All Aboard The 7 Line By Gloria Sanders

Photo Gloria Sanders At the Main Street Station stop on the No. 7 subway line, subway riders enter the second largest Chinatown in New York City.

The first stop on our journey “around the world” on the No. 7 train begins at Main Street in Flushing, Queens. Get off at this stop on the No. 7 line and you’ll find yourself in a neighborhood filled with diverse eateries, people and shopping venues that make up the heart of Flushing. Also known as the birthplace of religious freedom, Flushing is a chief urban center in Queens and the second largest Chinatown in New York City. These busy sidewalks are constantly flooded with shoppers, commuters and middle class immigrants who began to settle here in the late 1970s. Home to people of Asian descent, predominantly Chinese and Korean, Flushing is now one of the busiest shopping districts around With multiple variety stores, discount stores, professional businesses, banks and dining, it is a pulsating commercial district that offers a variety of resources that are essential to everyday needs. Displays of Chinese lettering that span several blocks are also a prime factor that distinguishes “Little China” from the other surrounding neighborhoods.

Join me next week as we travel to the next stop down the tracks of the No. 7 train and explore the endless possibilities and cultural diversity that comes together by the means of the “International Express”.