Posts by Jason D Antos
Remembering the Veterans of Astoria
In the mid-1950s, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day. Happy Veterans Day to all those who serve.
Read MoreA Haunting In Astoria
The festival of Samhain is upon us! What began centuries ago as a Celtic festival and is Old Irish for “summer’s end,” the holiday we know as Halloween is celebrated with the telling of ghostly tales, and folks, young and old, going door to door dressed in costumes for the traditional Trick o’ Treating. In…
Read MoreAstoria Lights The Way!
One of the top attractions in Astoria is the waterfront at Astoria Park. After locals were concerned about safety, a lighthouse was born.
Read MoreWhen Astoria Was America’s Hollywood
Lights, Camera, Action! Gloria Swanson, star of the silent screen and famous for classics like Sunset Boulevard, said of making movies in Queens in her 1980 autobiography, Swanson on Swanson: “Every day we drove across the Queensboro Bridge to the new studio in Astoria in the borough of Queens. It was certainly not another Hollywood.…
Read MoreThe Summer of ’21 A Century Ago, Astorians Flocked to Local Beach & Amusement Park
One of the most fascinating aspects of local history is discovering that there was once an entire world which now no longer exists – a world of people, places, businesses, roads, and byways that breathed with life for decades, maybe even a century or more, only to one day disappear as if it never…
Read MoreQueens Library to Reopen After 15-month Shutdown
Starting a New Chapter Book lovers of Astoria can rejoice as the Queens Public Library (QPL) enters its final phase of reopening. After 15 months of being shut down, the QPL reactivated most of its 62 branches for the browsing and pick-up of materials beginning in late July. Starting July 6, masks are now optional…
Read MoreWelcome To The Delicious World Of Japan
The Asian community of Queens is perhaps the largest in the United States. Long Island City, Astoria and neighboring Flushing feature a hundreds of businesses of various kinds owned by people of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean background just to name a few. In this article we will focus on Japanese food and the amazing variety of dishes…
Read MoreDive Into Fun Astoria Park Pool Re-Opens
In Astoria Park, situated between the Triborough and Hell Gate Bridges, lays an oasis which has provided an escape from the summer heat for 85 years. The Astoria Park pool will reopen on June 26 to thousands of Astorians eager to get back to normal fun in the sun activities after last year’s lost summer. …
Read MoreRock Of Ages In Long Island City
The area surrounding an enormous, ancient glacial erratic in Long Island City has been transformed into a vibrant pedestrian plaza. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has partnered with the Street Seats program and the VOREA Group to turn the stretch of 12th Street between 44th Avenue and 43rd Road into a public space to be used…
Read MoreWelkomen to Astoria’s German Heritage
The Germans were some of the first immigrants to arrive in Astoria as far back as the late 17th century. After the American Revolution, many came to New York City, and while some settled in Manhattan’s heavily-populated Kleindeutschland (or Little Germany), a large portion was drawn to Astoria’s agriculture and developed farms and gardens. Around…
Read More