Staying in Long Island City, Queens

Across the East River from Midtown, with the 7, E, M, G, N and W lines. Checked November 11, 2026.

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NYC Tourism calls Long Island City "Queens' artistic epicenter," a former manufacturing hub with a lively nightlife scene, restaurants and contemporary art museums. Along the waterfront, Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunters Point South Park are described as good places for picnics and sunset strolls. Several subway lines cross the river to Midtown in a few stops.

Black steel gantries with the words Long Island in orange letters beside the East River — The gantries at Gantry Plaza State Park, September 2018. Photo: Pi.1415926535 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

At a glance

Item	Details
Best for	Visitors who want skyline views and a quieter base near Midtown, art lovers
Trade-off	You are in Queens, not Manhattan. Broadway and most big sights are a subway ride away, and night returns depend on the subway.
Subway hubs	Court Sq (E, M, G, 7). Queensboro Plaza (7, N, W). Hunters Point Av and Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av (7). 21 St-Queensbridge (F).
Airports	See airports to your hotel. The 7 train connects to the LaGuardia bus link at Jackson Heights, and the E train connects from Jamaica for JFK.

The red Pepsi-Cola sign on the waterfront in front of residential towers — The Pepsi-Cola sign on the Long Island City waterfront. Photo: Chandler Hilken / Unsplash.

What is here

MoMA PS1: NYC Tourism calls it one of the oldest and largest nonprofit contemporary art institutions in the United States.
Waterfront parks: Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunters Point South Park, with skyline views.
Food and drink: NYC Tourism lists restaurants, including Japanese barbecue and Chinese restaurants, and a craft brewery scene along the waterfront.

A wooden pier with a lamp post and the Manhattan skyline across the river — A waterfront pier with the Manhattan skyline behind it. Photo: Crystal Jo / Unsplash.

Residential towers of Long Island City against a cloudy sunset sky — Long Island City towers at sunset. Photo: Alessandro Avilés / Pexels.

Who may want to look elsewhere

If you want to walk out of your hotel to theaters or Times Square, choose Midtown. If you plan very late nights in Manhattan, check the last trains and weekend service on the MTA site first.

Hotels NYC Tourism lists here

A few of the hotels NYC Tourism lists in Long Island City. This is the city's official tourism listing, not a ranking. The Expedia buttons mark a few examples, not the best of the list, and they are affiliate links. We show no prices because they change daily, so compare the final price with taxes and fees. See the full list on NYC Tourism.

Boro Hotel New York: listed for its skyline views Check on Expedia
SpringHill Suites New York Queens: described as tucked away from the most famous attractions but close enough to visit them Check on Expedia
Wingate by Wyndham Long Island City: a recently built property Check on Expedia

See Long Island City hotels on Expedia

Visiting on specific dates? NYC Events lists what is on, with official dates and free options.

Sources: nyctourism.com (Long Island City page), mta.info subway map, jfkairport.com, laguardiaairport.com. Subway lines are checked against the MTA map; weekend and overnight changes are common. Last checked November 11, 2026.