Lyle Pinder and Rachel Hoskins took their first tentative salsa steps not far from their apartment on the windswept, once-industrial riverbank of Long Island City, Queens. But they were not exploring the gritty neighborhood, where they recently joined what was once a trickle of urban pioneers. They just took the elevator from their apartment to the plush gym-and-pool complex in their building, one of the row of glass towers that has gone up along the waterfront, for a free class included in their rent.
The pair — who, like many of their neighbors, are in their 20s and new to New York — became roommates via Craigslist and still use their Ohio and Maryland cellphone numbers. Trying to get the hang of the basic step at the dance class, they switched partners, dancing with the neighbors they had just met, Rémie and Oliver Christ and Tessa Orlyk. (Ms. Orlyk’s partner, Benjamin Hill, excused himself halfway through. “I’ve got a quiche in the oven,” he explained.)
Later, they could play billiards in the lounge, try out the “Lord of the Rings” pinball machine or watch “Nightmare on Elm Street” at Movie Night in the screening room or head to a party — all of it organized by Matthew Kohn, a kind of cruise director for the building, with the lofty title lifestyle manager.
When Home Is More Like a Cruise Ship
Enjoy it while it lasts, kids. So the focus is on rentals, eh?
27 comments:
A couple of boukarins buys a few units, and puts in 10 guest workers and charges them $300 a piece - that is $3k.
Now they stop by the amenities and wants salsa for them and their ckeeckees.
Better play it boys and girls. You will find what the word 'tweeder' means soon enough.
Meet mate and move.
THATS the way to build a strong community!
Hey LIQShitty. Queens West. LICNYC.
You have been quiet.
I just wanted to say how happy me and my family are now that these people have moved into my community and are getting rid of the riff raff.
Cleaned up the waterfront. New life on Vernon with all those restaurants.
A particular thanks to our community board and elected officals. They saw beyond their constituents and took the longer picture. Any community would be blessed by such tall people of heroic stature.
Pity that the taxpayer that paid for this - the long term residents, are still cheated when it comes to basic services.
But who cares? We have trees! We have bike lanes! We can buy dozens of teas!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
A 40 year resident
I wonder how the members of community board two would feel if they knew that their taxes were being used not to improve their own lousy services but create new services for these people who look down on them.
I cant' wait for some exotic minority group gets around to wanting to rent the space (it is Queens and they rule, you know) and the smell of curry or rat burgers lingers in the air and funishings for weeks afterward.
Feta cheese makes nice stains in the carpet.
Toothpicks thrown under couches tells you the sort of people the clubhouse is begging to bring in.
Post something about LIC, and see a bunch of jealous, uninformed, ridiculous comments pop up. You all keep complaining as LIC is transformed from a dump to one of the nicest and most exciting neighborhoods in all of NYC.
Now I know what I want to be when I grow up - a "Lifestyle Manager".
You all keep complaining as LIC is transformed from a dump to one of the nicest and most exciting neighborhoods in all of NYC.
-----------
I have lived here my entire life, asshole.
You can take away my community, you can take away my world, but you will never take away my voice.
Isn't it hysterical that they need all these so-called ammenities in their lofty ivory towers, so they can be spared the disgrace of actually having to walk the streets of LIC and possibly rub elbows with all of us unwashed natives! Fiddle while you can children, your phony waterfront utopia won't last long!
Say what you might about the original urban pioneers who crossed over from Greenpoint to escape rising rents. At least they found apartments in existing buildings, and interacted positively with the neighborhood, adding their unique touch like immigrant groups used to do in their neighborhoods.
Unfortunately, their arrival into neighborhoods usually kicks off the gentrification process, the labeling of the neighborhood as up-and-coming, the rising of rents, the closing of long time mom and pop staples, and their replacement with higher end businesses.
Then the developers step in, razing older, yet architecturally beautiful buildings that gave the neighborhood the character that attracted the newcomers in the first place. Then the "luxury condos" go up, and what was once a real neighborhood becomes a division between the haves and have nots. This is progress??
you all need to think of a way to welcome the progress in a manner that meets your desires. You aint the first to walk the streets of nyc and you certainly will not be the last. Instead of using profanity to voice opinions, for a civic group and mold the process. Get involved. Just look at the Dutch Kills Civic.
Instead of using profanity to voice opinions, for a civic group and mold the process. Get involved. Just look at the Dutch Kills Civic.
***************
hahahahahahahahahehehehehehehohohohoho
That group is the laughing stock of NY. You must be a crappie newbie!
The only group to upzone and bulldoze their community and think it progress.
Exhibit A of what happens when a community becomes isolated and developers (with the complicity of pols and media) take advantage of their backwardness.
New LIC like the Love Boat?
More like the Titanic, and we all know the end of that story!
Just wait until Isaac the bartender moves in!
But who cares? We have trees! We have bike lanes! We can buy dozens of teas!
They dont bike.They drive and take cabs.Hey dont be surprised developers and bloomterd have rammed yuppies and vapid sheep into LIC.There will be more unfortunately and the flight has happenned to every city in the U.S.Very unoriginal and the epitome of monocultural.
What?* Post something about LIC, and see a bunch of jealous, uninformed, ridiculous comments pop up. You all keep complaining as LIC is transformed from a dump to one of the nicest and most exciting neighborhoods in all of NYC.
Sorry buddy that is not the unique area you think your making it into.Your doing your duty to push out artists and affordable housing so I guess you dont respect people who have lived there for 50 years and taken over property from parents only to get pushed out to build some cheap thin condo, instead of the original beautiful brick 3 story.Go talk to people from the area at the Court Diner or the one on 11th and 48th.They are not happy with the change and that many more people are not welcome especially on the electric grid.You have bought into living in a cookie cutter,jammmed together,and toxic area that you pay wayyy too much for.Thats not an investment.Please reply silly exciting neighborhood kid, because I doubt you've made an effort to talk to anybody 40,50, or older in the area and care to ask what they think.Dumbo is boring and is losing arts & music and Battery park city is just a suburb in Manhattan.
* Then the developers step in, razing older, yet architecturally beautiful buildings that gave the neighborhood the character that attracted the newcomers in the first place.
Yes that sums it.Wine store and overpriced grocery.Thats culture?I wouldnt be surprised if these folks turn the five points arts building into condos.You dont want to piss off those people with your wallet culture.Lifestyle manager.Thats cute.Gosh people sometimes in the recent past actually produce goods in LIC that are tangible.
It is amazing how many people on this blog make up facts and make statements far from reality. Everyone I talk to in LIC love all the changes happening there. You can moan and complain all you want, but no one is listening to irrational statements.
Everyone I talk to in LIC love all the changes happening there.
-----------------------------------
Step outside the luxury condos and walk the strets pal. Talk to longtime residents, merchants, the cops in the 108. They will all tell you otherwise.
"Everyone I talk to in LIC love all the changes happening there."
What happens when you live in a vacuum.
Everyone I talk to in LIC love all the changes happening there. You can moan and complain all you want, but no one is listening to irrational statements.
There's a story about the '72 election I believe, probably apocryphal, but illustrative nonetheless. Supposedly the story goes, when Richard Nixon won the election and some NYC high fallutin liberal found out, they said: "How could Nixon have won? None of MY FRIENDS voted for him? How's that possible?"
The lessson here is: of course ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS think everything in LIC is simply peachy. Why don't you step outside your limited circle of friends, and get an honest unbiased opinion from others?
Now your 'cooking with gas', Wade.
Might be some hope for you afterall...
Perhaps the real lessson here is: of course ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS think that everything in LIC is going to hell. Why don't YOU step outside your limited circle of friends, and get an honest unbiased opinion from others instead of Queens Crap????
The new LIC is the cats ass. we will be rid of you riff raff soon enough.
Not true at all. We have you, friend, to tell us how great it is. That's the joy of Queens Crap.
If y'all would come out of your towers and mingle, we could converse about this directly.
"The new LIC is the cats ass. we will be rid of you riff raff soon enough."
Sounds like the new LIC is full of Archie Bunkers...
If y'all would come out of your towers and mingle, we could converse about this directly.
------
naw, we know the real LIC, the people that you look down on.
as you are being subsidized by our taxes, I think you have seen enough of us already.
uuuuuuuh,so what are the long time residents of LIC called since these folKK are the urban pioneers ?
You newbies to LIC are a joke. Sad little people who were dying to get out of their one horse town to ironically move into another one, except it's in NYC. You know you don't like it here, you don't hang out here, you don't shop here, you don't talk to anyone from the neighborhood, just the people in your building. You jump on the 7 and spend your time and money in Manhattan. It's hilarious that you people were suckered into buying these places. You may as well have rented a hotel room. YOu'll all be back in Ohio and Maryland soon enough. NYC's economy ain't what it used to be. Move back in with mom and dad.
**It is amazing how many people on this blog make up facts and make statements far from reality. Everyone I talk to in LIC love all the changes happening there. You can moan and complain all you want, but no one is listening to irrational statements.
You are really full of it kid.Again go to Court Square or the Diner on 48th and 11th,or the precint and actually ask a few different people from the neighborhood.Ive talked to a guy who lives on 11th for many years and is concerned about the buildings being pushed out.Hey remember the Irish bar on Vernon.I hope to remember the condo lemmings in a few years.Just because youve lived in the area for 3 years doesnt mean crap.In person you wouldnt be able to form a sentence and have a conversation about respecting the existing neighborhood.By the way the new Hunters Point is a laughing stock in lots of neighborhoods and thats no secret.Even Williamsburg laughs at your ultra yuppie cheesy remake.
Post a Comment