Abandoned books on 5th Street lead to some local intrigue, Long Island City
Hallelujah! Long Island City is back on track for the weekends. (pun intended) While the 7-train weekend suspension is now over, there will still be work happening on the tracks so don’t necessarily expect full service, but at least it’s something.
Amish Market’s foodcellar manifesting signage. Queens West, LIC.
Ok well it’s still being brought to us by the Amish Market, but the first actual grocery store to manifest in Queens West (and Vernon/Jackson) is named foodcellar. We’ll have to make the mental shift now. It’s a big one, but we can do it.
From the inbox:
ASTORIA MUSIC NOW!
*The First Annual FREE Music & Arts Festival of its Kind. *
For one day, on July 26th, people will be treated to some of the finest local music our area has to offer. This event will highlight and benefit the arts in one of the most culturally diverse communities in NYC. Come enjoy nine hours of local music and arts absolutely FREE!
Hula Hoops, Magic, Comedy, Face Paint, and Much More!!!
WHERE: Astoria Park – The Great Lawn – Ditmars & 19th St. Astoria, NY 11106
WHEN: Saturday, 7.26.08 – 12-9pm
Hunters Point Wines, Vernon, LIC
It’s a rainy Thursday night in LIC… what to do?
Well…if you want to get your drink on, and for free, you can go to one of the two wine tastings going on at a couple of LIC’s most prized wine shops, Hunters Point Wines (6-8pm) and Court Square Wine (4:30-7p). For those who complain about lack of amenities in LIC, we certainly have an abundance of alcohol distributors.
Deitch Studios, Hunters Point waterfront, Long Island City
LIC continues to manifest in commercial media, this time serving as the backdrop for a Rhapsody MP3 player commercial. Not to mention Ugly Betty, which is getting a lot of attention since Miz Lohan has been gracing us with her uh, presence. Though LIC, as we all know, has made many cameo appearances on screen including Munich, The Darjeeling Limited, Third Watch, Gossip Girl, and Grand Theft Auto.
Hunters Point South pre-posthumous, Long Island City, 2008
It’s busy season these days for both developers & activists, especially in LIC. While the battle over the OCA/CUNY development plan continues, another controversial project a little further downstream, hits the boardroom again…Hunters Point South. Promise Land or Promissory Note Land? »
Socrates Sculpture Park Outdoor Cinema 2008, Long Island City
Every Wednesday night through the summer, Socrates Sculpture Park presents an outdoor international film festival, featuring a film from a different country each night, along with food and occasionally a related live performance.
Calpulli Danza Mexicana
The ‘Live at the Gantries’ summer performance series brought to us by the QCA continues tonight at Gantry Park with Calpulli Mexican Dance »
Queens West Sportsfield, 5th St between 47th Ave & 46th Rd, LIC
Time to play ball. The Queens West Sportsfield has officially opened it’s astroturf to the public. All you need is a permit and some turf shoes. But leave your pets and propane tanks at home »
Dark skies over Court Square? April 2008, Long Island City
Interesting article this morning about the downsides of working in Court Square which included: lack of basic stores like pharmacies, grocery, dry cleaning etc, for errands during the day; the challenging commute from Jersey; the industrial ‘ghetto’-like vibe; few options for lunch. Upsides were: commuting from Brooklyn via the G train, quiet & low-key. Some felt that LIC offers a nice relief from congestion, others felt that Queens is beneath them. On this blog, we’ve heard a lot from the LIC resident point of view, but not so much from the working population.
Hunters Point waterfront, Long Island City
liQcity went kayaking with the LIC Boathouse last night, and if anyone in LIC is looking for nature, you might as well be looking for your nose. It’s right there.
CUNY CUNY CUNY. Need we say more?
CUNY dorm proposal, LIC
Yes. A couple of weeks ago, the CUNY dorm proposal went before the BSA, as it’s final hurdle. We can smell blood in this thread already, but here’s an attempt to sort out the complicated situation »
Kayaking with LIC Boathouse
Have you ever noticed that LIC is on the water? Taking full advantage of our waterfront location is the LIC Boathouse, a sponsored community group that gets you out onto the East River kayaking until your heart’s content. Unless, you happen to be slightly unsavvy and ignore the instructions of your gracious guides. Anyway, don’t let that get in the way of experiencing a gem that very few NYC neighborhoods possess.
Clarion Hotel, just built in Dutch Kills, Long Island City
There’s some chatter today in Crains about the rampant development of hotels in the city, especially in light manufacturing districts that are still waiting for rezoning: our beloved LIC of course (Dutch Kills in particular, though Court Square is certainly seeing some activity), and Gowanus, a neighborhood in Brooklyn similar to LIC in that its transitioning from industrial to more residential. Its also on the water, and has extreme toxicity issues to overcome, but that’s best left to a separate post.
10 Court Square announces its arrival, Long Island City
A few weeks ago, the Post reported on the Skidmore Owings & Merrill-designed commerical tower for Rockrose, that’s going up next to the Citicorp Tower in Court Square. The building, surprisingly entitled 10 Court Square looks like it takes up almost an entire city block, having bought out most of the building owners since 1988. It’s delivering a whopping 800,000 SF to the face of Jackson Ave, conveniently located at the site of the Jackson Ave beautification project.
Ivy covered building on Vernon Blvd, Long Island City
It’s been a while since we’ve hooked up some LIC linkage… this morning we have a little petroleum smell with your coffee. Aah, but that’s old news. What’s new news is the pile driving that started somewhere around Vernon/Jackson yesterday morning. We’ve been getting reports that Arris Lofters are losing lots of sleep thanks to Rockrose’s pile driving on the infamous site of the Building That Should Have Been Landmarked. Well, there are lots of those sites in LIC, and Queens in general. But we digress.
Dear liQcity readers,
If you’re noticing that comments are occasionally randomly being deleted, it’s because we’re manually deleting spam, and occasionally a real comment gets accidentally erased.
Spam sucks. It’s insidious. Terrible. Truly a virus. And it’s actually All Your Fault, liQcity readers, that we’re being bombarded with it now. When the blog launched six months ago, we truly thought we’d be talking to virtually no one for at least that long. But of course, we underestimated the fervor of LIC residents, and the diabolical power of Curbed.
Bike Lane at Queenswest
After installing new bike racks on Jackson Ave, it seems bicyclists in LIC and western Queens in general, still have a few hurdles to overcome in improving the bike lane situation. Streetsblog reports:
“Last month, DOT striped buffered bike lanes on Vernon Blvd, part of a package of safety improvements for the north-south corridor that parallels the western Queens waterfront PDF. Bike facilities are scarce in this part of the city, and the addition of the new lanes, which eliminated a lane of parking along parts of the route, has not come without opposition from the local community boards, CB1 and CB2.
Hanging at Gantry Park for ‘Live at the Gantries’ by the QCA, Long Island City
The ‘Live at the Gantries’ summer performance series brought to us by the QCA continues tonight at Gantry Park with Blue Pipa, Chinese folk music.
“Along with her accompanying musicians, Min Xiao-Fen of Blue Pipa is renown for her exploration of traditional and modern music from all cultures. Famed for her virtuosity and fluid style on the pipa, she has recorded and performed with Björk.”
The show starts at 7pm.
As it’s been noted, the prime Queens fireworks waterfront viewing spots were rendered useless on Friday, since Macy’s moved the barge further downtown towards the Brooklyn Bridge for what seems to be controversial reasons.
Macy’s, the corporate sponsor of the fireworks, seems to have been influenced by NBC, who seems to have been influenced by Tishman-Speyer, to move the barges further south this year, so that the televised view of the fireworks would display more of the city skyline. Gothamist also points out, that Stuyvesant Town was curiously displayed over 7 times as the backdrop for the fireworks. Seems Tishman-Speyer, the owners of Stuy Town, are having some trouble renting out their market rate apartments. Cashing on their relationship with NBC (they own the headquarters), they were able to somehow get Macy’s to move the barges. Somehow there’s a missing link in the hip-bone-connected-to-the-knee-bone chain, but the ad campaign for Stuy Town is a bit too obvious to ignore.
New cafe opening on Vernon Blvd
The owners of the Manducati restaurant on Jackson Ave have been working on a cafe and small gourmet market on Vernon near 46th Ave. Peeking into the doorway, the cafe looks ready to pop any day now. Word on the street (literally) is that the gelato is to die for. Good timing.
Legal streetart coordinated by Chashama, Vernon & Borden Ave, LIC
5pointz may have been the first legal walls for streetart in Long Island City, but now they’re not the only ones. Simone Development, the developers behind the Hunters Point Condos double whammy, have collaborated with Chashama, an non-profit arts group, to beautify their construction site walls with streetart created by local artists.
Under Public Farm One aka P.F.1., at P.S.1., Court Square, Long Island City
Nothing marks the arrival of summer in LIC quite like the PS1 Warm Up parties. If there is any entity that can lay claim to putting LIC on the mainstream radar, it’s PS1. While many complain about the nuisance factor of the Warm Up party attendees’ disruptive passage from PS1 to Water Taxi Beach in their endeavor to continue partying, it’s really a cool event. This year, the courtyard installation kicks up more than a few notches with an urban farmland installation entitled ‘Public Farm One’. Aka P.F.1.
Having checked out the installation sans throngs of swaying hipsters »
Proxy/Fiction by Jonathan Lev opens tonight at Art-O-Mat
From Art-O-Mat gallery:
Just a reminder to ignore those threats of rain & come join us tonight. (Well, maybe bring an umbrella.)
You are invited to an Opening at Art-O-Mat TONIGHT, June 26 from 6 to 9 pm.
Art-O-Mat is pleased to present Proxy / Fiction – Paintings by Jonathan Lev
Our First Summer exhibition will open tonight, Thursday June 26, with a reception from 6 to 9pm.
Development in Dutch Kills, LIC
Dutch Kills rearing it’s head in the news again. Thanks to the ongoing struggle between the residents and the city, over the neighborhood’s residentially inclined rezoning proposal (aka Lochness Monster). Although, the city is yet again threatening to fulfill its promise very very soon. Who knows, maybe it’ll actually happen someday?
In a small subsection of Dutch Kills, known now as ‘Sub Area C’ to the city gov’t, and ‘Home’ to its residents, is being rezoned in the wrong direction, according to Chris Lundgren, who is organizing a neighborhood fight against the city’s rezoning proposal:
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