May 18, 2016: W2GW: Astoria Park in Queens & the Wonderful Azores

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Beautiful Queens Park

Happy Wednesday!
Is it me or is this week moving along slowly?  For some reason I kept thinking yesterday was Wednesday and today is Thursday. lol

I have been waiting till today to tell you about one of the most lovely parks in Queens - Astoria Park!

If I haven't mentioned it to you, I was born in Astoria, Queens. As a baby, my parents brought me to this park quite often for relaxing days.

Travelin' Cousins, Elisa (circa: 1965) at Astoria Park (c)travelincousins.com

Travelin' Cousins, Elisa (circa: 1965) at Astoria Park (c)travelincousins.com

Astoria Park is beautifully located along the East River, with lovely views of the Triborough and Hells Gate Bridges and the home to a variety of festivals throughout the year as well as recreational activities.

Thanks to my Aunt Ro, a lifelong resident of Astoria, I have some captivating photos to share with you today of the park.

A few facts for you...

16 Facts About Astoria Park, Queens

Astoria Park, Queens, NYC (credit: Rosemarie Mangini)

1. Astoria Park is a 59.96-acre park located along the East River in the New York City borough of Queens and contains one of the largest open spaces in Queens.

2. Located in Astoria and adjacent to the Triborough (Robert F. Kennedy) and Hell Gate Bridges, the park contains New York City's oldest and largest swimming pool.

3. The park was formerly the site of a Native American settlement, and is close to where the General Slocum went on fire and sunk in 1904.
​
4. The famous outdoor swimming pool, which is    54,450-square-feet was planned by Robert Moses, and was used for qualifying events for the 1936 and 1964 Summer Olympics.

​5. Other attractions include bocce courts, fourteen tennis courts, two playgrounds, a skatepark, and one track for running.

Astoria Park - Hells Gate Bridge in the background. (credit: Rosemarie Mangini)

​6. The Park hosts a film festival and a concert series, free for the community, organized by the Central Astoria Local Development Coalition.

7. On Independence Day, the Queens Symphony Orchestra plays in Astoria Park during the fireworks show. Upcoming events are posted on the parks department website. 

8. Dogs can be off-leash at the park until 9AM.

A panorama of the Hell Gate Bridge and Triborough Bridge from Astoria Park. (credit: wikipedia.com)

9. The Triborough Bridge (RFK Bridge) takes people in cars or trucks from Astoria to either Manhattan or the Bronx. The Hell Gate bridge takes people and freight to and from Manhattan via rail. 

10. The completed Triborough Bridge structure, described by The New York Times as a "Y-shaped sky highway", was dedicated on July 11, 1936.

11. The Triborough Bridge, known officially as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge since 2008, and sometimes referred to as the RFK Triborough Bridge, is a complex of three separate bridges in New York City.

12. The Hell Gate Bridge, originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge or The East River Arch Bridge, is a 1,017-foot steel through arch railroad bridge in New York City. The bridge crosses the Hell Gate, a strait of the East River, between Astoria in Queens and Randalls and Wards Islands in Manhattan.

13. Opening on March 9, 1917, Hell Gate Bridge was an engineering marvel at the time of its construction and gained notoriety as the inspiration for the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Sydney, Australia.

Beautiful open spaces for relaxing at Astoria Park (credit: Rosemarie Mangini)

14. The Astoria Pool is open for all to use, with free admission from late June through early September.

15. The Astoria Park track is host to people doing their regular workouts, community organizations, and organized events including the  American Cancer Society "Relay for Life", a 24-hour walk/run event, at the Astoria Park Track.

Beautiful views from Astoria Park (credit: Rosemarie Mangini)

16. The newest recreational spot in the park is a skate park. It has become quite a destination for skateboarders all over the city.
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​This coming weekend, the International Cultural ​Fest will take place on Saturday May 21st at 1:30 at Astoria Park.  

This festival will showcase many of the diverse cultures throughout Astoria with arts and crafts, face painting, music, and dancing. The event will feature performances native to Greece, Argentina, Croatia, Ireland, and Ecuador. 


Queens has a lot going on folks!!

On that note, I'm outa here to get on with my day!!

Have a great one!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 1 DAY

Next exit: Vacation

Well hello there!

Glad to see you made it back ;)

Can you believe that I leave tomorrow???
I can hardly believe it myself!

After taking Cosette to her Horseback riding lesson yesterday, and of course hitting the gym.
BTW did I mention that I've gotten back into training mode?  
I really hate it when I fall out of that mode.

You might ask or wonder what the push was...
Well although I've been spending quite a bit of time sharing with you all about this upcoming trip (more on this below) - we can't forget that I have plenty of other trips that are also creeping up on me!

​And one of those trips happens to be heading back over to Europe - going to iconic cities, and then cycling the Outer Hebrides of Scotland!
It's a nearly 200 mile ride on a mountain bike - guaranteed to be EPIC.

And although I spend my winters skiing, and participate in a number of cycling events throughout the year - I think that Dave put it best in saying that we BINGE EXERCISE.
Hearing that just didn't sound good.

I've always been an athletic person and yet I hadn't been exercising regularly. And the only person who could do something about that was ME and so I did!
It's only been a month, but I can already totally feel the difference!

So anyhoo back to yesterday. I really tied up most of the loose ends and now truly feel ready to grab my bags and head on out.

It's like I've said before, I make a list, check it twice (or more like a few hundred times), then as I check things off of the list, I find myself adding more and more to the list!

Since last week I have been sharing what to expect on each day of my travels, and today will be no different.
​Today I am going to share Days 17, 18, & 19!
And just in case you've missed Days 1 through 16, you can find them on the Tanya goes to Portugal/Spain/France and Andorra itinerary page

Day 17: Sao Miguel, Azores
Activities - Terra Nostra Gardens
Meals - Tony's 

​Terra Nostra Gardens

Credit: panoramio.com

Located in the Valley of Furnas and said to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe, it features a thermal swimming pool and more than 2,000 different trees. 
This 18th century park consists of small trails circling artistically groomed lakes, and streams, bushes of colourful and exotic flowers and century old trees. 
To quote a tour guide at the gardens:
"The trees here are like living fossils, it's how European forests were before the Ice Age, which left these islands untouched." ​

Credit: parqueterranostra.com

The Thermal Baths of Terra Nostra Park is without doubt a highlight of the Azores. The medicinal mud and the faucets of mineral waters of various tastes and temperatures are all conditions which make “Furnas” one of the richest hydrologic regions in Europe.

What a most interesting place! And while Dave and I had drove past it a couple of times during our last visit to the Azores, we had never scheduled a visit.
 
The Azores - a Hidden Gem

So of course that this time around you can be sure that we are gonna check this place out!

The rest of this day will be spent around Furnas, enjoying a stroll around Lagoa das Furnas and
Caldeiras da Lagoa.

(c)travelincousins.com

Day 18: Sao Miguel, Azores
Activities - Sete Cidades - Mountain Biking
Meals - Rota's
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Sete Cidades

The largest freshwater lake in the Azores, located in craters that form the island, consisted of two lagoons (Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul) it is one of the most symbolic images of the archipelago.

The Sete Cidades’ Lake, with the green and the blue lakes, is a mountain area with interior cliffs, deep ravines and ridges where torrential waters run.

On this day we'll be going on a little mountain biking adventure in hope of seeing more than just the 2 lakes and exploring more of this fascinating and beautiful region.

(c)travelincousins.com

Day 19: Sao Miguel, Azores
Activities - Back to Ponta Delgada
Meals - TBD

Ponta Delgada

(c)travelincousins.com

On this last day in the Azores, we'll be taking it easy for the most part and getting ready to head back to Boston. But not without one last visit to Ponta Delgada, the bustling capital of the Azores. To soak in the culture and sights. 

Ponta Delgada is the largest and most visited city in the Azores. White-washed houses and buildings, 17th and 18th Century convents and churches decorate its rolling hills.
We'll walk around the cobbled streets and small squares.

Taking it all in one last time before heading back to modern times, traffic, and all the stresses that we don't even realize that we are constantly dealing with at home in the states.
It'll be a lovely end to what is anticipated to be one heck of an amazing trip!!!

And I can betcha that coming back home is gonna be a bit of culture shock - just like it was last time around. Which only means one thing...that we will again be back to this hidden oasis of the Azores!

(c)travelincousins.com

And pretty much that sums up most of the trip!

After this we'll be back in Boston and then flying back to San Diego on the morning of Day 20.

As for today, since I had to reschedule taking Cosette to the stables to see Dream - that is gonna be happening here soon. Then just some odds and ends before taking Dominic to his class.

This is it folks - our last night at home before our 8th vacation of the year. And I'm just as excited as if it were gonna be the first!

I'll be back in the morning for any last minute updates before we head to the airport and the the blog goes LIVE from Europe!

Be here or be square,
-T