LHaus
Mar 12 2010

Greenpoint crap-mapping blog overlaps into documenting Long Island City

LIC 5Pointz detail as shot by NYS

Since there is a world outside of Long Island City (really?), here’s another local blog to throw on your radar: New York Shitty, a blog about Greenpoint, which if anyone hadn’t noticed is LIC’s southern neighbor.

The sidewalk does not end at Jackson Ave, it keeps going over the Pulaski Bridge, into a mixed residential and industrial Brooklyn neighborhood, much like our own, but not entirely.

Greenpoint is like LIC but with a more concentrated townhouse community embedded. It’s been a great neighbor in years passed… an abundance of retail, bars, restaurants and fantastic grocery stores.

Like all neighborhoods on the East River, it’s been ‘gentrifying’ in recent years, giving rise to a blog documenting (and navigating) minefields of Greenpoint dog crap brought to the hood by the new gentrifiers. LIC could probably use a dog crap blog log as well, especially in the Queenswest area.

Miss Heather blogs primarily about Greenpoint and not just crap-mapping anymore, but also includes smatterings about surrounding areas (LICentricity rearing now) – lately there’s been a bunch of LIC posts featuring random tales, sightings, and street photos popping up on the site. For instance, who in LIC has been drinking Old English 800 out of a straw?

Some LIC coverage from our BK neighbor:

Neighborhood

16 Comments

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Why are there so many more interesting retail shops in Greenpoint than LIC?

#1 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

cuz there are more people in Greenpoint

#2 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

So you think people who go to those stores mainly live in Greenpoint? I don’t know about that. I think the different Polish stores attract many people from outside the area. I love walking around Manhattan Ave. and some of the side streets. The variety of stores they have puts LIC to shame. I wish we could capture that energy on Vernon. Blvd.

#3 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

The answer to #1′s question is because the landlords charge too much rent on Vernon Blvd. Plain and simple. It’s exorbitant!! I was thinking of opening a store myself and was astonished what they were asking.

#4 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

it’s called a market my friends. if they charge more on vernon its because they can. landlords in greenpoint would do the same if they could get away with it.

#5 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

Greenpoint is less desirable than LIC. Try getting into Midtown Manhattan from most of Greenpoint. It takes about 10x longer, so LIC rents will be 10x what Greenpoint’s are.

And there has been an established Polish community is Greenpoint for several decades now.

#6 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

6 says a couple of ironic things that struck me about gentrification in LIC and the supposed values it brings.

1) “Greenpoint is less desirable than LIC.” And because of that lack of desirability, the people who live in Greenpoint get to enjoy many more shops and a far livelier retail environment than we do. Seems there’s a lot to be said for lack of desirability.

2) “And there has been an established Polish community is Greenpoint for several decades now.” Well, we also had a well-established Italian/Irish community for far longer than that in LIC. Yet many of those people left because they couldn’t afford to stick around or are now the landlords gouging the few small businesses who can pay the rents.

#7 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

If there anything LIC needs to be less like its Greenpoint. I dont see Greenpoint as desirable in any sense of the word.

#8 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

Ok people – if you love Greenpoint so much more and think its so much better, please go move there and stop complaining!! And then we can move on.

#9 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

There was a far far smaller Irish-Italian community in LIC than the Polish one in Greenpoint. There’s also a smaller residential section in the Hunters Point area than Greenpoint, which is huge.

#10 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

I love having Greenpoint & Williamsburg in walking distance, but it’s true that their transportation into Manhattan is less than ideal if you live there.

#11 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

I see lots of people going over the bridge between Greenpoint and LIC to ride the #7 train in the morning and evening.

#12 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

LIC wishes it would be as cool as Greenpoint.
AGAIN, LIC did not organically become what it is trying to be right now. Period!

#13 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

We in LIC have the best of both worlds: the super fast commute, lovely park area, small town feel, yet we also have everything in Greenpoint and Williamsburg available a few minutes away. I am inGreenpoint alot for shops and shopping but am glad I don’t live there, and am always glad to come back home over the bridge.

#14 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

Ha, you actually used cool and Greenpoint in the same sentence! Hardly.

I’m not saying LIC is cool either, but to think Greenpoint is cooler than LIC?! That’s like saying that Jersey City is cooler than Hoboken.

#15 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

Um, Hoboken hasn’t been “cool” in more than 20 years.

#16 Anonymous / 1 year, 11 months ago

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