7 Blocks in Jamaica, Queens

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Located at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue, it is a major transfer point for buses into eastern Queens.

Welcome to Jamaica, Queens. This is the final stop on the J&Z line and when you step into the neighborhood, you quickly discover this is more than just a transit hub.

It is where you will find a federal building, a shopping mall and a busy shopping district along Jamaica Avenue. The avenue, once a trading trail in the 1600s for tribes as far away as the Great Lakes, is still where you can find a good deal.

"Mother's Day things, girlfriend things, it's actually a nice shopping area. Nice places to eat. They got barbecue right there they just built up a few months ago," resident Timothy Johnson said.

Two blocks from the subway stop, you will find the main forensic laboratory facility for the New York City Police Department. Forget all those CSI shows, this is the real deal.

"Are you serious? Oh my God, I can't believe that," resident Monica Herbin said. "I never knew that. And I have been here for 40 years and never knew that."

Across the street is the Jamaica Performing Arts Center. It is housed in a completely renovated 1858 landmark building that once was the first reformed Dutch church of Jamaica.

Across the street from that is another jewel in the neighborhood - the King Manor Museum, located in King Park. It is a home rich in American history and carefully maintained to honor its former owner.

"King Manor is the home of Rufus King," museum manager Rebecca Gavin said. "He is one of the founding fathers. He was a U.S. senator as well as one of the writers and signers of the U.S Constitution."

U.S. history, art and performance and plenty of shopping, all within seven blocks of the Jamaica Center Parsons/Archer stop in Jamaica, Queens.

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