We’ve got five years, stuck on my eyes
We’ve got five years, what a surprise
We’ve got five years, my brain hurts a lot
We’ve got five years, that’s all we’ve got
HALF a decade ago an idea was bandied about by the local intelligentsia: Can small town news be created and conveyed in a manner befitting a great metropolis of millions? The answer was a resounding no, yet from that grand concept came the detritus that is LICtalk.
Way back in those days condominiums in Long Island City were priced at less than $1,000 a square foot, people moved here because of the significantly discounted rent to Manhattan’s, Court Square was comprised of the Citi building, we only had one park on the waterfront, JetBlue was headquartered in Forest Hills, 5Pointz was a mecca – not dual cookie-cutter towers-in-waiting, we had five Italian restaurants (just like we do now), children were babies, and men shaved more and hugged less.
Other than that everything else is pretty much the same. Dorian’s Diner/PJ Leahy’s/E & I Deli are still the first storefronts one passes from the Vernon/Jackson station, there is no cost to drive across the Queensboro Bridge, there’s no good Chinese food to be had in LIC, and Principal Pavone is still the principal at PS78Q.
Nevertheless there is a very palpable sense that something big is on the cusp. Most visible is the huge city being constructed in the Court Square/Queensboro Plaza area. Less tangible yet no less potent, is the sense that people prefer living in LIC over Manhattan, and that anyone who doesn’t share that sentiment can easily be won over with a visit or two. Completing the circle, from a real estate perspective anyway, is the large growth (granted from a very small base) of 21st century companies choosing to locate in Long Island City.
Going forward, there’s a lot on the horizon that we already know will be in place in the next five years: a new library, more schools, overcrowded subways, lower rents. More interesting are those things that we currently don’t know about the next half decade. Let your minds wander and dream big – we may even get that fabulous Chinese restaurant!
//WORKING the local news beat is considerably less exciting than being embedded with the 1st Marine division in Iraq. Can anything be more mundane than reporting the addition of a new STOP sign? Well in LIC that qualifies as news, so let it be known that as of last week there is now a 4-way STOP sign on the corner of 46th Avenue and Fifth Street, next to the LIC Flea.
Reported yes, but certainly not meriting a headline – there is still a shred of dignity left in this old editor in regards to what is truly newsworthy and what is just a waste of the readers time. Over the next five years you can continue to expect LICtalk to your filter as to what is really salient. More importantly, we will provide the analysis and insight that only a resident can bring to local issues – even if he’s living on the street. Onward and upwards for the next five years…
Move Over Brooklyn, the Queens Start Up Scene Is On the Rise in Astoria and LIC – si!
Pervy Sanitation Worker Arrested for Groping Woman at LIC Hotel – hotel, motel, Holiday Inn
Small Seating Plaza Proposed for Jackson Ave/44th Drive – when Rockrose does the proposing, it’s as good as done
Artist Miya Ando Builds Silent Bridges in Long Island City – yes, there are still artists in LIC in 2017!
Anonymous says
March 9, 2017 at 11:23 amCongrats on an amazing five years of service to the community with great reporting always delivered factually (no fake news allowed!) and with wry humor.
DS says
March 9, 2017 at 11:36 amThe stop sign was up but now it’s back down.
Josh Friedlander (@JoshFriedlander) says
March 9, 2017 at 12:17 pmCongratulations! This site is the true alternative news, by which I mean real news about real topics of interest to the local community. Your housing and school analyses have been more trenchant and well-timed than anything in those big city papers. LIC remains a small big city town, an unusual combination, and is lucky to have a dedicated journalist to cover it.
Paul K says
March 13, 2017 at 6:26 amCongrats and good luck in the coming years of LIC evolution. I enjoy reading the news, along with your analysis and humor.
Ro says
March 13, 2017 at 9:33 amGreat job!