Seniors Pay A Visit To Springfield Gardens

Coffee time this Sunday morning, senior friends, and we’re stopping in Springfield Gardens, a working class neighborhood in the southeastern area of the New York City borough of Queens.

The area was first settled by Europeans in 1660, and was subsequently farmed until the mid nineteenth-century. Today, senior visitors will find that the area maintains its low-rise suburban nature, and is home to many Caribbean immigrants of various ethnicity. It also is home to a majority African-American population.

So, why Springfield Gardens? Just because it is there. Senior visitors will discover that the borough is 14 miles from Manhattan. You can set your GPS straight north of JFK Airport in the Jamaica and southeast Queens neighborhood.

The NY Times notes that it is “a place where some blocks seem more like the suburban Springfield in “The Simpsons.” The city has sought to protect the low-slung profile so much in evidence along 160th Street…in many ways, putting an expressive stamp on the area has also been an act of celebration on the part of the African-American population that migrated here from Manhattan and Brooklyn from the 1940s through the ’60s. Trading cramped apartments in run-down areas for roomy spreads in just-built neighborhoods bordered on a cathartic experience, some veterans of that era explain.”

 Seniors Discover Springfield Park

A major draw to the area is the Springfield Park that consists of 23.54 acres, including the sizable Springfield Lake at its center.

The Park is located in a low-lying area that once had many springs, which is why 17th century settlers named the area Spring Field. Those settlers built a pond for irrigation purposes in the area that later became the park.

Excelsior Prep High School provides students with a significant background in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). The Chamber of Commerce in Springfield Gardens provides services and information benefitting the entire community.

TripAdvisor  offers a variety of restaurants in Springfield Gardens. For seniors who enjoy a good Chinese menu, the Bamboo House on Springfield Blvd rates high with TA. A Jamaican restaurant called Creative Wraps is another that you will want to try out. It is a highly exciting borough. Enjoy your visit. -jeb