The Q60 is a plodding tour of NYC’s trillest nabes

The Q60 cruises into a stop in Woodside. Eagle photo by Jonathan Sperling.

By Jonathan Sperling

The Q60 bus is slow. So slow that an an average jogger can pass it on the road. So slow that a manatee could likely keep pace. So slow that transit advocates gave it an “F” grade on a report card based on its speed and reliability.

Indeed, the Q60’s average weekday speed of 6mph is a drag for the 4,752,023 riders that boarded the bus between Midtown Manhattan and South Jamaica in 2018. But what is impressive, is all the cool places it passes as it chugs along.

Take for instance, the Queensboro Bridge — also known as the 59th Street Bridge — which the Q60 crosses on its path between Manhattan and Long Island City. The Queensboro Bridge recently turned 110, as the Eagle previously reported, so the next time you’re stuck on the Q60, try Feelin’ Groovy.

As the Q60 makes its slow cruise through Sunnyside and Woodside consider hopping off and grabbing a bite at 24/7 diner Pete’s Grill, located on Queens Boulevard near 39th Place. On second thought, maybe don’t hop off the bus, since it boasts a 53 percent on-time performance and you never know when you’ll be able to get on the next one.

Once your bus manages to make it to Woodside, look out the window to see Calvary Cemetery, a mid-19th Century cemetery that was the first burial ground established outside of Manhattan by the Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Don’t look too long though, or you’ll miss seeing the “geographic center” of New York City, denoted by a circular plaque on 58th Street (note: it’s not actually the geographic center, no matter what the plaque says).

Are you feeling tired yet? The Q60’s speed makes it easy to just let … your … eyes … close … for … a second.

Wake up! You’re in Elmhurst, home of the Queens Center and Queens Place malls, which, contrary to popular belief,  are not in danger of closing.

By the time the Q60 crawls into Kew Gardens, you’re probably fed up.. How could a bus go this slow in 2019. With your anger building, you might consider doing something rash — hopping over a nearby subway turnstile without paying the fare and boarding the E train, perhaps. But not so fast! You’re right across from Queens County Criminal Court, which is often crawling with law enforcement agents. Better to play it safe and stay on the Q60.

You might be close to calling it quits and hailing an Uber when you finally see it, the last stop on the line in South Jamaica. Getting off the bus at 157th Street and 109th Avenue, you promise yourself never to board the Q60 again. 

Take a slow stroll around Marconi Park and be thankful you no longer have to ride the Q60 — until tomorrow, that is.