Get to Know Long Island City — The Best of Queens, NYC

Long Island City is booming with new residential buildings, restaurants, bars, cultural attractions, and hotels. The other news is the constant upgrade and expansion of Gantry Plaza State Park, which covers 12 acres of the East River shoreline. With direct views of Midtown Manhattan, the park has playing fields, fishing piers, a promenade, and outdoor furniture in a site that was once a dock facility with gantry cranes.

Get there: Take the 7 to “Vernon Blvd-Jackson Ave”; “Court Square, 23rd St”; or “Queensboro Plaza.” Take the E or M train to “Court Sq-23rd St” or “Queens Plaza.” Take the N or W to “Queensboro Plaza.” Take the G to “Court Square” or “21st St.” You can also take the East River Ferry to “Hunters Point South” or the Astoria Ferry to “Long Island City”

Located in a former public-school building, MoMA PS1 (re-opening in September) presents emerging artists and genres via an outdoor gallery, a two-story display room with high ceilings, and many creatively utilized nooks and crannies. Yes, it’s affiliated with Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art, and the two venues collaborate on many exhibitions, educational activities, and special programs. Address: 22-25 Jackson Ave; www.momaps1.org.

The Museum of the Moving Image (temporarily closed for COVID-19) is the country’s only institution dedicated entirely to exploring the art, history, popularity, and technology of film, television, Internet, cartoons, and even video games. The complex, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features the 267-seat Sumner M. Redstone Theater and the 68-seat Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room, where more than 400 films are screened per year. On the second floor, the permanent Jim Henson Exhibition displays almost 300 objects from throughout the namesake’s career. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, The Swedish Chef, Big Bird, and Elmo are among 47 muppets there, along with character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, and costumes from The Muppet Show and its related movies: Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. Address: 36-01 35th Ave; www.movingimage.us.

SculptureCenter (temporarily closed due to COVID-19) is NYC’s only contemporary art museum dedicated primarily to sculpture. Located in a cavernous converted trolley repair shop, the venue has presented works by nearly 750 emerging and established artists over the past 18 years with an emphasis on emerging international talent. In 2014, the venue finished a major, multi-million-dollar renovation that added a bookshop, coatroom, seating area, and restrooms to 6,500 square feet of unique exhibition spaces on two levels. The museum also boasts a 1,500-square-foot, enclosed courtyard for outdoor exhibitions. Address: 44-19 Purves St; www.sculpture-center.org.

ADDA INDIAN CANTEEN - 31-31 Thomson Ave -
718.433.3888 | addanyc.com
A menu of updated Indian cuisine is served in a funky, relaxed setting with newspapers on the walls.

ASTORIA SEAFOOD - 37-10 33rd St
718.392.2680
Family-owned, counter-serve, BYOB seafood market with create-your-own eats in busy, old-school digs.

BIG ALICE BREWING - 8-08 43rd Rd -
347.688.2337 | bigalicebrewing.com
Serving up unique blends of drafts, flights and barrel-aged drafts.

BLEND ON THE WATER - 4540 Center Blvd -
718.606.9851 | blendrestaurants.com
Modern restaurant and lounge featuring cocktails, gourmet Latin-inspired eats and expansive water views.

CAFE HENRI - 1010 50th Ave -
718.729.5794 | henrinyc.com
Quaint and classic haunt specializing in crêpes and other classic French plates.

CASA ENRIQUE - 5-48 49th Ave
347.448.6040 | henrinyc.com/casa-enrique
Michelin-rated casual cantina serving up refined Mexican classics and cocktails over concrete floors and mod seating.

COFFEE PROJECT - 21-10 51st Ave -
coffeeprojectny.com
Known for unique pour-overs and deconstructed lattes.

FIFTH HAMMER BREWING - 10-28 46th Ave -
718.663.2084 | fifthhammerbrewing.com
Local brewhouse serving up seasonal IPAs, ales, porters and saisons. They host local food vendors for eats.

M. WELLS - $$ 43-15 Crescent St -
718.786.9060 | magasinwells.com
Canadian chef Hugue Dufour offers his avant-garde take on a steakhouse at this funky LIC chop-shop touting a Michelin rating.

MASSA'S COAL FIRED PIZZERIA -
42-12 28th St #2 -
718.433.4646 | massaslic.com
Italian eatery serving pizza, pasta and cocktails at the new Heatherwood Tower.

MINA'S - 22-25 Jackson Ave -
718.440.4616 | minas.nyc
Vibrant, Greek-inspired dishes shine in an all-white, minimalist dining room at MoMa PS1.

MOTHERSHIP MEAT HOUSE - 27-20 40th Ave -
347.808.7078
Austin-inspired BBQ sold by weight and classic sides in a chill atmosphere with outdoor seating.

SWEETLEAF COFFEE - 10-93 Jackson Ave -
917.832.6726 | sweetleafcoffee.com
Coffee and espresso drinks for connoisseurs at this casual café with a living-room-like atmosphere.

THE BEAST NEXT DOOR - 42-51 27th St
718.482.7507 | thebeastnextdoorcafebar.com
Brick-and-wood-lined space offers café bites, charcuterie and cocktails, along with live bands and DJs.

TOURNESOL - 50-12 Vernon Blvd
718.472.4355 | tournesolnyc.com
French eatery serving traditional bistro fare and regional wine in an intimate space