New York's most fascinating neighbourhood is across a familiar bridge
Later that afternoon I sip a stein of excellent Czech beer at Bohemian Beer Hall And Garden (bohemianhall.com) which has been here since 1910 and is the oldest biergarten in New York. In the evening I experience the modern flipside at SingleCut Beersmiths (singlecut.com), a buzzing post-industrial space which became the first brewery to open in Queens since Prohibition when it debuted in 2012.
The next morning I head to MOMI – the Museum Of The Moving Image movingimage.org, built on the site of the former Paramount film studios in 1989. The Behind The Scenes exhibit features interactive displays involving sound effects, music and editing, plus there are cabinets of film and TV memorabilia and a whole wall of vintage videogames that you can play. Over the years there have been immersive exhibitions based around everything from Mad Men to The Walking Dead, and a permanent Jim Henson exhibition follows his history with puppets, from Sesame Street and the Muppets movies to Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.
As I wander the neighborhood that afternoon I can see the old and the new co-exist on the commercial stretches of Ditmars Boulevard, Broadway, Steinway Street and 30th Avenue. Newcomers such as Lockwood (lockwoodshop.com) a trendy three-store mini-empire that sells stationery, gifts, accessories and clothing, sit alongside old-school favourites such as Alba's Pizza (albapizza.com) and La Guli Pastry Shop (laguli.com).
At the end of my two days, I have a nightcap at The Let Love Inn (letloveinn.com), a cocktail bar that's as dark and atmospheric as the Nick Cave song Let Love In, after which it is named.
As I sit at the bar sipping my drink, I go through my notebook and find something Ali El Sayed had said the previous day at Kabab Cafe.
'In the morning I have my coffee at the Italian cafe. When I shop, I deal with people who are from China and India and Bangladesh and Greece. It's a place where all these people can keep their culture, but live side by side. That's why I like living here.'
And perhaps that's why Astoria is becoming the king of Queens.
THE DETAILS
VISIT
If you're staying in midtown Manhattan you can easily get to Astoria on an N express train in about 20 minutes. Get off at Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard and you'll be right in the middle of things.
STAY
Tempo By Hilton New York Times Square (hilton.com, rooms from $US335 [$A519]) is in the heart of midtown Manhattan, and only two blocks from the 49th Street N train stop, which takes you directly to Astoria. This 661-room hotel is the first from Hilton's Tempo brand, which emphasises affordable style and fitness/wellness.
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