All Aboard The Seven Line

Our next stop on the No. 7 line in Long Island City is Queensboro Plaza, a two-level station where the BMT Astoria Line connects with the "International Express", giving commuters a chance to change trains. Lining the streets of Queensboro Plaza are numerous businesses including adult entertainment venues, nightclubs, delis and convenience stores. With redesigning of Queens Plaza currently taking place, there is hope for a greater residential population, better traffic flow and improved access to the bridge. Unfortunately, prisoners released from Rikers Island are still dropped off at Queensboro Plaza, a serious concern.

Alongside the train line is the Queensboro Bridge, passing over Roosevelt Island and connecting Long Island City to Manhattan. Proposals to link the two boroughs were made as early as 1838, but it wasn't until March 30, 1909 that the bridge, which cost some $18 million, opened to the public. It was originally called the Blackwell's Island Bridge, Blackwell's Island being an earlier name for Roosevelt Island. The Queensboro Bridge was also a setting for the 2002 movie "Spider Man" and the television series "Taxi" and is mentioned in the theme song of the sitcom "King of Queens". Renovation of the bridge after decades of decay and corrosion began in 1987 and is still in progress, costing more than $300 million.

Under the bridge lies the famous Silvercup Studios, which is currently home to HBO's "The Sopranos", ABC's "Hope and Faith" and "Sex and the City" for its six successful seasons. The studios, the Silvercup Bakery until 1983, now make up the largest independent, full-service film and television production facility in the Northeastern United States. Long Island City is also home to the Academy for American Studies, a school that believes a brighter tomorrow will be developed by students with insight about the history of the United States. Academy students go on different trips to see historic sites and landmarks that play a significant role in the history of our country.

Join me next week as we arrive at Court House Square/45th Road and discover another new neighborhood with a flavor all its own.