Toasting the Moon in Long Island City – Queens

What is one subway (or ferry) stop away from us in Murray Hill?

Queens!

Yep – Long Island City isn’t far away in Long Island after all. It is the gateway to Long Island from Midtown Manhattan and reachable in about five minutes.

Home to Gantry State Park, Long Island City (LIC) is a wonderful escape from Manhattan without leaving that gorgeous skyline. As a growing neighborhood, LIC is the new home to a lot of young professionals who want to keep the high-rise/Midtown vibe, who want an awesome view of the East River and Manhattan, but who also want to pay cheaper rents and maintenance fees.

Long Island City is a class of its own. It’s not Midtown Manhattan, but it also isn’t stereo-typical Queens. It is full of new-builds, new faces, new energy, and a culture of its own. In our opinion – it’s one of the freshest and newest neighborhoods in all of New York City.

Cool things coming from LIC right now!

Museums, Art and Culture

The Culture LAB LIC at the Plexall Gallery has been working tirelessly through COVID to safely keep the community together. Noah and I have gone to a couple of their outdoor concerts and were absolutely amazed with the organization and safety precautions. Their concerts and gatherings have brought local musicians, comedians and artists together. Michael Che has even joined the fun on certain nights! Their museum has also opened back up recently! It’s a great place to enjoy local culture, food trucks, and drinks with your quarantine group.

The MOMA PS1 has been a long-standing “younger” and more experimental outpost of the Manhattan MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and also home to crazy block parties and raves. The museum has recently re-opened, welcoming new faces to the world of modern art in Queens.

Socrates Sculpture Park offers a public park with art! Exhibitions change, but you can always expect something new and thought-provoking.

Long Island City Beer Trail

We did the LIC Beer Trail a couple of weeks ago with Pleepleus – (the Three Sheets monkey on our shoulder) – thanks Zane Lamprey! Pleepleus barely made it, but we all successfully survived the five breweries within walking distance in LIC! (LIC Beer Project, Big aLICe Brewing, Fifth Hammer, IcoNYC, Rockaway Brewing). Brewers in LIC are serious about their craft, and I’m pretty sure that any beer lover will be in heaven with the options between IPAs, lagers, ales, sours, stouts, and seasonal specialties. The warehouses in LIC provide a perfect spot for social distancing and outdoor safety precautions. Bundle up this fall and enjoy!

Gantry State Park

We’ve missed our friends during COVID! But, we’re VERY thankful for the parks. Take a blanket and social distance, but have a chance to catch-up with friends and feel a little slice of “normal.” Gantry State Park has been a great place for this, because it’s big, it’s central for Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, and it’s beautiful waterfront! Grab some drinks from the LIC brewers, some food from the nearby restaurants, some friends, and enjoy!

Food and Outdoor Dining and Beer Gardens – Oh My!

One great thing about the boroughs is that they are bigger than Manhattan. And, with more geography/space, there are infinitely more options to social distance and enjoy the outdoors. LIC also has some of the BEST comfort food in the city. Foodies unite! Some of our favorites for outdoor dining or takeout are: John Brown BBQ – Kansas City Style BBQ! Blend on the Water – Mexican with the BEST view! Bierocracy – if you’re on the LIC Beer Trail you will thank us for this hearty Czech recommendation!

Other NYC Ideas…

Check out our previous posts for other NYC neighborhoods to check-out!

More coming each week!

And…it’s 2020…So, here’s my weekly reminder.

Should I Come to New York in 2020?

If you are living outside the Northeast, the answer is still, sadly, no. For more on this, check out our other posts on “3 Months of New York City,” “Riding the Second Wave,” “Wandering and Wondering in NYC,” and “New York: Awakening from COVID-19 Slumber.” Although the numbers are starting to climb again, New York still seems to be under control (at this point). The government is doing its best to make sure it stays below a certain percentage. With so many people living in such a close proximity, pandemics are especially lethal here.

***UPDATE*** Starting on November 4th, the mandatory 14-day quarantine has ended! New York is moving to a test-based travel restriction. You have to show a negative COVID-19 test result from the past 72 hours upon arrival, then, three days after arrival (and quarantine), you have to receive another test here. If it’s negative, you’re good to go. If it’s positive, you must continue to quarantine. So, this means shorter quarantines (yay!), but two tests… Stay home if you can…If you can’t, you’ve been warned!

Wait this one out…New York will still be here when the dust settles.

As always, don’t forget to Toast The Moon to all of your international travels by visiting our store, and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and the ‘gram to catch all of our latest posts and adventures!

Stay in your region this year, stay safe, stay distant, and be like the NYC statues – wear your masks! We’ll see you on the other side.

Cheers,

Noah and Majhon

Toasting the Moon in Long Island City – Queens