April 15: Made In Queens

Happy Friday, Little Neck! Though there seems to be plenty to be riled up about these days, including , the national deficit and the realization that more than two years after the financial crisis, there's been a dearth of big players being held accountable — we wanted to focus on the good things.

Or at least one good thing. Namely, Queens.

Yes, it does seem like we're last in line for a lot of things like trash pickups, road repairs and most recently, . However, there's still a lot to be proud about our borough. 

So instead of the Things You Need To Know, here are 5 reasons to be proud you live in Queens (honorary mention for our Nassau County readers, who live in a pretty awesome place too):

1. The 24-hour diner. Even with the of standbys like Scobee and Bayside Diner, there are still plenty of places to get a late-night swig of coffee and a real bagel with a schmear in our borough. And as this upstate New York native can attest, that isn't the case everywhere.

2. The Queensborough Bridge. Even though technically shares the rights to this majestic span featured in everything from Spiderman 2 to F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, "The Great Gatsby," this bridge will always be an icon of Queens. 

3. Diversity. From the Dragon Boats of Flushing to Astoria's Greek festivals, Queens is unique in all the world in its variety of cultures, peoples and religions.

4. Food. Whether we're talking slices at or the gumbo of Bayside's Bourbon Street, there's nothing like the pretension-free cuisine of Queens.

5. Because this is where people live. Police officers, teachers, attorneys, accountants, office workers... these are the people that keep this city running. So here's to you, and me and everyone else we know in this borough we call home.