What To Do This Weekend, 6/10/10

This weekend we’re back in the world of hot and humid. Time for a frappe!

Okay, okay, sorry for the cheezy Star Wars reference, but what better neighborhood in NYC is there than Astoria to get a delicious iced frappe?!? Athens Cafe (32-07 30th Ave) comes to mind, as does Lefkos Pirgos (22-85 31st Street), Omonia (32-20 Broadway), and Grand Cafe (37-01 30th Avenue). Yum time in the sun time!

Thursday hails the start of the Queens Art Express, and you can get your fill of Queens art from Thursday through Sunday. 38 art venues and 80 local merchants will be involved during this spring art festival, so you have mucho opportunities to get your culture on right here in Queens. LIC is representing, so you’ll find plenty of art close to home.

Our friends at The Q Note wrote up the story of local jazz guitarist Amanda Monaco and her Long Island City Jazz Alliance, who will be performing as the opening act for Live at the Gantries on Sunday night, 7pm. Live at the Gantries is a series of free, outdoor performances at the awesome Gantry Plaza State Park in LIC.

If you’ve got kids, head over to the Kids Bike Swap and Bicycle Safety event on Saturday from 11am-3pm at Socrates Sculpture Park (32-01 Vernon Boulevard at Broadway). The NYC DoT will be there with their helmet program, too. If your child has outgrown their bike, bring their used kid’s bike by and swap it for a gently-used bike. All children’s bikes in working order and without gears are welcome at the event. Swap will be happening on a first-come first-serve basis. More info on Facebook.

And have you heard about the awesome wine setup at Vesta (21-02 30th Avenue)? Now, you know we love this place, and now we have another reason to love it – wine taps behind the bar with vino from the Raphael Winery out on Long Island, that contain custom blends for Vesta herself. Raphael partakes in sustainable practices, which fits Vesta’s outlook, too. Stop by for a shot and tell us how you like it!