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LET’EM RUN FREE IN LIC

April 14, 2015 by editor 1 Comment

This time of year, as the weather turns nice, the playgrounds and parks of Long Island City suddenly repopulate with the noise of children big and small. Fortunately, unlike many other neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, these kids also have a bounty of nearby outdoor spaces from which to choose. In addition, the topography of LIC lends itself to a unique environment not seen in many other areas of this city, its suburbs, or frankly anywhere in the country. We’ve called it a giant cul-de-sac, and I’ve heard others refer to it somewhat disparagingly as cloistered.

These two characteristics, the abundant outdoor choices and the tight-knit community, in tandem with the density provided by vertical living, make LIC the perfect laboratory for [Read more…] about LET’EM RUN FREE IN LIC

DOG RUN FINALLY COMING TO CENTER BOULEVARD

April 10, 2015 by editor Leave a Comment

A controversial dog run that was first advocated for here in these pages almost two years ago, has finally begun construction. Scaffolding has been placed around the parklet ((my word)) between the Queens West Field and PS/IS 78. The much needed dog run will [Read more…] about DOG RUN FINALLY COMING TO CENTER BOULEVARD

MAIELLA BRINGS A NEW RESTAURANT ERA TO LONG ISLAND CITY

April 7, 2015 by editor 4 Comments

Maiella: coming soon on Center Boulevard

Back in my days as a Master of the Universe, I sat next to a much older gentleman who by 20th century standards, was well off. He ran in a similar crowd from his generation, some of whose names wouldn’t be unfamiliar to those viewing Bill Cunningham’s party pics in the Times, that largely confined themselves to restaurants on the Upper East Side and midtown. It was a period when an impresario named Sirio ruled the dining scene in New York and entrees with a $4-handle elicited quiet gasps upon viewing them on the menu.

So it was much to my surprise, when about a dozen years ago my colleague told me I should make an effort to go to a restaurant in Astoria called Trattoria L’incontro. “Astoria? As in Queens? You?” I shot back to a man who had left Brooklyn for Westchester and Manhattan over half a century ago, and was never, ever going back ((of course his son left Westchester and bypassed Manhattan for Brooklyn, where he resides today)). ‘Fear not’ he assuaged, ‘it’s only a quick cab ride across the Triborough Bridge, think of it as midway between the UES and LaGuardia.’ I never made it, but I didn’t forget about it either given the intro.

Fast forward to last year when I caught wind that the chef of Trattoria L’incontro, Rocco Sacramone, was coming to LIC, and all the memories came back. Though he didn’t have the name recognition of those chefs my wife watches on late-night reruns, and didn’t have ‘ehh’ offshoots in the Hamptons, Hong Kong, or Vegas, I was aware of his stature in the NYC cooking world. I also had an intimate familiarity with the space on Center Boulevard he was rumored to be occupying. The combination I predicted would be a culinary knockout, if it came together.

Today I am happy to announce that it has, and we have a preview for the restaurant which is expected to open to the public in the next month and will be called Maiella. [Read more…] about MAIELLA BRINGS A NEW RESTAURANT ERA TO LONG ISLAND CITY

VERNON/JACKSON SUBWAY RIDERSHIP UP OVER 50%

April 3, 2015 by editor 1 Comment

Back in reality land, the MTA released citywide subway ridership data this week, and it reveals that average weekday ridership at the Vernon/Jackson stop is up 57% between 2007 and 2013. According to The New York World, this occurred during a period that the system’s ridership as a whole grew by 9%. Putting the Vernon/Jackson percentages into numbers, it went from [Read more…] about VERNON/JACKSON SUBWAY RIDERSHIP UP OVER 50%

DANNY MEYER TO OPEN RESTAURANT IN FORMER CRAB HOUSE LOCATION

April 1, 2015 by editor 5 Comments

You can get anything that you want, at Danny's Restaurant — You can get anything that you want, at Danny’s newd Restaurant

Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group has announced that they will be opening their first-ever free-standing restaurant in Queens in the former Waterfront Crab House location. According to the press release, it will specialize in the cuisine [Read more…] about DANNY MEYER TO OPEN RESTAURANT IN FORMER CRAB HOUSE LOCATION