Parks and Library

TWO FIREWORK SHOWS, TWO SPONSORS?

July 2, 2013 by editor 12 Comments

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

MoMA PS1 WARM UP 2013, M WELLS STEAKHOUSE, SHADY PARK UPDATES

June 17, 2013 by editor 4 Comments

For your post-Warm Up munchies, or in case the line at M Wells Steakhouse is too long

Oh man, I know the LIC Flea brought alot of activity to the neighborhood this weekend, but otherwise I’ve been getting ants in my pants for some new news. Well today my wish was answered, and in typical fashion it came in a bunch of threes. First off, MoMA PS1 finally announced its Warm-Up series line-up, a month later than usual. If you want to know what the Warm-Up is, check out my preview post from last year, it gives a perfect description in two sentences. Then comes the long awaited news from the LICPost that M Wells Steakhouse is finally about to open next month. Finally, the construction in Shady Park has actually begun, or at least they put up a big new fence around the damaged portion.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to ride on one of the seaplanes that use the East River as a runway all summer? Well there was a great article published on Saturday, giving a first hand account of just such a flight. Sadly, it is the very last article written by Jason Sheftell, as the 46-year-old Daily News real estate reporter was found dead in his Manhattan apartment today. I quoted Jason, amongst other “incredibly well attuned” real estate panelists, in a post back in April, and was really struck by his enthusiasm and insight into the NYC real estate market in general, and LIC in particular. I urge you to go back and read all of his quotes, but will leave you with this beauty, as I think(and thought at the time), that it was a perfect summary of the lifestyle in LIC:

“The people here are a little more relaxed than Manhattan or Brooklyn. They don’t get into fights in lines. Maybe it’s because they can see the sky.”

MoMA PS1 Warm Up 2013 Schedule – my how we’ve progressed from the disco ball in the high school gymnasium

M Wells To Open Steakhouse Next Month – carnivores unite!

5Pointz Owner Discusses Site’s Future – there’s two sides to every story …and then there’s LICtalk

Airborne Trip to Hamptons Means Splashy Views of Cityscape

Jason Sheftell, Daily News real estate reporter, Dies at 46

LOOKING BACK ON: THE TURMOIL OVER ARRIS LOFTS

June 11, 2013 by editor 6 Comments

Congrats to grads, and welcome newcomers to high school ...or maybe not — Congrats to grads, and welcome newcomers …or maybe not

It’s a slow news week in Long Island City, so we here at LICtalk are going to employ an old journalism trick to drum up fresh content: the rehash! Today’s version, focusing on all the problems at Arris Lofts shortly before and after the 2008 economic meltdown, are an interesting contrast to the current real estate frenzy in LIC. During the period that the turmoil was most intense, late 2007 through mid 2010, the real estate website Curbed referred to Arris Lofts as a possible rival to One Madison Park for the amount of trouble and lawsuits it has generated. Curbed would go on to say “Once the can of worms that is Long Island City condo conversion Arris Lofts is opened, there’s no predicting what will happen.” and noted that “the building was the subject of a number of epic Curbed threads.” Here then, is an abridged chronology of Curbed’s stories during this period. Check them all out at the link provided, not to mention the comments.

September 2007 – Hookers Patrolling the Area

January 2008 – Tenant Revolt Brewing Over Building Management

April 2008 – Vast Emptiness and Plenty of Condos

April 2009 – Motivated Sellers, followed by the inevitable…

May 2009 – Brokerage Switch

August 2010 – Buyers Trying to Back Out of Purchases

Coming back to the reality of today, the WSJ has a story out about how NYC’s population is going to grow even more rapidly than expected over the next few decades, and questions where are we going to house the one million person increase. You know what their answer is don’t you? LIC! …and a few other spots in Queens. Then comes news from Jimmy Van Bramer’s office that work has begun on Shady Park:

“I am pleased that work is currently underway to fully restore Andrews Grove Park in Long Island City,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “Immediately after Hurricane Sandy hit, my office took action, working closely with local residents and the Parks Department to help expedite this process and get our beloved park, known to so many local children and residents as Shady Park, back open. Once the project is finished all amenities, including the swing set, safety surfaces, fencing as well as both play areas will be accessible to community residents this summer.”

Then, in a melding of my two absolute favorite topics, comes the news that Lloyd Blankfein delivered the 2013 commencement speech to LaGuardia Community College last week.

Finally, we get to an important upcoming meeting for the community:

The Zoning of I.S. 291 with CEC members Valarie LaMour and Jeffrey Guyton – Tuesday, June 18, 2013 8:00 PM

Wow, out of thin air I managed to manufacture enough fluff to waste an hour of my time, not to mention yours. I’m really getting good at this news business.

Curbed’s Arris Loft Articles – read all about how they were practically giving condos away five …err three years ago

City’s Boom Spurs A Need For Housing – with a nice pic of Gantry Park

IS 191 Zoning Meeting – click here for all the details. This decision will determine who gets entry to the schools, LIC or others.

Lloyd Blankfein’s Horatio Alger Story For New Graduates – Lloyd speaking the gospel in LIC

UPGRADE COMING TO HUNTERS POINT BASKETBALL COURTS

May 28, 2013 by editor 3 Comments

Local resident, father, and hoops player Nathan Kamp, is in dialogue with the State Parks Department to bring a much needed upgrade to Hunters Point Park on 48th Avenue. His request list includes straightforward items such as resurfacing and relining the three courts(and also the handball courts), painted center court LIC logos, and new backboards and rims. The latter items are necessary to add nets to the rims, as the current ones do not have “ringlets” which enable the attachment of nets. Bigger wish list items include a redesign of the current park to include more seating around the courts to make it family and spectator friendly. Adding a bathroom structure, park office, and drinking fountain, as well as netting to keep balls out of residential areas. Finally, in the while-we’re-at-it category, he throws in a revamp of the toddlers play area on 5th Street, which has been closed for over a year and has become a real eyesore in the neighborhood. Nathan’s goal is for the park to become a cornerstone of the community and a place for kids to not just play basketball, but also to learn via park leagues and skills camps.

It is the spearheading of projects such as these, that are going to make LIC the best community in the nation. Not to mention the nexus of future Hall of Famers in Springfield. Basketball is the penultimate pick-up sport in America, and having these courts right in the heart of the community is a real boon for all the young here, boys and girls. But it requires recognition, action, and follow through to make it happen. Kudos to Nathan for doing so.

Reminder: One week from today, on Tuesday June 4th, is Taste of LIC. Also, this Saturday, June 1, from 11am – 3pm is the annual PS78Q PTA Spring Fair with games, rides, food, and drinks. Tickets are sold at the fair. Both these events are mandatory stops on the LIC social circuit: PS78 PTA Soiree -> LICAO -> PS78 Spring Fair -> Taste of LIC -> MoMA PS1 Warm-Up Series -> LIC Basketball Tourney? -> Halloween Parade -> …yeah you get the picture. We’re now rivaling Manhattan’s scene for socialites, athletes, celebs, and eurotrash. So keep your tuxes spiffy.

8th Annual Taste of LIC – Tuesday June 4th. Click on link to buy tickets.

Taste of LIC Bringing Bites to Queens Waterfront – a two-hour feeding frenzy by the water, plus a raffle, auctions, rapper Champagne Jerry, political speeches, you know the drill

Stuck in The City, There’s Lots To Do – even the NYT gives a shout out to Taste of LIC. Is this a sign?

Five Story Building Rising Across From PS1 – just like Taste of LIC, every nook n cranny of LIC is being stuffed, in this case w/ residential real estate

LIC’s Z Hotel to Offer Rooftop Yoga Classes – plus a Saturday rooftop party series as well. Wonder if you can get a combo ticket? Then you can hit on tourists in the morning and at night.

The Boozy LIC Special at Sweetleaf – LIC makes Paper Magazine, the beginning of our ascent …or descent?

GANTRY PARK GOING TO THE DOGS

May 20, 2013 by editor 23 Comments

OK readers, today we give you a guest commentary on a hot button topic here in LIC. I have added some of my own thoughts at the bottom:

I love living in Long Island City. As a mother of two small children, it is a perfect spot for our family, and Gantry State Park is a major selling point. The completion of the grass lawn and playground a few years ago really made this location worth staying in. It’s safe, clean, and a great place for my children to meet and play with other kids.

Dogs have always been allowed in the Park in designated areas, such as the piers. Signs around the park inform dog owners where their pets were not allowed. These rules were obeyed until recently, right up until the leasing of the new TF Cornerstone buildings. Some dog owners started bringing their dogs in behind the furthest building, where construction is still going on. I guess they figured that the Parks employees couldn’t see them over there. From my apartment, I also saw dogs in the great lawn early in the morning. When my daughter almost stepped in a big pile of dog poop in the grass lawn, I confronted the Parks employees. They told me that some dog owners stole the ‘no dogs allowed’ signs and many others refused to obey the rules.

It now seems as if dogs are allowed in the park because I see them that regularly. However, they are NOT. With the addition of these dogs also comes the smell of pee on warm days, as well as the smell of poop and increased droppings of dog poop. I spoke to the Parks supervisor and he told me that the dog owners sued the State for access and the owners lost.

I do not hate dogs. I love dogs. My family has owned many dogs while we grew up. What I don’t like is adults who deliberately break rules. When my daughter was 2, she was playing in some leaves in the neighborhood and ended up picking up dog poop with her hand because it wasn’t picked up. During the hot summer months, we have to hold our breaths for half a block around each of the apartment buildings because of the smell of dog pee around them. So be it, that’s life in the big city. Yet it was nice to have one place where we could feel safe to bring our children. This Spring, I couldn’t let my daughter pick dandelions in the park because I had seen dog owners letting their dogs pee on them.

If dog owners want rules changed, then fight the State to have them changed. Until the law is changed, then they should abide by the rules. Dogs are allowed on the piers. There is a dog run on Vernon and TF Cornerstone is looking to put another dog park in by the new buildings. But the dog owners should really respect the current rules as well as think about the little babies and toddlers and even the older kids and adults who want a place where they can play and lay down and not have to worry about getting feces on themselves. Just like dogs have designated areas, people should be allowed designated areas as well.

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Here’s the dual problem as I, The Editor, see it. By not enforcing the “No Dogs in Gantry Park” rule, a few people start bringing their dogs in, thereby setting a precedent, and opening the flood gates. The park rangers are in a tight spot, as other than telling people they can’t bring their dogs in, they have no other enforcement capabilities. Furthermore, they can’t be in all places at all times. On the other hand, there has been some very poor planning, as Center Boulevard no longer has an official, dedicated dog-run. Fortunately, there is a partial solution. As anyone who has been by the QueensWest Field in the last year knows, there is an unofficial dog run just north of it by the picnic tables. The solution is to get rid of the never-used tables, fence it all in, and make it an official dog-run. That should take about 72 hours. As a token of your appreciation for dispensing my Solomonic wisdom, you can call it the LICtalk Dog Run.