Car Rentals New York and Astoria Queens Neighborhood

Car Rental New York and Astoria Queens Neighborhood

What neighborhood in Queens can you find green space and urban attractions, as well as a vibrant diversity? You can travel to Astoria with your car rental in New York City. This popular neighborhood in northwest Queens has long been a green space within an urban area. At one time it was known for its Greek community (and food!), but today is as diverse as many other neghborhoods in the area. The area has a lot of young professionals who have left the high priced rent in Manhattan behind for the more reasonable priced housing here.

The red brick house was typical of the area in the 1950s, and to keep the look alive, the Astoria Bed and Breakfast was remodeled in 2000. The guestroom here has a separate entrance from the rest of the house and there is a private bathroom for the guests (something that you won’t find at all bed & breakfasts). With the morning sun coming in as you wake up, this is a relaxing environment where you can lay in your queen size sofa bed. The room also comes equipped with a coffee/tea maker, microwave, and fridge in the room, as well as cable TV and a VCR in the adjacent room. There is a laundromat, supermarket, bagel shop, news agent, and cash machine right around the corner, and there is much more to do within walking distance of the Astoria Bed & Breakfast, without the need for your car rental in New York City.

The neighborhood has along and varied history, dating back to the 1650s when William Hallett Sr. received a land grant for the land that would later be known as Astoria and Hallet’s Cove. A village was founded here in 1839 and named after John Jacob Astor, but the village was made famous by William Steinway, who built a piano facotry here. There were a large number of Czech immigrants in the 1890s, but the Greeks and Italians were the most populous group until recently here.

Astoria is bounded by the East River to the west, the Con Ed plant to the east and Northeast, and Broadway and 31st Avenue to the south. To get here with your car rental in New York City from LaGuardia airport only takes a few minutes, or you can take the Grand Central Parkway here from the Triborough Bridge. To leave your car rental in New York City behind, it is only a 20 minute ride on the N or W subways into midtown Manhattan.

Keeping busy in Astoria

There are many places to shop in Astoria. Steinway, Ditmars, Broadway, and 30th Avenue provide most of the shopping for the area, with Latin American stores on Broadway; a Little Egypt with many Middle Eastern cafes, markets, and shops on Steinway – the main shopping street. To the south of the neighborhood there are many restaurants and cafes in what was once a barren industrial land.

The main parks in the area include Astoria Park, which has great views of the East River and a huge swimming pool. Arrow Park has a large community garden, while Athens Square Park is a popular spot for many residents. Many of these parks are easy to get to with your car rental in New York City.

The Museum of Moving Images celebrates the history, technology, and art of the movies. There are a number of hand-on exhibits for young and old alike. On the weekends, there usually screenings of classic or foreign films in the Rilkis Theater here. Some of the other fun things at the museum: you can dub your own voice into a classic movie such as The Wizard of Oz, add sound effects into a movie screen, or experiment with motion and make a movie of yourself. There are also other exhibits of wardrobes of the stars, photos, music, special effects masks, and other movie memorabilia.