Astoria, Event, Featured, Weekly Events in Astoria & LIC
Aug 17, 2015
The Ultimate List of Things You Need to Do in Astoria Before the Summer is Over
Before the summer is officially over, you NEED to make sure you’re taking advantage of summer in the city…OUR section of the city, to be exact. You have leftover vacation (…)
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Before the summer is officially over, you NEED to make sure you’re taking advantage of summer in the city…OUR section of the city, to be exact. You have leftover vacation time, the office is slow, no one’s doing work anyway, the days are longer, the weather is wonderful…no excuses, play like a champion.
We’ve gathered up the vest best ideas for making sure the photos you get next year from Timehop are reminding you that this was the best summer ever.
Consider this a to-do list.
Wander Astoria Late During a Nice Evening
Photo Credit: Khaleda K. Via Yelp
Summer evenings are the best, and Astoria’s got plenty of spots open late to satisfy late night wandering. Here are 10 spots that are open late.
Walk Further than Normal to Try Something New
Who would like to join me for a cocktail outside?
On that note, when it’s nice out, there’s no excuses for not traveling more than 5 minutes for dinner. We put together a great list of awesome spots that are off the beaten path, but definitely worth the walk.
Experience the Astoria Pool
Our much beloved public pool located in Astoria Park is open daily 11am to 7:00 p.m. Get all the info you need before you swim here.
Hit Up Smorgasburg in Long Island City
Via Smorgasburg
If you’ve always wanted a Ramen Burger, but have been too lazy to go to Brooklyn to get one, your prayers have been answered. Don’t miss Smorgasburg Queens.
Shop Socrates Sculpture Park’s Green Market
This market serves the Long Island City and Astoria communities with farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and family-friendly activities every Saturday. Shoppers will find a bountiful selection of seasonal produce, orchard fruit and juice, meat, poultry and eggs and multi-ethnic artisan breads. Read our full scoop, here.
Do Yoga in the Park
Saturdays through September, get your yoga on with city views. For free. More info here.
Geek Out at HiFi Records
Astoria, HiFi Records is finally here!
Astoria finally got a record store, and it’s really sweet. Go before it’s too late to say you went before it was cool.
Eat Outside
Get your dose of Vitamin C or enjoy the cool night summer breeze while dining at one of our favorite spots with outdoor seating.
Turn Your Vacations Days into Staycation Days
Paper Factory Hotel
Long Island City has some pretty sweet hotel offerings. Why not stay close but still get away? Pretend to be a tourist and don’t allow yourself to go to any spots you’ve been before or any chains.
Go to a Beer Garden
Join us at the LIC Flea on Saturday, August 29th
Find a Friend with a Rooftop and Drink on It
Photo via Emily Miethner
C’mon, is your landlord really going to find out you had friends on the roof if it’s just a few people. Grab some booze, your closest friends, and chill out on a roof while you still can.
Drink Iced Coffee
People will start to look at you funny when you drink iced coffee after the summer, so enjoy it now, sans the weird looks. Here’s all the places I go to get it and love it.
Support a New Business
A photo posted by We Heart Astoria (@weheartastoria) on
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Link in the bio!Things are always opening in Astoria. Check out a “New Arrival” and be an early supporter.
Take a Sexy Instagram of Your Hood
#VSCOcam #sunset #AstoriaNYC #AstoriaQueens #astoryofastoria #WeHeartAstoria #skyline #nyc #rooftop #neighborhood #queensny A photo posted by Edith (@enjurado) on
Show off how awesome it is living here. Just don’t do it too much. We don’t want outsiders to get in on our secret. Get inspo from the @WeHeartAstoria Instagram account.
Do Trivia
There are a dozen+ bars around Astoria and LIC that host trivia. Make it a point to check out a round before sports take over this fall.
Go Kayaking on the East River
The LIC Community Boathouse has lots of opportunities to get out and paddle on the East River this summer. Runs through early September. Get all the info you need here.
Enjoy Some Ice Cream
See the Mad Men Exhibition at Museum of the Moving Image Before It’s Gone
Take in the Changes at the Noguchi Museum
Go to the Astoria Flea Night Market
The Astoria Flea returns as a Night Market in September. Do not miss out on what is sure to be Instagram gold.
Go on a Picnic (and let someone else worry about packing the food)
Take an amazing picnic to one of our local waterfront parks or Athens Corner without doing any of the hard work. BEAR’s menu looks like summer perfection.
Get Some Exercise
SUMMER SHREDD AT ASTORIA PARK IS BACK AND IN FULL EFFECT! !! Check out these Shredders killing the partner log jump! This was after the workout and decided to have some fun! #muscles #Astoria #astoriapark #summershredders #shredd #summerworkout #sundayfunday #summershredd15 #queens #nyc #beastmode #iwillwhatiwant #staymotivated #sticktoyourgoals #partnerworkout #weheartastoria A video posted by Dorian L Cervantes (@dorianrocksfit) on
The days are longer, so you have more time in the day, which is a good reason to stop putting off going to the gym.
Don’t Miss Frozen Hot Chocolate
Try the Astor Bake Shop iced hot chocolate, made with a 61% Belgium dark chocolate and a 35% Belgium milk chocolate. Blended with ice it’s like a rich chocolate smoothie, optionally topped off with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
Read a Book in the AC
If you still don’t have AC, it’s only going to get hotter before things cool down. Head to one of these places to stay cool and read that book you’ve been avoiding all summer.
Hop on The East River Ferry
In the heat of summer, we all know being on the water is the best. Why not hop on the East River Ferry and head to Williamsburg, Greenpoint, or Governor’s Island? All the info you need is here.
Go for a Bike Ride
The bike lanes are calling your name. Does yours need fixing? Or need to get one? It’s not to late! Visit one of these local places, and get riding again: Tony’s, Bike Repairman, Bike Stop, and Spokesman Cycles. You’re also able to ride CitiBike in Long Island City now!
Try Something New
I like Guiness, I like proscuitto, and I like doughnuts. Bring it on.
Stop ordering the same old same old. Be adventurous. We’ll give you ideas.
Show Off Astoria to Your Friends
Singlecut Beersmiths, local beer at its finest.
Tired of that annoying friend who’s always saying there’s nothing in Astoria? There’s always cool stuff to see and do here, but even more so in the summer. Use our post “Where To Bring Visitors In Astoria” to give you the best ideas for showing off our hood to outsiders.
What’s on your to-do list pre-summer’s end? Have you done anything on this list yet? Share share share in the comments!
This is such an awesome list! I recently spent an entire fun-filled day in the area surrounding the Socrates Sculpture Garden, which I highly recommend. Begin the day with yoga and end with a delicious treat at Astor Bake Shop (with some artsy stuff and kayaking in between!). There’s also some good graffiti sightings in that area!