Then enjoy your sweet treat while strolling through the Queens neighborhood where more than 120 languages are spoken. This is New York off the beaten path.
The 7 local and express trains of the IRT Flushing line run through the neighborhood with local stops at 111th Street, 103rd Street-Corona Plaza, and Junction Boulevard, putting Corona a mere 20 minutes from Manhattan.
No visit to this lively ethnic neighborhood is complete without dropping by the bocce courts in the William Moore Park just across from the best Italian ice shop anywhere. As an added bonus, you might get in on a game of the Italian precision sport similar to pétanque.
According to Forgotten New York, in 1868 Thomas Waite Howard, a local resident of then West Flushing, petitioned the post office to change the community’s name to Corona. Since the name Corona is both Italian and Spanish for crown, the idea was that the ethnically diverse community be considered the “crown jewel” of Long Island. Howard’s request was granted in 1872.
This multi-cultural gem of a neighborhood was a fixture in professional sports from as early as the mid-19th century. Horse racing events were a popular draw and the racing tracks were the site of the first baseball game where admissions were charged. Fittingly enough, Shea Stadium in one of the city’s largest parks, has been home to the Mets since 1964. They boys of summer move to their new home at the end of the 2008 season, leaving behind a legion of nostalgic fans that grew up in the Roosevelt Avenue stadium.
Steeped in history and popular culture, the community of Corona is a family-oriented neighborhood bordered on the east by Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, site of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, and now home to the NY Hall of Science. Also located in the park are Shea Stadium and the United States Tennis Association, home of the U.S. Open grand slam tournament held annually in late August.
Roosevelt Avenue divides the neighborhood into North and South, with a largely Latin population in the southern half.
Not to drop names, but the community has seen its share. In 1893, the patented art glass works of Louis Comfort Tiffany came to Corona where the collector’s art glass was manufactured until its popularity waned. The Jazz Age novel, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald described the neighborhood’s humble beginnings as “a valley of ashes.” Queens native Paul Simon’s 1972 hit song, "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,"mentioned the neighborhood in the lyrics: “Goodbye to Rosie, the queen of Corona.”
Among the community’s more notable former residents were beauty and cosmetics visionary Estée Lauder and legendary jazzmen Louis Armstrong, Dizzie Gillespie, Cannonball Adderly, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry and Cecil Taylor. Filmmaker Martin Scorcese grew up in Corona, and Madonna, who lived there in the late 70s and early 80s, and the late Jimmy Valvano, the popular college basketball coach, called Corona home too.
Make your way to Leo’s Latticini and Mama’s Backyard (4602 104th St., 718-898-6069) for a good nosh. The counter women are the owners, the deBeneditti sisters, and they speak their mother Italian with friends, family and customers who are so-inclined. When they’re not helping overwhelmed customers decide on which panino is perfect to eat now and later, since the portions are tremendous, they happily recall the old days. When the sisters were girls, the latticini was run by their father, Frank, and the milk for their mozzarella was trucked over from East New York dairies.
The family establishment is more than 50 years old and going strong with its huge selection of cured meats, homemade mozzarella, olives and olive oils. While you’re there, be sure to pack up a shopping bag full of goodies to take home.
Corona is foodie paradise with many wonderful local restaurants, bakeries and specialty stores, including Parkside Italian (107-01 Corona Ave., 718-271-9871), Leo’s Latticini and Mama’s, the Lemon Ice King and Tulcingo Mexican Bakery, (40-19 National Street, 718-457-9262) where you can serve yourself like you might in Mexico, loading up your metal tray with hot, fresh baked goods, Just across the street is Roma Pizza, featuring the interesting combination of Italian-Ecuadorian cuisine.
Whatever your flavor, Corona has it.
