GREETINGS
FROM OFFICIALS
Borough
President HELEN MARSHALL
Dear Friends,
The 2009 Queens Tribune Official Guide to Queens
is just that!
It is an excellent guide that you can use to steer
your way through New York City's largest and most
diverse borough. This edition of the Tribune is
one that you should definitely keep for future
reference.
Whether you want to reach a local official, find
out where your local police precinct is or what
hours your library is open - it's here in the
Official Guide. From aviation to zoology, the
Guide will let you know more about everything.
If you have relatives or friends who are visiting
here, they can also use it to visit our great
cultural and performing arts institutions.
On behalf of all its reader and all our borough's
residents, I thank the Queens Tribune for putting
together this very special edition each year.
I know it took a lot of work and enterprise, but
it was worth it.
I urge everyone to use the guide and "Discover
Queens."
Queens Borough President
Helen Marshall
Mayor
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
Dear Friends,
It is a great pleasure to send greetings to the
staff and readers of the "Official Guide to Queens."
I congratulate all those associated with the Queens
Tribune for their hard work to make this useful
and informative tool possible.
From government programs to cultural institutions,
the Blue Book contains a wealth of information
about the borough. Home to over two million New
Yorkers, Queens represents all that is unique
and special about our great City. It is our transportation
hub, a great commercial and cultural center and
a collection of vibrant communities exemplifying
our greatest strength, our diversity. Walking
through Flushing, Forest Hills or the Rockaways
you can experience the beauty and richness of
cultures from throughout the world. 
I encourage Queens residents to continue calling
311 for all City services. As I am sure you know,
311 allows you to report anything from a pothole
on Queens Boulevard to finding out about the day's
exciting activities at Flushing-Meadows Corona
Park. Like the Blue Book, it is a wonderful resource
and I hope you will use this guide and all our
City's information services to enhance your experiences
in the great borough of Queens.
New York City Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg
City Comptroller WILLIAM THOMPSON
Dear Friends,
Congratulations to the editors and staff of the
Queens Tribune for publishing the 2009 edition
of the Guide to Queens. This guide serves as a
comprehensive resource and reference tool for
anyone wishing to locate a contact, business or
service within the Borough of Queens. As in years
past, this guide is chock-full of necessary information
for both residents and visitors.
Without question, the great strength of our City
is its diversity, which feeds the multicultural
life of our City's many vibrant neighborhoods.
The Borough of Queens exemplifies this strength
and continues to offer its residents a breadth
of cultural, recreational, educational and business
resources that enrich our entire City.
City Comptroller
William C. Thompson, Jr.
District Attorney RICHARD BROWN
Dear Friends,
I am delighted once again to congratulate the
Queens Tribune as it begins another exciting year
of informative, comprehensive and provocative
coverage of Queens County and publishes its "Official
Guide to Queens: 2009." The Guide is as rich and
diverse as the county that we serve and I - like
all residents of Queens County - look forward
to it each year.
As each year goes by we continue to make significant
gains in reducing the level of violence in Queens
County and improving the quality of the lives
of our residents. The Trib's fair and thorough
coverage has helped make those gains possible
and for that I - and the residents of this county
- am grateful.
Again, heartiest congratulations.
Richard A. Brown
District Attorney
Speaker CHRISTINE QUINN
Dear Friends,
I would first like to offer my congratulations
to the Queens Tribune on the publication of the
2009 edition of the Blue Book. I would also like
to extend my best wishes to every one of its readers
during this new year, which has promise to become
a positive one for working families across our
five boroughs, as this City Council continues
its fight to preserve and improve the quality
of life for you and your loved ones. 
More than two million people, nearly half of them
foreign-born and belonging to at least 81 different
nationalities, make their home in Queens. Your
borough is a microcosm of our world and the Blue
Book is an essential resource for exploring its
countless beautiful neighborhoods and taking advantage
of its thriving commercial strips and top-flight
recreational, educational and cultural facilities.
For 39 years, the Queens Tribune has delivered
an outstanding service to the citizens of New
York City's largest borough. Thanks to the Blue
Book, with its extensive listings, fascinating
facts and reliable information, your search is
bound to be a more fruitful and exciting one.
The coming year offers each of us a chance to
re-visit our favorite venues and welcome others
as they visit them for the first time. Enjoy the
Blue Book and have a Happy New Year!
Speaker, New York City Council
Christine Quinn
Dear Friends,
It's that time of year again as Queens residents
await the release of the Tribune's Guide to the
borough. This is a valuable resource for anyone
seeking information on community affairs, businesses,
events, and politics. I thank the great staff
at the Tribune and its publisher Mike Schenkler
for allowing me to include a message to your readers.
Queens has so much to offer and I can think of
no better way to publicize its features and attractions
than in an official guide. The mainstays are celebrated
as the newcomers are welcomed. Queens is ever-changing
in its diversity and was recently referred to
in your own pages as the new "gateway" to America,
replacing Ellis Island. This cultural diversity
enriches the city as a whole, and makes the borough's
neighborhoods, restaurants, and attractions a
destination for all New Yorkers.
As in years past, my office staff has used the
Official Guide to Queens as a reference when assisting
callers to our office who might be in need of
health care, education information, senior outreach,
or other City services. Every time I visit Queens,
I hear great things about this guide, so once
again I look forward to the new edition arriving
at my office and to taking in all that the borough
has to offer in 2009.
Congratulations on another great year!
Public Advocate,
Betsy Gotbaum
Attorney General ANDREW CUOMO
Dear Friends,
I am delighted to congratulate the Queens Tribune
on the publication of this year's edition of its
"Official Guide to Queens" and extend greetings
and warm wishes to all its readers. The guide
is a great reference for the many activities,
sites and services that New York's largest borough
has to offer.
Without question, Queens has something for everyone.
Beautiful neighborhoods, world-class restaurants
and businesses, outstanding public services and
unique historical sites and cultural events make
Queens a great place to live, work and explore.
I am certain that families, professionals and
travelers alike will find an endless array of
experiences to enjoy in Queens. 
Each year the Tribune has compiled this comprehensive
list of government officials, school and transportation
information, medical facilities, emergency services,
cultural and recreational sites and events, as
well as other interesting facts, statistics and
data regarding the Borough of Queens. I am sure
that it will once again be a very useful resource
for everyone seeking to take advantage of the
many opportunities that Queens has to offer.
Warmest Regards.
Andrew Cuomo,
New York State Attorney General
Governor DAVID PATERSON
Dear Friends:
It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to once
again contribute to the "Official Guide to Queens:
2009" and to send best wishes to a readership
that always looks forward to this popular annual
publication.
The Greater New York/Metropolitan Region is alive
with history, culture, art, music and many forms
of recreational enjoyment that make each borough
a unique place to visit and experience. Queens
is especially known for its diversity, best reflected
in a multicultural population that adds wonderful
dynamics to an overall lifestyle full of energy
and excitement. 
This vibrancy attracts people from around the
world to visit and continuously draws new residents
who want to be part of the pulse and heartbeat
of the region. The Queens Tribune has long had
a key role in keeping the community and its visitors
informed about local events and about the endless
availability of resources for business and pleasure.
Its many outstanding institutions and facilities
not only make Queens a great place to live or
spend an afternoon, but also exemplify the pride
of its citizens. Those who take the time to read
the 2009 Guide are sure to benefit from this directory
of people and places who add to your community,
with special highlights of the unique sites and
sounds that characterize life in Queens and offer
something for persons of all interests.
Special congratulations to the editors and staff
who make this guide a success each year.
New York State Governor
David Paterson
