A Carless Culinary Trifecta

For those of you in Forest Hills or nearby who are looking for a convenient way to do your holiday food shopping, I have figured out a great way. And guess what? You don't need a car! If you are like me, one of the many residents of Queens and Forest Hills who does not have a car, you no longer have to pine with jealousy at all those suburban-sized stores you hear about from your car-possessing neighbors. Here is my holiday shopping trail, just for you carless (and just think about it, no traffic, no feeding meters, no parking tickets, etc...!) :

First, hop on one of those shiny new F trains at 71st/Continental. Sit back, read, relax, enjoy your subway ride and in about 25 minutes pop out at the 23rd St./6th Avenue stop in Manhattan and you will find yourself in gourmet food wonderland, with three of the best stores just a block or so away!

Your first visit: Eataly, the gigantic new Italian food superstore at the corner of 5th Ave and 23rd. I love their incredibly fresh rustic bread (about $5) which I run in and out to grab whenever I am in the area, but this place is brimming with tons of Italian specialties from pasta to fish, hundreds of sauces, desserts, cheeses, meats, the list goes on and on. And you can sit down and eat there too if you like, they have like 5 different restaurants.

Next, walk one block over to 6th Avenue and a block or so south, where you will find between 21st and 22nd the newest Trader Joe's. Unlike the Forest Hills Trader Joe's down near Metropolitan Avenue, this one is actually easily accessible to those of us without cars! (Go figure, we can't shop at the one right here in Forest Hills, in our own neighborhood, but the one in Manhattan we can easily get to via subway. Just one of the quirks of city life I guess!) Anyway, this new Trader Joe's is much bigger than the one on the outskirts of Forest Hills anyway.

And finally, walk a couple of blocks north to 25th St. and a block west to 7th Avenue and there you have the final stop on my Carless Culinary Trifecta Trail: Whole Foods!

So, there you have it. Who said you need to have a car to live in Queens?? One quick and cheap 25 minute subway ride away and you are in the middle of the best holiday food shopping there is! And you didn't have to get stuck in traffic to get there!! Enjoy, and happy holidays!