7 Train by Scott Beale on FlickrApril is Immigrant Heritage Month. In New York City, April 17th to 24th is Immigrant Heritage Week. In honor of both celebrations of Immigrant Heritage, this blog will focus on the multiculturalism of the 7 train.

If you live in Queens, New York, and you work in midtown like me, there might be a possibility that you often take the MTA train to work, particularly the 7 line which runs from Main Street, Queens to Times Square, New York.

One of the most interesting things about this line is that it runs into various ethnic pockets of Queens. The train brings and transports a multicultural group of people from all over the world from Queens to Manhattan on a daily basis. Here are some interesting facts about each station that the 7 train runs through:

Queens - Flushing: Golden Shopping Mall by wallyg on FlickrFlushing-Main Street: Interested in Shanghai, Taiwanese or Chinese American style food? Informally known as Chinatown of Flushing, the city is booming with restaurants, shops, cafes, and cultural sites from East to South to Central to South East Asia. Flushing is an emerging city that puts the "recession" to shame. A fantastic place to practice your Chinese language skills too! There's plenty to see and to do in Flushing; one can visit the following: 

• Queens Botanical Garden >>
• Queens Historical Society >>
• Queens Museum of Art >>
• The Queens Public Library's Flushing Branch >>: one of the busiest libraries in the country.
• On the other side of Main Street, there is a big Jewish community in Flushing too.
• Find books about the history of Queens, New York >>
• Discover our East Asian cookbooks >>CitiField & The Apple by paul.hadsall on FlickrMETS-Willets Point: Watch one of NY's most beloved baseball teams, The New York METS, battle it out in Citifield! Formerly known as Shea Stadium, Citifield is a major stadium that also serves as multi-venue for concerts from time to time. During the summer, visit the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium to watch top tennis stars compete in the U.S. Open too! And one of my favorite parks is there too: The Flushing Meadows Corona Park where the unisphere is located. Let's Go Mets!>>

Unisphere at Night

New York Hall of Science, nysci.org111 Street: Interested in magnetic shockwaves, astronomy, gravity and rocket ships? Check out the New York Hall of Science located 47-01 111th Street where kids, teens and adults can learn more about the wonderful world of science! Find children's science books at NYPL >>

103rd Street – Corona Plaza Station on Wikimedia Commons103 Street-Corona Plaza and Junction Boulevard: Opened in 1917, 103-Street Corona Plaza is one of the earliest stations in the 7 train. In Junction Boulevard, there are many interesting Mexican, Cuban, Bolivian and other Latin American based restaurants. These areas also have supermarkets that import goods from Latin America and the Caribbean. Learn more about making enchiladas through our cookbooks from and about Latin America and the Caribbean >>

Jackson Heights 2 by With_L0ve on Flickr90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue and 82nd Street-Jackson Heights and 74th Street Broadway-Roosevelt Avenue: For South Asian cuisine, Jackson Heights is full of great restaurants, take-outs and diners to check out. This is one of the longest streets in Queens too. Learn to make curry through our cookbook; find South Asian, Indian, Pakistani and Bengali cookbooks>>

Woodside, Queens on Wikimedia Commons69th Street and Woodside-61st Street and 52nd Street and 46th Street and 40th Street: One of the most diverse and culturally integrated areas in Queens, Woodside is home to many ethnic neighborhoods including Little Manila (Filipino Community), Korean, South Asian, Chinese and Latin American "towns" One can find many products, restaurants, shops from these regions; it is a busy location and worth checking out!

NYC - Queens - Astoria: Museum of the Moving Image by wallyg on Flickr33rd Street: Interested in the history of blockbuster films, independent cinemas and the art of movie making? Check out The Museum of Moving Image: it is close to this station.

Interested in checking out modern art? There is also MoMA: Museum of Modern Art PS1  near the station to visit.

In addition, if you are interested in trying out Turkish or Egyptian coffee or want to practice your Arabic, there is a neighborhood for that. In Astoria, Steinway Street is known as Arab Town where there are blocks and blocks of Middle Eastern restaurants, shops, cafes, supermarkets and more. Learn about making humus and Middle Eastern food through our cookbooks >>

View from Queensborough Plaza on Wikimedia CommonsQueensboro Plaza and Court Square: The new "it" neighborhoods according to The New York Daily News—Court Square is connected to the Williamsburg neighborhood and Midtown; these locations are easily accessible from Court Square; the artwork, graffiti and skyscraper views are eye opening and jaw dropping.

Hunters Point Avenue on Wikimedia CommonsHunters Point Avenue and Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue: Since 1870, Hunters Point has been part of Queens since the integration of these towns: Astoria, Middletown, Sunnyside and others. There are still historic houses from the 19th century in Hunters Point today. Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue is the western based station and final stop of Queens before Manhattan. The view of Manhattan from these locations are stunning and worth checking out.

The Concourse, Grand Central Station

42nd Street - Grand Central Station: Recently turned 100, GCT is an amazing landmark filled with jaw dropping architecture! The stats for the station are as follows: 650 feet long, 200 feet wide and 100 feet high while the Deborah, Jonathan F. P., Samuel Priest, and Adam R. Rose Main Reading Room in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is about 78 feet by 297 feet and 52 feet high. Need I say more?

New York Public Library,Parks - Bryant Park

5th Ave - Bryant Park: One of the stops to The NYPL's Stephen A. Schwarzman's Building! The Library has been around since 1911 and under the park, there's layers of stacks! Named after the Romantic poet and editor of The New York Evening Post, William Cullen Bryant in 1884, Bryant Park is a small public park available for anyone to slow down their city lives and enjoy the natural scenery! There are also tons of events happening all year around in the park: from ice skating to shopping to summer concerts.

Times Building, Broadway and 42nd Street (before completion / 1901)

Times Square, New York on Wikimedia CommonsTimes Square - 42nd Street: Since 1904, TS is one of the most iconic attractions of New York City; Times Square is often viewed as the global capital of the world with loads of advertisement, shows, shops and people from all walks of life. Here's an interesting fact: about 1.6 million people walk over to Times Square on any given day; Times Square is popular and historic. Read Why The First Ball Was Dropped in Time Square!

Additional Resources

• Check out the Map Division for historical MTA maps!
• The Milstein Division for U.S. History, Local History and Genealogy also have resources on the history of New York City!
• Discover more immigrant heritage stories available at NYPL
• Check out our Digital Gallery for more images, photos and maps of our subways, neighbors and cities of New York! 
• Curious with what people ate in Queens or Brooklyn? Find out in our digital project, "What's on the Menu?"
• Learn more about the history of MTA in the NY Transit Museum!
• Need some gift ideas? Shop online or in person at the NYPL Shop for NYC based gifts!