PARKS
Continued from Page 10
in pieces over time, children’s
farm gardens act as handson
classrooms, barbecue
areas serve as meeting
grounds and numerous
tennis courts, baseball fields
and handball and basketball
courts provide spots for
athletic recreation.
Idlewild Park
Rockaway and Springfield
boulevards and 149th Avenue
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/idlewildpark
The city acquired the
property in three stages
between 1956 and 1964. The
first parcel was conveyed
to the city through an
agreement reached April 26,
1956, with the Port Authority
of New York & New Jersey.
Jamaica Bay Park
Mott Basin to the city line
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q309/
Jamaica Bay is an 18,000-
acre wetland estuary
surrounded by the Rockaway
Peninsula to the south,
Brooklyn to the west and
Queens to the east. The
wetlands provide a unique
environment for both wildlife
preservation and urban
recreation, which includes
volleyball courts.
Juniper Valley Park
Juniper Boulevard between
Lutheran Avenue, 71st Street
and Dry Harbor Road
http://www.
nycgovparks.org/parks/
junipervalleypark/
Juniper Valley Park is an
integral part of Middle Village.
Residents spend time with
old friends and neighbors
while groups gather to take
advantage of the tennis,
handball and basketball courts.
Includes a dog run.
Kissena Park
Fresh Meadows Lane and
Kissena Boulevard between
Oak, Underhill and Booth
Memorial avenues
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/kissenapark/
Beautiful Kissena Lake
creates an idyllic setting
to enjoy a sunny day. Stroll
through the park to take
in the lush flora and fauna,
and be sure not to miss the
historic tree grove.
Locust Grove Civic Triangle
North Conduit Avenue
between 118th Street and
Lefferts Boulevard
http://www.
nycgovparks.org/parks/
locustgrovecivictriangle/
The greenspace is 0.32 acres
large. It contains baseball
fields.
Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto Park
Atlantic and 95th avenues
between 125th and 127th
streets
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q129/
From the time the park
opened in 1938, it has been
known locally as Smokey
Oval Park. It includes
basketball and handball
courts and baseball and
football fields.
Poppenhusen Park
College Place and College
Point Boulevard between 11th
and 12th avenues
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q042/
Conrad Poppenhusen
(1818-83), entrepreneur and
philanthropist, was born
in Hamburg, Germany. In
1852, he obtained a license
from Charles Goodyear to
manufacture hard rubber
goods and moved his firm
to a farming village in what
is now Queens.
Powell’s Cove Park
11th Avenue between
130th Street, Powell’s Cove
Boulevard, 138th Place and
9th Avenue
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q461/
Powell’s Cove, an
environmental waterfront
park completed in 1999,
is a bay with sizable
wetlands and undeveloped
uplands in College Point.
Probably named for the
Powell family, who owned
land in the vicinity as late
as 1873, this parkland was
envisaged as a waterfront
park to protect tidal
wetlands and the natural
environment of the
marshland region.
Queensbridge Park
Queensboro Bridge, 41st Road,
40th Avenue between The
East River, Vernon Boulevard
and 21 Street
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q104/
This park is named for the
nearby Queensboro Bridge,
which is also known as the
Queensbridge or 59th Street
Bridge. The 1960s band Simon
and Garfunkel made the
bridge famous in their song
“Feelin’ Groovy,” also called
“The 59th Street Bridge
Song.”
Railroad Park
129th Avenue between 172nd
and 176th streets
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q412/
This park takes its name
from the Long Island Rail
Road, whose tracks form the
area’s southwest boundary.
The railroad began with the
incorporation of the Brooklyn
& Jamaica Railroad Co. April
25, 1832.
Rockaway Beach
Ocean Promenade, the
Atlantic Ocean and Beach
110th Street
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q050/
The origins of the name
“Rockaway” is closely
related to the language of
the Delaware and Chippewa
native Americans. Linguistic
experts recognize both
“reckonwacky,” meaning “the
place of our own people,” and
“reckanawahaha,” meaning
“the place of laughing waters,”
as the area’s indigenous
names.
Rockaway Beach and
Boardwalk
http://www.nycgovparks.org/
parks/rockawaybeach/
One of New York City’s most
popular summer destinations,
the entire beach encompasses
more than 170 acres of sun
and sand. Seven playgrounds
provide entertainment for the
younger set, while volleyball,
skating and the city’s only
surfing areas keep adults
active.
Rockaway Community Park
Almeda and Norton avenues
between Beach 58th Street,
Sommerville Basin, Beach
49th Street and Conch Basin
http://www.
nycgovparks.org/parks/
rockawaycommunitypark
Rockaway Community Park
is an intriguing example of
the diversity of New York
City’s parks. It offers a great
opportunity for wildlife and
nature lovers.
Roy Wilkins Recreation
Center
Merrick Boulevard between
115th and 116th avenues and
Baisley Boulevard
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/roywilkins/
Named after the civil rights
leader and late NAACP
president, this unique
public space is a cultural
touchstone for the city. The
park’s 425-seat theater is
home to its own troupe, the
Black Spectrum Theatre, and
a 4-acre vegetable garden
gives local children and
adults the opportunity to
grow their own produce.
Travers Park
34th Avenue between 77th and
78th streets
http://www.nycgovparks.org/
parks/traverspark/
Named in honor of Jackson
Heights community leader
Thomas J. Travers, the park
features a leaf-and-vineshaped
spray shower, benches,
plantings and a bicycle rack.
The playground is ADAcompliant
and appropriate for
children 5 to 10.
Udalls Cove Park
Northern Boulevard, 244th
to 247th streets and Douglas
Road
http://www.nycgovparks.org/
parks/Q452/
The park is a 30-acre nature
preserve that contains Aurora
Pond.
Yellowstone Park
Yellowstone Boulevard
between 68th Avenue and
68th Road
http://www.nycgovparks.
org/parks/Q425/map
The park is 1.75 acres. It
contains basketball courts,
bathrooms, eateries,
playgrounds, spray showers and
water fountains. Has dog run.
A12 TIMESLEDGER, GUIDE TO QUEENS, FALL/WINTER 2020 TL TIMESLEDGER.COM
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www.nycgovparks
/www
/www
/www
/
/
/
/
/
/
/TIMESLEDGER.COM
