The New York Post reported that the home of Jimmy V was robbed while he was away this weekend. There seems to be a rash of robberies going on in his section of Sunnyside. Thankfully it’s not going to stop him from celebrating:
A thousand reasons to love Long Island City. Tips: Editor@LICtalk.com
by editor 3 Comments
The New York Post reported that the home of Jimmy V was robbed while he was away this weekend. There seems to be a rash of robberies going on in his section of Sunnyside. Thankfully it’s not going to stop him from celebrating:
Yesterday I was stopped by Erdem, the fruit and vegetable peddler on 49th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard. He was scared and wanted me to write a story about his situation. As many of you know, one morning last week he was arrested, hauled off to jail, and his fruit stand was basically left idled and exposed with a handwritten sign saying “Closed Until Further Notice.” After spending almost 30 hours in the Queens County Jail, without food, drink, or sleep, he went before a judge who very quickly dismissed him and all the outstanding tickets that led to his arrest. According to Erdem, the tickets were all from 2009 and came in a quick flurry during a period of harassment, possibly by an angered merchant(hint: Dunkin Donuts didn’t come to Vernon until 2011). Infractions included items such as being too close to the crosswalk, and not having his licenses properly displayed.
Fast forward to last week, when after four years of no infractions, which would have disallowed his ability to get aforementioned licenses(renewed in January 2012), Erdem gets taken in. Ever since, he’s been on eggshells, as he doesn’t know if his arrest was due to the law or is something personal, though he surmises the latter. Due to the arbitrariness of his arrest, the unknown duration of another potential jail stint, be it one day, two days, or a week, and the constant fear of losing his livelihood, he is extremely stressed.
Furthermore, he’s frankly embarrassed by his arrest. When you stand in a very visible spot and conduct business with hundreds of people each week, you become part of the fabric of the community. Likewise, the Hunters Point community is very, very important to him, and he feels a very personal attachment.
I don’t know what to do to help Erdem, other than write his story. If anyone else has advice or could lend a hand, please reach out to him, he’d be extremely grateful.
The Editor
Queens Borough President Gives Thumbs Up to Expanded 5Pointz Development – the towers will now be 41 and 47 stories
Developers Add More Affordable Housing Units to 5Ppointz Plan for Approval – how that helps you, I do not know
LIC Residents Want Safer Streets – Dutch Kills locals demonstrate for more traffic safety
Breweries Not Too Big for Their Barrels – the NYT discusses the proliferation of nanobreweries in NY, and mentions both our local ones, Rockaway and Big Alice
NYT Interview With Founder of aptsandlofts – the local real estate broker handling a 200 unit rental building near the water
Local Knicks Star Wears Number of former LIC High School Star – Queensbridge boy makes good
Well I never kept a dollar past sunset,
It always burned a hole in my pants.
Never made a school mama happy,
Never blew a second chance, oh no
Between the oppressive heat, the inability to escape it anywhere in LIC via shade cover, the lack of fireworks, and no G train, there might seem to be a pall being cast over Long Island City. Worst of all, our local news is pretty much a rehash this week. But let’s face it, all those TF Cornerstone apartments aren’t flying out the door for no reason. That reason might very well be captured in the cover article in this past Sunday’s New York Times real estate section entitled “Homeownership, the Key to Happiness?” Basically, it can be summed up by the Beatles refrain “Money Can’t Buy You Love.” or you may choose a direct quote from the article itself:
“The reality of maintenance and repairs, and being ‘house rich but cash poor,’ can negate much of the perceived happiness people may have had about homeownership,”
So then, what does make people happy when it comes to where they live? That too can best be summed up with a direct quote from the article:
Moving farther inland would have meant a larger place for less money, but a much longer commute. “I can spend my time biking rather than driving to work,” she said. “That changes the way I use my time.”
By now you might be thinking “Wait a minute, didn’t I already read an insightful story that came to the same conclusion several months ago?” Yes readers you did, right here at LICtalk.
Whichever article you did read first, just keep in mind the moral of the story: Be wary of more space in the ‘burbs, it may not be worth the trade-off.
Homeownership, the Key to Happiness? – channeling LICtalk
Affordable Housing in LIC? Many Residents Say Not at All – griping about rents, LIC’s national pastime …for which there is no All-Star game
MoMA PS1 Gets Expansion Funding – what do I need to do to secure $3 mil for more space? Ok, how about 10 bucks a month for bike storage?
More Afternoon Service for Da G Train? – “These recommendations will allow the G to keep pace with skyrocketing growth in Brooklyn and Queens”
Doe Fund Will Start Cleaning Streets In Hunters Point – 3 mil for MoMA PS1, and now JVB secures 65K for street cleaning
A Councilman Wants Koch’s Name Removed from the Queensborough Bridge – there’s a reason this story is last …yawn
by editor 3 Comments
No spiel today, just news in a shotgun format:
Shady Park still under repair …no sprinklers yet at Rainbow Park …and I’m hearing that the “Gantry South” opening is now backed up until late July, though by appearance it looks completed. Plus, if you haven’t been able to view it yourself, there is a huge dog run in the new section of Gantry.
The New York Times lead article in the Real Estate section yesterday, was about the changes being made to the amenities in large residential buildings. On that topic, the two Avalon buildings on Center Boulevard are shuffling amenities. Avalon South will be losing its gym completely in order to make room for a daycare center. Avalon North will pick up the slack by expanding and renovating its gym, taking space from its community room to do so.
In the bad new/good news category, as mentioned last week in the comments, the Court Square Library is closed until further notice. On the other hand, as I told you back in June: this Saturday we get free beer in LIC, compliments of Brooklyn Brewery! Wow, just thinking about that makes the heat this week a little more bearable. Prost!
The Total Long Island City Immersion – free beer, those two words make Mondays a lot easier to cope with
Failed Condo Fetches $85 million as Rental – Ahh the Crescent Club, where dreams do come true …for some.
Looking For Fun In All the Queens Places – NYT reviews a new app that lists all the events happening in Queens
Good Friends, Big Helpings – new bbq restaurant in Jackson Heights from LIC’s JB Smokehouse
In sympathy with the people of Brooklyn and Queens, LICtalk once again goes dark this year with no photo, just like the East River.
Dear Potential Mayor of New York in 2014,
A lot has changed since 1976, the first year that Macy’s sponsored the Fourth of July fireworks show. First of all, the city was less than a year removed from almost declaring bankruptcy. Secondly, Queens-based All In The Family was entering an unprecedented fifth year in a row as the number one-rated television show, implanting a very negative connotation of the borough’s inhabitants, and thus the borough itself, on the rest of the nation. And finally, the Corner Bistro only had one worldwide location.
Fast forward to 2013 and we have people paying $90 million dollars for a single NYC apartment, Queens being touted as the most diverse borough in the world, and with its LIC outpost opening last year, a one hundred percent increase in Corner Bistro’s. With such a huge change in the socioeconomic situation in New York City over the last 37 years, why do we still have only one sponsor and one side of Manhattan receiving fireworks? Do you think the NFL has been so generous to its sponsors(the networks) in that time, as its audience has grown and grown-up? No. Therefore, it’s time to put the screws to Macy’s: either double down on fireworks, or competition is coming.
Finally, to all candidates for Mayor of New York, I leave you with a little math quiz. Do you know what the most populous borough in the City of New York is? Brooklyn, with 2.6 million residents. Do you know what the second most populous borough in the City of New York is? Queens, with 2.3 million, followed by Manhattan with 1.6 million. Put another way, Brooklyn and Queens have roughly 40% and 30% more voters than Manhattan, capisce?
The Editor
c.c. Helen Marshall, Marty Markowitz, Jimmy Van Bramer
Behind The Scenes of Our District – NY1 video w/ Jimmy VB as he shows us around the ‘hood, starting w/ the new waterfront park
Gantry Park Landing Starts Leasing Next Week – this building is right next to the park, and here is the menu of prices
MoMA PS1 Warm-Up #1 pics – will make you jealous if you weren’t there
Hostels Could Flourish If NYC Council Gives Approval – LIC would be a big beneficiary, and mentions Andrew Nimmer of Sunlite Capital who is building a hostel here
New Orleanian is National Cheesemonger Champ – some say they won the US Open at Shinnecock or Merion, this guy was crowned national champ in LIC