Astoria: Film History, Park and Moving Images

Astoria combines influential film history with a park on Hell Gate and a variety of ways to explore moving images. Anyone wishing to plan a trip around culture, unique local stories and time outdoors will find different points of interest here to incorporate into their daily itinerary. When searching for a vacation rental in Astoria, you can therefore consider whether film history, a museum visit, sports in the park or a combination of these should be the focus of your trip.

Film History at Several Special Locations

In 1936, the Astoria Pool hosted the final heats of the swimming trials for the US Olympic teams. In 1964, this competition returned to Astoria. These two years give the location a specific dimension in sports history, distinct from Astoria’s film history, and expand the range of possible travel experiences.

Astoria Studio was opened in 1920 by Famous Players-Lasky, later Paramount, as a production center on the East Coast. It is also the country’s first film studio to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. For visitors interested in how films are made and the history of their production locations, the studio is therefore one of the neighborhood’s defining themes.

Another historic stop is the Astoria Play Center. It opened on July 2, 1936. Together with Astoria Studio and the history of Astoria Pool, it creates a picture of Astoria in which sports, entertainment and film production each make their own contribution.

The Museum of the Moving Image

The Museum of the Moving Image is the only museum in the United States dedicated to the art, history, technique and technology of the moving image in all its forms. The permanent exhibition Behind the Screen presents the creative process involved in making moving images. This makes a museum visit an opportunity not only to view finished films, but also to learn about the creative steps behind them.

The Museum of the Moving Image shows more than 500 films every year. This allows you to plan a visit in different ways: You can focus on the permanent exhibition or also take the film program into account. For trips with children or groups with varied interests, this combination offers a cultural alternative to a day outdoors, without limiting film history to a single historic location.

Astoria Park: Swimming, Running and Cycling

Astoria Park is located on the eastern shore of the Hell Gate channel. The park has a swimming pool approximately 330 feet long, a running track and several paths for running and cycling. Anyone wishing to combine exercise and culture when planning a trip can make the park a focus in its own right and devote another part of the day to museum or film-related activities.

The seasonal access to Astoria Park Pool is important for scheduling: The pool opens on the first weekday after the end of the public school season and closes before the start of the next public school season. The pool should therefore not be planned as a year-round experience. The running track and paths in Astoria Park provide separate options for planning a trip that takes your preferred mix of swimming, running and cycling into account.

Guidance for Your Accommodation Search

Astoria Blvd is the nearest subway station for a visit to Astoria Park; the N and W lines run there. This specific transportation information can be helpful when planning a visit to the park. When choosing a vacation rental, you are therefore primarily deciding based on the experiences you want to include: the film studio and film history, the Museum of the Moving Image or the facilities at Astoria Park.

If you would like to explore additional destinations in the same navigation area, the pages East Corona and East Elmhurst lead to further travel destinations.

For the higher-level travel overview: Queens.