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The Look Book Goes to Corona Park

On a recent Saturday, picnickers gathered in the largest park in Queens.

Tenzin Woeser, 19, Student and Army Reservist, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo: Kyle Dorosz

Who are the Doritos and the pea crisps for?
We’re having a potluck with people from my old hometown — Mundgod — in India. There was a big monsoon there, so we’re collecting money to send back. We moved from Tibet to India as political refugees. My family sold knockoff sweaters. It was sort of like a carnival traveling wherever there was business. When I was 6, we came here.

Do you remember what that was like?
It was the summer, and we landed in Newark. We were outside by the taxis, and I breathed in the air. I thought it was the coolest place ever. My brother and I had our faces glued to the window. It was a long drive to Queens.

Where are you in college?
I commute to Rutgers from East Rutherford. My ex-girlfriend’s dad is in finance; I asked him about different fields I could get into. I’m not good at memorizing, so not medicine. But I love helping people, and I love money.

Do you have a girlfriend now?
Yeah, it’s going well. After I broke up with my ex, I was like, I’m going to focus on school. But then I got a motorcycle.

Dickyi Dolma, 60, Nanny, Jackson Heights. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Karma Sangmo, 24, Student, Woodside. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Akash Desai, 29, Resident Physician, Upper East Side. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Heather Perian, 6, Student, Staten Island. Photo: Kyle Dorosz

Tell me about your teddy bear.
He’s the fluffiest of all my toys. Fluffy-Wuffy is his name. And I have another one named Fluffy.

Kaisang Dolma, 50, Housekeeper, Elmhurst. Photo: Kyle Dorosz

What’s on the agenda for the day?
We prayed for all the human beings. I’m here with people from my Buddhist culture center in Queens. Every month, we do prayers, but it’s the same day as the picnic, so we just did it here.

Chandni Pawar, 27, Resident Physician, Upper East Side. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Tseten Dolkar, 48, Facilities Manager, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Matthew Ziegelbaum, 32, Software Engineer, Forest Hills. Photo: Kyle Dorosz

What’s in the bag?
I brought a ham sandwich; my wife went with a bagel with cream cheese. We’re going to a Mets game today — we thought it was at one, but it’s actually at seven. So we’re going to eat it here on a park bench.

Alonso Chox, 25, Construction Worker, Corona. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Tenzin Saldon, 32, Stay-at-Home Mom, Corona. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Nolita Lorquet, 47, Traveler, Crown Heights. Photo: Kyle Dorosz
Chhime Lama, 17, Student, Jackson Heights. Photo: Kyle Dorosz

What brought you to the park?
My niece’s birthday. The whole family’s here, and they’re gossiping — it’s gossip that’s come all the way from Nepal. It’s always about someone’s love life.

*This article appears in the September 2, 2019, issue of New YorkMagazine. Subscribe Now!

The Look Book Goes to Corona Park