Chapter 3— The Queens Comfort Run
A roundabout way to get to the beloved (and slightly relocated) comfort food haunt.
The Run
From Queensbridge Park to Queens Comfort via Astoria Park, La Guardia Airport, Flushing Bay Promenade, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens Blvd, and Broadway to 30th Ave.
Distance: 15 miles / 371ft elevation gain
Best part: This was my first time running on the Flushing Bay Promenade — a sort of neglected extension of Corona Park. It’s charming in a gritty, nostalgic way. The water fountains are plentiful, but do not work (although, somehow a Dunkin Donuts snuck in) and airplanes gracefully depart from adjacent LaGuardia, but often of don the garish colorways of Southwest.
Worst part: 57th and Queens Blvd were fairly disastrous as they boasted crowded sidewalks and angry traffic. But you hit the deserving-of-its-very-own-novel-run Georgia Diner at 51st Ave and the bustle mostly mellows out from there.
Best bathroom opportunities: I failed to find something serviceable in Astoria Park, but Woodtree Playground around mile 4 did have a convenient facility. Right off the boardwalk in Corona Park presented bathroom options as well as some kind of catch-all dessert hut if you decide you’d like to immediatly re-compromise your bladder situation.
Water opportunities: I didn’t do a great job assessing which water fountains were functional where, although I can confirm that most on the promenade were just for show. I assume Corona / Astoria park have working fountains, but I missed them all and had to duck into a connivence store around mile 12 for a Powerade.
Bonus Points: Extending Corona Park by running around Meadow Lake gives you about 2.5 more miles of calm before having to jump back into the streets. You could also loop Roosevelt Island on your way to Astoria Park, but that’d seem more of a tumorous and arbitrary extension for rote miles than something truly novel.
Bonus Tip: This route cuts through the Citi Field parking lot so make sure there isn’t a Mets game starting around when you begin your run…although, if you wore some Mets swag you could probably snag a water (or Mikkeller!) from a kindred spirit.
The Food
I’ve somehow been turned away from a Queens Comfort brunch more times than I’ve even been to Astoria — the lines are that spectacular. It’s unclear to me if the new (and presumably larger) location alleviates some of those wait times, but I decided to embark upon a rare PM long run and hit up QC for dinner instead.
Aesthetics: With coffee mugs salvaged from myriad grandparents, shelves of retro action figures, terrifying homages to Captain Crunch, and a soundtrack all dads would approve, QC doesn’t disappoint in its eclectics. Though the PM crowds seem basically nonexistent, I can imagine the aesthetics really come to life during the AM brunch bustle.
Order: It was a toss up between the PB+J burger and the pulled-pork special until the bartender attempted to sell me on the burger by boasting “it’s a burger topped with peanut butter and (pauses dramatically) JELLY!”. I added empanadas and a coffee, which was on the house since it was so late.
Overall, I found the food pretty mediocre. That along with an aloof bartender and lukewarm (albeit free) coffee made the experience less novel than most.
Amenities: Despite all the credit card-reader looking devices scattered behind the bar, QC is very much CASH ONLY. There is an on-site ATM.
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11am — 10pm, Friday, 11am — 11pm, Saturday, 10am — 4pm / 6–11pm, Sunday, 10am — 4pm / 6–10pm
The Return
Nearest subway: N/W at 31st street or a quick cool down to the Broadway and 46th street M/R.
Conclusion: A pretty novel run, but one I’ll never do again.
