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36 Things to Do in Long Island City and Astoria

Some ideas to start you up in western Queens

By , About.com Guide

Garden at Noguchi Museum

Spring time and flowering tree at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City.

Photo (c) Harris Graber
  1. Ride a bike along Vernon Boulevard from the LIE tunnel to Socrates Sculpture Park.
  2. Make your way to Roosevelt Island via the bridge in LIC.
  3. Drink beer at Bohemian Hall's beer garden.
  4. Bring a first-timer to PS 1 and nonchalantly "discover" the art in the basement's old furnace room.
  5. See how much of Calvary Cemetery you can cover in a day.
  6. Get binoculars. Set in Astoria Park or Gatry Park or Rainey Park and pick out the parks and buildings of Manhattan. OK, you don't need binoculars.
  7. Go fishing at Gantry Plaza State Park. Catch and release, please!
  8. Kayak the East River with the LIC Boathouse.
  9. Get a slice in Astoria.
  10. Get a little tipsy on Vernon Blvd, but keep it down, please. People are sleeping.
  11. Get Turkish food in Sunnyside.
  12. Get iced coffee where the ice is made of coffee in Sunnyside.
  13. Get a cocktail and raise you glass!
  14. Go Greek!
  15. Rent bikes in Long Island City and visit art up and down the East River. Or just enjoy the views.
  16. Stretch yourself at yoga classes in the summer at Socrates Sculpture Park and many other parks.
  17. Challenge your family to compare cannoli from Italian bakeries throughotu Astoria.
  18. Run the marathon, or just cheer a marathoner along Vernon Boulebard.
  19. Run your caffeine buzz art the hippest cafe in western Queens.
  20. Take the first step in exploring the borough by boarding the 7 subway, aka the International Express at Queens Plaza.
  21. Warm up and dance your heart out at WarmUp.
  22. Get avant garde at the Chocolate Factory Theater.
  23. Check off all the local winners of Best in Queens.
  24. Go on a walking tour.
  25. Go on a walking tour during LIC Arts Open in May every year.
  26. Go find what Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations found in Little Cairo at the Kabab Cafe.
  27. Quiz yourself. How many neighborhoods of Long Island City can you name? Don't click that link till you've placed your guess!
  28. Go the St. Pats for All Parade in Sunnyside.
  29. Forget Broadway. Go to the Secret Theatre. Or the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center.
  30. Tango at Thalia Theatre.
  31. Dance at a Greek nightclub in Astoria, and toss cocktail napkins, not glasses.
  32. Find your way behind the scenes at the Museum of the Moving Image, one of the best museums in NYC.
  33. Find your way to the soul of an artist. sculpted out of stone at the beautiful, serene Noguchi Museum.
  34. See contemporary art for free at the little-known Fisher Landau Center for Art.
  35. Follow a local blogger.
  36. Find something to do this weekend. Sign up for our free newsletter and get weekend event listings.
About.com
Queens, NY
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  5. 36 Things to Do in Long Island City and Astoria

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