New York City Car Rental and an Elmhurst Overview

Elmhurst is a community in Queens that you can visit with your New York City car rental. It is bordered by Roosevelt Avenue (Jackson Heights) to the north, Corona to the northeast, Junction Boulevard to the east, Rego Park to the southeast, the Long Island Expressway to the south, Middle Village to the southwest, Maspeth and New York Connecting Railroad on the west, and Woodside on the northwest.

Set your roots

The village that is now Elmhurst was first established in 1652 by the Dutch who named it Middenburgh, a suburb of New Amsterdam. The original settlers were from the nearby colony of Maspeth, who were being threatened by local Indians. When the English took over, they renamed the town New Town, which was eventually simplified to Newtown when it became the Town Seat for the township. The area was once again renamed Elmhurst in 1896 to identify the area as it grew with new housing and to avoid confusion. This was a fashionable district to live in at the turn of the 20th century because of all the housing development. At this time it was almost an exclusively Jewish and Italian neighborhood, but today it is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the city.

Have a religious experience

There are four historic churches in Elmhurst which are still in use and you can visit with your New York City car rental. Whether you would like to attend a service, or just look at the beautiful architecture and historical graveyards, they are open to you. St. James Parish Hall is an Episcopal Church at Broadway and 51st Avenue, built in 1734. Reformed Dutch Church of Newtown was built in 1831 and can be found at Broadway and Corona Avenue. St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church was founded in 1832 and is found on 83rd Street. Finally, there is First Presbyterian Church of Newtown on Queens Boulevard and 54th Avenue built in 1893, but the congregation was established in 1652.

Shop till you drop

Elmhurst also has two urban malls that you can visit with your New York City car rental. The Queens Center Mall at Queens Boulevard and Woodhaven Boulevard is found at one of the busiest intersections in the neighborhood. It is considered one of the most profitable malls per square foot in the country. Some of the major stores here include Express, Forever 21, H&M, JCPenny, Macy's, and Urban Outfitters. There is also the recently renovated Queens Place Mall. It is a smaller mall on Queens Boulevard to the west of Queens Center with your New York City car rental. It has many smaller stores as well as large stores such as Bets Buy and Target. There are many furniture stores on the adjacent Grand Avenue.

Plan your trip

Of course, you can get to Elmhurst with your New York City car rental, but it is also accessible by public transportation. There are three subway stations served by the E G R V trains of the ING Queens Boulevard Line (Woodhaven Boulevard, Grand Avenue-Newtown, and Elmhurst Avenue). There is also the IRT Flushing Line that has the 7 train along Roosevelt Avenue with stations at 74th Street-Broadway, 82nd Street-Jackson Heights, and 90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue.