Did you know that this weekend there is a county fair in the middle of New York City? Well, there is. The Queens County Fair is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and my roommate and I decided to go check it out. We were not disappointed.
After a long and arduous journey from the Bronx across to Queens (be mindful: the E train is not running this weekend), we made it to this cute neighborhood where, low and behold, are veritable farm-scape had been constructed. It was swarming with young couples and cute families with kids and babies of all ages. There were chickens and cows, pig races and pie eating contests. There was even an entire section set aside for those cutesy little sideshow carnival games where you can win such enviable prizes as a massive stuffed banana. Just imagine your local county fair and shrink it down in size and toss it into the middle of a metropolis.
The crown jewel of the day, though, was the massive corn maze. It was aptly named the Maize Maze and followed a whimsical and surprisingly complicated Cheshire cat pattern. It included a whole narrative centered around Alice in Wonderland and her journey down the rabbit hole and her subsequent misadventures. We made it out in 47 minutes, which I am unable to label as neither good nor bad. Probably bad. There were a couple of kids that made it out in 25. Regardless.
The fair was an absolutely, wholesome, pleasant way to spend a Saturday. I was so happy to take a respite from city living and commit myself to simpler farm living. It made the hour-long Uber ride back to the Bronx that much easier.