2. A Glimpse of Queens’ Original Marshland

Much of the southern Queens waterfront is formed by landfill, which explains why the Jamaica Bay area was hit so hard by Hurricane Sandy. One of the spots that has somehow escaped development is right at the Howard Beach-JFK Airport AirTrain station. This marshy creek, surrounded by JFK Airport parking lots, is technically part of Hawtree Basin, one of the two basins in the Howard Beach neighborhood. The AirTrain glides over the northern end of Hawtree Basin, stopping first at Lefferts Boulevard, then Federal Circle.