Consumers last Sunday used the free trolley to get in some holiday shopping along Jamaica Avenue.
Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
Mailboxes brimming with greeting cards; festive lights adorning apartment buildings and houses from Laurelton to Little Neck; Addabbo as Santa; a seemingly endless string of parties…
And the Jamaica Avenue trolley.
It must be holiday time in Queens.
A seasonal staple, the free trolley offered shoppers a chance to rest their weary feet last Sunday afternoon, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and step back into another era of transportation as they visited the small businesses along jam-packed Jamaica Avenue.
“God knows I love to shop,” Maria of Middle Village said with a laugh, “but I needed something like [the trolley]. It helps you navigate the avenue, and it’s free.”
A popular “Holiday in Woodhaven” tradition, the trolley is one of many annual December events sponsored by the Woodhaven Business Improvement District and the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation. This year’s festivities kicked off on Dec. 5 with the lighting of the menorah and Christmas tree on Forest Parkway near Jamaica Avenue. While the 2014 Welcome Santa to Woodhaven Parade was canceled due to inclement weather, children of all ages could still meet and take pictures with Santa on Dec. 13 and Dec. 20, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Forest Parkway Plaza.
The Woodhaven BID was created in 1993 by Woodhaven property owners, business investors and community leaders in order to complement, expand and encourage the full retail and commercial development of Jamaica Avenue. The BID incorporates all properties that front Jamaica Avenue from Dexter Court to 100th Street.
By Michael V. Cusenza
