There are so many cultures in New York City that it's as if you're traveling to different countries when you visit the many different neighborhoods. In this spirit, one of my favorite places to visit, is the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in Queens, where you feel as if you've travelled to India by subway--and wind up in Mumbai, or as it used to be known--Bombay.
The trains that get you there are the E, F, R, or 7 trains, to the Jackson Heights station. When you get out of the station and into the neighborhood, the sights and aromas just surround you and make you feel welcome. Walking down the block there are the restaurants, shops selling fancy saris, and other gorgeous clothes, jewelry, perfumes, the various vegetables and spices, and my favorite: the dessert shops.
This is a place to come if you want to taste the authentic cuisine of India. There are some restaurants here that are so good, that I have seen buses full of tourists, coming from Manhattan, just to enjoy the food--and of course the sights of the place. I love best the desserts, especially rasmalai, which cools you down after you've eaten some spicy dish.
After you get out the restaurant, and explore the rest of the neighborhood, and listening to and seeing the brightly dressed people, you become convinced that, yes--you are in a magical warp that brought you to India, and how wonderful that you did not even have to get on an airplane to get there.
Last time I visited, I picked up some food, desert, and bought a few Cd's and DVDs with the best music and movies from Bollywood. I had brought my grandmother there, because as she said to me--since she couldn't go to India, this would have to do. We went into practically every shop, big and small, so that she could savor the different items and sensations. Afterwards, she said that--for her-- this was as good as actually going to India.
And indeed, even though the community has now expanded into other parts of the city, still one of best parts, for me at least, is still in Jackson Heights. If you have not done so, or are new to New York, I would urge you to give it a look. If nothing else, it's a great one-day mini-vacation.
