Gothamist: Coolest NYC Neighborhood Name: Utopia, Queens

S.D.

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 08:49:28 -0500

That Sign would be for Prime Estates Realty, whom I'm biased in favor of as they got me the house I live in now... Also, I know people who work there. After spending months looking for a place and seeing "townhouses" I didn't like, they found a place I really liked in one day. What amused me about Utopia Lanes is, with such a big space, I thought they would have done better. Now people got to Jib Lanes on parsons. Jib Lanes is a nice place, but far from where I lived as a kid...

dstein

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 23:33:27 -0500

I also have fond memories of Utopia Lanes. My favorite thing now is the real estate battle on the corner of Union and 188th between Julia Shildkret and that asian lady with the billboard across the street. Fight!

Phil

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 20:35:15 -0500

I never lived there but attended St. John's for many years and can attest to the fact that it is indeed a pleasant neighborhood inhabitted by hard-working people from many ethnic backgrounds. It's the face of NY that most tourists don't see and that doesn't show up on TV. Take the E to the Kew Gardens stop, grab the Q46 and have a burger at the Fame Diner.

S.D.

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 18:00:38 -0500

Yep, now all that is there is a real estate Company sign.

Kojak

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 17:33:37 -0500

Yes I do SD. Ahh the Memories...

S.D.

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 17:09:14 -0500

Anyone remember Utopia Lanes on Union Turnpike Off 188th St?

erika

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:50:36 -0500

noone actually ever calls it Utopia. and its nice (union turnpike and utopia parkway have a bunch of cute little restaurants) but not as ethnically diverse as other neighborhoods in queens. and everyone goes to smoke pot in Kissena Park. i go to school in the area.

David K.

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:49:22 -0500

Uh, isn't Utopia just a little too close to a place called: FLUSHING??? I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

freedom fighter

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:27:36 -0500

todd rundgren never performed there...

dstein

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:50:34 -0500

I grew up in Utopia and have many fond memories of the Q46. There are lots of great little restaurants tucked in various places, but the big problem is you have to take the bus to the subway - whether its the Q46 to Union Turnpike or the Q17 (or something) to 179th Street. Also, Utopia is much closer to perfection than Providence, RI, which is also a great place.

mmmm

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:35:46 -0500

king yum is excellent!!!

adelle

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:21:27 -0500

Yay! Thanks for letting me know I live in Utopia -- I never realized it! As Kevin said, it's now part of Auburndale. Lots of long, tree-lined blocks, adorable families, cute dogs...lovely really. But no "Imagine" on loop. (Thank goodness.)

Kevin Walsh

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:09:56 -0500

Actually Utopia hasn't existed as a neighborhood for decades. I don't have my NYC Encyclopedia handy, but it was the optimistic name of a real estate development in the late 1890s or early 1900s. It's now part of Auburndale. It's a quiet neighborhood of detached homes with Kissena Corridor Park bisecting the area. Joseph Cornell, the 'shadow box' artist (some of which is on display at MoMA) lived on Utopia Parkway for decades with his mother and disabled brother. Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie are buried in nearby Flushing Cemetery. Fountains of Wayne fans will remember their Utopia Parkway CD. www.forgotten-ny.com

kristin

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:08:27 -0500

Well according to that article, I guess St. John's is technically ADJACENt to utopia, since the campus' eastern border is Utopia pkwy. oops.

kristin

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:05:39 -0500

I grew up about 20 blocks east of Utopia. It's where St. John's is, if that means anything to anyone on here. THere is also a giant Chinese karaoke bar, King Yum, and that stretch of Union turnpike is like a homage to the small business....block after block of every type of little shop you could think of.