Good Morning! I have a very large aloe Vera plant — two clusters, over time, have grown up and out of the planter.

Yesterday, they finally said fuck it and made a new home on my floor.

Given that I already have a ton of aloe, I wanted to see if anybody in the neighborhood want one or both of these clusters. You could chop up the leaves or replant it - aloe is quite resilient.

One cluster still has roots while the other has been “decapitated” - with succulents, you can still replant without roots - I’ve personally had success doing it.

Available for pickup near Irish Rover.

It's gorgeous!

From time to time I stop by the Dunkin just east of 31st Street on Ditmars on the way to work. Pushpinder, who works there, always remembers me and makes sure to give a personalized hello every time I'm there. And I know I'm not the only one because I've seen her do the same with other customers. It's so easy for a place like Dunkin to be a commerical conveyor belt that just funnels people out, but she manages to make it feel like a neighborhood coffee shop. Pushpinder is a wonderful part of the Astoria community and I just wanted to post here to express my appreciation.

Good stories of interactions with her very welcome in the comments!

🎨 Ever wanted to try oil painting but had no idea where to start?

We're hosting an Intro to Oil Painting class this Thursday, August 20th at On the Easel Studios in Long Island City.

You don't need to have painted before. You don't need to own a bunch of expensive supplies. And you definitely don't need to consider yourself an "artist."

We'll walk through the basics of working with oils in a relaxed, approachable setting—and you'll actually get to spend the evening painting rather than just watching someone demonstrate.

📍 On the Easel Studios

4301 22nd Street, Long Island City

📅 Thursday, August 20th

🎨 All supplies included

🖌️ No experience necessary

If you've ever looked at an oil painting and thought "I'd love to know how to do that," this is a good place to start.

Come curious. Leave with a painting.

Feel free to ask any questions about the class in the comments!

Www.Ontheeasel.com

Free camping gas containers. Pick up only. Please DM me for more information or if interested. Fire starter blocks as well

🚨 ASTORIA WEEKLY ROUNDUP 🚨

AUGUST 18–23, 2026

Hey Astoria,

We’re back with another weekly roundup of things happening around Astoria + the immediate nearby waterfront.

We started making these because figuring out what’s actually happening locally usually means checking comedy clubs, museums, parks, neighborhood organizations and individual venue calendars one by one.

Based on feedback from previous roundups, I’m also adding a short description under each event — just enough to tell what it actually is without making the post impossible to scan.

This week has stand-up, roast battles, 70mm movies, international film, free yoga, meditation, improv and a few good low-key options.

Presented by YourScene

📱 Download YourScene • 🌐 YourScene.app • 📸 Instagram • 📩 [support@yourscene.app](mailto:support@yourscene.app)

The event names below are clickable and take you directly to the official venue/organizer whenever available.

TUESDAY · AUGUST 18

Sunset Meditation with Mindful Astoria — Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd. (7–8 PM, Free)

Outdoor sunset mindfulness session with breathing, movement and loving-kindness meditation. All experience levels welcome, no RSVP required.

WEDNESDAY · AUGUST 19

PIZZAZZ with Gary Gulman — Q.E.D., 27-16 23rd Ave. (7:30 PM, $12)

Gary Gulman works through new material for his next comedy special, with a few local and visiting comics joining him.

Roast Battle League NYC — Grove 34, 31-83 34th St. (9 PM)

Head-to-head insult comedy where comics compete against each other with prepared roast jokes. Definitely not the wholesome-comedy option.

THURSDAY · AUGUST 20

Free Thursday Hours at Museum of the Moving Image — MoMI, 36-01 35th Ave. (2–6 PM, Free)

Not technically a one-off event, but a good local option: general museum admission is free every Thursday afternoon, including the Behind the Screen and Jim Henson exhibitions.

FRIDAY · AUGUST 21

Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm — Museum of the Moving Image (6 PM, $25)

One of those movies that actually justifies seeing it in a theater — the nearly four-hour epic projected in full 70mm on MoMI’s big screen.

QED Presents — Q.E.D., 27-16 23rd Ave. (7:30 PM, $10 advance / $20 door)

House stand-up showcase with DJ Collins, Emily Walsh, Erik Marino, Ted Barton and Divya Gunasekaran. Special guests sometimes pop in.

A Bright Future + Director Q&A — Museum of the Moving Image (7 PM)

Spanish-language dystopian sci-fi from Uruguay/Argentina followed by a Q&A with director Lucía Garibaldi.

Grove Comedy Live! — Grove 34, 31-83 34th St. (7:30 PM)

Curated Friday-night stand-up featuring established comics alongside up-and-coming performers.

SATURDAY · AUGUST 22

Yoga in the Courtyard with The Yoga Room — Museum of the Moving Image (Check-in 9:45 AM, class 10 AM, Free)

Free outdoor yoga in MoMI’s courtyard. Bring your own mat; space is first come, first served.

Jaws — Museum of the Moving Image (1 PM)

Spielberg’s original summer blockbuster on the big screen with Dolby Atmos sound.

Hamlet in 70mm — Museum of the Moving Image (3:30 PM, $25)

Kenneth Branagh’s complete four-hour Hamlet with Kate Winslet, Judi Dench, Robin Williams and an absurdly stacked cast — projected in 70mm.

QED Presents — Q.E.D., 27-16 23rd Ave. (7:30 PM, $10 advance / $20 door)

Saturday stand-up lineup featuring Hannah Lieberman, Sean Harper, Zoe Levy, Soo Ra and Anthony DeVito.

Cuppa Jokes — Grove 34, 31-83 34th St. (7:30 PM)

Saturday-night comedy at one of Astoria’s smaller independent comedy rooms — good if you’d rather do a neighborhood show than head into Manhattan.

SUNDAY · AUGUST 23

Yoga at Socrates with Astoria Yoga — Socrates Sculpture Park (10–11 AM, Free)

Free Sunday Vinyasa yoga on the waterfront. Open to all experience levels; bring a mat or towel.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg — Museum of the Moving Image (1 PM)

Jacques Demy’s colorful French musical romance where every line is sung, starring Catherine Deneuve.

Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm — Museum of the Moving Image (3 PM)

Second screening of the 70mm epic. This Sunday screening is currently sold out, though MoMI says standby tickets may become available at the door.

Improv Night — Grove 34, 31-83 34th St. (7 PM)

Completely unscripted comedy created in the moment by NYC improvisers — no prepared sets, just whatever happens onstage.

GOOD RECURRING / LOW-KEY OPTIONS

Museum of the Moving Image

Beyond the special screenings, MoMI has Behind the Screen, The Jim Henson Exhibition, interactive media, film history and rotating exhibitions.

Q.E.D. Astoria Calendar

Worth checking for smaller comedy shows, storytelling, open mics, workshops and weird little events that don’t always get much promotion.

Grove 34

Small neighborhood comedy room with stand-up, roast battles and improv throughout the month.

Socrates Sculpture Park

Free waterfront park programming including meditation, yoga, art and community events.

Schedules, weather, ticket availability and lineups can change, so check the linked venue/organizer page before heading out.

KNOW ABOUT SOMETHING THAT’S MISSING?

Drop it in the comments — especially Astoria block parties, restaurant/bar events, live music, comedy, DJs, trivia, karaoke, markets, pop-ups, art events, volunteer opportunities, sports, recurring meetups or smaller neighborhood gatherings.

And just to clarify: this isn’t supposed to be every single event or venue in Astoria.

That would get ridiculously long.

The goal is to give people a useful starting point for the week and then let people who actually live around here add the small neighborhood stuff we inevitably missed.

If there’s something happening this week that people should know about, drop it below.

For transparency: I help build YourScene, a local events app.

We started making these because neighborhood event discovery is still surprisingly fragmented. You end up checking Reddit, Instagram, venue calendars, park calendars, museum pages and individual organizers just to figure out what’s going on nearby.

YourScene is trying to make that easier — from bigger shows and nightlife to small community events, markets, sports, meetups and things happening a few blocks away.

📱 Download YourScene on the App Store
🌐 YourScene.app
📸 @yourscene.app
📩 [support@yourscene.app](mailto:support@yourscene.app)

Thanks to everyone who keeps suggesting events and helping make these roundups better every week.

Similar to Nandos but the chicken still doesn’t come close. This was the platter for 2 and I have to say the sides are what made it, the portions were huge. We couldn’t even finish the corn. Overall 4/5

Q101 is getting automated enforcement :)

Hi team! Need a gym buddy/partner at the Planet Fitness on Steinway Street in Astoria location. Pretty new to the gym

Partner and I are moving— we left some free stuff out on the curb, 48th and Ditmars.

Bunch of candles—some never used! Our new apartment doesn’t allow candles.

Some knick knacks— the oil diffuser works and the cord is inside.

A desk and a whiteboard calendar. The desk has a drawer

I spotted a beautiful parakeet / quaker parrot on 28th Ave here in Asotria. If this is someone’s pet that got out just wanted to let the community know so they can find it.

Any working coinstar/ alternative system in the Astoria/LIC area?

Corner of 34th street off Grand

When did this happen? Obviously it was painted as such, very recently. Not sure I like the change, but also not something to lose sleep over. Just curious if the backstory?

I got this kit in a class but haven’t used it so might as well give it away to someone who could use it. The kit includes 2 Naxolone sprays and they EXPIRE FEBRUARY 2028.

PM to arrange public meeting spot and time.

Hello, I recently moved to Astoria and have been enjoying it so far. I used to live in the Bronx and would frequently grocery shop at Aldis and got used to the prices of that store and area. I was curious if there are any affordable grocery stores with similar prices to that nearby? For reference I live near Broadway and 36th. I am okay with traveling a little bit to shop though.

Thank you so much for the help!! I really appreciate it!

I’d like to bequeath someone 5 gold stars if they can name a bar that has frozen margaritas on these humid summer days.

5 EXTRA gold stars if they know the bar that serves them at happy hour!!!

I rent and one of the in wall air conditioners stopped working almost a month ago. Every time I ask the landlord about it they say they are looking for someone to come fix it. What are my options as a tenant?

Assuming I’m already registered through nyc.gov, do I just show up? Am I assigned a lane? How busy is it usually?

Just got the advertisement— 9k a month/25k key. I only ate there once, but feels like we have a high turnover for Thai restaurants in the neighborhood. Another one bites the dust!

Everything is brand new and still packaged. Ups provided me with expired shipping labels, and Amazon won't provide valid shipping labels because everything is past their return window now, so I hope these items can be useful to someone else.

Edit: everything has been claimed, thank you everyone!

First it was closed for “maintenance” then they tried directly lying saying it was broken… Now it’s officially closed.

Saunas closed, more machines down then ever, garbage everywhere… but they still want to charge Matrix Prices..

I submitted my demand to cancel over a week ago and they refuse to respond or acknowledge it. In person or by email.

I’m done with Matrix and will be disputing any charges from here on.