Carvel Ice Cream Shop

On Saturday my friends and I wanted to check out a diner in Maspeth, Queens. It was located in a bit of a transit desert—at least subway-wise—so we decided to walk. Our 3.5 mile walk took us through a few neighborhoods that I had never really been to, starting in Brooklyn and then into Queens.

Some people might think it's pointless to take an already long journey and make it even longer, but I'm a huge fan of taking the long way, especially here in the city. So often I stumble upon places or see wonderful things that I would never have known about if I hadn't allowed myself the time and luxury of simply wandering. As we turned the corner from Forest Ave onto Metropolitan Ave, we hit the found-place jackpot when the most wonderful, old timey Carvel ice cream shop appeared before us.

The stand-alone shop (with ample parking) is not something I'm used to seeing much in New York, although they do stand a slightly better chance of surviving in the outer boroughs. The lettering on the front and sides of the building is perfect in every way, and I'm eternally grateful that they didn't just cover it up with a printed banner bearing the newer Carvel logo (I can forgive them for putting those on top). The two huge ice cream cones have sadly seen better days—most of their ice cream was damaged in Hurricane Sandy (according to Forgotten NY)— but props to the owner for not trashing them completely.

I got a Fudgie the Whale cake for my dude's birthday this year, which was my first (very positive) Carvel experience, so I was extra-thrilled to see their Fudgie neon "Open" sign. When paired with the purple ice cream cone neon, the hand-painted signs, the faded pink everything—this Carvel is everything my vintage-kitsch-loving heart needs.