LHaus
Mar 5 2009

Long Island City’s waterfront dreams, condo carrots & impending elephants

Hallets Cove, Long Island City

The Queens waterfront is getting some more attention:

The Queens waterfront is set to get a vertical makeover by 2020, with dilapidated factories and vacant lots transformed into a Manhattan-like skyline of high-rises sprinkled amid sprawling parks, leafy esplanades and a “greenway” that will let joggers and bikers follow the East River all the way through Queens and Brooklyn. “I believe the future of New York City design is in Queens,” said architect Jay Valgora, whose Studio V has designed many of the projects. “The waterfront of Queens will be the new Central Park for this city. That’s where the future of New York lies.”

For anyone who still thinks the condo glut in Long Island City is a fabricated myth, here’s some more documentation of the “unheard of” buyer incentives currently being offered by local developments.

In more fun news, Long Island City’s famous Elephant Walk is coming up later this month:

This year’s elephant walk, an annual event by Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, will occur on Borden Avenue Monday night and Tuesday morning, March 23 and 24. At that time, the elephants for this year’s circus will be marched from the railroad cars that brought them to New York City to Borden Avenue and into the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, headed for Second Avenue, 34th Street and their destination, Madison Square Garden.

14 Comments

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I feel sorry for the elephants. Imagine being paraded around Borden Avenue and gawked at by a bunch of idiots with cellphone cameras. Leave the poor creatures alone.

#1 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

I agree with #1. Why don’t they march the circus execs around on chains instead?

#2 Banjee / 2 years, 11 months ago

I will be there with my fur coat and ivory glasses. It should be tones of fun.

#3 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

3, I hope one of the elephants recognizes that you’re wearing a dead relative on your face and tramples you. Now that really would be tons of fun!

#4 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

#4. I guess killing people is okay but not animals and sorry you do not have any sense of humor.

#5 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

Anybody know if there is more public information available anywhere on the Anable Basin project?

#6 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

it is rather appropriate that elephants are walking through LIC though.

#7 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

I’m glad that the booming economy is going to fuel massive development on the Queens waterfront over the next decade. Given the abject shortage of market rate housing in NYC and Western Queens (despite the sharp rise in six figure jobs and low unemployment rate), a new skyline of high-rises along the waterfront will be a welcome addition!

I just hope Dutch Kills has enough $15 drinks for everyone.

#8 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

You’re getting slow #8, you usually make your tired, false “$15 drink” comments earlier in a thread than #8.

I guess you’re getting as old as your comments.

#9 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

#9 needs a $15 drink. When’s that place going to open? It’s March already…

#10 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

Maybe one of the fine watering hole establishments, could come up with a special event & drink for the occasion of the Loxodontan tunnel excursion; like Elephant March Madness, and serving Proboscis Pies with Pachyderm Rum & Plum Purees.

I gotta stop watching so much Animal Planet.

Charlie.

#11 Charlie / 2 years, 11 months ago

Pink Elephant would be the obvious drink.

#12 Anonymous / 2 years, 11 months ago

I’ll drink to that.

Charlie

#13 Charlie / 2 years, 11 months ago

anyone have any details on where to view the elephant walk in LIC?

#14 Margarita / 2 years, 11 months ago

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