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.

Such is the case tonight »

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 »

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.

First up in the latest LIC linkage »

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 »

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.

Reported in June »

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.

• Queens Council on the Arts Event Info
• Blue Pipa website

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.

Now why is this important to us? »

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.

“The creators described the idea »

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 »

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:

“The city is destroying us…

Silvercup condo development site, 44th Drive, Court Square, Long Island City

The Silvercup East project at the LIC waterfront might be taking longer then expected, but the Studios are moving forward on another development project near Court Square at 21-45 44th Drive. Located right next door to the Information Technology High School.

A one story warehouse on this 164 x 100 lot has been paved away for a 7-story, 70-unit new construction condo project. Some possible ground floor retail. It will be interesting to see how this turns out, as this is Silvercup’s first attempt at a purely residential project. –Contributed by Eric Benaim

Meanwhile, the latest word on Silvercup’s stalled waterfront project »

Remediation tent at Queenswest

You didn’t think we’d post that video, write inflammatory content, but do nothing? After contacting Joe Conley, Chairman of Community Board 2, he contacted the DEC and this letter arrived in the liQcity inbox today:

Hi Joe:

I inspected the Site today morning and discussed dust problems with Site contractor and engineering consultants. The dust blowing in the video was emanating from the sand which was used to pre-grade the tent (second) lay down areas. It was a very dry and windy day about 2 weeks ago. Since that time, a sprinkler system has been laid out along the truck route and has been effective. The areas near the East River have been covered with a layer of clean fill cover and are in the process of being rolled. After the area is rolled the material will be stable preventing dusty conditions.

As an additional temporary measure…

Long Island City view of the Sewage Treatment plant at Newton Creek

1) Catching up on some linkage this morning. It seems they’re turning the orbs of the sewage treatment plant at Newton Creek into an art installation. That’s new. A nearby resident of the plant remarked that it ‘smells suspiciously like spoiled Chinese food’. Hmmm… .

2) In more local news »

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Good morning liQcity readers. We’re back to bring you some footage of the toxic dust kicking up on the Queenswest development site. See those tents in the video? Supposedly they facilitate the toxic remediation that Rockrose is required to perform on the site before they can build more residential towers. That particular site used to host a refinery, and like much of LIC, the soil is extremely toxic.

So the question of the morning is: should that dirt be blowing around hither thither? Supposedly it should be tamped down (perhaps with water?) in order to prevent exactly what’s evidenced in the video. Clearly that’s not happening. Obviously to shoot such a video, one has to be within smelling radius, and it’s not flowers and peaches.

There’s a business idea for LIC entreprenuers: respirators and other toxic dust survival gear. Maybe they’ll start carrying them at the ensuing Duane Reade on the compound.

View 59 and the Ciampa rental building, Dutch Kills, LIC

Well the quiet saga of development in Dutch Kills marches on. The Ciampa rental building, which has been in the works for quite some time, is bringing View 59 some new neighbors. Info on this rental building is hard to find, but we expect to see some listings soon. If anyone comes across them, feel free to send them our way.

Most of the press lately about Dutch Kills »

Well folks. The epic battle between the Vernon restaurant Blend and the Neighbors continues tomorrow at a public hearing being held at St. Mary’s Church at 7pm. St. Mary’s is the church at Vernon/Jackson. You can’t really miss it. Tomorrow is Thursday. We recommend you wear some protective gear, as this topic seems to provoke bloodbath.

• Vernon restaurant Blend facing staunch opposition to getting liquor license

• CB2 responds to LIC community concern about life and bizz on Vernon

After two failed attempts, Starbucks is finally coming to Long Island City, and it’s going exactly where it belongs: the lobby of the Citibank tower. woohoo.

However, if your coffee sensibilities desire a more local and community brew »

Has anyone else noticed the demolition frenzy going on in LIC these last couple of weeks? It’s seriously been picking up. July 2008 is right around the corner, and Rockrose seems to be feeling the heat as well, since activity has begun on their site next to the United Nations Federal Credit Union.

Remember the beautiful building they’re knocking down? »

Greenmarket, Union Sq

Since the Greenmarket isn’t starting until July this year, we thought it might be a good idea to alert LIC dwellers about the CSA program starting next month. This when you purchase a “share” of a local farm’s harvest, and then once a week during the season, you go and pick up a huge box full of their bounty.

Now is the time to sign up »

Hello, liQcity readers. We are back from a brief hiatus in posting, to bring you this interesting article detailing the City publicly asking ConEd to sell off it’s LIC waterfront property and reduce electric rates for all. Controversial request, for sure.

ConEd Training Center, Vernon Blvd, Long Island City

“Con Edison should sell off its pricey waterfront property” »

Graffiti in the making at 5pointz, Court Sq, Long Island City

Here’s the article about the eventual transformation of 5pointz into a 1.2 million sqft high-rise. Accordingly:

“Wolkoff [the owner] is now waiting for the fortunes of Long Island City to change. For now, 5 Pointz will remain what he calls “the largest aerosol art building in the world,” but he is looking to leave a legacy for his grandchildren.

“Eventually we will build there, but in the meantime, we’ll still let the artists go,” said Jerry Wolkoff. “We have some plans and renderings, but nothing concrete.”"

There’s going to be mixed feelings about this »

Long Island City Community Garden, 49th Ave, LIC

More buzzing about Hunters Point South going on. In a latest series of meetings, participants continued the debate around the ‘affordability’ of housing that will be allegedly created by the project. Some also voiced concern about traffic implications, lack of safety amenities included in the planning, such as fire stations and hospitals, and seemingly general myopia regarding basic infrastructure.

In other LIC news »

• Can middle class afford Hunters Point South [Queens Gazette]

• Bright Future for New York’s waterways [NY Sun]

• Displacement at Greenbelt, Williamsburg [Brooklyn Rail]

• Finnish art headed for LIC. To PS1 of course.

• New Act would expand study of Newtown Creek [Z wire]

After the Blend bloodbath ensued, we contacted Joe Conley, the chairperson of the Community Board (CB2), in order to gain some clarification and address concerns about businesses and residents living amongst each other on Vernon Blvd. He’s agreed to hold a Q&A with concerned LIC’ers residents, and we will announce the date and location of the Public Hearing when it’s been coordinated. In the meantime, Chairman Conley did pass along a response he wrote to a liQcity commenter who sent him an email regarding the Blend liquor license denial:

Dear LIC Resident »

Looks like Vernonites are expanding their business empires these days… and why wouldn’t they?

1) The Brasil Coffee house has an offshoot called Fast & Delicious around their corner of 49th Ave. Rather interesting Brazilian menu actually: rotisserie meats, steak, rice & beans, pita sandwiches, salads, and empenadas/croquettes.

2) Last week we spotted this seemingly new sign above the Butcher Deli on Vernon @ 50th Ave. A juice and hookah bar called The Butcher Cafe. Interesting combo. Well…many stranger concepts have succeeded in NYC so it’s fair to say anything has a chance around here. (Or does it?)