Tour De Queens: Exploring Astoria & LIC by Citi Bike

Guest post by Bike Snob NYC

As you know, Citi Bike has officially expanded into deepest Astoria:



For residents, this means less reliance on the N/W as the whole area’s now just a short ride from the trains that run through Queens Plaza. Also, if you’re really looking for adventure, there’s now a station within three miles of LaGuardia Airport:

Think about that next time you’re waiting for the M60 bus.

Anyway, in order to celebrate the expansion and highlight some attractions I took a spin through the service area recently, and here’s roughly the route I described:



Now before I begin in earnest, if you’re wondering where Long Island City ends and Astoria begins I advise you not to concern yourself with such trivialities. Like many parts of New York City, exactly which neighborhood you’re in at any given moment is often a state of mind. (Or a fabrication of the real estate industry, though to my knowledge nobody’s yet tried to rebrand Astoria as NoLiCi.) Plus, in the olden days Long Island City was an independent city that encompassed the village of Astoria, so there you go.

I began my journey in Queens Plaza at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge, where there are usually plenty of Citi Bikes waiting for you:

The bike lane network in and around Queens Plaza is one of the most impressive in the city, and if you do a u-turn off the bridge and head west you can ride straight to the waterfront almost entirely free from motor vehicle traffic:



The bike route runs right into Queensbridge Park, and from there I headed north on the Vernon Boulevard bike lane:



And then ducked into Rainey Park:

Which offers yet another opportunity to admire the river view:

Of course you can stay on Vernon if you prefer, but both park detours are brief, car-free and well worth it.



Emerging from the park, you can then dock your bike and visit the Noguchi Museum:

The Noguchi Museum was founded and designed by internationally-renowned American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988), for the display of what he considered to be representative examples of his life’s work. Opened in 1985, the Museum complex was built around a 1920s industrial building, and features indoor-outdoor galleries and a serene outdoor sculpture garden, with two floors of interior exhibition space. Located in the vibrant neighborhood of Long Island City, Queens, the Museum is itself considered to be one of the artist’s greatest achievements. In building a museum, Noguchi was an early pioneer who led the metamorphosis of the Long Island City area into the arts district it is today, home to cultural institutions such as Socrates Sculpture Park, SculptureCenter, MoMA PS1, and Museum of the Moving Image, among others.

Though I opted for Socrates Sculpture Park across the street:

It’s one of the best place in the city to freak out children and people under the influence of certain intoxicants:

Once I’d finished contemplating the mystery of the invisible house:

I continued north on Vernon:

Where I stopped briefly to admire people admiring street art:

Here, incidentally, are the handiest stations to both the Noguchi Museum and Socrates Sculpture Park:

Or, if you’re the seafaring type, also close by is the Astoria landing of the New York City ferry:

However, being a landlubber, I pressed on:

This is the oldest part of Astoria, and while much of it is being consumed by vines and condos:

The original character of the village is still in evidence along 12th Street north of Astoria Boulevard:

12th Street in turn runs right into Shore Boulevard and Astoria Park:

Here are the nearest stations in case you want to dock your bike and explore:

Shore Parkway takes you directly underneath both the Triboro RFK Bridge and the Hell Gate Bridge:

The latter of which served as the inspiration for the Sydney Harbour Bridge:

(Meh.)

After riding through Astoria Park I made a right on Ditmas Avenue, a right on 21st Street, and a left on 24th Avenue, and soon arrived in front of the celebrated Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden:

Where Oktoberfest was beginning in earnest:

I decided to forego the stein hoisting competition, though if you and your friends leave Bohemian Hall with some beer muscles you can always hold an impromptu Citi Bike hoisting competition at the nearby station:

(Pro tip: if you’re tempted to lift a Citi Bike, you’ve officially had too much beer to ride a Citi Bike.)



From Bohemian Hall I continued north, and once you pass Ditmars Boulevard and the terminus for the N/W train the neighborhood takes on a much quieter character:

And before long you reach The End, where you can get yourself some craft beer before boarding your plane at LaGuardia:

Or else you can pick up an artisanal piano:

Though good luck getting it home.



And yes, both these establishments are just a bit outside the Citi Bike service area:

But what’s walking a few extra blocks when you’ve come all this way?



Anyway, after giving a stranger at Singlecut Beersmiths five bucks to watch my piano (plus a coaster so he didn’t leave any drink rings on it) I headed south on 36th Avenue behind some people from Connecticut who, with their golden retriever hanging out the window, were clearly doing their best to live up to the stereotype:

Here’s the pained expression of a dog whose owner is picking his nose in traffic:

Once you’re south of Astoria Boulevard you’re back in the bustling commercial heart of the neighborhood, Broadway being one of the most varied and vibrant avenues:

And there are so many places to eat, drink, and shop (and now to dock your Citi Bike) that I won’t even attempt to scratch the surface here:

Continuing south, at 35th Avenue you’ll find the Museum of the Moving Image:

And Kaufman Astoria Studios:

Then it’s the vestigial neighborhood of two-story homes surrounded by shiny glass towers that is Dutch Kills:

And finally you’re back at the Queensboro Bridge:

Yes, it’s a lot to take in, so you might as well go for a second lap.