2. A Retired Redbird Subway Car
From 2008 to 2015, an old Redbird subway car operated as the Queens tourist center on short length of rail next to Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens. Its closing was ordered by then-Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, due to low visit numbers. The majority of the visitors to the center, according to sole employee, Roxanne Solarsh, were on their way to Queens criminal court just next door and were often just curious about the center’s unconventional digs. (Fun fact: the exterior of the Queens Detention Facility nearby is often used as a stand-in for Rikers Island on television shows, and you may have caught it on The Night Of and Mr. Robot.)
Though closed, the Redbird is still sitting there and you can still go up onto the wooden platform that runs the length the subway car and peer inside. It still has the long gray bench seats and a few old advertisements, including one for World Health Day in 1977 and one for Pampers diapers. The directional signs on the exterior say 7 train to Main St. Flushing.
