Astoria Park

This enormous waterfront area isn't exactly Queens' best-kept secret, but it is a place that’s often overlooked. Astoria Park has everything you'd hope for in an NYC gathering place: wide-open lawns, skyline views, a track and field, fourteen tennis courts, bocce courts, basketball courts, a skatepark, a mixed-use path, the city's largest swimming pool, public restrooms, and not one but two photogenic bridges—the Triborough and the Hell Gate. It spans nearly 60 acres along the East River in northern Astoria, leaving plenty of space for visitors to sprawl.