From the editor: Some commentary on commentary, and then commentary

Long Island City a la blue glass – Court Square.

liQcity commenters: You may have noticed the captcha. It’s great. No more spam here. We encourage the use of Gravatar for the comments, you can still say anon…we don’t really care who you are unless you spam us. Then, we care. We also encourage the use of a name, as that helps to keep thread integrity in case we have to delete comments (which is not ideal in general).

Update on the current liQcity Editorial policy regarding comments:

liQcity will only delete comments that slander an identifiable LIC community member by name who has not identified themselves in the comments. If you identify yourself in anyway in the comments, you take responsibility for whatever negativity ensues. IE, don’t open that Pandora’s box if you can’t handle the Furies.

And lately, there’ve been some great comments coming through the liQ wire. Here’s a couple:

Summer development blazes on at the Pulaski Bridge in LIC: There’s always something to argue about. Developers and buyers in LIC have consistently confounded most of us with their interest in what would otherwise be incredibly poor real estate locations. Butting up against a rail yard with late night and early morning train traffic? Sure, lets put luxury lofts there. At the intersection of two busy four lane roads and the main artery from Brooklyn to the Queensborough Bridge? Sure- lets put FIVE buildings there! In Queens Plaza a block from the strip clubs with a view of the housing project and a tangle of elevated subways? Nothing says luxury like that!

But despite conventional wisdom, the buildings keep going up and the sales seem to ultimately do alright. The wisdom of web forums does not always equal the wisdom of the markets themselves.

[McReilly's on Vernon Forced to Vacate]: “Hey #63, my favorite Irish pub the Emerald Inn on the UWS is on its deathbed because of constantly increasing rents despite its enormous popularity. The Emerald is reliably packed – families eat there during the day and regulars as well as younger folks (musicians, actors, dancers) have a great time well into the night. The place has been there since the 40’s and does not need to reinvent itself as a gastropub because the food is fantastic and they have no problem getting people through the door. Unfortunately a small pub can’t expect to bring in the same revenue or afford to pay as much rent as huge international companies that sell trendy, overpriced luxury product (in that neighborhood it’s Kiehls, Clarins, L’Occitane,etc.). Obviously landlords are going to charge as much rent as they can, not to stay afloat, but to make more money. But unfortunately , these set of rules for “survival of the fittest” do NOT reflect what the community wants.

Pubs like McReilly’s and the Emerald are relevant because they establish community and represent integrity amongst New York’s constantly shifting landscape of culinary trends and social vogues. They were created by and serve the community without purporting to be anything more. The sentiment that McReilly’s is irrelevant because they aren’t doing anything new is a sentiment that will undermine the LIC community and turn it into a bedroom community.

I want to stress that I’m not of a mind that LIC does not have room for growth or change. I welcome change that reflects the interests of the neighborhood and that develops an interactive and vibrant community.”