"Astorian" April: Er, miscellany?

Uh...so I guess we're almost halfway through April, and my plans to visit a lot of places in Queens/Astoria this week have gone somewhat awry. Part of the problem is that most of the events and places I want to go to are more weekend things. Also, I had every intention of doing a little "neighborhood spotlight" post on Forrest Hills, but then I found out I'll have a meeting coming up in Forrest Hills, so I decided to put off the train trip until then. But enough of my excuses! In the meantime, I thought I could post about my top 5 places in Queens. Places that I've already been to. See? Still in keeping with the Queens theme, but requiring a fraction of the effort. (Contrary to what the numbers would suggest, these are in no particular order)

5) Rockaway Beach

I almost hesitate to put this as a Queens location because, the easiest way to get there for those of us who don't have a car is to trek on the A train through Brooklyn. However, since it is in Queens--I'm claiming it! This is one of my preferred beaches because it's less gross than Coney Island and takes less time to get to than Long Beach. And, of course, because of my incredible Queen's pride

4) Corona Park, World's Fair Site

It harkens back to that bygone era (the 1960s) when Queens was given its due.

3) Queens Museum of Art, New York City Panorama

I've seen some interesting exhibits at the Queens Museum of Art, but my favorite thing is always the large New York City Panorama. I've heard they sometimes do trivia nights at the museum where they highlight certain sections of the panorama and ask questions about landmarks and neighborhoods of the city. Despite my love of trivia nights, I think I would be really terrible at that, which is why I haven't gone.

2) Socrates Sculpture Park

This has become one of my daily walking spots when the weather is nice and I want to go out on lunch. The sculptures change regularly, and in the summer they show movies and have workshops on everything from felt making to urban chicken raising.

1) Museum of Moving Image

Another one I can walk to. I used to think the Museum of Moving Image was really lame because it was only open for about 4 hours a day in the middle of week days, so it was impossible to ever go. However, after the re-vamp, they want to show it off, so it's open on weekends like a regular museum. They also have a couple of movie theaters where they show both old and recent films. I particularly enjoyed their recent retrospective on the Muppets.

I'm not actually sure if these are my top five favorite places in Queens or maybe just the first five I could think of. At any rate, I'm going to discover more in the coming weeks--no more excuses.

Also, totally unrelated, but I've spammed everyone though every other possible format, so it's time I take it to the blog. I'm trying to win a trip to New Orleans. If you're reading this and would like to vote for my entry (you can vote daily!), I would be much obliged. Here's the link.