Walking Tour : Glorious Day at Socrates Sculpture Park

     With a scorching week of sultry weather beginning to fade, I wanted an early start on this glorious weekend!  Come with me.

     Not far from my apartment is Socrates Sculpture Park.  It's named after that Greek scholar, thanks to the Greek populous that dominated Astoria in the 1970s.  Nowadays, Astoria is a diverse and cosmopolitan area.  The park is both busy and serene.  Its five waterfront acres are open every day of the year, are dog/cat friendly, and have temporary bathrooms from Spring through Autumn.  There are 90 species of trees and plant life.

     Begun in 1986 from an illegal garbage dump site, the landfill area was transformed by a famed metalwork artist, Mark di Suvero.  It's now an internationally renowned outdoor museum & artist residency program.  To save it from a developer's intent to build hi-rise apartments, Mayor Giuliani gave the area official NYC Park status in 1998.  The park's Board of Directors keep it brimming with wonderful cultural events and free public programs.
     Located along a curving boulevard, both of its entrances use orange metal gates.  They signify a "transporting experience", as you enter.

Even the road-barrier bears wisdom:

The gates' chalkboards showcase upcoming events.

     Lewis and I partake of the Saturday Farmer's Market (from June through harvest season in November).  We admired its always-changing works of art (twice a year), huge calendar of performances, and monthly-evolving flowerbeds.  The artwork invites "viewer participation" to walk through it, climb it, play with it, or sit under it.

Here is a caption from one of the installations: a great motto!

If the art isn't being constructed on the lawns, 

... it's being assembled in this "studio/shelter"--resembling an airplane hanger.

     The park uses its grounds to display creations by students from different colleges, as well as from independent artists.  You can volunteer your time to help with the gardening.  They offer Saturday art classes in an "sheltered classroom".  Each Saturday and Sunday features Tai Chi, yoga, and ecology lessons. 

     They offer free bicycle tune-ups, fishing, free kayaking, free outdoor concerts, and free outdoor movies: indie & foreign films.  

     Lewis and I attend "Shakespeare in the Park" there.  It's much more comfortable than Manhattan's performances in Central Park!  It's WAY more convenient to get seats!  In Manhattan, you must wait in the queue overnight for "First Come, First Serve" seats, and if you leave the queue for the lavatory, you are mercilessly forced to forfeit your place.  That is uncivilized, so we prefer the scenario at this park!

French musicians and cooks arrive for Bastille Day.  

The Metropolitan Opera gives an annual free concert.

"Dance at Socrates" involves world-class choreographers and dancers, each Saturday of July.  Rehearsals occur throughout June, which are fun to watch, too.

     On Saturdays, the Green Market tantalizes us with a perfect mix of summer fare: farm-made butter, farm-fresh eggs, zucchini, eggplant, honey, tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, sugarplums, cherries, peaches, sweet corn, kale, carrots, beets, blackberries, blueberries, and juice!  We often buy something nutritious and farm-fresh.  The same vendors have stalls at Manhattan's Union Square Farmer's Market, yet the prices are lower in Astoria.

All of it is pesticide-free, hormone-free, organically grown, and not waxed...  

...although some of the boys meandering through the park are waxed!  Meow!

     Seen below is a treasure of the park: freshly-ground espresso and coffee beverages made with high-quality beans.  Steadfast through the warm months, Drew rides his bicycle from Kings County (a.k.a. Brooklyn) to Queens County to bring his freshly-roasted beans for sale.  (Both of those NYC counties/boroughs are named for the monarchs of England in 1683: King Charles II and Queen Catherine).  I love Drew's pour-over coffee and espresso.

     Near his coffee tent is a bakery tent, and we bought two focaccia: olive and basil/asiago.  Seen below, Lewis sampled and then bought a freshly-squeezed juice.

 

     We admired artwork made of varying media: metal, mini-chain fence, mirrors, clay, wood, pieces of glass, canvas, and rope.  Some pieces were pure whimsy.  

     We veered left, and walked on a brick path along the East River, with grassy knolls and shade trees.   

     The morning's Yoga class was just ending.  

Attendees mingled afterwards, before suntanning or biking.

     All along the perimeter of the park is a low-lying garden wall, made out of lettered stone blocks.  Different flowers are vibrant in each month.

     People sunbathed, walked dogs, threw frisbees, read books, cuddled, and jogged.  One guy practiced swordplay.  The caretaker's two cats roam free--impervious to the dogs using the park. 

     We exited the park feeling revitalized and refreshed.  On a whim, Lewis decided to skip buying brunch because we had plenty of nutritious treats to enjoy at home!  I agreed.