Candy Lynch

[Doria Vilcan]

Aftertaking a few weeks off when the US Open was in town, the Queens Night Market is back at Flushing Meadows Corona Park for its fall season, setting up shop behind the New York Hall of Science every Saturday starting at 5 p.m., from now through October 29th.

With more than 50 different vendors slinging street food specialties from all over the world, plus live entertainment, local artisans selling their wares, and a family-friendly atmosphere, Queens Night Market has become a vital part of New York City's food and entertainment landscape. In fact, founder John Wang estimates that since its debut in 2015 the market has featured some 350 new businesses, representing at least 90 different countries, and hosted around two million visitors to the weekly festivities. And it's only become more popular with age! Wang told MTA Away that this past summer was the market's busiest yet.

The roster of food vendors every week is extraordinary in its diversity, and every booth features at least one item that costs no more than five or six dollars, so it's easy to make yourself a feast of different dishes from places like Trinidad and Burma, Peru and Iran, Korea and Hungary, Haiti and Tibet.

On opening day of the fall season some favorites included the plump ground beef Afghan dumplings known as Mantu from Mohibullah Rahmati's brilliant Nansense tent (he also makes a killer bowl of Shor Nakhud, or hot and sour chickpeas), and the incredible Ethiopian Sega Wet Plate from newcomer Emeye, a hearty dish of slow-cooked beef, tangy greens, and enough spongy injera to sop it all up. So good, hopefully the women behind this spot open a restaurant!

Longtime market vendor Joey Bats, famous for his Portuguese Pastel de Natas custard tarts, has something new and savory for the fall, a Bifana sandwich packed with well-seasoned, wine-marinated pork on a soft roll.

The stuffed Fushka balls at Bengali Street Eats explode with flavor, the Thai Boiled Whelk with spicy dipping sauce at Mahanakhon is fun to eat and turns a lot of heads, and the Keema Palata at Myo Lin Thway's Burmese Bites is as satisfying as ever.

And, of course, there are the perennial crowd-pleasers, like the Roast Pork Pan Fried Noodles at Hong Kong Street Food, the Brazilian Steak Sandwiches at Brazilicious, and the Fried Potato Twists at Twisted Potato. Don Ceviche is back as well, with its overflowing bowls of Peruvian Ceviche which, like many dishes here, is an amazing bargain.

There are several excellent options when it's time for dessert, including Nigel Sielegar's inimitable Moon Man, serving excellent Indonesian Coconut Pancakes, Sticky Rice with Kaya Jam, and Baked Cassava Cakes. Janie Deegan of the great Janie'soffers a full lineup of her wonderful crisp-and-chewy Pie Crust Cookies. The Romanian chimney cake ice cream cones at Twister Cake are always a hit, and new this fall are the super cute cotton candy bunnies at the Art Cotton Candy booth.

In between courses, it's always fun to wander around the art and merchandise booths, all run by local small businesses. Thai Orchids has some lovely bouquets and orchids, Sole Charms will help you spruce up your Crocs with whimsical jibbitz, and Gregory Valentine, who brings his entire family every week, offers an astounding array of colorful sculptures constructed entirely of wadded-up masking tape.

And don't miss the Tragos booth, which sells several variations on what creator Carolina Acosta calls "the party game para Latinos." It's like truth or dare, with funny or espicy questions on a deck of cards, and the dare is always "drink."

Parking is extremely limited here, both in the lot adjacent to the market and in the surrounding neighborhood, but public transportation to Queens Night Market is abundant and easy! The 7 train is your best bet, getting off at the 111th Street station and walking about four blocks south to 45th Avenue and Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Or take the MTA's Q23 or Q58 buses to Corona Avenue and 108 Street, or the Q48 to 111 Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

The Queens Night Market is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, next to New York Hall of Science, and is open every Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight from now through October 29th. Admission is free.

Near-total, because the 80 people lined up outside the candy shop are definitely here for Lynch, who, at 30 years old, is enjoying a second act as an entrepreneur -- and, increasingly, as an in-demand media personality. This is a role he plays strictly on his own terms, something Marshawn Lynch will enforce within minutes of arriving at the store, where Mitch Grossbach and Jean Thompson, the GMs of Beastmode and Seattle Chocolate, respectively, are already inside waiting on their star.

Shortly after the scheduled 4 p.m. start time, after Marshawn has finished greeting all the cashiers and clerks inside and posing for pictures, the line of fans outside starts moving. Inside the store, piles of Beastmode chocolate bars are stacked underneath mannequins dressed in Beastmode leggings and Lynch's new Cal-branded Beastmode shirts. Everyone here will get a chocolate bar, a photo, and a second or two of Lynch's time. No autographs and no interviews will be given -- which gets rid of the two TV cameramen who have shown up, seconds after they film his entrance.

More notably, the reception Lynch gives his fans, who have dutifully lined up to get a photo of him in his Wonka hat, depends entirely on who they are. The fawning grown men in Seahawks and Raiders garb, he will politely tolerate; the women he may greet warmly, flashing an electric smile, but the kids -- the kids get the VIP treatment. Lynch mugs with them, prods them into smiles, and breaks the ice if necessary.

In Seattle, Thompson says, Lynch is a certified A-lister: a big star. (The following day, when Lynch appears in Seattle for the grand opening of a second Beastmode apparel retail location, "several hundred" people will show up for autographs). Seattle being a small market, one might think that would make Lynch a niche star, but he's proving otherwise.

The joke is on them now, as Lynch has beaten them at their own game. He clowned them, hard, and the public ate it up, making his celebrity even bigger, his personality more enjoyable. "I love him," says a flushed Melissa Espy, a woman in her thirties, still flustered after her encounter. Espy drove three hours from Monterey County to be the first person in line.

Lynch was scheduled to be here another hour. After that, he and Grossbach have a few more hours before they had leave for SFO and the flight north for the Seattle Beastmode grand opening. In between receiving visitors -- by this time, a young girl has become Lynch's companion in all photos -- Grossbach asks Lynch if he wanted some Skittles.

You might have heard that Marshawn Lynch likes Skittles. Lynch credits the candy with some of his famous football feats, and Skittles has returned the favor by making Lynch a spokesman. Last season, he was the inspiration for a special Seahawks edition Skittles promotion. This year, he happily answered questions in a (fake) press conference, in which he munched on Skittle and proudly proclaimed, "You don't feel in Beast Mode. It feels you."

Lynch's love for Skittles has become somewhat of craze in Seattle in recent years. The fans throw Skittles at him after the scores. They dress up in Skittles costumes. Lynch even rocked a pair of custom-made Skittles shoes during a game in 2011 (for which he was promptly fined $10,000).

This all started in 2011. Lynch was in the process of torching the Philadelphia Eagles for 148 yards, when, after scoring one of his two touchdowns on the day, cameras caught him guzzling down a handful of Skittles on the sideline. As you can imagine, Twitter loved it, and it quickly became a big story.

It certainly has blown up. After the game in 2011, Seattle fans began showering him with handfuls, or even zip-lock bagfuls, of his favorite candy after every touchdown. After the Seahawks won the Super Bowl last season, he threw Skittles back at fans during the team's championship parade.

The unofficial start of swimming pool season is Memorial Day weekend, and this year's hottest new pool accessory may be . . . an underwater vending machine. Remember Airheads candy? They've announced that they've created a "first-of-its-kind 'Underwater Vending Machine' that dispenses Airheads while submerged in a pool," and they're selling a "limited number" of them online. Instead of feeding wet money into it, there's a screen that asks you to do pool tricks to get your candy fix . . . like flips, or pretending to be at a tea party. Of course, this wouldn't come cheap. They say the machines will cost $7,000, and come with a "lifetime supply of Airheads." Now, here's the caveat: The machines will go on sale beginning on Monday, Memorial Day, and at that point they'll post the specs for the "home edition." And that the "size, functions, and features vary" from the version in the video and on the website So you're NOT getting a full-on vending machine, which makes sense . . . it impossible to imagine the ramifications (and liability) of sending people huge machines to drop into their pools.

It took a national television audience, a couple of electric touchdown runs and the second-best game of Marshawn Lynch's career for his fascination with a certain fruit-flavored candy to get attention.

Lynch gets another national stage tonight when the Seahawks (5-7) host the St. Louis Rams (2-10). Two recent appearances on national TV made quite an impact, from his astonishing 67-yard TD run in the NFC playoffs last year against New Orleans to his 15-yard escape for a score last week against Philadelphia.

Lynch will be a free agent after the season. After a rocky beginning to his career in Buffalo that featured spotty on-field success coupled with off-field issues, Lynch has been a model citizen in Seattle, reunited with Justin Forsett, his old college buddy at California. His success running the football has taken off in the last month after a slow start with the Seahawks.

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