Forest Hills now has a Spider-Man Way, a short walk from Peter Parker’s Ingram Street home

A stretch of Ingram Street in Forest Hills, Queens, now carries the honorary name Spider-Man Way, after officials and dozens of fans unveiled the sign Monday, Oct. 12, at the corner of Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue.

The corner sits a short walk from 20 Ingram St., the address a 1989 comic book gave as Peter Parker’s home. Council Member Lynn Schulman sponsored the co-naming bill in the City Council, following a long push by Assemblymember Sam Berger.

Who came to the Spider-Man Way unveiling

Schulman and Berger were far from the only elected officials at the corner. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz attended, as did Borough President Donovan Richards, Rep. Grace Meng and state Sen. Leroy Comrie. Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi and Council Speaker Julie Menin rounded out the group. With schools closed for Columbus Day, many young fans showed up too, several of them dressed as the web-slinger. One of them, Catalina Kaloferoe, who is about to move to Forest Hills, said it was “crazy to see him up there on a sign” after so many years as a comic book character. A neighborhood resident named Musa called the new sign “wonderful.”

Why Queens honored Peter Parker

Schulman said the superhero has become part of the fabric of Forest Hills and the borough. Several speakers, Berger among them, argued that Spider-Man’s appeal across generations comes less from his powers than from Peter Parker’s working-class roots and everyday responsibilities. Berger described Parker as a Queens kid juggling homework, bills and family problems who keeps showing up to help anyway. “That’s the neighbor we want to be,” he said.

Schulman said the hero is a reminder that “you don’t have to come from somewhere superhuman to do extraordinary things.” She added that the borough’s real heroes are the neighbors who show up for one another and give back to their communities.