A few miles down the road is Jacob Riis Park, a public beach
by the Atlantic Ocean that is described in this guidebook. The
stretch has a boardwalk and a landmarked bathhouse. The 200-
acre Breezy Point Tip is adjacent to Riis Park. Consisting of
dunes, marshes, and oceanfront beach, it is a nesting area for
many birds, such as the piping glover. During their migrations,
different kinds of hawks rest and nest there. Plus, diamondback
turtles lay eggs and horseshoe crabs mate in the sand dunes of
the Wildlife Refuge at certain times.
Juniper Valley Park stretches over more than 55 acres in
heavily residential Middle Village. It offers space for baseball,
basketball, bocce, football, handball, soccer, tennis and track.
It was long a swamp until Arnold Rothstein, the gangster known
for fixing the 1919 World Series during the Black Sox Scandal,
bought 88 acres for development. He tried to sell the property to
the city as an airport during the 1920s, but he was murdered in
1928, believed to be related to unpaid gambling debts. In 1931,
New York City acquired Juniper Swamp from Rothstein’s estate,
later converting the property into a public park.
Inside scoop: The Pullis Cemetery, which is located near the park
off Juniper Boulevard North at 81st Street, has historic landmark
status. Thomas Pullis Sr. purchased 32 acres there in 1832 and
built the burial ground for his family.
Address: Juniper Boulevard between Lutheran Avenue, 71st
Street and Dry Harbor Road.
Kissena Park has nearly 240 acres of winding paths through
shady trees, open green space, tennis courts, sports fields and
a fishing pond. The park also features a velodrome for bicycle
riders, and a public golf course is nearby.
Inside scoop: The word “Kissena” means “it is cold” in the
Chippewa language. However, the Chippewa tribe lives mainly
in Wisconsin and never had a large population in Queens.
Address: vicinity of Rose Avenue, 164th Street, and Kissena
Boulevard, Flushing.
Roy Wilkins Recreation Center is named after a civil rights
leader who also served as president of the NAACP. In addition to
the 425-seat Black Spectrum Theatre (mentioned previously), the
park has a four-acre community garden, basketball, handball and
tennis courts, outdoor performance space and an indoor pool.
Inside scoop: An African-American Hall of Fame is located
in the African Courtyard. Inductees include Shirley Chisholm,
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