Entertainment
A Comprehensive Guide To All The Queens Easter Eggs In Awkwafina's Sitcom
Spoilers ahead for Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens. As the title of Awkwafina's new series implies, her protagonist is from the hallowed borough of Queens, New York. Born Nora Lum, Awkwafina is from Forest Hills, per Vice, and since the sitcom is semi-autobiographical, her character lives in that neighborhood, too. Fortunately, there are plenty of Queens easter eggs in Nora from Queens, which both former and current residents will revel in finding.
"Forest Hills is where Long Island meets Park Slope meets Archie Bunker," Awkwafina told Vice back in 2015, later saying, "The most refreshing thing about Forest Hills is that it has not changed. Aside from storefronts opening and disappearing, the character of the neighborhood has stayed the same since I was a baby. It's one of those neighborhoods that was never a completely gentrified area."
According to Time Out New York, Nora from Queens was filmed around NYC — both in in the show's titular borough and beyond. The protagonist's house, however, was filmed on a set. So if you're from the area, it's possible you'll recognize some of the places on the show. But if you miss anything, don't worry, these are all of the Queens easter eggs audiences can find in Awkwafina's new Comedy Central series, broken down by episode throughout the season.
Episode 1 — "Pilot"
- Nora's headboard. In the pilot's second scene, audiences see a Queens Blvd sign above the protagonist's head. This throughway runs through Forest Hills.
- The opening credits. Audiences see animations of the 7 Train (which Awkwafina voiced as a promotion for the sitcom), the unisphere (which is in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park), and a cross street in Forest Hills, where Nora lives with her grandma and dad in the show.
- H Mart. A popular Korean grocery store, H Mart has several locations in Queens. In the pilot, Nora's grandmother wonders, "What are all these H Mart shopping baskets?" to which her granddaughter responds that she's reusing them to save the environment.
Episode 2 — "Atlantic City"
- Queens Center food court. Although most of this episode takes place in Atlantic City, the aforementioned Time Out article says that the food court scenes were filmed in the Queens Center — a mall located in Elmhurst. Behind certain shots in Episode 2, audiences can see a Chick-fil-A and Noodle House, which are both located in the Queens Center.
Episode 3 — "Savage Valley"
- The Chinese Death Trap. Nora gets a real job with family friend Nancy Hong, who runs Golden Prosperity Real Estate. It's unclear whether her business is supposed to be located in Chinatown or Flushing, but based on some businesses in the background, they filmed the exterior shots in Manhattan. On the wall, Nancy has a collection of what she calls unsellables — "listings so far gone that no one else will take them on." Nora recognizes one particular house, the apparently infamous "Chinese Death Trap," which is in Elmhurst, Queens. Not only was it supposedly the home of several Hong Kong crime organizations, but it is riddled with asbestos and haunted by Cantonese ghosts. Nancy has been trying to sell it for 16 years, five months, and three days — not that she's counting, or anything.
Episode 4 — "Paperwork"
- The Ramones mural in Forest Hills. Since Nora's car is still in "jail," she's forced to walk to the impound. She passes several landmarks along the way, including a mural of the punk band The Ramones. The mural was painted in 2016 by Crisp and Praxis Graff, according to DNAinfo, paying homage to the punk band's Forest Hills origins.
- Liberty Department Stores. After freaking out in line for a new Social Security card, Nora resigns herself to going to the back of this Ridgewood fixture, where someone is running a fake ID operation.
- Hunan Kitchen of Grand Sichuan. Although Nora and her grandma really wanted to splurge and go to the expensive Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão in Manhattan, they instead go to Hunan Kitchen, which is located in Flushing, according to the same Time Out article.
Episode 5 — "Not Today"
- Elmhurst Community Center. On Wally's (BD Wong) anniversary with his late wife, he becomes irritable with his deadbeat daughter. He sees a Facebook invitation for a Single Parents group at the Elmhurst Community Center, which he decides to check out for some support. Unfortunately, everyone else's kids are under the age of 10 — except for one pretty mom who gives Wally her number. Although there doesn't appear to be an Elmhurst Community Center, there are similar locations in both the neighboring Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.
Episode 6 — "Vagarina"
- Nomad Cafe. Nora's Aunt Sandra (Ming-Na Wen) and cousin Arlo come to visit, the latter of whom sets Wally up on a blind date. Per Time Out, they go to the Nomad Cafe in Ridgewood, Queens. While his date goes south quickly, Wally manages to run into Brenda (Jennifer Esposito) from the Single Parents Group.
Episode 7 — "Grandma Loves Nora"
- World Gym. Episode 7 largely follows Wally learning Instagram in an attempt to impress Brenda. He consults his friends while working out at the World Gym in Ridgewood, Queens.
Episode 9 — "Launch Party"
- Amadeus Nightclub. Per the same Time Out article, Edmund and Nora have their first meeting with a Billy McFarland-esque millennial marketing guru named Jerry Harrison (David Krumholtz) in the Amadeus Nightclub in Elmhurst.
- Flushing Meadows Park. In a plot straight out of the headlines, Edmund (Bowen Yang) and Nora hire Jerry help them promote their new app, Scrubr. Their ensuing launch party takes place right next to the unisphere in Flushing but quickly takes a Fyre Festival-like turn. Once attendees realize there will be no Lady Marmalade reunion, the hashtags #PrayforFlushing, #FlushingStrong, and #ScrubrDisaster begin trending.
Episode 10 — "China"
There weren't any Easter Eggs in this week's Season 1 finale, either! Audiences will just have to hang tight for Season 2.
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