LIC wins 2007 Curbed Cup as the Neighborhood of the Year

Well, it’s really no surprise that LIC would win the Curbed Cup, Neighborhood of the Year Award for 2007, beating out the West Village…though it’s not clear what it really means. The comment section is a must read, full of hysterical jabs at LIC. (What else is new?)

Is LIC a better neighborhood than the West Village? Well I’m not one to answer that question, if even an answer exists. All I know is 2007 was definitely the year of LIC, because it reached new heights both in terms of real estate and as a neighborhood. There was more growth and development last year than probably in the last 10 years collectively. And consequently, the amount of hype and conversation online was staggering.

Well, duh. LIC was one of the most talked about neighborhoods last year for good reason. There is hardly a neighborhood as close to Manhattan with so much forthcoming new construction. LIC’s a molting caterpillar full of possibility, while the West Village is already an established rainbow colored butterfly. Maybe not as colorful as it once was, but who’s denying that WV is a historic, world class, star-studded neighborhood? Not to mention, it’s still some of the hottest real estate in Manhattan. But in 2007, did WV really generate the chatter and kind of erratic fervor that LIC did? Go onto any message board/forum about real estate in NYC and search for Long Island City. See what you find.

Last year was really the year of the outer boroughs in general. Manhattan’s not alone on the stage anymore. Brooklyn and Queens haters (usually Manhattanites) can hate on us all they want. There’s more of us than them anyway.

All in all, it’s nice to have arrived on the NYC neighborhood radar without a single Starbucks in sight. We don’t need another coffee shop anyway… we need an um… er… grocery store. But until that momentous day arrives, at least we in LIC can revel in our new meaningless status.

Incidentally, last year was also the year of the pig. This year, you ask? Hahaha - it’s the year of the rat.