Last month, Wifey and I trekked out to the wilds of Queens on a mission: drink at as many Queens bars as we could in one day — neighborhood favorites — led by our booze sherpa, Roger. Roger of Queens. The weather was perfect, the bars were open and the mission was a success.
Getting to these elusive, exotic, faraway Queens Bars from the Adjacent Borough of Brooklyn: Weekend Challenges on New York’s MTA
Getting from one neighborhood to another in your own home town should be a breeze, especially in the Capital of the Free World, but on the weekend it can be a friggin nightmare. Google maps (ugh—I miss HopStop. Thanks a lot, Apple.) told us to hop the 4 train to the 7 train and boom we’d be there. Not the case. The 4 wasn’t running to Manhattan, so we hopped the 2 train. Not ideal, but it’d get us close to the 7. But guess what? The 7 wasn’t running to where the 2 dropped us off. So we had to take the S (shuttle) train from Times Square to Grand Central, assured that the 7 was available there. It wasn’t. An MTA guy suggested we grab the N the other direction to Columbus Circle, and then take the… Q? The R? out to Queensboro Plaza, and from THERE jump on the 7 out to 46th St. / Bliss St. Whew. Made it. But THIS, my friends, is why New Yorkers become so provincial, and often live within a five block radius of their spacious hovels, especially on the weekends. Because just GETTING FROM POINT A TO POINT B CAN BE A GIANT PAIN IN THE ASS. Of course, one could take a taxi, or use the exploitative Uber app, but they can be fraught with challenges, too. And, you know, cost more.
Our First of Five Queens Bars: the Dog and Duck Pub in Sunnyside
Our man Roger (let’s call him the unofficial Mayor of Sunnyside, Queens) had us meet him at the Dog and Duck Pub on Skillman Avenue to kick things off. Right off the bat I got a big smile from the bartender and a fresh Guinness, followed inevitably by another big smile of my own and an audible “ahhhhh” exhale which usually follows one’s first swig of a fresh pint o’ the black. Lovely place. A gorgeous corner bar with good pub grub and friendly folks. The owner Paddy even made me a cocktail on the house: the “Hair o’ the Dog and Duck”, a house cocktail with a little fizz, perfect for Saturday brunch.
After a snack and a couple drinks we took one of the most unexpected walks of my life: a jaunt through the leafy trails of Sunnyside Gardens, an intentional community built in the 1920s featuring a network of paths and walkways through some pretty dense woods and gardens. Right there in the middle of Queens! Didn’t see that coming.
