Flushing Fun

Saturday was all about a brisk walk in a great, close neighborhood for just the kind of outing I could tolerate. We settled on Flushing, Queens after deciding that Chinese food sounded good (I'd been craving it since my birthday) and a trip to Chinatown in Manhattan was too far for these soon-to-be-tired girls. In 20 minutes we could be on and off the train in downtown Flushing and in a Chinatown that most agree rivals--if not surpasses--the one in the city. Yes, Queens has it all and sometimes it's best to really enjoy what you have nearby (and stroller-free, I might add!). So that was our goal and Nacho delivered on finding a few options for lunch which I quickly narrowed down as we arrived in the nabe. It began to snow and spit icy slush in our faces which made the decision even easier.  We opted for a place called Spicy & Tasty on Prince Street and it was both--a definite hit and somewhere I'd be tempted to take friends. There was plenty of space and the selection offered lots of dishes with nice flavors and plenty of heat if that's what you wanted. The girls dug into rice bowls and Elisa picked out all the shrimp from our lo mien while Nacho and I tried dan-dan noodles, spicy oil covered dumplings and a spicy beef noodle soup. Lots of food and a total bill of $32--a definite triumph on this lazy day.  Afterwards we wandered a bit past a few other must-try places before going back to the slushy place Elisa begged for. This time I went for the Thai milk tea slushy with bubbles, and it was deliciously creamy and chewy at the same time.  As we headed back to the train, Elisa needed a pit stop so we popped into the library which has such a nice vantage point along the main drag. A few minutes later we were on our way home and ready for a family nap that lasted until almost 5 p.m. For a cold afternoon in January, I'd say we did pretty good.