I’m feeling ornery, which is unusual because this feeling tends to come more often at the beginning of a work week than at the end.  Maybe I’m just jonesing for a little Oktoberfest, or maybe it’s the actual LIC news this week.  Take for example the announcement about the new library dedication occurring next Friday, October 5 at 10:30am.  The rationale for holding the dedication is to “symbolically plant the seed of the library.”  What the heck does that mean?  We all know it is just a meaningless photo-op for politicians, but of course it could backfire if this thing doesn’t get built.  Alas, I’ll have to miss the extravaganza as I am flying to Munich next weekend for a little rehabilitation.  More importantly, the article mentions that the library is now scheduled to be completed in 2014, not 2013 as previous reports had indicated.  No surprise there really, as anyone passing by the empty lot this whole summer would not have seen any work being done.  Some other details about the library is it will include an amphitheater, a reading garden with panoramic views, a children’s area, a teen area, a cybercenter, a conference room, and an adult reading collection(consisting solely of the 50 Shades trilogy).  How about a massage room and a car wash too?  All kidding aside, Steven Holl is a big name architect and between his involvement and the location on the water, this will be a world class building, if it ever gets completed.  Think Bilbao!

Guess what parents, there are a whole lot of small group classes all around LIC for your young’uns in all different disciplines: music, exercise, sports, language.  Unfortunately they are all fragmented and not always well publicized.  Several weeks ago I mentioned Super Soccer Stars and at some point I will try to cobble together a comprehensive list and publish it.  In the meantime, here is another recommendation from UnderPressure Mom:

Hello everyone – I wanted to let you know that the Yoga Room will be doing a 3-5 year old class on Wednesdays – starting this week.  The teacher Jodi is terrific and my kids love her/ the class.  There is a two class intro for new students for $30.  $15/ class.  For those of you that work (like me)… I think they will be able to do it on their own – or your sitter can go

New Hunters Point Library Is On The Way – will you still be here for it?

Horse Meat On Menu Raises Eyebrows – get ready for PETA protests in LIC

Aerosol Cans Run Dry, 5Pointz Out of Time – wistful departure

Inner City Roof Farming

Latin American Artists Meet LIC – new exhibit at art gallery on 44th Ave.

Illegal Sewer Line At Hallets Cove? – the downside of all the growth going on

Greenpoint: New Developments and What To Do – TONY’s spin on the ‘hood just below us

R.A. Dickey Wins 20th Game for the Mets – Center Boulevard resident shows the country that 37-year olds can still have game!

Hit “Publish”, go downstairs and get a cab, and I am off for my annual August jaunt to St. Tropez!  Oh man, where are all the taxis?  It’s a good thing I live in Queens and have 45 minutes before my flight to Nice takes off from JFK.  Anyway, I am going to use this column to practice my Franglais and get a a little head start on my tip for mixing in with the locals.  It usually begins on the plane as I flirt with the stewardesses attending to me in First Class.  Unfortunately they all speak fluent English, so my attempts at French end up being of minimal value.  Then, after I land, I test it again by joking with the Immigration and Customs officials.  Though I think that last August it might possibly have been the reason I was given a full “examen du corps” in a separate chambre.  By the time I get into the taxi to the hotel, I am too exhausted to even bother with anything but English.  Unfortunately most French cabbies don’t speak a word of it, inevitably resulting in major snafus such as ending up at L’Hotel Ouest instead of L’Hotel Est across town, sacre bleu!

Yet my attempts at going native inevitably perk up again by sunset as I down my first glass of champagne.  By midnight I am in full throng, and sprinkling in a few words of Spanish in my lightheadedness.  By the time I’ve hit double digit cocktails, it is not uncommon for me to affect a British accent to augment the aforementioned.  Finally, come dawn, I am usually incoherent and dancing naked by myself in Le discotheque.  At which point it really doesn’t matter, because all the women are speaking Russian, and they are giving nothing away.

Hey reader, might you be in St. Tropez at this time?  Maybe we can hookup?  You can find me late night every night at Les Caves du Roy.  Just ask le garcon pour “L’Editeur.”  Trust me, he knows exactly who I am.

Mais je digresse, and there is alot of LIC information to report on in the last week.  I am happy to say that most of it is good, and some of it is great.  First off, is the news of another beer garden, this one coming to the waterfront, as previously hinted at about a month ago.  Now we get confirmation and a lot of detail and photos, including the fact that it is expected next summer.  I should just stop there and leave for my vacation humming from that news, but there is also an excellent article from the Philly Enquirer about taking the family on a culinary trip through Queens.  It commences in LIC and there are a lot of very good ethnic recommendations.  Plus the author is a huge fan of the boro, so dig in!  Lastly, as I mentioned, I will be away for a little while so there will not be any updates.  In the meantime, I highly recommend you take the time to read through the previous post, especially if you have, or are expecting to have children and live in LIC.

Finally, I am happy to report on a new restaurant coming to Long Island City.  It is called OpenDoor and it will be located on 50th Avenue between Vernon and Jackson(next to Ihawan).  I spoke with one of the owners, Nick Guitart, who will also be the chef, and he told me they will be serving “affordable, small, American plates” and that they expect to be open by October.  C’est magnifique, see you in a week! …or deux.

Floating Beer Garden Dropping Anchor In LIC – I expect that by next summer people will be coming to LIC in August instead of St. Tropez

The World Comes To Queens – what’s the next best thing to a beer garden?  A cheesesteak!  So these Philly people know what they’re talking about when it comes to food

The 30-Minute Interview: Justin Elghanayan – how timely!  They expect to start renting the 700 apartments in the Spring, and will be following it up with 1100 more, for a total of 1800!  “Hello Justin, have you heard about the school situation in the neighborhood where your biggest project is finishing?”

New York Graffiti Haven Braces For Gentrification – per the owner “C’est La Vie”

Jersey City Development Is On The March To Greater Heights – concludes with “Eat your heart out,Long Island City”  Umm no dear Post author, I think the comparison you meant to make was with Ft. Lee

Bike Share Program Delayed Until Spring Says Mayor

Socrates Sculpture Park’s 25th Anniversary

Giant JetBlue Sign Lands On Queens Plaza Rooftop – too bad they don’t fly to France

Why Is the World Trade Center Lit Up Red?

There is not a lot of LIC news today, and what did make the cut is not very meaningful.  Most importantly, none of it is sordid.  Therefore I will use this sparse and chaste day to entertain and enlighten you, and possibly make you a little jealous, with a tale of LIC’s past.  Courtesy of the LICtalk wayback machine, we take you to the very beginning of the 21st century, when the Long Island City waterfront was just a one hit …err building wonder and a man named Clinton was in the White House.  When I say “jealous”, remember when reading the prices in the first article, dated February 27th of 2000, that the dot-com bubble was almost at it’s pinnacle as the Nasdaq Index would hit its all time high three weeks later.  In tandem with that cresting, NYC real estate prices had skyrocketed over the previous five years, and also were in a speculative frenzy as everyone’s net-worth, on paper anyway, had exploded, and thus people were feeling very flush.  Furthermore, every banker and trader on Wall Street had just pocketed seven figure bonuses, solely for being alive(oh the good times)!  One location absolutely no one was looking to place that lucre, was in gritty and unfashionable Long Island City.  Thus I have the set the stage, fasten your seat belts cause here we go, to the land of $210M two bedrooms —->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If You’re Thinking of Living in Long Island City, Queens circa 2000 – hmm, I’m not so sure the “next bohemia” thing worked out as planned, but the rest of the article was quite prescient

LIC Food Truck Lot Forced to Scale Back

LIC Rises To The Top For Bakers

Year Of The Takeout – today featuring a dish from Vernon Boulevards ‘New City Kitchen Express’

Answers To Questions About New York – LIC signs

Hotels Pop Up In Brooklyn, Can Queens Be Far Behind?  – tres Queens?

I do not know what all the hype is about, never have I ever seen anyone reading this book on the 7 train.  Plus it has no pictures, I hear.  C’mon folks, this is nothing but a 21st century version of Penthouse Forum.  I have been raving about the writing in the ‘Forum’ for decades, and personally felt it belonged in the New Yorker, but then again I may not be the best person to distinguish between high and low brow.  Maybe all I can ask is that the new library carry the book so we can judge for ourselves ….if it isn’t out of print by then.

Let’s step away from the seamy and move onto another type of grunt work, and from fantasy to reality.  It’s 2012 people,  state and municipal budgets are severely constrained, thus it is increasingly going to be up to individuals to organize and participate in providing a lot of the services that we as a community have come to expect.  With that in mind, someone(maybe several people?) took it upon themselves to start an organization called “Friends of Gantry Neighborhood Parks”, in recognition of the need to maintain the incredible park that acts as our backyard.  He started it, all you need to do is show up!  Ok, you do need to go to the website and fill out a form beforehand(welcome to eco-friendly volunteerism in the litigious America of today).  They have two events this weekend and if you have a hankering for helping out, or just a desire to get your hands on something dirtier than a tepid book, check’em out!

Finally, it is the weekend, and I do not want to burden you with any serious reading about any more of the grave issues facing us.  Therefore I have cleared the decks of all other news to pass on a story that would so overwhelm them anyway you probably would have ignored the links, and my dry analysis of them.  Ladies and Gentlemen of Long Island City, I have given you sex, I have given you rocks, and now, as if living in this town was not already extraordinary enough, I give you BEER!

Sip Suds From New Long Island City Microbrewery – NOW we really do live in nirvana!

Gantry Plaza State Park Gardening

Saturday, June 23, 10 AM to Noon

Garden in Gantry Plaza State Park 
Join volunteers from Friends and New York Cares as we tend to the ongoing weeding, mulching and removal of invasive species necessary to keep the gardens and grounds healthy and looking great.  The work of the volunteers is critical to augment the work of the park’s staff.  This week we will be concentrating on the weeds among the tall grasses and euonymus near the waterfront along the esplanade.  Long pants may be a good idea unless you don’t mind wading into the tall grass.  Meet at the refreshment kiosk by the playground.  Click here for mapTo volunteer
Everyone who wishes to volunteer in Gantry Plaza State Park needs to print out and complete a Volunteer Service Agreement located here and bring it to a meeting prior to or with them on the day of the event.  This form needs to be completed by volunteers only once per calendar year.

Street Tree Care and Pruning

Sunday, June 24, 9:30 AM to Noon

Meet in the Citylights building lobby, 4-74 48th Avenue, Long Island City, NY. 11109

www.FriendsofGantry.org

Greetings residents of Long Island City and thank you for visiting this website.  Whether you are an LIC-news obsessed junkie or a Manhattan-centric careerist vacillating amongst job offers from Goldman, Blackrock, and Kazoo.com, this site is for you.  More likely you are somewhere in between, and guess what: this site is for you too, as we provide links to all the LIC news, events, openings, closings etc.   Then we encapsulate and highlight it all and throw in a little analysis and an occasional rumor.  So if you have been asking yourself  “Hmm, alot seems to be happening in this neighborhood, I wonder where I can get information and updates on it all in a concise manner?”  The answer is LICtalk.com!

In addition, we invite you to use the “Comments” as a forum for both the articles in the post and for all the hot issues facing Long Island City today.  Whether they be articulate and witty, fact filled and mundane, or rantingly profane(with some limits), we welcome all comments and it is very easy to do.  Also, can’t find an answer to a pressing LIC question?  Ask it in the “Comments” to all your neighbors, someone probably knows and will respond.

Finally, we have been updating the site twice a week, usually at the beginning of the work-week and the end of the work week.  You can follow us on Twitter at @lictalk to know exactly when we post plus  receive occasional news flashes.  In the meantime, we invite you to peruse our past postings to find out all that has been happening in the neighborhood.  In no particular order(if you are a Yankees fan #10 is at the bottom, if you are a Mets fan we saved the best for last) here are the ten topics we have posted on in the past that might be of interest:

What Do The Light Colors On The Empire State Building Represent On This Night?

What Is That Huge Construction Project At The Southern Tip Of Roosevelt Island?

What It Costs To Hold A Wedding In Gantry State Park

When Did the Corner Bistro LIC Open And Who Told You First?

What Is The Name Of The Gazillionaire Who Owns The Taxi Fleet On Vernon Boulevard?

What Is Happening On That Empty Lot On 47th Avenue Adjacent To The Playing Field?

What Is That Burned Out Black Spot On The Gantry State Park Deck And How Did It Get There?

Which Spas In LIC Supposedly Might Be Giving More Than A Massage?

Where Is The New Indian Restaurant Coming To LIC Going To Be Located?

Which New York Mets Are Living In The New TF Cornerstone Building?

Start Searching!