I stayed one night at the Howard Johnson Queens Village in early October, 2011 because I had business at a nearby public high school early the next morning. I took the Amtrak from Albany to NY Penn Station and from there the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to Queens Village. On the LIRR I had an engaging conversation with a young Peruvian physician doing research at NYU Medical Center who commuted to Long Island daily. She said a friend had told her that Jamaica Boulevard, the street on which the Howard Johnson is located, was not a safe place at night and we agreed I should “walk fast” when I alighted from the train. That I did for the approximately 50 yards to the intersection of Springfield Boulevard and Jamaica Boulevard, and then the approximately 75 yards further up Jamaica Boulevard to the Howard Johnson, all the time keeping step with a petite young woman who was also “walking fast” to an unknown destination. I arrived at the Howard Johnson at 10:25 PM. The night clerk was behind glass, and credit cards and keys were passed under the glass when I checked in.
My room was plain but clean with attractive wall paper. It had a plasma TV which I never turned on. I had expected train noise to be a problem from reading other reviews, but it was not. The train noise was hard to hear above the noise of the air conditioner when that kicked in, and even the air conditioner noise was not bothersome to me, being significantly less noisy then that of the room air conditioners at the Saratoga Hilton (see my Trip Advisor review). My complimentary breakfast early the next morning consisted of raisin bran, toast, coffee, and orange juice. (The pastries were unappealing and I passed them by.) This breakfast has been negatively reviewed, but I found it to be entirely satisfactory. Except for the absence of cloth tablecloths and cloth napkins, it was not much different from the breakfast for which I had paid $15 at the Parsippany Sheraton (see my Trip Advisor review).
I don’t think I was ever in “Queens Village” proper, and the area surrounding the Howard Johnson, itself an unprepossessing structure, was unattractive. Across the street were a Laundromat and a tired-looking building labeled “Dance Studio”. Nearby were administrative offices of a Baptist church, with the church down at the corner. I walked two miles down Springfield Boulevard to the high school at 7 the next morning. This area appeared to be predominantly African American, with many small houses with manicured lawns and immaculately kept flower beds. Many of the houses had expensive beveled glass front doors, expressing pride of ownership. I also saw various small markets, a check-cashing store, and several establishments dealing with soul and spirit. Lots of cars, buses, and people were out, and I felt perfectly safe, as I did walking back to the LIRR Queens Village station at 9 AM.
I conclude that the Howard Johnson is in a basically safe lower-middle class city environment. It is not the Ritz Carlton, not the Sheraton, and not even a Holiday Inn. It is a Howard Johnson. But it is clean, well-kept, and was a real bargain at $109 (by phone reservation two days before) before taxes. The round-trip rail fare from NY Penn Station was $13 for a senior (off-peak fare going and peak fare returning). If you want to see Manhattan on a budget, staying here can be an attractive option. The LIRR also provides easy access to both JFK and La Guardia Airports from the Queens Village station.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
