where can I learn?

Public schools: P.S. 011 Kathryn Phelan (K-6, (718) 779-2090), P.S. 012 James B. Colgate (K-5, (718) 424-5905), P.S. 152 Gwendoline Alleyne (PK-6, (718) 429-3141), and P.S. 229 Emanuel Kaplan (PK-6, (718) 446-2120).

Private schools: Corpus Christi School (PK-8, (718) 721-2484), Greater New York Academy (9-12, (718) 639-1752), Jackson Heights SDA School (K-8, (718) 426-5729), Razi School (PK-12, (718) 779-0711), and St. Sebastian School, (K-8, (718) 429-1982).

Where can I pray?

This is St. Paul's Episcopal Church, another church in Woodside, Queens. ^[5]

Some of the Churches are: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Woodside Community Baptist Church, Seh Moon Korean Baptist Church, and Saint Sebastian's. Other churches of similar denominations scatter the area (in English, Spanish, or Korean), but there are no synagogues or mosques in Woodside. ^[6]

That's great but...how do I get out of here?

You can take: The No. 7 train (stops at 52nd Street, 61st Street, and 69th Street.) Also, there's the LIRR that goes to 61st Street. Buses Q18, Q32, Q53, Q60, Q104, and express buses x51, x63, x64, and x68 serve Woodside.

Also, there's the subway lines R, V, and G. ^[7]

Where can I read?

Get your books at: Woodside's own branch of the Queens Library.
5422 Skillman Ave. It was recently closed for renovations, :(
But it's alright, cause there was/is a pretty sweet Barnes and Noble in Forest Hills to tie people over.

This is the Woodside branch of the Queens Library ^[8]

Where should I try not to be?

The 108th precinct serves Woodside, Sunnyside, and parts of Long Island City. According to the NYPD, total crime dropped from 2,319 reported cases in 2001 to 1,664 in 2005. During this period, incidents of murder increased (from 3 to 8), as did rape (18 to 25). Incidents of robbery decreased (from 313 to 235), as did assault (147 to 146), burglary (564 to 389), grand larceny (570 to 499), and grand larceny auto (704 to 362).

Okay, now I'm hungry...

^[9]

La Flor
Awesome bakery
53-02 Roosevelt Ave.
718-426-8023

Donovan's Pub
They say they have the best burgers here. This place has been around since 1966
57-24 Roosevelt Ave.
718-429-9339

This is Donovan's Pub. ^[10]

V & V Italian Bakery
Ethnic Bakery
61-19 Roosevelt Ave.
718-476-1669

Sripraphai Thai Restaurant
Yeah, there's Thai food too...
64-13 39th Ave.
718-899-9599

Notes

1. ↑ http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/Q031A/
2. ↑ http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=6434
3. ↑ http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-08-05/nyc-life/close-up-on-woodside-queens
4. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/realestate/16livi.html?_r=1&sq=woodside%20queens&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all
5. ↑ http://www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/woodside/woodside.html
6. ↑ http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/am-city0720,0,1354404.story?page=3
7. ↑ http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-08-05/nyc-life/close-up-on-woodside-queens/
8. ↑ http://images.citysearch.net/assets/imgdb/profile/23/c6/7418986p1.jpg
9. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/03/16/realestate/0316-LIVINGIN_4.html
10. ↑ http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/410111490_1489870def.jpg?v=0