There's a lot to love about New York City: it's easily one of the most diverse places in the world, and there's always something new to see or do. Manhattan is a towering shopping utopia featuring some of the city's biggest landmarks, and Brooklyn is a down-to-earth, quieter destination - perfect for those looking for a bit of culture.
While there's no doubt that Queens is a great place to visit, it's not exactly high on a vacationer's must-see list. It's hard to market a borough that's best known for its residential neighborhoods and the poor unfortunate Mets, but that hasn't stopped people from trying.
Lonely Planet (which probably isn't the best title for a site that encourages people to travel together) has listed its top travel destinations for 2015. There are obvious entries, like New Orleans or the Colorado river region, but the site's top pick feels a bit forced. Again, Queens is great if you're looking to settle down, but as the country's #1 tourist attraction of 2015...not so much.
To be fair, the site's introduction of Queens isn't all that bad:
"Queens, New York's largest borough, is also quickly becoming its hippest, but most travelers haven't clued in... yet. With microbreweries springing up, new boutique hotels, a reinvented seaside at Rockaway, a world-class art scene, and a truly global food culture, 2015 is the year to try Queens."
Yes, there is good food in Queens - there's also great food in literally any other part of the city. Yes, Rockaway is a nice place to swim - if you're somehow tired of Coney Island. Yes, there is art to look at - just like the rest of New York City.
There's also a strange focus on foreign culture: never before has Chinatown been played up as such a massive tourist destination, nor has anyone gone out looking to inhale someone else's hookah smoke:
"Browse New York's biggest Chinatown in Flushing, shop for brilliantly colored saris in Jackson Heights, and inhale the heady aromas of coffee and hookahs in Astoria."
That's just weird. Then again, this is from the same site that nominated South Dakota and New Hampshire as some of the greatest tourist destinations in 2015, so take that as you will.
