Activity 6, Mousumi Haider

In Activity 6, we were asked to find the difference between a gendered space and a queer space in our neighborhood. Gendered space is where genders are separated into different place and a queer space consider a space where populated by gay, lesbian, bisexual people.
I live in Briarwood. Briarwood is very residential area, where lot of houses and apartments are there. Briarwood is convenient to highways, the subway, LIRR, and buses for the families who residence there. The LIRR stations in downtown Jamaica and Kew Gardens are also fairly convenient because it is 20 minutes walk from Briarwood. The subways and transportation options is one of the main point in Briarwood. The express F-subway stops at Hillside and Parsons, again at Hillside and Sutphin, and at the Van Wyck/Briarwood station at Queens Boulevard and Main Street. The E train stops at the Van Wyck station late at night and on weekends.
There aren’t any major stores in Briarwood. To go to mall, you have to take Q60 buses or train to Queens’s central mall. Briarwood neighborhood doesn’t have much of stores that divide into gendered spaces and queer spaces. There are some 24 hours “Delis” and some grocery stores which can be indentify for both gendered spaces and queer spaces. Right on corner on 84th drive, there is a Dunkin Donuts which also for both gendered spaces and queer spaces. The Dunkin Donuts is open 24 hours, which is very convenient for everyone. On the other side of 84th drive, there is a 99-cent store. Beside Dunkin Donuts, there is another store call “Pani Dolce”. Personally, I love this store. Pani Dolce is located on Queens Boulevard at Main Street. It is the best bakery for Italian-style cookies, pastries and loaves. There is a Key Food on Queens Boulevard, which has a small parking lot in the back. The Key Food is open until 8pm on weekdays but weekends they close it very early.
There is one beauty parlor name “Ayina Beauty Salon”. It is an Indian beauty salon where all type races women go there. This salon is space for women. On Manton Street, there is another women gender space. There is a “Neil” salon where, women go and get their neils done. There is a barber shop for male gender.
Briarwood neighborhood has a small library that perches over the Van Wyck at Queens Boulevard and Main Street. Across the library, there is a small park for kids. The park is initially for the kids but older people also use the space. The park calls “Briarwood Park”. Archbishop Molloy High School, a private Catholic high school, is on Main Street near Queens Boulevard which is right next to the park. These all the spaces can be identify as gendered.
I am living there past 9 years but never knew there is a bar until I have this walk. The bar is located at the corner of 84th road and 164th street. It is very place that most of the people prefer to go to next neighbor which is Forest Hill, in the Austin Street area, for a drink. These places are open pretty late and also get packed on weekends.
I am not sure how to identify a space as queer. I have not seen any place in Briarwood which is for queer people. Briarwood is very quiet residency area, where private activities don’t take place in public spaces. Although most of the stores aren’t open for 24 hours but it is open until 10 pm at night. Briarwood is very safe for family, children or single people to live. Everything is very close by making convenient for a person who works.