Queens has it all: beautiful parkland, Grand Slam tennis and major league baseball, museums of all kinds, food from every corner of the globe…and even a certain web-slinging crimefighter. His latest adventures may have taken him out of town, but it’s easy to see why Spider-Man, who hails from Forest Hills, remains true to his home turf. Read on for some of the borough’s highlights, inspired by the local hero himself.
Photo: Marley White
Why you should go: This institution is dedicated to the history of movies and television, and their continuing societal impact. It’s got a big exhibition dedicated to Jim Henson, costumes and props from decades of cinematic history, and Behind the Screen—a 15,000-square-foot, interactive look at how film and television are made.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: If you aspire to someday make your own blockbuster film like Spider-Man: Far From Home (in theaters July 2, only on the big screen!), this is a great place to learn the ins and outs of the art form.
Photo: Jen Davis
Why you should go: Meet the Mets. Meet the Mets. Step right up and greet the Mets. New York City’s National League baseball team has a passionate fan base and star players like defending Cy Young Award–winner Jacob deGrom and Rookie of the Year contender Pete Alonso (whose grandpa, like Spider-Man, once lived in Queens).
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: The Mets’ history includes one very famous
Photo: David Mitchell
Why you should go: This new hotel at the old TWA flight center retains its Jet Age architectural splendor and includes such compelling features as working rotary phones, a rooftop infinity pool with runway views, and, naturally, a bar on an actual 1950s-era airplane. You needn’t spend the night to visit and explore much of what makes the place fun.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: It’s a high-flying environment full of people who are either far from home right now (and staying overnight) or about to fly far from home via the runways at JFK Airport. (Are they going to battle the Elementals once they reach their destination? Anything is possible.)
Panorama of New York City. Courtesy, Queens Museum of Art
Why you should go: This building has fun exhibits including an enormous collection of Tiffany glass and the Panorama of the City of New York, a 9,335-square-foot scale model of the entire City. The museum also has a fascinating history—it was built for the 1939 World’s Fair and was once home to the UN’s General Assembly.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: Standing above the Panorama, seeing the entire skyline as if flying high above it, may be the closest many of us get to Spider-Man’s experience of swinging through NYC (unless you happen to have been bitten by a radioactive spider yourself).
Photo: Kate Glicksberg
Why you should go: Famous far and wide for their flavors both traditional (lemon, cherry, rainbow) and adventurous (peanut butter, licorice, rum raisin), these purveyors of frozen desserts have been going strong for more than six decades. They’ve been immortalized in The King of Queens and, as you can see on their website, in
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: After a hot summer day fighting the bad guys, a good cup of red-and-blue ices is a great Spider-Man-colored way to cool down and refuel.
Photo: Alexander Thompson
Why you should go: This three-story building has great restaurants serving food from all over Asia; a J-Mart supermarket stocked with hard-to-find groceries from across the continent; and a shopping mall with Asian selections alongside American staples—plus banquet halls and a karaoke lounge.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: You won’t have to go far from home to get great Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean and Malaysian food—you can taste a whole world of cuisine without even leaving Queens.
Photo: Kate Glicksberg
Why you should go: This Queens icon sits at the heart of Flushing Meadows Corona Park—which, in addition to ample green space and sports fields, features the Queens Zoo and the Queens Museum. The 140-foot-high steel globe originally debuted as part of the 1964 World’s Fair—themed “Peace Through Understanding”—and has become a fixture of the landscape.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: He may have a reputation for skyscraper hopping, but Spider-Man needs a variety of vantage points (and hiding spots) to protect the good people of New York City. We’d be hard-pressed to find a structure more scalable than the Unisphere—for Spidey, that is. Civilians should stick to photographing it from ground level.
Photo: Tagger Yancey IV
Why you should go: MoMA PS1 is hands-on in its advocacy for new ideas and cultivation of up-and-coming talent. In addition to its collection, the museum offers a summer concert series called Warm Up, classes for teens and other special events.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: Look no further than the mission: MoMA PS1 actively pursues “adventurous” new work by emerging artists. Plus, weblike material is a common medium for art installations. Is it possible that Spidey himself has inspired some modern masterpieces?
Photo: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
Why you should go: It’s the site of the world-renowned US Open Tennis Championships each summer and a host of smaller tournaments throughout the year. There are also behind-the-scenes tours and private lessons for those ambitious enough to hone their serves on such legendary courts.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: Spider-Man isn’t the only one taking big swings in Queens. Serena Williams, Roger Federer and—of course—Billie Jean King have made tennis history here, proving that this truly is a borough of heroes.
Photo: David Handschuh/The New York Hall of Science
Why you should go: More than 450 interactive exhibits encourage hands-on exploration for visitors of all ages. Like the Unisphere, the New York Hall of Science was originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair—making it a history and science lesson in one.
Why our Spidey sense is tingling: Spidey’s alter-ego, Peter Parker, is a stellar student at the Midtown School of Science and Technology—and a member of the Academic Decathlon team that heads overseas this summer in Spider-Man: Far From Home. It’s safe to say he has great childhood memories of honing his skills at this Queens institution.
MARVEL and all related character names: © & ™ 2019 MARVEL. Spider-Man: Far From Home, the Movie ©2019 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.