Queens Neighborhood Guide

Of all the cool things you can do in NYC, surfing is probably not the first one that comes to mind. But that's what we love about living in New York: It seems like you can do just about everything in some nook or cranny of the five boroughs, including catch a wave.

New York City actually offers 14 miles of beach, more than many more obvious beach destinations, and a population of surfers to rival any of them. While surfing is still illegal at most NYC beaches, thanks to an overturned law in 2005, Rockaway Beach has become the surfing mecca of the city.

Unfortunately, Rockaway Beach was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy and is still struggling to recover, but, ironically, local surfers claim that the waves are even better this year because of the storm. With the weather heating up and the A train back in action, it’s the perfect time to get the kids out on a board.

Read on to find out where kids can take surfing lessons, rent equipment or sign up for surfing summer camp, plus learn the ever important Surfer’s Code, without having to leave the five boroughs.

Enjoying a free alfresco film is a rite of summer in New York City. Even if you go to see a flick you've watched a million times at home, it's a totally different experience viewing it in the open air alongside a couple hundred other movie lovers. It ends up being a pretty thrilling communal event.

A few outdoor movie series, like RiverFlicks for Kids in the West Village, are aimed specifically at children. But even the big grown-up ones like Bryant Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park's Syfy Movies With A View include a family-friendly screening or two. Plus this year, the Central Park Conservancy is asking New Yorkers to pick which movies they want to see for the park's annual August outdoor film festival!

Movies usually begin at dusk between 8-8:30pm but make sure you arrive early: The well known series fill up fast. Plus, sometimes there is cool, pre-movie entertainment. So pack a picnic, bring your blanket, sit back, relax and enjoy the show at one of these outdoor summer movie series in NYC.

Growing up in Queens, I remember visiting Ridgewood with my grandmother, mainly to buy specialty items from butchers. As a kid, I always assumed Ridgewood was actually in Brooklyn, probably because of the architecture. The quiet residential neighborhood is known for its rows of early 20th-century brick and stone townhouses and has the highest concentration of landmarked structures in all of Queens in its huge National Historic District.

In fact, I wasn't far off. Ridgewood was part of the early Dutch settlement of Boswijk (Bushwick) and didn't have a Queens zip code until 1978! Though Ridgewood's population was once primarily Italian and German, these days you'll find many Eastern European and Latin American families plus a smattering of young artsy types moving in from the hipster enclaves of Williamsburg and Bushwick.

It's easy to see why the nabe appeals to parents: The side streets have a suburban feel but the shops on Myrtle Avenue, Fresh Pond Road and Forest Avenue are just a stroll away. Plus there are multiple public parks, and local listservs like Ridgewood Queens Moms Meetup are starting to pop up. Ridgewood is also a pretty easy commute to midtown Manhattan via the M train, and abuts Brooklyn's Bushwick and Queens' Maspeth/Middle Village.

Throughout June, we'll be exploring everything Ridgewood has to offer families including the best places to play, eat and experience with kids. For the purposes of our posts, our boundaries are Flushing to Jamaica Avenues, between Cypress and Wyckoff Avenues and 69th Street, which we realize includes a bit of neighboring Glendale so we can highlight some cool family attractions there, too, like the Shops at Atlas Park and Highland Park. We kick off our series with the top 20 things to do with kids in and around Ridgewood, Queens.