tmgaffney

It's hard to come up with a better neighborhood in Queens than Astoria. Easily accessible, exciting and affordable (for now), it has a little bit for everyone to enjoy. In the past decade and a half, Astoria has grown from an ethnic enclave of Greek, Italians, Croatians, etc. to a popular choice for everyone, especially those wanting a hip alternative to Williamsburg.

You can find places to hang out, from cafes to clubs; places to work out like a multitude of gyms of the best free gym of all, Astoria Park. Residential units range from studios to 3 bedroom apartments and houses. Take a walk around the neighborhood and you'll see that a lot of development is going on, so the future is pretty secure in terms of available rentals.

Some of my own favorite places in Astoria are:
1) Bohemian Hall and and Beer Garden
2) Astoria Park track (it overlooks the Manhattan skyline!)
3) Silver Age Comics
4) Grand Cafe
4) McCann's Pub
5) Astoria Soundworks practice studio

The only negatives to the area I can think of is that in certain parts it can be noisy because of traffic. Astoria Boulevard cuts through the neighborhood and brings in a lot of cars from the Grand Central, and the elevated N train line on 31st Street can be rattling (and to some, an eyesore). But that does not take away from the rest of Astoria, which can be almost suburbanly quiet.

21st Street is a major thruway in Astoria that can get you from east to west in a matter of minutes. The stop lights are timed especially for traffic so for drivers, this means you won't be waiting too long. It gets you to the entrance of the 59th Street bridge to Manhattan rather quickly and that is a blessing, however you must allot yourself extra time in the morning when others have the same idea as you.

Residents, however, would be best to avoid living directly on the avenue do to the constant noise from cars. There are businesses all along the street, like Riccardo's catering hall on 24th avenue, and many auto shops further down. Avoid the housing projects that neighbor it when you go into Long Island City.

Rock legend has it that KISS was named after Kissena Boulevard, so with just that in mind it is important to be familiar with this stretch of Flushing. I went to Queens College for many years so I am quite familiar with the boulevard, which I traveled on via the Q17 bus from Main Street. Asian themed restaurants and small businesses are located along the first half or so, and the closer you get to the college on Horace Harding Expressway, you come across businesses catering to the students like the College Green pub, copy houses, a pizzeria and Dunkin Dounts.

Make sure you go further along to visit Kissena Park and bring a kite with you!

Any long-time resident of the area will tell you that 19th Avenue is a perfect area to take someone just learning how to drive. The traffic is minimal since it is bordering the Con Edison complexes and there are no major intersections.

Residentially, it is the end of the road and you have some small houses and apartments along the way. It merges with 81st Street and you can access it quickly once you exit the highway on 81st Street. Commercially, there is nothing going on except for Maric Lanes, the bowling alley on 49th Street.

Shore Boulevard is dominated by Astoria Park for over half of it's length. It was once a popular drag strip for street racers but since the speed bumps were put in and cops started patrolling in the 90s, it has gotten quieter. The view of Manhattan cannot be beat and is a popular photo subject for any Astoria visitor. The Astoria Houses lie past Ditmars Boulevard, and Shore Tower Condominiums on the other side of the park at Astoria Park South. A generally safe area except for late at night, where walking in the park is not advisable. No public transportation is near by except for buses on 21st Street.

Crescent Street is a thruway of Astoria in that it is used by residents to quickly get across a major section of neighborhood down to Long Island City. What is great about the avenue is that where it intersects with 30th Avenue, Mount Sinai of Queens is located right there.

I wouldn't recommend Crescent Street to someone that wants pure quiet because of the constant traffic, but it is not that bad because all the amenities that lie there make up for it. Mount Carmel church is on Newtown Ave and Crescent Street for the Catholic population.

23rd Avenue is a great avenue to live on or near, because it is quiet but still presents many dining and nightlife opportunities for residents. There is a spa near the Steinway section, as well as a music rehearsal studio (Astoria Soundworks) and other local businesses. St. Irene's Greek Orthodox Church stands at the corner of 36th Street, and several eateries near 31st Street such as Telly's Taverna, Lefgos Pyrgos and Stamatis Restaurant. 23rd Avenue ends by Astoria Park.

The only stretch of 23rd that presents a difficulty is the block between 35th street and 33rd street, where the Amtrak line runs overhead. While one of the best sandwich shops in the Queens borough lies right there, Sal, Kris and Charlies, there is a chance you'll get a bird dropping on your head from all the pigeons that like to nestle in the tressels!

Once a "farmer's path" before Astoria was urbanized sometime in the late 19th century, Newtown Road is a diagonal section of road between Steinway Street and Northern Boulevard, starting at 41st Street and ending just past 49th Street. This is a residential block that gives a quick shortcut through this section of Astoria, and is lucky enough to be close to three schools - PS 70, IS 10 and Bryant High School. There is little else to mention besides this, and the fact that the section off of Steinway behind 41st Street is just an alley way.

18th Street is short stretch between Astoria Park South and Astoria Boulevard with apartment buildings and a few lone 1-2 family houses. If you want to be close to the park and its amenities, especially the track, you have your best bet here. There are small delis and a laundromat, but not much else to speak of commercially except for LoRusso's on 27th Ave and 18th Street which is a good pizza joint (with some of the best focaccia around).

Yes, there is one section of 18th street near Con Ed and Shore Boulevard where the Astoria Houses are, but it is so small of a block it's an afterthought.

49th street is considered the last block of Astoria, because Hobart and 50th Street start the Woodside or East Elmhurst area, depending on what avenue you're standing. It is a purely residential block with the only major establishment really being Bryant High School, which is on 31st Avenue between 49th and 48th Street. If you travel up towards Northern Boulevard where Long Island City is, you are close to Guitar Center, Old Navy and other larger chain stores. Otherwise, you're in for a relatively quiet block with 1-3 family houses and some apartment buildings. Good for living on, not for shopping or nightlife. Transport is provided by train at the 46th Street R, G, V stop, or buses along the avenues.

The beauty of 41st Street lies not with the block itself, rather the position it holds in relation to other important areas of Astoria. It is one block off of Steinway Street, so you are close to all sorts of restaurants and retail stores. Not only that, but you are close to the R, G, and V subway line at Steinway Street and Broadway, as well as several bus routes running along the avenues that intersect it.

The block itself is 99% residential, with only a few small businesses along it, and a supermarket at the corner of 28th Avenue. It is primarily composed of apartment buildings from 35th Avenue up to Astoria Boulevard, until you cross over it and start seeing more 1-2 family dwellings.

Overall a good block to live on. There is some car traffic as a result of Steinway Street but it is not something that majorly compromises the quality of living.

The majority of 31st Street runs underneath an elevated train line (N,W), so it is easily accessible and convenient. Having worked on and lived near this street for years, I can say with confidence that it is one of the most important stretch of blocks in Astoria.

Using 36th Avenue as the western border of Astoria and 19th Avenue as the eastern, we see just how diverse the neighborhood really is. Towards 36th, you have Brazilian hangouts such as Made in Brazil, then downwards to Broadway, bakeries, restaurants, and banks. Residences line the street, and major construction is going on along it up to 30th Avenue or so to bring in more businesses and even more apartments. There is a gym between 31st Avenue and Broadway (Dolphin Fitness), and near 30th Avenue, you have Greek restaurants like Opa Opa, Czech fare at Zlata Praha, and cafe/restaurant Zodiac. There is a major Greek supermarket (Titan) and music/video store (GMV) towards Astoria Boulevard, and one of the best diners in Queens (Neptune) on corner of 31st and Astoria Boulevard south. The best part of 31st Street begins on 24rd Avenue, where just around the corner lies the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden. A public school lies in between 24th and 23rd, and on this avenue lies the wonderful Lefgos Pyrgos cafe, where you can find the finest Greek pastries and many of the locals hanging out to chat or even play a board game or two. Towards Ditmars are some of the best places to eat, including Mexican food, diner fare at Igloo, Mike's Diner or Last Stop, burgers, Southwestern dishes at Mojave, etc. The only remaining comic store in Astoria (Silver Age comics) lies upstairs on the Ditmars train stop, as well as other small offices and businesses. The Rock gym and Soho health food eatery are downstairs.

Where the train ends at Ditmars and 31st street is where activity begins to slow down for the avenue. However, one of the best Italian restaurants at the L'Incontro Trattoria is near the corner, and you can find some great Thai food down near 21st. It is primarily residential until you reach the end, which is 19th Avenue at the start of Con Edison.

There are negatives to the street, as it is extremely noisy not only due to the subway, but do to the car traffic that remains constant because the entrance to the highways and RFK bridge are on Astoria Boulevard and 31st Street. You must be extremely careful of crossing this intersection if you are traveling by foot. However, overall, 31st Street is an integral part of the neighborhood and must be visited if you are in the area.