From Irish pubs and Pakistani grocery stores to rows of Indian sari and jewelry shops, the 7 train boasts such diversity that it almost seems possible to explore the globe, all while staying in the neighborhoods that dot what is often referred to as the “International Express.”
Connecting Times Square to Flushing, the subway line, which opened in 1913, maneuvers its way through an area of Queens that has long been a corridor of immigration. People from places across the world – and who speak more than 100 languages – have long settled along the 7 line, which traverses land populated by individuals from such countries as the Philippines, Thailand, China, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Ireland, and many more.
Maspeth resident Steve Fisher got a chance to travel the 7 this past Saturday, when he took a tour led by Queens historian Jack Eichenbaum. Luckily for us, Fisher snapped a number of photos during the tour – during which participants explored six neighborhoods along the 7: Long Island City, Corona, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, and Flushing.
As individuals saw everything from ping pong tournaments in Flushing to Central American street vendors in Jackson Heights, Eichenbaum discussed colonial settlement patterns, demographic history, revolutions in transportation and industry, major public works projects, and cuisine, among other topics.