C Tann-Starr

Who knew an article authored by Jeff Gottlieb would inspire a turtle walk on a quest for the rich and famous buried at the historic Maple Grove Cemetery?

Established in 1875, I discovered that in August of 2004 Maple Grove Cemetery (MGC) was inducted into The National Register of Historical Places. Major Queens County streets, boulevards, roads and drives are named after many of the notables deposed there such as Elizabeth Riis, John H. Sutphin, Theodire F. Archer, J. Harvey Smedley, Joseph B. Everitt, Edward Mandel, D.R.P. Marquis, Harold G. Cambell and a host of other extraordinary citizens.

Located directly across from Maple Grove Park in Briarwood, Queens County, New York, there is a very elegant entrance leading into the Maple Grove Cemetery on Queens Blvd. Unfortunately, the ancient stone monument marking the Briarwood entrance was defaced by vandals several years ago and the chemicals used to clean the grafitti marred the surface and beautiful craftsmanship of the work. However, there are numerous outstanding monuments errected throughout the landscape so intricately carved the cemetery has become a quiet tourist attraction. One particularly fetching area that can be viewed directly from Queens Blvd is Liberty Gardens. The stonework is amazing! Out of respect for the deposed, I've limited the selection of eye candy to post, but I must say the landscaping here is exquisite.

To quote Mr. Gottlieb's article, "Opened in 1875, Maple Grove Cemetery is a beautiful, 65-acre burial ground in Kew Gardens, with its main entrance on Kew Gardens Road and Lefferts Boulevard. It was modeled, in part, after the Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, a 478-acre tract, also well above (478 feet) sea level, and established in 1838 as a rural cemetery and horticultural garden, Maple Grove, like Greenwood, is an oasis in an urban environment."

I can attest to that fact, Mr. Gottlieb. Very well said, indeed.

Here is some eye candy from my turtle walk.

I love tennis but unfortunately I don't play very well (unless we're talking video games), which is why I do love to watch the sport and appreciate the precision, strategies and athletics involved in the activity. In anticipation of the upcoming events scheduled for August, I decided that today's turtle run would be around the tennis stadiums in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The US Tennis Association (USTA) hosts the US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center every August in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The planes are re-routed not to fly over at that time, which is something that only a native New Yorker would notice. The absence of noise is always invigorating during a zen moment while enjoying a slow jog. If you stand at the gates of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, you can actually see a lovely view of the Unispere and the Court of States. East of the Unisphere are the Soccer Fields where most kids run to play a pick up game after using the tennis courts, which are open to the public throughout the year. There are indoor and outdoor courts and programs for adults, youths, and seniors. You can find out more information regarding events and available programs from the USTA website here.

Meanwhile, here is some eye candy from my turtle run. Enjoy!

According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, "The Hall of Science was built for the 1964 World's Fair. Today, the facility is New York City's only hands-on science and technology museum." Being a mom always on the search for something for the little people to do I found myself thinking, "Now how cool is that?"

After my turtle run in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, I am here to tell you it's awesome! There are NSA Rockets parked outside gleaming in the sunshine, people! Where else in New York City can a person casually stroll by such gorgeous out-of-this-world eye candy? (In my case, turtle run, but I digress...)

This place is all about the kids -- check out the kid empowerment zone! If you want to schedule yourself a seriously fun play date with your children (and sneak in some educational science while frolicking) please feel free to take yourself down to the New York Hall of Science located at 47-01 111 Street, Corona NY 11368 (718) 699-0005.

Here's a little eye candy from my turtle run today. Enjoy!

I'm addicted to my turtle runs in the morning. I can't imagine my day without having a slow jog with my Nikon. There are so many beautiful sites to see in my neck of the woods known as Queens County. Truth is, each borough has something special to offer. They all have a soul and flavor that is very unique. We are talking eye candy, people. Did I mention I am a visual person? I think I did, but I'll say it again, in case I did not. Being an artist has its perks when you live in New York City, and one of the biggest benefits of being a native New Yorker is you know where to go to get your visual fix if need be. So today I am going to share one of my favorite places to be and let you see how much eye candy the Court of Sates in Flushing Meadow Corona Park can be. Enjoy!

The interesting thing about the intersection of Union Turnpike and Queens Blvd is that three neighborhoods meet at the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens train station. (1) Forest Hills, (2) Kew Gardens and (3) Briarwood. If you exit the train station at the fountain you are in Briarwood. If you exit the train station at the black towers, you are in Kew Gardens. If you exit the train station at the Con Edison building, you are in Forest Hills. I guess when a 6 laned Queens Blvd. meets a 4 laned Union Turnpike and a 4 laned Jackie Robinson (Inter-borough) Parkway, anything is possible.

The train station houses the IND E and F lines. There is also a cab stand, four express busses (two into Manhattan, one to JFK and one to LGA airports) directly across the street from the fountain on the same side of Queens Blvd the black towers is located.

The fountain statue is on the corner adjacent to the Queens County Borough Hall. Behind both is a gem of a park where the elderly practice Tai Chi, people who get married at the court house take their wedding photographs, and bloggers like me chill in the grass with our laptops, or enjoy a few short laps of a lazy turtle run...