Queensboro Plaza Subway Station

Is it pretty? Are the views great? Nah! But gotta love the solid concrete pedestrian bridge that doesn’t make me feel as if I’m traversing on the Capillano Suspension. On the north side, that bridge brings you to a building that conveniently houses a coffee and juice place, with a name that always eludes me. Also, it’s a transfer station for the N/​Q/​7, and on the same platform, as long as you travel in the same direction. That certainly merits another star. Lastly, the proximity to my favorite Japanese gallery and café, Resobox, just around the corner as you exit on the north side, can’t be beat.

I often stop at this station to change trains. As stations go, it is okay. It’s generally clean, or at least not too dirty. It has two levels, so during cold weather, you can hang out on the steps and get some shelter from the cold.
Changing trains can be a bit of a chore. During rush hour it can get very crowded and people will block the doors as I exit (People, step away!!).
And one thing that I absolutely hate: when the 7 train enters the station and there is a N/​Q train across the way, the N/​Q trains almost always pull out of the station before the doors on the 7 train open. Hey, would it kill ya’ to keep the train there a few minutes more so people can transfer???
Although I have used this station for many years, I only recently learned that it has restrooms. One day I searched for them, and, surprise, surprise, they were closed. Oh well, most NYC subways stops have locked restrooms, so I’m not going to take any stars away for that.
All-​in-​all, considering the volume of people who travel through this station, it isn’t bad.
Oh, for people who have watched the «Seinfeld» episode and would like to visit: No, you cannot get gyros here!!! :-)

The 2^nd of 2 LIC hubs in the area. (The other being Court Square).
This station though unlike Court Square isn’t as well maintained. The station entrance is old, semi open to the weather and run down. The platforms themselves are no better
The upper platform is the outbound trains or those heading away from Manhattan. This station is completely open to the elements. This has damaged the platform and makes it extremely hard during the winter for anyone to use properly.
The Manhattan bound platform is no better though only by a hair. This station is under the outbound station so it has cover from above. There is also some siding/​glass windows to block the wind. However, the area under the tracks is wide open as it is an elevated train. This causes extreme wind gusts and at times a wind tunnel like effect.
The entrances to the station aren’t easy to use as well. The northern side entrance is hidden in a building and isn’t easily spotted. It doesn’t help that the signage to direct you is mostly covered up or excessively small. A hint to finding it is to look for Dunkin Donuts.
Overall this station could use some updating and a better structure to protect it from the elements.

Hier kann man mit Subway N Q und 7 nach Manhattan fahren. Mit 7 fährt man bis Times Square. N und Q fährt man bis South Manhattan.
Die Station ist nicht so sauber wie die meisten Subway Stationen. Aber man kann hier rumlaufen. Man erreicht es über die Brücke zum Station.

Its an NYC subway station. Packed during rush hour, modestly busy other times and a great place to view the city skyline when you’re sick of staring at your smartphone. Its a great station in the spring and mid-​fall because it is an open station and equally horrible all other times.

The shared subway station for the 7, N and Q lines. You get a decent view of Manhattan skyline and the new condos that are going up in the LIC/​Astoria area. Maybe the train station with the best views? However, if you look down, you will see scandals– strip club/​gentlemen club. I believe it is closed. For awhile, the c wasn’t lit and I thought it said sandals and I thought wow, how awesome is that– a stores just for sandals…
Back to the station…
It’s an outside platform so you might want to wait in the staircase when winter comes. Yes, Winter is coming…(GOT reference)… The wind can be brutal as there is no protection or objects to deflect the wind. The 7 train arrives more often than the N and Q lines. The station would really benefit from a next arrival train and their estimated time display on the platforms. It makes Queens riders life a lot easier in the morning, afternoon, rush hour and evening… pretty much all the time. This station, along with Woodside and Junction Blvd would easily boost 7 train morale.
Overall, a very safe station in case you were wondering.

Last and first Queens stop for N and Q trains. Upper and lower platforms for trains that are clean. Open aire platforms so the weather outside is the weather on the platform. The smell outside is also the smell on the platform but I have no issues so far with the smells. 7 train also stops here and the same direction bound trains (N, Q and 7) will wait for the other train to arrive before departing to allow transfers. –1 for no bathroom.

It’s outside & you get cell reception but good luck finding an N or Q here since you’ll be waiting some. Also, have we ever heard of escalators?

Transfer from Q train to 7 train
Queensboro Plaza station is my only means of conveyance for connection to Long Island City, Astoria or to/​from Flushing. It is a reliable port. The proximity is close to the East River– per fellow Unilocaler Joshua V. stated, and therefore plenty of wind.

I can’t comment on the beauty of the scenery but it’s Long Island city so you see plenty of buildings and skyscrapers. I wouldn’t really consider that picturesque.
Then again I am tired of the five clock rush hour commute so I am not a happy camper. You can get off here when you switching from the express 7 train to the local 7 train.
In the summer there is a cross breeze so you won’t be able to feel the heat as much. Of course today it’s not that humid. So if it’s a humid day it might not feel so breezy. However the passing trains produce some breeze so that problem may be able to be resolved … Only you can be the judge of that. In the winter I will try to avoid this stop because you will feel the bone chilling winds.
Now on subway stations benches in New York I have a tendency not to sit down for very obvious reasons. This stations is very different. You can actually sit down without questioned the cleanliness or the what’s on smeared on top of it. Then why the three stars one might ask, like I said it’s rush hour after work. And no amount of clean benches and nice cross breeze will get me in a better mood at this time.

I’ve been transferring here for years. It gets really crowded, the 7 runs fast, but there are always delays or no service during the weekend.

Transfer from the 7 to the Q Train.
Want to go to Astoria? Transfer here.

The easiest transfer station ever and the entryway to Queens.
If you live in the borough where Eddie Murphy found his bride, you’ve come through Queensboro Plaza. I come through every day as it’s an easy route to get to work.
Plus it has the quickest transfer in the history of subways, going from line to line. Walk 8 feet across the platform and you’re there. Or if you’re going a different route, take the stairs and walk across the platform. If you can’t handle that, you fail at subways.
Yes it can be warm and cold, but you can use your phones and see the outside world. So that’s a killer benefit.
So yes, I gave Qboro as many stars as I gave Newark Airport. They both have problems, birds, and random weirdos, but both are convenient and I have spent way too much time there. So 4 stars it is.

A little over 16 months ago I tripped off the 7 train in my open-​toed wedge heels and got off on this stop to transfer to another train. It was July 5^th — blue skies and sunny sun were out in full force, typical of summer in NYC.
I was on my way to meet someone at Bareburger, someone who took my appetite away and not in a romantic way, but in a «I’m repulsed this is even happening anymore and I want out» kind of way.
Still not being all too familiar with Astoria I was used to going to Broadway from Jackson Heights and not so much from Bryant Park, where I used to work, and from where I was commuting from on this very day.
Upon almost making an ass out of myself as I tripped off the 7 after having had a good cry and having freshly redone my make-​up on le train (but my eyes were still red and poofy) I looked to my left and there were 3 Latin guys who all looked at me as if I were a medium-​rare steak and they hadn’t eaten in days and to my right was a guy who was reading a book and minding his own business.
I needed to make sure I didn’t have to take the ‘N’ upstairs or if my gut was correct and I had to take the one right across from the 7 to get to Broadway. Decided to ask the guy minding his own business after one of the Latin guys was all like, «hola, mami!». I figured they must not know directions if they think I’m their mother, at least the other guy can read… also my iPhone battery was dying so I was better off not using it for a simple question.
Decided to ask the guy reading the book (which I later learned was actually a Netbook). Then I popped my ear buds back into place and walked away a little bit. He asked me if I was from Queens. I nodded and mumbled some crap about how I get confused sometimes by the trains in these parts… then he continued to talk. I took my ear buds out and was about to get all New York on him because I was moody and rarely talk to strangers on mass transit, but he had the kindest green eyes I’ve ever seen… and we’ve been traveling together ever since.
I found love in a hopeless place 0:).

This station is one of the few left in the MTA system that still has a working bathroom.
And it isn’t terribly sketch. The bathroom was decent, clean and had TP.
So if you really have to go, they have a bathroom here for you. But, the bathroom closes after midnight, so that’s the only caveat!

It’s my train station. There are some nice views to be had on the upper level, but I do try to avoid QBP at rush hour because it is such a rushing hive of people running across platforms and up and down steps. On the upside, you never have to wait long for the next 7 train to come, and the Q and N are pretty frequent as well. That said, I prefer to take the E or M from Queens Plaza during my morning commute to work, or even the F from Queensbridge, but Queensboro Plaza is a nice station to hang out and wait for a train on nights and weekends, and taking elevated trains can be a nice alternative to riding underground all the time.
On a weird side note, I’ve always wanted to see what the public men’s room was like, but it always seems to be closed.

Great view while waiting for the train.

Queensboro Plaza (not to be mistaken with Queens Plaza) is one of two major hubs in Queens where the IRT (number trains) meet the BMT/​IND (letter trains). It serves as an essential link between Astoria and the rest of Queens as well as (more frequently than not) the temporary terminal for the 7 line.
The view from QBP can be amazing. From the west end you can see the sunset over the NYC skyline as you glance over the (endless traffic-​filled) Queensboro/​59^th Street/​Ed Koch Bridge. Local points of interest include a huge office for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as well as the headquarters for everyone’s airline: jetBlue. This, however, is where the awesomeness of this station ends.
QBP is one of those stations that make you wonder if the MTA really: 1. has it together, or 2. has the customer in mind. It seems, for both, that the answer is no. QBP consistently demonstrates that the folks in the dispatch tower just don’t give a **** about train connections. The 7 train, during the last year+ full of weekends, ends it trek toward Manhattan here. Customers are told to transfer to the N/​Q. Harmless right? No.
If you’ve taken the 7 during latenights or weekends I’m confident that you’ve experienced the cruelty of the tower and conductors as your 7 train crawls into QBP at the seemingly same carefully scripted time as the N/​Q. Somehow, you are most likely NOT going to make this connection and are forced to wait for the next one (which, during late night hours, can be 20+ minutes); Definitely not an awesome experience during cold winter nights when the East River breeze runneth upon the unheated, outdoor station. And, what’s with the lack of a free Metrocard transfer to the E/​M/​R two blocks away at Queens Plaza (where the dispatcher actually holds trains so that the passengers can make a transfer)? There’s a transfer point (63^rd and Lex to 59^th and Lex) that is waaay further and less significant than the one at QBP/​QP. Yes, I know there’s a free, newly renovated, enclosed transfer just one station away (on the 7) at Court Square. Too bad the 7 doesn’t go there half the time because of construction. Useless.
If you can, hop on the E/​M/​R and bypass QBP. It’s a much more reliable way to get into the city. And if you need to go through QBP, know that you can’t even trust Google Navigation because the MTA doesn’t follow its own timetable. Give yourself extra travel time — as if you were going through TSA.

A relatively reliable port of entry/​exit to and from Queens. Still, I query as to why there is no access to the R train from here (arrg). This isn’t too big a deal, except on those rare days when the N/​Q trains aren’t running to Queensboro plaza but the R trains R (doesn’t happen so much).
Even from Astoria, you can get here quickly and get to Flushing faster than you would think. If it’s a hot day out and you’re waiting, you usually get a nice breeze coming your way (I’ll chalk it up to the elevation and the proximity to the East River). On colder days, if you find yourself waiting on a N/​Q or 7 train, hide in the stairs between platforms… you’re welcome.

Coming here for the first time I didn’t know much about New York and whatever little knowledge I had came from watching Seinfeld, so obviously I expected there to be a gyro stall on the platform so I could rush out of the train and grab a gyro and jump back on the train. Needless to say, that did not work at all, since there was no gyro stall.
I’ve been here what feels like a thousand times and still can’t remember what train goes from what platform and in what direction. If you’re here during rush hour, beware of the feisty little ladies rushing across the platform to catch their connecting train, they’ll shove you aside hardcore style.

This station can be crowded at times albeit 7 trains usually come on time, so half of the platform will be empty.
Queensboro Plaza would have been a perfect hub for Queens if there were:
1. A passageway for transfer to the E, M and R trains. I’m sure the fare will go up another 20% more a month. LOL Why do I need to transfer from the N/​Q to 7 for the E/​M/​R at Court Square? It sounds like a detour to me.
2. A removable windscreen on the second floor platform. It was really freezing cold in winter! I always had to hide in the staircase.
3. Q trains to run express to Astoria Blvd in rush hours
4. G trains to extend to Queens Plaza like it used to be. Now the fare will be like over $ 200/​mo. LMAO
3 stars because I will never move in to any subway station!