QUEENS girls..

so a good friend of mine is looking to move in here i have lots to tell her about my area..but she's also looking at woodside & astoria..any advice, tips, where to look & where to stay away from?? anything to tell her would be helpful! thaaanks!

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Posted by ksl268

I would suggest Woodside, it's close to all and a really quick/easy commute to the city. Asotoria is nice but parking is a bit of a problem for most people.

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well i know both areas are close to everything & convenient...just wondering if there are specific areas in each that are better to stay in...for instance in forest hills I always advise to stay between certain streets if they prefer more residential, or other streets if they want more city feel, etc....stay on 'such & such side' of queens blvd., etc..

I've lived in Astoria for many years now, yes parking can be an issue, but no worse than most other areas, I really don't see how people think it's so horrible. Also, if she works in the city, she probably does not need a car anyway. If she does have a car, I've always had one and never found parking to be that bad so tell her not to worry about it. After a while in your neighborhood, you know where and when to go out and find the spots.

Astoria is all the train stops on the N/W line from 39th Ave up to Ditmars. 39th stop doesn't have as many amenties as stops further north have, it's more industrial. As you go up each stop there's more and more stuff, and as you hit the last stop, Ditmars where I live now, it's probably the most residential but still tons of shops and bars and restaurants and stores. They're all safe, they all have a slighly different feel. I would encourage her to take a ride up the train and get off at each stop and take a walk around and decide which neighborhood she likes the best. I lived of the 30th Ave stop for 2 years and prefer where I live now off Ditmars, I've been living off the Ditmars stop for 5 years now I think. 30th Ave had tons of stuff to do, eat, shop as well, but it wasn't my speed personally. Ditmars to me is the perfect mix of young people, old people, families, children, amenities, stores, cafes, restaurants (really really great restaurants), the water, the huge park, I really love it there.

with the whole parking thing, it depends where in astoria you live. Honestly i never really had a big problem with parking but ive seen this posted on here a couple of times so im curious what parts of astoria people are talking about. I can figure out pretty much most of the areas that it might be a problem. It definitely has gotten worse over the years, well the last 5 years or so, before it was never really a problem

My block was not that bad, the only time it was a pain was on days when it was alternate side parking, most ppl on my block had a garage

DH's blocks was even better, has alot of spots. Even the other day when we went by his parents house, there were about 10 spots on his block that i can see, and im sure further down there were more. If its anywhere around lets say 31st then yes parking is a pain. If its in the 40's and around 21st ave-19th ave then its not bad.

Woodside some areas are not the greatest. You probably dont know but just in case, do you know the cross streets? or is she just looking in woodside in general?

also astoria is closest to the city, its less than 15 mins into the city and theres LOTS of restaurants, bars, lounges and great for young couples. Its very safe, and you also have LIC very close by that has alot of new trendy restaurants and places to go to. So its good if they are looking for an area that has lots to do

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Posted by missliss

I've lived in Astoria for many years now, yes parking can be an issue, but no worse than most other areas, I really don't see how people think it's so horrible. Also, if she works in the city, she probably does not need a car anyway. If she does have a car, I've always had one and never found parking to be that bad so tell her not to worry about it. After a while in your neighborhood, you know where and when to go out and find the spots.

Astoria is all the train stops on the N/W line from 39th Ave up to Ditmars. 39th stop doesn't have as many amenties as stops further north have, it's more industrial. As you go up each stop there's more and more stuff, and as you hit the last stop, Ditmars where I live now, it's probably the most residential but still tons of shops and bars and restaurants and stores. They're all safe, they all have a slighly different feel. I would encourage her to take a ride up the train and get off at each stop and take a walk around and decide which neighborhood she likes the best. I lived of the 30th Ave stop for 2 years and prefer where I live now off Ditmars, I've been living off the Ditmars stop for 5 years now I think. 30th Ave had tons of stuff to do, eat, shop as well, but it wasn't my speed personally. Ditmars to me is the perfect mix of young people, old people, families, children, amenities, stores, cafes, restaurants (really really great restaurants), the water, the huge park, I really love it there.

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great point, astoria is different from one area to another. I also grew up on ditmars and those of us who did, mostly hung out on our side, we determine this by astoria boulevard and you either live on one side of the boulevard or the other. Of course growing up you are all over astoria. But there is a different feel.

I lived in Astoria for 32 years, in the Ditmars/Steinway area, until I moved to Bayside.

It's a great neighborhood, it had started to go a little downhill in the mid 90's, but has really bounced back to a fabulous area. I almost regret moving away (but then I would not have met my DH , also an Astoria native - he moved to Whitestone ) Growing up, the neighborhood was a mix of Greek / Italian / Irish / German.

Lots of great restaurants, easy transportation into the city via bus or subway, general shopping is pretty good too, especially on Steinway Street.
Parking is so-so, but then again it is that way in so many neighborhoods.
I still go to my dentist in Astoria, occassionally go shopping on Ditmars, have to stop in St. Honore Bakery for a sweet.
I really miss the 20 minute commute to work on the 'N' line.

I have to laugh at the comment about the 'Boulevard' being the divider. It's true. You either stayed on the north side or the south side of Astoria Blvd, using it and Ditmars Blvd as a means to cruise Astorial Park.

Ah, memories.
Good ones at that.