abythomas

08/14/12 9:30am

This week in Astoria and Long Island City: American Autumn screening, Mission to ditMARS launch, and Rick Baker exhibit at MOMI

Our choice picks of things to do this week include an “Occudoc” screening, a brand new arts collective launching in Queens, and the ongoing Rick Baker exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image. Read about them below, and check out more events during the week in our event calendar!

Image source: Courtesy Occudoc

Documentary Screening: American Autumn - Occupy Wall Street may not be camping out at Zuccotti Park anymore, but they have been making their presence felt in Queens over the past few weeks. Protesters were most recently seen near the CitiCorp building in Long Island City, and there have been “town squares” in Jackson Heights and Astoria as well. In an attempt to let more people learn more about the OWS movement, Occupy Astoria and Long Island City is screening the documentary American Autumn at the Church of the Redeemer in Astoria on Tuesday night at 7 pm. The movie has been billed as “an inside looking out view of the occupy movement,” and promises to be an interesting watch. (more…)

American Autumn, Men in Black 3, Mission to (dit)Mars, MOMI, monocycle, Occupy Astoria and Long Island City, Rick Baker

Flushing

08/09/12 11:15am

Fun for the Family: Science Playground, Stoked Beach Party, 60+ Singles Ice Cream Social, and Jackson Heights Greenmarket

There’s never been a dearth of things to do for the family in Queens, as this borough has been ranked the most family-friendly place in New York City. Today, we focus on events for all the various possible age groups in a family, from the young to the old:

Science Playground - Did you know North America’s largest science playground exists right here in Queens? The New York Hall of Science is home to this amazing playground filled with slides, see-saws, fog machines and more, that will allow kids have a fun time while learning the basic principles of science like motion, balance, sight and more. Studying science was never this fun for your children, and with over 60,000 feet of space devoted to playing and learning, you can rest assured that your kids will have a jolly good time.

Central Queens Y, Jackson Heights Green Market, Science Playground, Stoked

Flushing

08/06/12 2:00pm

This week in Long Island City, Flushing: Irish Dancing Classes, Studio Square Party and Free Shakespeare in the Park

Yes, Mondays are not exactly the favorite day of the week for some of us. But then again, it does start the week—a week of fun events, if you are in Queens! Our event calendar is choc-a-bloc with a variety of things to do this week, and here are our best picks for this week:

Irish Dancing Classes at the New York Irish Center: How about some luck of the Irish to rub off on you as you start the week? There’s probably nothing that can better boost your spirits than some good old-fashioned dance—and Irish dance at that! The New York Irish Center in Long Island City, known for its “céad míle fáilte” spirit, has Irish dance classes for both children and adults taught every Monday at 6 p.m. by the legendary Niall O’Leary, a former all-Ireland and World Champion. And don’t worry if you think you have two left feet—there are classes for beginners as well as champions here.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Hip to Hip Theatre Company, New York Irish Center, Shakespeare in the Park, Studio Square

08/02/12 11:30am

Weekend Picks: LIC Bar Trivia Night, Farmer’s Market, Golden Dragon Acrobats and Astoria Park Shore Fest

Yes, the weekend’s almost here, but why not get an early start to it? We have some exciting events in the next four days–here are our choice picks from our events calendar:

Image Source: Joey in Astoria

Brain Fart Comedy and Trivia Show at LIC Bar – Today’s Thursday and you know what that means? Thursday is Trivia Night at the LIC Bar in Long Island City. Hosted by Stephanie Holmes, a well-known name in the New York comedy scene, this is trivia quiz like no other. (more…)

07/30/12 12:00pm

Fun Events This Week in Astoria, Long Island City: Comic Book Club, Celebrating Waldo, Kung Fu Panda 2

The Avengers, Spider-Man, Madagascar 3, Brave, The Dark Knight Rises… If there’s anything the summer movie blockbusters have taught us, it is that the allure of animation and comic books is still alive and well. Here are some events happening this week in Queens that focus on our favorite animated heroes and heroines:

Gotham League Comic Book Club Meeting - Comic book lovers of Queens: assemble. Bring your favorite comics and get together with other like-minded folk at 7.30 p.m. on Monday, July 30 at Waltz Astoria. This unassuming but beautiful coffee/wine bar becomes a haven for comic book aficionados every Monday night. So, for a relaxing Monday night where you can chat comics—you now know where to go.

07/27/12 10:00am

Weekend event picks: The Secret Theatre, MoMA PS1, On The Square Productions

This weekend, increase your culture quotient by tapping into the vibrant artistic oases all around Queens. Here are a few of our choice picks:

The Secret Theatre - The Secret Theatre in Long Island City plays host to a revival of Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party, an award-winning musical about a vaudeville dancer and a vaudeville clown having one crazy night in a Manhattan apartment. Don’t miss this “party to end all parties” at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 27 at the Secret Theatre.

MoMA PS1 - Are you in the mood for some experimental music? Then check out MoMA PS1’s Warm Up 2012 event on Saturday, July 28. This outdoor series featuring the very best in sound, performance and DJs will be showcased in an artistic landscape as well.

MoMA PS1, On The Square Productions, The Secret Theatre

Featured

Long Island City

07/27/12 7:30am

Queens: NYC’s New Tech Hub? Certainly Looks Like It

It was a full house at the second installment of the Queens Tech Meetup on Thursday, held on the top floor of Hunter’s Point Plaza in Long Island City. Despite the overcast sky and storm warnings, more than a 100 people braved the winds and the rains to attend the event organized by the non-profit, Coalition for Queens.

The turnout was a clear indication of the development of Queens as a hub for creative and technical innovation. And if the ventures previewed at the event are any indication of what’s to follow, it seems the borough is well on its way to becoming a force to reckon with in New York City’s burgeoning tech scene.

07/25/12 3:00pm

Cool off in Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s Olympic Pool, one of the city’s best public pools

The Aquatic Center at Flushing Meadows Corona Park (GMAP) is home to a gigantic, 25M by 50M swimming pool, the first indoor public pool built in the city for more than 40 years. While it was built as part of a failed bid by the city to host the Olympics, the pool has certainly become a boon for New Yorkers trying to escape the heat. The pool is in the new Flushing Meadows Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink building. When it opens later this year, it will be the biggest recreational complex ever built in a city park.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, pools, Summer

07/11/12 11:00am

Art on the street: public murals in Welling Court

The Ad Hoc public mural project in the Welling Court neighborhood, an immigrant community in western Astoria, showcases murals by international and local artists with the goal of cleaning up ugly graffiti and decorating the neighborhood with colorful street art. Ad Hoc Art, a Brooklyn-based design house, started as an art gallery and community space in 2006 and has since become a hub of social change through art.

According to a recent post by Ad Hoc, Willing Court has 90 spots with paintings by over 70 artists. In June, mural painting turned into a neighborhood event with bike races, BBQ, and a dance party.