From the Queens Gazette:Several of the residents complaining about Lounge 47 agreed that its patrons do not seem to be local residents themselves, merely party-minded individuals making the Long Island City scene. One resident, Janet Belden of 46th Road, read a letter from Kenny Greenberg, a neighbor unable to attend the meeting. Greenberg wrote that the bar's staff exhibits contempt for any locals asking them to be a little less raucous. Belden said that her direct complaints have been met with, "Don't like it? Move!" from staff members or patrons. Others said that same expression has been shouted at them too. Beth Garrett, an 18-year resident with three young daughters, said the bar's back yard is particularly hard to take when packed with patrons who, in the words of another woman, act like celebrants at a keg party. Garrett's husband, William Garrett, said both liquor license and license transfer should be revoked... Another resident, Larry Long, said that Assemblymember Catherine Nolan in a letter sent to the board had observed that Vernon Boulevard is being developed as a long strip of bars and night spots with no regard for residents. Long said he was afraid residents were being written off as "just so yesterday".
Please understand that the "new LIC" has been designed to drive you folks out. Just read this and you will understand.
Photo from NY Magazine
58 comments:
"..the bar's back yard is particularly hard to take when packed with patrons who..act like celebrants at a keg party."
Get a garden hose. Connect it to your backyard spigot. Turn on the water - full blast. "Accidentally" aim it over the fence or wall.
Just say your're watering your plants.
18 year old, mother of three? wtf.
if you want quiet, move to the country.
Can't read?
"Beth Garrett, an 18-year resident with three young daughters"
An 18-year RESIDENT.
Want noise? Go party in Manhattan.
"if you want quiet, move to the country."
Typical asshole response. Noise complaints are the number one 311 call. So I guess there are a lot of people who live here who would like quiet.
I will move to the country, at your expense. Otherwise obey the existing laws regarding sound equipment and behavior.
Perhaps if you piss off the "old farts" enough and people start looking into the drug scene at your place you will live to regret it. Look what happened to Limelight.
Kenny Greenberg might be a "neighbor" to Lounge 47 at his neon lighting company, but unless he works there past midnight, it's a little hard to see how the bar affects him at home, a block-and-a-half away and around the corner.
No offense to Mr. Greenberg, just saying. And note that the letter was read by another neighbor at least a block-and-a-half away. I mean, I live 2-1/2 blocks away--if I say I don't hear the bar's noise, should that be taken as meaningful? Any chance some of these folks have their own agendas?
I was introduced to Lounge 47 more than two years ago. The atmosphere is easy-going, the staff is friendly and the cuisine is superb. There has never been a problem with noise levels when I've dined there.
Long live Lounge 47. It's a bright light in the redevelopment of Long Island City.
"Any chance some of these folks have their own agendas?"
What agenda would that be?
I am continually amazed by the folks who buy a former store in a commercial zone, use it as a house, and when a business opens up on the block they're shocked, shocked, at the noise. If you want a quieter area then buy on a side street in a residential zone and stop blaming a restaurant for being a restaurant.
Nice try, but LIC was mixed-use residential and manufacturing long before it was a strip of bars. Just because a certain element moved in and decided to make noise and the City decided to rezone the area to appease them doesn't mean the rest of the area needs to adjust. Welcome to Queens, assholes. This ain't the lower east side.
This IS Queens, and that is the problem.
Bars like this are intruding all over the place creeping down side streets, putting hooka pipes outdoors, etc.
As long as its ethnic, payoffs are being made, there is not a feaking thing you can do.
Call your councilman, and he is out fighting world hunger and getting a bank branch for Queensbridge.
If you live right on a commercial strip, you can't complain about reasonable noise.
This whole "I was here first" argument is just dumb. NYC is constantly changing. People are moving to LIC and making it a great destination now because of the changes. The neighbors of Lounge 47 should focus on making sure it meets requirements instead of trying to shut it down.
This other argument - if you want noise, go to Manhattan - is also dumb. Queens has millions of people living in it as part of New York City. This city does not cram all its urban qualities into Manhattan and its other boroughs are some quiet suburb. If you want a never-changing quiet place, move upstate.
Upstate is being overdeveloped, too, genius.
There are noise codes. After 10pm you are supposed to be quiet. Period. If the bar is making noise and it is affecting neighbors, then it's not up to the neighbors to "deal with it" it's up to the bar to curtail the noise. They don't seem to understand this.
Check out these reviews from NY Magazine. Sounds like there is an Archie Bunker waiter serving there and the place sucks.
Lounge 47 has been there for years. Now!?!?!...you are complaining.
Its not the Lounge 47 has moved in or changed - the neighborhood has and thats just the way it is.
People move out of Glendale and Middle Village all the time because the neighbors are arrogant, boring and closed minded.
Families with babies in LIC should move to Glendale and Middle Village for the same reason.
Not sure why you're bringing up other neighborhoods. Also if 18 year residents only started complaining about the place now, then the problems probably started recently. This is what happens when you encourage a temporary community.
Thx for pointing out those reviews, christo. The place is crap.
Since we live in such small apts we as social beings need places to congregate. That is why we have and NEED the lounges / restaurants / bars/ nightclubs / diners and now we are seeing more beergardens[YAY]. As someone who is AN actual NATIVE born NYC person and grew up in Manhattan the Lounge is very quiet compared to many other places and neighbors. If someone wanted to hang out in their backyard and talk all night long there is nothing in the noise code against that. Remembering back to the days before people had air conditioners was a time when people slept with their windows open and people learned to sleep thru the sirens garbage trucks quarreling couples screaming children that existed in a densely populated block. Vernon Blvd. has large trucks passing thru 24 hours a days and I wonder when the complainers will want that to stop too.
We need bars because apartments are so small? This has to be one of the dumbest statements ever. We have parks because apartments are so small. Bars exist to make money.
Excessive noise has always been unwelcome in NYC. But especially in the outer boroughs.
Funny that you left out this choice quote from the article that suggests the chief complainers might be a bit unreasonable:
"When told that a Sergeant Porter of the 108th had responded to requests to check out the bar's noise level and came away saying he found the situation tolerable, [William] Garrett suggested the sergeant was irresponsible and the command uncaring. Having aroused Conley's ire earlier, he now aroused that of Board Member Carol Terrano, who found his remarks about Porter offensive."
Not to say that the police should have the final verdict if a place is a nuisance or not, but that should count for something, right?
No it counts for absolutely nothing. The police will get a 311 call and then not respond or lie and said they did and saw or heard nothing. I had a Lt. from the 104th Pct's graffiti squad one time call me personally to tell me he went to the location to document graffiti I had reported to him and it was no longer there. I went the next morning to see for myself and lo and behold it was the same exact tag in the exact place I had reported it was.
Exhibit #2
Guys, can we have a more civil discussion? Less name calling would be helpful. People have different opinions. Let's talk about them rationally, make points, argue on the basis of these points. Let's not resort to calling each other things that are actually baseless and misinformed.
To Whom it may concern:
In the article “Vernon Boulevard Bar Draws Residents’ Wrath At Board 2″ in the June 10,2009 issue of The Western Queens Gazette, our reporter misunderstood comments made by William Garrett at a Community Board Meeting June 4th 2009 during the public comment section of the meeting. A long time resident of Long Island City, Mr. Garrett has always been an ardent supporter of the 108th Precinct and has worked along side many officers in the Community Affairs office over the years. A correction will appear in our next issue.
Thank you
Linda J. Wilson
Editor, The Queens Gazette
That's great.
I have been in LIC since 1977. There have been difficult changes and fantastic changes throughout the years, but overall it has been wonderful watching the neighborhood grow and evolve. Lounge 47 is one of the most pleasant establishments on Vernon Boulevard and a great place to have a drink and knosh on some bar food. They should be forced to keep it down, especially later in the evening. They should respect their neighbors and should be a positive force in the community. But there is no need to go stealing their liquor license. This area is slowly and steadily blossoming, and it would be a shame to nip it in the bud over a little noise.
Is this for real? Lounge 47 a problem on Vernon because according to some links a waiter lacks the ability to speak French? (And if you read the review, apparently the client didn't know the real meaning of the words a la carte despite dinging with Europeans *gasp*...)
I've been a customer a Lounge 47 for the last few years and have found it to be a food-orientated, cool place to hang out. I have never encountered a person in the place who was over-served alcohol, nor have I ever heard so much as an argument in the bar. The only trouble I have ever seen was a few weeks ago: my friends and I were sitting in the yard out back when a big splash of water was sprayed on a table opposite us who were eating dinner. It came from the next garden over. Our waitress came out and apologized to all in the yard. Nobody was being raucous, nor was anybody being loud. The crowd was mostly late 30/40s. Far from the keg-sucking crew this thread paints Lounge 47's customers as. I can't help but feel that there is a bitter and concerted effort to make Lounge 47 an issue, when it is not.
Lounge 47 is a small neighborhood restaurant. It is not some raucous club (as inferred by this write-up). It's customers are all folks from the surrounding blocks. The idea that people are flocking to the place from Manhattan is absurb. Also absurb are descriptions of staff being dismissive of LIC residents and/or the restaurant's own patrons.
Absurb?
Correcting spelling on-line is the Special Olympics of debate.
Yeah but you did it twice....
I like how this was linked on LIQ Shitty and all the pro-bar people came out of the woodwork.
QC, if you're going to repost a newspaper article, then you need to repost it in its entirety. You may not have thought so, but the paragraph you omitted was VITAL to the story and by leaving it out, it makes you look like you are trying to skew the facts to support your agenda.
We did not "come out of the woodwork". We really like Lounge 47 and the direction LIC is headed in. We hope it thrives. We hope more places just like it open. And you may disagree with those hopes, but looking through your blog, it doesn't seem that you like anything or anyone new coming to Queens.
Dare I ask what your gender, age, race, ethnic background is? What demographic do you fall into? And what neighborhood do you live in? If there are more than one of you writing this blog, everyone can join in on the question.
It would be nice to know who we are all talking to.
To "Anonymous". I never correct spelling on-line, though you claim I did it twice. Just another lie I suppose. Why don't you post your real name? Want to borrow a pair?
QC, if you're going to repost a newspaper article, then you need to repost it in its entirety.
Let me explain something to you all.
This is my blog. I do not NEED to do what you tell me to do. Yes, I have an agenda, as do you or you wouldn't be commenting on this. I excerpt from the article and provide the link to the original so you can read it for yourself. What was left out is highly irrelevant because the NYPD is for the most part not responsive to quality-of-life concerns like this.
it doesn't seem that you like anything or anyone new coming to Queens.
Not true, but you only see what you want to see I suppose.
Dare I ask what your gender, age, race, ethnic background is? What demographic do you fall into? And what neighborhood do you live in? If there are more than one of you writing this blog, everyone can join in on the question.
It would be nice to know who we are all talking to.
If LIQ Shitty didn't have to do it then neither do I (and yes, I know she recently revealed herself but didn't for years). Anonymous commentary has its place and has a long history in American journalism. Besides you newbies have already decided that we are a bunch of 60-year old Archie Bunkers not worth talking to anyway. Why spoil your fantasy?
There are too many bars in the city that ruin peaceful evenings for people who live near them. Noise codes should be enforced. And reading the NY Mag comments it seems this particular place is the only place around which is why it's the way it is.
Lesley Kinter said...
To "Anonymous". I never correct spelling on-line, though you claim I did it twice. Just another lie I suppose. Why don't you post your real name? Want to borrow a pair?"
I was referring to the anonymous commenter that you don't seem to have a problem with spelling absurd wrong twice. Now take a chill pill. I heard they were readily available at Lounge 47 if you provide the right password! :)
Bring back McReilly's!!!!
To "anonymous" poster. I didn't spell absurd incorrectly, another ballsy 'anonymous' poster did. And no, I don't mind spelling mistakes on-line. Implying that you can buy drugs or "chill-pills" (oh my, you are over 50) at Lounge 47 is not only slanderous, it's not really any fun unless you share your name now is it? Perhaps the space that Lounge 47 currently occupies would be better spent catering to bingo, or something else you might be able to keep up with. *yawn* straw-man *yawn*
See, I was right. You do think we are all a bunch of 60+ Archie Bunkers. Thanks for proving me correct.
Lesley:
1) I was sarcastically kidding about the chill pill, which is why there is a smiley face after the comment.
2) Definitely not over 50.
3) You sound like you may be constipated. The beer at Lounge 47 is good for that too.
What about slander is funny?
You do realize that people under 50 use that term to communicate that you need to relax, right?
To Queens Crapper: I'm sorry if our two kids ruin your idea of what the neighborhood should look like, age-wise. It seemed like a family-friendly area when we purchased. Clearly, we were wrong.
'Anonymous', I'm not going to get into some pointless pissing contest with you. Just admit that you were playing silly when you pointed out spelling mistakes and leave it at that.
I have no idea what you are talking about when you bring up your kids. Kids are not part of this discussion, which is about a bar that the neighbors are complaining is ruining their quality of life. If you like the place, that's fine. If you want to defend the place, that's fine.
To QC: It's not a bar, it's a restaurant, for starters.
Secondly, you seem to paint everyone who has a different opinion from you about Lounge 47 as some sort of keg-sucking frat-boy, when in fact we are just regular folk in our 30s with families who bought property in LIC. That's where age came into it. I'm 32. Sorry if that offends you.
"you seem to paint everyone who has a different opinion from you about Lounge 47 as some sort of keg-sucking frat-boy"
Really? Where and when did I do that? I have reread every comment that I made and can't find anything that would lead someone to think that. I think your perception is a bit off.
"I'm 32. Sorry if that offends you."
Why would your age offend me? You're making a strange interpretation of what's been written here.
Oh don't play dumb. You tailored an article to fit your idea of the restaurant Lounge 47 and when it was pointed out to you, you plainly told the person that this was a blog and you could misrepresent anything you wanted. Then you involve yourself in an, admittedly worthless, interaction with a poster who refused to give his/her name, and said that people who disagreed with you thought of you as an Archie Bunker type. If you want to try to put words in peoples mouths- fine, but you are the one making a big deal out of age. I simply suggested that the poster, who refused to give his or her name, who was slandering Lounge 47 by suggesting that drugs were available there if you knew a password, was out of touch and over-the-hill. I stand by that. Do you stand by his or her slander?
Actually, if it's in print, it's libel, which this was not because the poster explained that it was a joke. Whether or not you want to accept that is up to you. As is my decision to call attention to an issue or problem which I feel would be of interest to my readers. Every other blog does the same exact thing.
"Implying that you can buy drugs or "chill-pills" (oh my, you are over 50)"
Sounds like Lesley pulled the age card, which is exactly what Crapper predicted. Good call, Crappy.
It would figure that of all the posts about LIC the one that gets the tower people's panties in a bunch is about a noisy restaurant/bar.
That's just so appropriate.
I for one am happy this article was presented. First of all, it was in a Queens weekly paper, so it probably didn't get much readership before it was linked here. Second, for just about a decade now we have been fed this bullshit about how the transformation of LIC was going to make life better for all of us. Well, it hasn't.
10 years ago this was a safe affordable beautiful area. We had plenty of restaurants and a sense of community that is now long gone. It was like raising our children in a small town next to the biggest city in the world. Then the zoning was changed and now we have monster structures replacing century old historic buildings. Pathetic.
Lesley Kinter. Next time bring an umbrella.
I'm not a tower person - I generally resent the towers and their ilk. I love Lounge 47 - the food is reasonably priced and tasty. The staff is always friendly - even when they gently remind you every 10 minutes that the garden will be closing at 10pm. I have never been there when the place is raucous or like a "keg party." I take my parents there when they're visiting. It seems to me that everyone posting here is just picking a fight and has no actual experience with the place. To me, Lounge 47 is one of the few establishments in LIC that makes it seem like a neighborhood.
I AM a tower person. My husband and I are respectful professionals who came to Long Island City because we love the neighborhood, its history, the strong sense of community, and what it has to offer in terms of the arts, the boutiques, the restaurants and the gorgeous waterfront. I'm not sure what could be resented about that, but Lounge 47 is one of our favorite places in the neighborhood. And contrary to previous posts, we have never encountered rude staff, or the keg-party environment being incorrectly depicted. We go there for dinner at least twice a week, and see at least 5+ locals every time we go. It's a great establishment with great food, and a friendly group of locals that love the restaurant, and the people that go there.
This is my first-ever post and I do so very reluctantly. While I have no answer to your vigorous debate, I do have the perspective of 1) Being a bar owner (not of Lounge 47), 2) An occasional Lounge 47 customer and friendly with staff and owners 3) One-time resident above Lounge 47 with my wife and toddler daughter. As a bar owner, every restaurant/bar/club has a "neighbor" problem. No neighborhood is ever 100% against or 100% for a bar. In Lounge 47's case, in my humble opinion, their "neighbor" problem is the most extreme I have seen in my ten years in the bar business. The neighbor happens to be a fine guy with a lovely family but on his issues with Lounge 47 I respectively disagree.
As a Lounge 47 customer, the place is more restaurant than bar, and even if considered by some to be more bar, it's a very "soft" bar at that.
As a resident who lived above the bar, I agree with the poster who commented on the noise of the trucks on Vernon Boulevard--much worse than the bar-- during our time there we never heard anything at inappropriate hours. I also think that living on Vernon Boulevard as opposed to the country, you should have a reasonable tolerance of noise--obviously a standard which is almost impossible to define based on the previous posts.
Finally, whatever your views on bars, many have assisted in gentrifying previously undesirable neighborhoods. The problem comes with over-saturation of bars once the neighborhood becomes "hot". The New York State Liquor Authority is finally addressing this by starting to enforce their "500" foot rule (A full explanation on their web site but basically the bar having to justify its "community value" if there already are other bars present in the near vicinity.
Wish I had an answer--there are valid points on both sides. Please remember that before starting the nasty posts.
It's amazing how an article or a blog could cause such a stir.
After reading all of this, I'm very disappointed in how Lounge 47 is being presented. Lounge 47 is a restaurant/bar that has a great atmosphere, amazing regulars, and good food. I don't consider Lounge 47 to be a place of "keg parties" or "loud". It's quite the opposite. It's a family-oriented restaurant. Many families go in with their children to enjoy the food and the company of the other patrons. If you are sitting outside, the staff always reminds everyone what time the garden closes and reminds them just to keep the noise level down, if it does get loud, but I can tell you that all the times I have been there not once has any customers ever been rowdy or causing a stir or noise that would bother the neighbors. The staff at the lounge treats everyone the same and treats them as if they were friends and family. Lounge 47 is considered to be a place to go and talk with others and locals. Why should the license be taken away? Because someone says there is too much noise? Because someone says they want it to be all residential? Out of all the bars, lounges and restaurants I have been to Lounge 47 to me would be considered low in noise and a very relax atmosphere to be in.
I think that all the negativity on Lounge 47 is the only thing people are seeing and not noticing all the positive reasons and how wonderful it really is.
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