Saturday Recap – Solstice, Instameet, and Block Parties

This Saturday was an amazing day in Western Queens. And it was the longest day of the year—the Summer Solstice—so there was plenty of daylight in which to enjoy the day. Plus, the weather cooperated with some serious gorgeousness.

Around 3 p.m. I headed to Dutch Kills Green for the Astoria Instameet photowalk. I’d say about 30-40 people showed up. Originally, the route was to go down 31st Street to Broadway, but they decided to take us through a more industrial area instead. Here are some shots I took at the event.

You can see more photos with the hashtag #onameet. Ona Bags, maker of stylish camera bags sponsored the event. They have a bag in their current line called The Astoria.

By the time we got to Skillman and 34th Street, we realized we had encountered the Spaceworks Long Island City Block Party!

They were taking part in Make Music New York, too.

At that point, I lost track of the Instameet group because I got really involved speaking with the folks at Healing Arts Initiative, a nonprofit that helps bring arts and culture to underserved audiences, as well as our friend Josh at Spaceworks, an organization you may remember as a participant in our most recent 12 Days of Giveaways. Josh brought me inside and showed me the Spaceworks facility, which is pretty nice. Here are a couple shots of the available spaces:

Later in the day was, of course, the QCA Block Party. Emily and Mackenzi were there and our WHA step and repeat was there, too! You can find those photos on Facebook. Here are a couple as a sneak peek:

Congrats also to Mackenzi on her award as a Neighborhood Star of Astoria!

Meanwhile, Socrates Sculpture Park had their Solstice celebration going on.

All in all, a very satisfying day in Astoria and Long Island City. We hope you had a great weekend, too!