News Archives Back to Main

March 22, 2008

Crane collapses of moons past in Queens

In September 2006, a crane operated by a window washing company fell through a ventilation grate while two employees were working on a building at St. John's University. Again, no one was injured.

In July 2002, a 170-ton crane operating without a permit at the State Supreme Courthouse in Jamaica collapsed, critically injuring the operator and giving a court employee cuts from broken glass. Fire officials said the foundation where the wheeled vehicle was parked appeared to have given way under its weight.

A fatal crane accident occurred in 1995 in the Sunnyside Rail Yards in Long Island City, when the crane collapsed and hurled its operator from the cab.

More at the Ledger

Posted by Amol at 02:00 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

February 12, 2008

Apparently you can get WiMax in LIC

If Mercedes can have it...

Some small companies end up cutting the cord altogether. When Lou Weisenbacher, who manages IT for Silver Star Motors, called up its Internet provider to get service outages fixed, he was told that he was out of luck. The Long Island City, N.Y., Mercedes-Benz dealership was located near an area notorious for problems.

Silver Star used an Internet connection from Broadview Networks Inc., but the underlying network was owned by Verizon Communications Inc., meaning Broadview had little control over the quality of service.

Last August, Silver Star switched over to a wireless WiMax service from Towerstream. "We've never gone down since," Mr. Weisenbacher says. Silver Star pays less than $400 a month for its WiMax connection, compared with $800 a month for the traditional Internet provider.

Verizon spokeswoman Heather Wilner says there had been service issues in the area as a result of flooding and construction workers accidentally cutting its cable. But the service issues have been resolved, she adds.

Limited Market?

Towerstream says 65% of its 900 customers are in the small- and midsize-business category. Business Only says roughly two-thirds of its 300 customers are small and midsize operations.

Posted by Amol at 12:43 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

December 09, 2007

Local roundup

Gioia, our local councilman, writeup in the Daily News. What are his intentions?

Veterans shelter near Fresh Direct reopens. Er, hurray?


No dorms for CUNY Grad Center on the waterfront?

Posted by Amol at 10:57 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

November 20, 2007

Getting bankier

Yet another bank, Sovereign, just opened near Court Square. Now the total includes: Citi, Bank of America, HSBC, Chase, Sovereign and coming soon at Jackson/50th is M&T Bank. Before you know it, there will be a Federal Reserve of LIC...


More

Posted by Amol at 06:31 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

November 07, 2007

Meet (and drink with) Eric Gioia

Our local politico. Don't miss him.

MONDAY-NOVEMBER 19
MEET & GREET
COUNCILMAN
ERIC GIOIA
AT
COURT SQUARE
WINE & SPIRITS
2420 JACKSON AVE.
LONG ISLAND CITY
(718)707-9911
FROM
6:30-9:30

WE WILL BE POURING
WINES AND SPIRITS
FROM
FOUR DISTRIBUTORS

Astoria Prosecco
Abbona Dolcetto San Luigi
Heron Merlot
Jaboulet Muscat Beaumes
de Venise
D'Arenberg Shiraz The Footbolt
Mulderbosch
Faithful Hound
Giesen Sauvignon Blanc
Los Vascos Chardonnay
Trentadue Old Patch Red
Kangarilla Road
Cabernet Sauvignon
Grant Burge Riesling
Cristalino Brut
Knob Creek Bourbon
Maker's Mark


Catered by

Sage American Kitchen
www.sageamericankitchen.com

Posted by Amol at 05:06 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

November 06, 2007

Strike!

Walk by Silvercup to see your favorite comedy stars.

More

Posted by Amol at 05:27 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

August 26, 2007

LIC in the news roundup

A record number of LIC mentions in the news this week. A few meriting big news, but also some smaller ones:

- Epic walker. OMG he walked all the way to LIC!! More
- Movies at Socrates. More
- "Float" exhibition at Socrates gets some press. More
- Outward Bound, the kids learning/adventure organization is based in LIC. More
- The Starbucks Workers Union is based in LIC. Who would have thought we'd be home base for the great campaign against Big Coffee? More
- It's about the views of Manhattan, not from Manhattan. More LIC mentions along with Wburg and other condo capitals. More

Posted by Amol at 11:22 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

Those firefighters at WTC are from the LIC station

You may remember a couple years ago when Bloomberg budget-cutting tried to close the firehouse here in LIC. It survived.

It was again in the news this week; those firefighters that got hurt at the recent fire and collapse at the WTC site were stationed out of LIC. More from NYT.

Posted by Amol at 11:01 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

July 11, 2007

Progress on the East Side Access/Sunnyside Station

Talk about seismic shifts in the offing. Another few skyscraper condos at Queens West are nothing. The mother of all LIC development drivers is still a long 5 years away from completion...but it's coming.

The LA transit authority has been admiring the progress recently at the big dig they are doing between Queens Blvd and Park Ave. Who thought the twain would meet?

Read more about what they are doing

Posted by Amol at 10:05 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

LIC's own bum/entrepreneurs

The NY Times has been known to report on Brookyln "like it was the Gaza Strip". Well, here we have a heart-warming piece about a homegrown entrepreneur, also known as the bum who sleeps in a car under the billboard on Vernon.

Read more

Posted by Amol at 09:55 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

July 01, 2007

Last year's blackout

Con Ed claims it was "lightning" that did it. Explain that to the thousands of people that had no juice during the heat wave. Heard of lightning rods...?

The NYT

Posted by Amol at 12:02 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

June 15, 2007

Recycle your clunker air conditioner

Right here in the hood, at Plaxall's parking lot.

Saturday June 23 at Hunters Point Plaza on Jackson Ave near the Pulaski. 10a-3p

Posted by Amol at 11:20 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

June 13, 2007

Events and Cultural Info at destinationlic.com

Some of you have already checked out destinationlic.com, a new site (still in the works) featuring LIC event listings and cultural news, and we've enjoyed hearing from you.

This week, we have extended information on a few summer kick-off events, like Socrates Sculpture Park's 6th Annual Summer Solstice Celebration on 6/21, and the first of P.S.1's Warm Up parties, scheduled for 6/30. And we're reminding everyone to check out this Friday's show at The Creek and the Cave, featuring music from five terrific bands and a giveaway.

Also, we recently chatted with the owner of Kika Hair Design--You can check out her story and hair care advice. There are tons of friendly business owners around town, and we'll be including more on local shops soon.

Please drop us a line if you have a question or comment, and if you have an event you'd like to share with the community, we'll post it. -Anne

Posted by DestinationLIC at 02:43 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

April 30, 2007

Coming soon to Court Square

Amol__042907_002.jpg

The nice not-so-little wine shop is taking over the neighboring spot too. "Court Square Gourmet" coming soon -- cheeses, meats, breads for your wines to pair with. Just what the corner needed.

And the commercial space in the Arris -- that monster area they have been using as a showroom? Gristedes. Old fashion NY grocery juggernaut comes to LIC. For those of you who were hoping W---- F----, get real. And anyway, you have the Saturday Green Market on 48th Ave.

Plus LICNYC hears buzz about another French bistro coming to the hood. Where will we hide it? Maybe in plain sight....

Posted by Amol at 11:34 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

April 29, 2007

New York Blood Center opens

They are here for 20 years. Rejoice!

Queens Chronicle - New York Blood Center Opens Doors In L.I.C.

Posted by Amol at 01:54 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

April 15, 2007

Those hotels are indeed coming

Those two hotels we were hearing about coming near the Queensboro Bridge and on Northern Boulevard are steaming forward. See the latest bits and the background from LICNYC.

Posted by Amol at 11:39 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

April 07, 2007

The 7 is back


Construction blues are over. Weekend 7 service is back.

Posted by Amol at 11:06 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

March 31, 2007

Not our City Comptroller


The NYC Comptroller -- William Thompson -- came to LIC this past week to suggest all kinds of "improvements" that strike LICNYC as unpleasant: more affordable housing and more power plants. Sounds exciting. Seems fashionable these days to ask for cheap housing to be built in LIC...when all the rest of Queens is already full of it. More.

The affordable housing is already in the works. Bloomberg announced a plan with the Port Authority to build 5,000 units on this site, which was once part of the Olympic bid plan's Olympic Village.

Click "continue" for a map of the 2nd street site.

Continue reading "Not our City Comptroller" »

Posted by Amol at 11:41 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

March 18, 2007

Local and organic. Can you beat it?

You can sign up for fresh produce from a nearby farm (on the Long Island North Fork) and organic to boot. Sign up for a "share" at their site.

Posted by Amol at 10:41 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

March 03, 2007

Sorry LIC, no 7


You'll have to walk 4 blocks to the E!

Posted by Amol at 02:45 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

February 28, 2007

7 train woes

No 7 train for all the weekends through March. :(

See updates here at Straphangers (and reviews -- don't complain so much, the 7 is the most frequent train in NYC)

Poor citizens of LIC... (from the Daily News)

The shutdown will continue for five more weekends.

"It's devastating," said Sheila Lewandowski, managing director of the Chocolate Factory Theater in Long Island City, Queens.

Lewandowski and her staff have been devoting much of their time in recent days to calling and e-mailing patrons who have purchased tickets in advance to alert them they won't be able to take the No. 7 to the theater.

Posted by Amol at 11:03 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

February 21, 2007

Development's woes

The folks at the GAHS are the caretakers of the LIC/Astoria historical endowment, and often find themselves getting worked up about new things happening here in the hood. For example, the "Moses era mega projects" going up all over the waterfront. LICNYC can't take too much issue, sadly, since replacing the vacant factory-fronts and electrical conduit doesn't seem to tragic.

lic-helmet.jpg
LIC fire dept helment (from ebay)

From coverage of a recent talk at the Quinn building: The images drew frequent, audible gasps of dismay as the crowd reacted to the differences between the old and new buildings. Comaskey several times referred to new structures as “cash cows” for developers and real estate professionals. “This is what’s happened to your neighborhoods, your homes,” he said. “It’s just nasty. It looks nasty, it feels nasty. It’s just not good construction.”

Posted by Amol at 10:05 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

January 29, 2007

Eric Baard and the Boathouse make good

Our own neighborhood boater and activist gets his name in the pro-development Sun today. Well done Eric!

Unlike community leaders in other fast-changing neighborhoods, Mr. Baard welcomes towers, like the new 15-story office building by Citigroup, and three new condo complexes, the highest rising to 20 stories, that are on the way. "They are efficient in terms of land use and energy use," he said.

With the pace of Long Island City's growth, it would be difficult for Mr. Baard effectively to oppose the new buildings. The local City Council member, Eric Gioia, estimates that 10,000 new housing units will be created in the Queens neighborhood in the next five years.

Activist Shapes Renaissance in Long Island City - January 25, 2007 - The New York Sun

Posted by Amol at 12:43 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

December 28, 2006

11101


LIC actually has two huge post offices - on 21st near PS1 is the federal style gem that looks like it was meant to serve all of Queens, and the other is the heavy-duty processing facility next to Tom Cat Bakery. People used to mail lots of stuff from LIC. Not so much these days.



The real peril round these parts is the package deliver -- 'Karen' doesn't like ringing the bell and then the lines to pick stuff up can get painful.



Pictured above - passport day (Thursdays).

Posted by Amol at 01:00 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

December 04, 2006

Swan LIC


Near the LIC Crab House on Sunday night: a beautiful swan!

Posted by Amol at 10:24 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

November 23, 2006

FreshDirect, every day

Remember when FD didn't even delivery to LIC? You had to trek over to that lame "pick up" window.

Well, time are changing. Now they deliver -- not just in those two tiny 3 hour windows all week -- but all week, every day.

LICNYC likes their pizzas.

Posted by Amol at 11:24 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

November 12, 2006

Fastest way to the Island





When you are next contemplating a trip to the East, you may think 'man, that Hunterspoint LIRR is really useless'. We're talking spring 2007 most likely, but maybe you like fall weather in the Hamptons.





Well, the HP stop is indeed a bummer. Just a few departures between 4 and 6 pm on weekdays to get you to Oyster Bay or Huntington.





The real action is from Woodside.





Glamorous Woodside is 10 min from Court Square on the 7 train. About 5 stops. '61st street-Woodside' if you are big on map-reading.





But from there you can pretty much catch it all. About half the LIRR lines go through Woodside, and the rest through Jamaica - which you can connect to.





While there, watch out for all the Queensiness - more Dunkin Donuts than Starbucks, if you follow our meaning.

Posted by Amol at 10:21 AM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

November 05, 2006

Marathon day in LIC

37,000 runners and a few thousand fans made their way through today.


The front runners (Kenyans...and this year a Brazilian)

Check out the pictures in our gallery

Posted by Amol at 08:30 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

October 29, 2006

Hometown Steven





London, Paris, Queens.

Posted by Amol at 10:22 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

July 23, 2006

Brownouts





At Tuk Tuk, they said the juice was only half-on. Overnight, LICNYC HQ had a quick on-off moment.





Pictured, the local substation. May not work but sure looks fabu.

Posted by Amol at 07:03 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

Business improvement district





Line up for your tax breaks.

Posted by Amol at 04:03 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

July 16, 2006

NYT in LIC





A measure of the reach of yuppiedom is how and where you get this rag. Well, it's here at Ctown on 21st.

Posted by Amol at 04:33 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this

May 14, 2006

Pesky old oil spill keeps drifting

Don't jump in that river the next time you overheat on the Pulaski. It's full of oil.

Exxon spilled almost 20 million barrels there (about double what the Valdez did) in 1978 over the course a long period (there was a leaky refinery). Well, we don't know where the oil is today. We think it's drifting toward LIC. Good thing our drinking water comes from elsewhere!

Queens Chronicle
Village Voice
From Curbed

Posted by Amol at 06:13 PM | | Save to | Digg! | Email this