Have you ever wondered where the oldest resident of NYC lives?
Why it’s in Alley Pond Park, a precious commodity of Queens that has something for everyone. Multiple kettle ponds, a bird sanctuary, and so many wooded paths it’s easy to forget you’re in the city limits (the occasional sound of highway, notwithstanding). The Environmental Center, the site for many critter-filled birthday parties and school trips, is still up and running with Covid-19 protocols in place. By Queens’ standards, its 600 plus acres are second in size only to Flushing Meadows Park, but more pastoral by a long shot, and it also has a tennis center. Oh and that old timer? It’s the Queens Giant, a tulip poplar tree that ranks as the tallest tree in NYC at 133.8 feet. It may also be the oldest living thing in the boroughs, at least 350 years old. Go say hi.
