Lots of NYC streets have street vendors, but Roosevelt Avenue is exceptional. As the regular location for popular food vendors like the famous Arepas Lady, Roosevelt Avenue brings New Yorkers and tourists alike to the heart of Queens to experience some of the city’s most unique sights, smells and flavors. It is the city’s largest night market with a great mix of varied food. Between the street vendors peddling goods until two in the morning and the 7 train constantly rumbling above, the street is never a quiet scene. The vibrancy of the street has encouraged increased foot traffic under the rails over the years, increasing pedestrians safety and allowing the street to become a place for the community to get together to eat, chat, and catch up with familiar vendors.

A new addition to Roosevelt Avenue just off 104th street is Corona Plaza, a pedestrian oasis complete with garbage bins and movable tables and chairs. It has improved the condition of the main thoroughfare by offering diners places to sit and relax off the bustling thoroughfare.

Roosevelt Avenue is the main thoroughfare of the diverse, middle-class neighborhood of Jackson Heights in Queens, NY, and runs directly under the tracks of the 7 train. Named one of “America’s Tastiest Streets” by Good Magazine, the avenue is well-known for its tortas, tamales, and wonton soup. Named after U.S. Presidents Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt, in recent years the street has undergone dramatic transformations to increase the safety of people who walk and bike.

Image credits: doug turetsky via Flickr, Susan Sermoneta via Flickr, Gary Stevens via Flickr, Ian Westcott via Flickr, Mumu Matryoshka via Flickr , Susan Sermoneta via Flickr