Best of Queens 2005

Best Neighborhood Hype: Astoria

Astoria lived up to its hype much better than even more heavily touted Hunters Point/Long Island City. See our top reasons to live in Astoria.

Best New Bar: NoNo in Bayside

Bar NoNo has brought a touch of class to Bayside's Bell Boulevard by saying ixnay to sports on TV and doing the cocktails and lounge scene right.

Best Store/Gallery: Toy Qube in Flushing

Toy Qube is something different. A small store in the Flushing Mall, it sells toys that are cooler than art and art that's more fun than toys.

Best New Park: Fort Totten in Bayside

Fort Totten reopened as a park, and kicked things off with spooky Halloween tours of the historic fort's battlements.

Best Film Set in Queens: Maria Full of Grace

Catalina Sandino Moreno received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of Maria, a young Colombian woman who becomes a drug mule and has to grow up quickly in Jackson Heights.

Best Blog: Joey in Astoria

In 2005 Joey led Astoria by the hand to new restaurants, to Wiffle ball in Rainey Park, and to the best local bars and events.

Best Queens Shout-Out: From the Ozone Layer to Ozone Park

Astronaut Charles Camarda saluted his dad in Ozone Park while onboard the space shuttle Discovery.

Best New Burger: Joe's Best Burger in Flushing

Joe's is a new burger joint in downtown Flushing serving great fast-food, cooked fresh to order (39-11 Main St). Try the grilled onions on a cheeseburger.

Best Art Created in Queens: Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Gates

The acclaimed Gates that transformed Central Park were built in Maspeth.

• Got a best of Queens to share? Or a worst of Queens to suggest? Please post your comment.

• Liked the Best? Then See the Worst - The Worst of Queens in 2005.