A guide to the top annual events in Astoria and Long Island City
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How Western Queens entrepreneurs are building community through creativity, food and shared spaces
By Jessica Militello
Western Queens is known for more than its bustling streets and diverse neighborhoods—it’s also a place where community-driven entrepreneurship thrives. Local business owners and residents continually find innovative ways to support one another, uplift new talent, and provide spaces for creativity, wellness, and connection. While the spirit of collaboration can be felt across Astoria and Long Island City, several standout organizations and businesses are helping to shape the local culture and economy in lasting ways.
Hidden historical gems worth discovering in Long Island City and Astoria
Built in 1892—the same year Ellis Island opened—this striking terra-cotta structure once served as the headquarters for the New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company. Nestled beneath the Queensboro Bridge, it remains a standout for architecture buffs and history lovers. The building acted as a full-scale model for the company’s clients and was once surrounded by factory buildings, now long gone. Though it stood vacant for years, the building earned official landmark status in 1982 and still stands as a tribute to Long Island City’s industrial legacy.
Perched quietly on a hill above the East River and surrounded by warehouses, the 1858 Steinway Mansion is an architectural marvel built by optician Benjamin Pike Jr. and later purchased by William Steinway of Steinway & Sons. Designed in the Italian villa style with granite blocks and cast iron detailing, the mansion served as the Steinway family’s summer retreat. Though not open to the public, the mansion’s dramatic exterior and rich history make it a worthy detour on any local stroll.
New and upcoming restaurants bringing flavor and flair to Astoria and Long Island City
By Jessica Militello and Shane O’Brien
There is always something new to taste, try, or toast to in Astoria and LIC. These neighborhoods continues to thrive as a culinary destination, with new restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and markets opening at a steady clip. Whether you’re in the mood for a classic Italian sandwich, halal Thai-Malay cuisine, or Brazilian sweets and coffee, the ever-expanding food scene in Western Queens offers something for every palate.
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Socrates Sculpture Park continues to evolve as a community hub for art, nature and renewal
May 12, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
On any given morning, Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria hums with energy—artists welding steel, neighbors walking their dogs, and visitors pausing to admire large-scale artworks taking shape before their eyes.
TF Cornerstone’s lasting impact on Long Island City’s growth and identity
May 2, 2025 By Ethan Marshall
Since its founding in 1970 by Tom and Fred Elghanayan, the real estate development company TF Cornerstone has played a pivotal role in helping to shape the current landscape of the waterfront of Long Island City, as well as western Queens as a whole.
Op-Ed | The best budget ever: Investing in working-class New Yorkers as we make our city safer and more affordable
May. 6, 2025 By Mayor Eric Adams
City seeks redevelopment proposals for massive DOE building on Vernon Boulevard in LIC
May 5, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
MTA conductor slapped in face at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave subway station, suspect remains at large: NYPD
May 5, 2025 By Bill Parry
Police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst and Transit District 20 are looking for a suspect who allegedly assaulted an MTA conductor in the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street subway station on the night of Thursday, May 1.
Borough Hall memorial honors 463 Queens residents lost to overdoses in 2023
May. 5, 2025 By Athena Dawson
The event, held on Monday, April 28, outside Queens Borough Hall, was organized in partnership with Samaritan’s Peer Alliance Recovery Centers (PARC). Richards was joined by Mitchell Netburn, President and CEO of Samaritan Daytop Village, along with Peer Recovery Professionals and community advocates.
Seniors take the stage: Inside Broadway brings arts programs to Queens older adults
May. 5, 2025 By Colum Motherway
Queens senior citizens have been taking center stage this spring, thanks to Inside Broadway’s vibrant and engaging arts programs made possible through a partnership with the NYC Council’s SU-CASA initiative.
Navarro and Monserrate disqualified from ballot as District 21 field narrows to 4
May. 5, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Sandro Navarro, district director for State Sen. Jessica Ramos and Hiram Monserrate, a former council member and state senator, have both been removed from the ballot for the upcoming Council District 21 election.
Community Board 5 to nominate Executive Committee candidates at May 14 meeting at Christ the King High School
May. 5, 2025 By Colum Motherway
Queens Community Board 5 (CB5Q) will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m., with a key item on the agenda: the nomination of candidates for its Executive Committee positions.
Op-ed | A Mother’s Day commitment: Better birth outcomes for every woman on the Rockaway Peninsula
May. 5, 2025 Dr. Jacqueline Marecheau, MD, FACOG
My story is not by chance, but by design. I, like so many New Yorkers, have a story written across five boroughs. I was born in Manhattan, raised in the Bronx, and built my career in Brooklyn.
Man attacked with knife handle aboard 7 train in Woodside early Monday: NYPD
May 5, 2025 By Dean Moses and Queens Post News Team
A man was assaulted with the butt of a knife aboard a Manhattan-bound 7 train in Woodside early Monday morning, according to the NYPD.
Bomb threat forces evacuation of Glendale school, no devices found: NYPD
Police from the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood responded to a 911 call of a bomb threat at I.S./P.S. 119 in Glendale on Monday morning.
Officers were informed by school administrators that an email was received from an unknown sender stating that there were bombs placed inside the school, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
Chick-fil-A to open in Woodside on May 8, replacing former Burger King near BQE
May 5, 2025 By Czarinna Andres
Young and Visionary: Japneet Singh runs for NYC Council District 28
May. 5, 2025 By Tangerine Clarke
Longtime Queens resident Japneet Singh, (D) candidate for the New York City Council 28th District, hosted a fun-filled Easter Egg hunt for more than 200 children on April 19 at Police Officer Edward Byrne Park in South Ozone Park.
Marshalls moves Rego Park location to Rego Center with grand celebration on May 15
May. 5, 2025 By Czarinna Andres
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at these Mexican restaurants in Queens
May. 5, 2025 By Paulina Albarracin
Queens is a true melting pot of cultures, and few celebrations capture that spirit quite like Cinco de Mayo. Every year, the borough comes alive with vibrant festivities and the unmistakable aromas of Mexican cuisine, as local eateries prepare for one of the most festive cultural holidays on the calendar.
NYCHA awards climate action grants to South Jamaica and Rockaways initiatives
May. 5, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
To mark Earth Week, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) awarded climate action grants to 17 resident-led projects across the five boroughs, including three in Queens, that focus on sustainability, food justice and environmental education.
500 NYC bodegas getting panic buttons with direct police link to help fight crime, Mayor Adams says
May. 4, 2025 By Dean Moses
Mayor Eric Adams revealed on Sunday that some 500 bodegas across the Big Apple will soon be equipped with panic buttons, although he won’t say which shops would receive them to keep crooks on their toes.
What rain? Thousands turn out for TD Five Boro Bike Tour through NYC on Sunday despite dreary skies
May. 4, 2025 By Adam Daly & Barbara Russo-Lennon
Overcast skies did not stop over 30,000 bicyclists from taking part in the country’s largest charitable bike tour on Sunday.
NYC street safety: What’s being done to protect New Yorkers after rash of deadly collisions this spring?
May. 4, 2025 By Barbara Russo-Lennon
More cyclists and pedestrians are out and about as the spring weather heats up in New York — but the risk of collisions is also increasing with more traffic on the streets.
‘Outrageous betrayal’: NY senators seethe as Trump admin slashes 9/11 health program staffing
May. 4, 2025 By amNewYork
The Trump administration is once again under fire for targeting the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), a lifeline for thousands of 9/11 responders and survivors.
‘Never go back!’ Hundreds united on Staten Island for 50-year celebration of Willowbrook State School closure decree
May. 4, 2025 By Claude Solnik
More than 500 former residents, relatives, people with disabilities, advocates, officials and others marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of a document that led to the closure of the infamous Willowbrook State School and ushered in a new era.
NYC sues Trump’s Housing and Urban Development Department over ‘unlawful’ housing grant demands
May. 3, 2025 amNewYork
ASPCA promotes free and low-cost vet care in Long Island City for National Pet Week
As National Pet Week begins across the country, the ASPCA is spotlighting its newest Community Veterinary Clinic in Long Island City as a model for increasing access to pet care in underserved neighborhoods.
The Queens clinic, which opened in September 2024 near Queens Plaza, is the third ASPCA-operated location in New York City, joining similar facilities in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Since its launch, the clinic has become a vital resource for pet owners in western Queens neighborhoods including Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside and Jackson Heights, offering free and low-cost veterinary care to eligible families.
Jamaica man sentenced to life for brutal triple murder of girlfriend, her son and cousin in 2022: DA
A Jamaica man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Queens Supreme Court on Friday for the 2022 murders of his girlfriend, her son, and her cousin.
Travis Blake, 31, of 155th Street, was convicted by a jury last month of first-degree murder and other counts for the triple slaying in June 2022. The bodies of his victims were discovered with an array of puncture and blunt force wounds in a state of decomposition in their shared Jamaica home.
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