It’s a question nobody asks: what kind of park do we seek?
It’s tempting to say that we want the most: the nature preserve with a hidden trail among the leaves, and a waterfall at the end. Where we should wear bright colors to stand out from the creatures, and make sure to check for ticks when we get home. Such a place would, of course, be inappropriate in a metropolis, let alone one steeped in as many shades of style as ours. Here, we want a park on our doorstep, as close to us as the nearest deli. One which tells the story of a neighborhood, and a city. Nestled between the Triboro and the Hellgate, we have Astoria Park.
Everybody in the city knows a little bit about it. They’ll say “that’s the park with the big pool right?” or “it has a great skatepark.” If it’s neither of those reactions, they usually just say “I love Astoria Park.” And we nod in agreement.
Quite literally, we grew up in the park, as Belief opened the doors the same year as the skatepark opened in 2010. From hosting events, to generally hanging out, we’ve spent more hours there than any other green space in the city. We would take friends down to the rocks, walk down to Ralph DeMarco and, at night, gaze upon the otherworldly light emitted when a freight train slowly passes over the Hellgate.
Astoria Park is a mystical place that has a distinct guise for both day and nighttime. We’re privileged enough to know both, but we know it’s majesty doesn’t come out of thin air. The trash doesn’t pick itself up, the flowers don’t grow themselves when the seasons change. There’s a park-going community that cares for it, but there’s also the Astoria Park Alliance (APA).
Without them, we would have a very different park. That little path under the Hellgate wouldn’t be walkable, and the countless flowers that pop up in the summer simply would not be there. Because we love our neighborhood, and we love our park, we’ve decided to partner with APA in celebration of Earth Day. They care for the park in ways that we all take for granted, and it’s our honor to print our name on the same line as theirs.
Their goal is to ensure the conservation and sustainability of Astoria Park for all New Yorkers, while also advocating for green and open space in the park. All of this they do while keeping a keen eye on environmental issues. They routinely organize park clean-ups, screen movies, and have even brought a free library to the area between the skatepark and the track.
This Earth Day, we've released a collection with them, featuring tee shirts as well as reusable items like water bottles and tote bags. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will go directly to their organization, to ensure they can continue their work which benefits us all.
It’s difficult to better emphasize their importance in this blog post, because the gravity of their work is so aptly demonstrated in every step you take through Astoria Park.
Shop the collection here
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For those in the area, please feel free to join us Saturday, April 24th at Astoria Park for the APA's Community Volunteer Day. See flyer below for all the details:
