From the Queens Chronicle:Brett Banchek, who moved into one of the new L.I.C. highrises about a year ago, decried the general community feeling that there are too many bars on Vernon Boulevard. He said he doesn’t want to have to go to Manhattan for drinks.
“If these restaurants move out, my family is going to move out,” he said, adding that he thinks additional bars would be a boost to the neighborhood’s economy and would make the area more vibrant and welcoming.
Yes, it makes sense to base one's decision on where to settle with the family based primarily on the hipness of the local bar scene.
God help LIC.
41 comments:
You tower bastards allowed McReilly's to close in your new VIBRANT! DIVERSE! LIC. FU, go thirsty.
So drink your booze in the privacy of your spanking new high rise "luxury" room box.
The family that drinks together stays together!
Transient bastard newbies!
Well...now we've heard it all...the benchmark of a good neighborhood is an abundance of watering holes for the herd of parched hipsters!
Carry a flask and drink with the locals on the street if you need to socialize!
Or is that too low class for your delicate sensibilities?
“If these restaurants move out, my family is going to move out,”
See ya Douchebag....
To Comment #1:
How exactly is McReilly's closing the fault of "tower" residents? McR drew a very diverse group from the entire neighborhood and I don't think lack of business was the problem, as your comment implies. I agee that the guy's statement was over the top and pretty stupid, but there is a larger point -- Vernon needs to have a fairly large number of retail business to survive, and that includes restaurants and bars.
Let's keep LIC and Vernon a barren, desolate stretch of nothing. Sure, that is much better.
Genius.
It also shows how the newspapers are not even trying anymore. They have the point of the story written before the reporter is set out, then they get an underpaid newbie to string sentences together.
Does it make sense? Half of Queens cant read English, and the other half depending on tweeder funding and doesnt bother as they have no need to.
Genius made a very revealing comment. Either he thinks there are no other businesses that could inhabit Vernon besides bars and restaurants or he is a tower person who only cares about those things.
why do you people hate lic & williamsburg so much? these neighborhoods were dumps 10 years ago. now they are good neighborhoods. It makes absolutly zero sense.
How exactly is McReilly's closing the fault of "tower" residents? McR drew a very diverse group from the entire neighborhood and I don't think lack of business was the problem, as your comment implies.
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I never meant to imply that Mcreilly's suffered from a lack of business. You are right, it DID draw a very diverse group, which is what makes its demise more tragic. As far as I know, it was doing quite well, until the landlord saw only dollar signs and got greedy. Apparently they felt the need to evict Mcreilly's in the hopes of catering to a more chic watering hole, cafe, wine bar, that would be more to the taste of the tower dwellers than some working-class Irish bar. They may not have had a direct part in the closing of Mcreilly's but the storm of greed that their migration brought to LIC was at the very least, a strong contributing factor. So how is the location doing now?
Genius made a very revealing comment. Either he thinks there are no other businesses that could inhabit Vernon besides bars and restaurants or he is a tower person who only cares about those things.
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A tower person that is there, and catered to, with our tax dollars and our elected officials who are not taking care of our community, but satisfying some campaign debt.
I would watch it bub. More and more or us 'Archies' and 'Ediths' are gathering on blogs like this.
I would watch it if I were you.
"They have the point of the story written before the reporter is set out, then they get an underpaid newbie to string sentences together."
Couldn't have said it better myself!
Personally, I am in the minority in hating this scene less because, "Tower People" moved in than because the jobs moved out.
If American doesn't re-start heavy industry we will all be pulling rickshaws for the Chinese. (Apologies to emigrants from China).
Say what you want, but 15 years ago the waterfront was a dump. FACT. In that time its now been replaced with arces of parks new resturants, new bars, new supermarkets, new schools, new homes, etc. There are tons of new jobs, and a strong tax base. None of this would be posible without the new population moving in. And BTW what happened to speaking your mind. This is what we want for our neighborhood. You don't like it fine, you may decide what's best for your area, but don't come in and question it.
This is what we want for our neighborhood. You don't like it fine, you may decide what's best for your area, but don't come in and question it.
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Sorry, you are the transients, not the permanent residents, and your wealth is at the expense of cutting our our services, closing hospitals, inadequate schools, and tax breaks because the two bit crooks that sold us out let the dogs in.
Bringing your horde in has done jack shit for us - it used to be a nice community where everyone knew each other. Sure it was down at the heals - but it was the pols that did it, not us.
A little development would have been fine, but no, we have to get swept from the board by newcomers who look down at us at the same time.
The first bad hurricane and you will discover that the towers, built on a marsh, will start to settle like Co-op City.
I almost rub my hands together with glee in anticipation of the realization that you are raising your family on a brownfield and all sorts of nasty things are happening to their health,
You will be coming back crying to us to bail your sorry asses out.
Go @#T#$& yourselves.
I don't get it, what's the problem with that being what they look for in a neighborhood?
I think its a valid point. If all of these places start closing, the quality of life in the neighborhood will go down. It's not about one bar/one restaurant as much as a lifestyle choice that one thought they would get, and now are not.
The lifestyle choice being to drink, drink, drink and then stumble home without having to fork over cash for a cab.
" This is what we want for our neighborhood. "
All the white people in LIC.
Jumping the queue on schools and a library, eh?
hehehehehehe
My my my what will the diverse! mosaic! rest of the borough say when the discover that resources that should be going to them is given to white people.
I almost rub my hands together with glee in anticipation of the realization that you are raising your family on a brownfield and all sorts of nasty things are happening to their health,
Typical lowlife answer, you cant afford lic so you wish health problems on peoples families. you really need to go to church you monster.
The writer of the comment you take offense to indicated he lives in LIC and has for some time. He could afford it before you could. He's also probably sitting on a gold mine now that the nabe has been upzoned.
The writer of the comment you take offense to indicated he lives in LIC and has for some time.
Brilliant, so he wishes health problems for himself and his family as well.
No he doesn't, because his house has been there for almost a century and was not built on a brownfield!
Sucker...
"why do you people hate lic & williamsburg so much? these neighborhoods were dumps 10 years ago. now they are good neighborhoods. It makes absolutly zero sense."
affordable warehousing is all gone
It's true! I was here when the "remediation" was occuring on the ground beneath the towers in LIC.
They tore down the old factories and had to shut down streets, schools, etc. as they found the cheapest, fastest way to cover up the toxic waste down there.
It's likely that they didn't get it right. I certainly wouldn't plan to house my family on top of those festering cancer holes.
Yuppies over Hipsters? Id take one of the lesser "evils". We cant ALWAYS have it our way. Id say LIC is one of the relatively lesser tweeded neighborhoods.
A tower person that is there, and catered to, with our tax dollars and our elected officials who are not taking care of our community, but satisfying some campaign debt.
I would watch it bub. More and more or us 'Archies' and 'Ediths' are gathering on blogs like this.
I would watch it if I were you......
No asshole, you should watch it. I have lived in Glendale and Ridgewood my whole life. I was born in Wycoff Heights as was half of my family. I love what has happened in LIC and Williamsburg and all of the gentrified areas. It was a dump before and now I can enjoy the feeling of a vibrant neighborhood without getting on a train.
You forget that people that there are plenty of people from western Queens who are very happy with the way things are going and here;s the catch. These people, myself included, know you. They know what youre thinking. We know that your jealous and insecure little wimps that get upset when they see how nice Long Island City has become because it makes them feel inadequate because they cannot afford to live in one of the tower buildings that have popped up.
Stop worrying about what other people have and just be happy with what you have.
As for threatening others, YOU better watch it! Because unlike the tower people I and people like me are much more worthy opponents. Your an old punk and I would love to meet you and adjust your attitude.
I have lived in Glendale and Ridgewood my whole life.... It was a dump before ...
WELL THAT SUMS THAT PERSEPECTIVE.
Now I can enjoy the feeling of a vibrant neighborhood without getting on a train.
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Go to Elmhurst or Flushing.
Well I am third generation Long Island City and do not appreciate when someone who lives in Glendale first calls my community a dump, then thinks all the changes are just peachy.
Who gave you the authority?
We know that your jealous and insecure little wimps that get upset when they see how nice Long Island City has become because it makes them feel inadequate because they cannot afford to live in one of the tower buildings that have popped up.
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Ha!
Believe that and I have a brownfield for you to move on.
As for threatening others, YOU better watch it! Because unlike the tower people I and people like me are much more worthy opponents. Your an old punk and I would love to meet you and adjust your attitude.
boyz! boyz! calm down!
take a step back, a deep breath, resume the debate.
a lot of interesting points are made in this thread and elsewhere on this blog.
OK, LIC was a bit worn down and needed SOME development. But let's remember, there was a fully functional neighborhood there, with residents who had pride in their neighborhood. All LIC needed was SOME development, SOME growth, to enhance to quality of life for the current residents, and to make it more attractive to A REASONABLE AMOUNT of new potential residents, who would hopefully come into the area with the same desire as the older residents, to hang their hats and raise their children and grandchildren in a great neighborhood. LIC needed parks, new schools, upgrades in the infrastructure, the roadways, and subway stations, a new supermarket or two etc. What did they get? A mega storm of overdevelopment of high rise towers that cast a shadow over the homes of longtime residents, and blocked out the sun and the beautiful views of Manhattan, an influx of THOUSANDS (with more hoped to come by the developers and real estate agents) of new residents, with no desire to interact with those outside their ivory towers, and no interest in the surrounding neighborhood, aside from taking the train to Manhattan, driving their BMW's to the LIE, and occasionally exploring the new fous fous cafe on Vernon. These monstrosisite went up without any concern by the developers or the city about the drain on our energy resources, or the impact on longtime residents, and now the new residents have the nerve to make such demands for new "watering holes" and whatever they like, in a neighborhood that they all but invaded.
News flash - it is no longer "your" neighborhood anymore. We own a part of it and have a right to have our demands met. We want places to eat and drink. Embrace change or bitch an moan. You choice. I don't care either way. We want $10 coffee and high end grocery stores and we are getting what we want. Like the dinosaurs your time for rulling the world has past. LIC is going a new direction now. Some of us like it. be part of it - or don't. Doesn't matter to us either way.
"I don't care either way...Doesn't matter to us either way."
Obviously it does matter to you or you wouldn't have bothered to comment.
News flash - it is no longer "your" neighborhood anymore. We own a part of it and have a right to have our demands met. We want places to eat and drink. Embrace change or bitch an moan. You choice. I don't care either way. We want $10 coffee and high end grocery stores and we are getting what we want. Like the dinosaurs your time for rulling the world has past. LIC is going a new direction now. Some of us like it. be part of it - or don't. Doesn't matter to us either way.
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Wow, do you want to write this to the local papers? How about some correspondence to the local community board? Shy?
Surely a little sonnet to the local elected officials.
We can finally understand why its ok that our hospitals close, our jobs vanish, school desks for our kids are non existant, but you somehow have waterfront parks, bike lanes, and showers at work.
Explains a lot...
Well I am third generation Long Island City and do not appreciate when someone who lives in Glendale first calls my community a dump, then thinks all the changes are just peachy.
Who gave you the authority?
Are you trying to say that Long Island City wasnt a dump???
We know that your jealous and insecure little wimps that get upset when they see how nice Long Island City has become because it makes them feel inadequate because they cannot afford to live in one of the tower buildings that have popped up.
***
Ha!
Believe that and I have a brownfield for you to move on....
If you would never live there because it is a contaminated brownfield and the people that live there now you cant stand...well...then what is your problem?
Why are you commenting on this blog/thread?
Stay out of LIC and let the people that live there die in piece and spend your own time on something you do care about.
Are you trying to say that Long Island City wasnt a dump???
Are you trying to tell me that you are one of those oily blood sucking real estate people?
If so, please answer a question that somneone has raised here and I was always curious:
Is it true that you pay off our politicans for less money than your daughter whores up on Spring Break?
Why are you commenting on this blog/thread?
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Because my taxes are not going to my kids but to make your investment profitable.
Then when it blows up, we will get stuck bailing your sorry ass out.
So yea, me and my neighbors are sticking around. And you know what?
We are pissed and we vote.
We are pissed and we vote.
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Ha ha! You small people amuse me so. You think you actually have a choice??? Choice is an illusion. We hand pick the candidates and let you select from them. Heads we win tails you lose. That's how we roll. What are you going to do about it?
ask Boss Tweed who first uttered those words.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com
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http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/
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what_are_you_going_to_do_about_it/
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