At the end of the block, stretching out on docks over the East River, is Gantry Plaza State Park (48th Ave at Center Blvd), named after the hulking 19th-century railroad gantries that transferred cargo from ships to trains. It's a premium postcard view of the city, and a must for Fourth of July fireworks. (If you want more of a party with your view, try the nearby Water Taxi Beach.)
Backtrack to Vernon and go up Jackson Avenue a few blocks to PS 1 Contemporary Art Center, a museum devoted to contemporary art. Housed in a former public school -- from back when they built schools to look great -- PS 1 is an outpost of MoMA, but manages to keep an edge about it. It's a real kick to explore the corridors and especially its basement, and every summer the DJ-driven Warm Up parties in PS 1's courtyard are a hit.
Across the street you'll find another type of artwork: the legal graffiti site 5 Pointz (Crane St. and Jackson Ave.). Inside the former warehouse are art studios, and outside it's a spray paint gallery (by permission only).
Hop back aboard the 7 subway at 21st Street and 49th Avenue, and head east (toward Flushing). You'll get a nice view of the Queensboro Bridge (aka 59th Street Bridge). Completed in 1909, its elegant spans are a famous sign of New York and the subject of Simon and Garfunkel's serenade "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."
