The Sunny Skies of Jamaica

The Sunny Skies of Jamaica

On a sunny August morning we picked up an MTA Fun Pass and headed into Queens as tourists. New York City is large, diverse and easy to get around. The Fun Pass ($7.50) allowed us unlimited train and bus use for one day.

MTA/LIRR transit hub in Jamaica

The 7 train 'el'

Subway Art

King of Queens











King Manor was the country home of Rufus King, first U.S. senator from New York, Governor of New York, ambassador to Great Britain, financier and all around wealthy guy. It has been a museum since 1900. King is noted as being a framer and signer of the U.S. constitution (1787) and the first senator to speak out against slavery on moral grounds.

He was the last Federalist candidate for president of the U.S.

The remaining 11 acres of King's 150 acre farm is a city park. His NYC mansion was on the site of the present Woolworth Building. [Although it is no longer standing, I'll bet that King's NYC home was no five & dime place.)

Two hundred years ago it took the Kings about an hour and a half to get from the farm into NYC via Jamaica Avenue by buggy. It take about the same amount of time by automobile today. Jamaica Avenue is an extension of Fulton Street which went to the Fulton ferry.


Nearby Grace Church was the church of Rufus King. He and his family are buried in the churchyard. This structure was built in 1861, after the death of King and his wife.

Mural (below left) was done by the WPA.
























St. Monica's (below) was the first Catholic parish on Long Island. The church, built in the mid 1800s became a city landmark but collapsed in 1998. Only the facade of the original church remains.

A daycare center was built on the site and incorporated the facade.

Prospect Cemetery

The remains of Revolutionary War soldiers are buried in the Chapel of the Sisters (above).

The Dutch Reformed Church (left) is now a performing arts center.



























Built in the 1930s, the courthouse had many art deco features and a WPA mural of Moses descending Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments. (Cameras not permitted).

Queens Borough Hall

We took the Q-60 bus from Borough Hall toward Sunnyside where we picked up the 7 train going northeast. We passed through Kew Gardens, Rego Park and Forest Hills.

We finished our day by wandering along Roosevelt Avenue looking at the shops and restaurants featuring Latin American (mostly Argentinian, Peruvian, Equadorian, Mexican and Columbian) fare. We tried several and finished with dessert at one of several bakeries that we saw with artistic pastries. We had a 'rat tart'; maybe it was a Monty Python thing.


This excursion took us twelve hours (which included time at a Columbian buffet for lunch) and there is a lot more to do. We plan to make a trip to another area soon.