Long Island City

A post-industrial waterfront offering more than just art

By Shira Levine | Special to amNewYork

October 26, 2006

Until recently, Long Island City was most known for impressive art and culture thanks to P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center and 5 Pointz art studios. But the neighborhood wasn't terribly promising as a business or residential district.

While conveniently located just a stop east of Grand Central Terminal on the No. 7 train and with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, LIC was still overlooked by investors unwilling to take the eastern plunge.

The warehouse-lined streets, old factories and transplanted strip clubs that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani tossed from midtown Manhattan were ideal, instead, for independent photographers and directors searching for edgy and cheap locations.

Pioneers like Silver Cup Studios and the towering 48-story Citigroup building stood as lone, brave businesses.

But today, luxury high-rises shoot up from grayed barracks, and new boutiques, cafes and lounges add the requisite charm and intimacy to an urban suburb in transition.

Young professionals are moving in by the droves and the Waterfront and Vernon Boulevard are gentrifying faster than you can say "Billyburg."

Corporations are increasingly eyeing LIC, too.

In 2004, Metropolitan Life moved 1,600 of its employees to two renovated factories. Even Viacom is said to be considering moving offices to LIC, in the borough of hyphenated addresses.

Q&A with Robert Haynes Peterson

Is there a hidden neighborhood gem for you in LIC?
LIC Bar is a great hangout. There is a small memorial to the Titanic on some guy's house, including parts of the actual Titanic. The Water Taxi is a shared hidden gem, but it's an amazing way to get to and from the city. The African Art Museum and the Sculpture Museum are both wonderful.

Why did you choose to live there?
It's affordable. It has great access to the city by both bus and train, and encompasses so much.

What's so great about LIC?
Though it's not as hip as Williamsburg or Brooklyn Heights, it still maintains a diverse, active vibe with everything from working-class Latino bars to starving artists to yuppie day cares, and amazing views of the city. Even five or more years ago when it was a bit more empty, it was clear that great things were going on. Of course, P.S. 1's been there forever and is a significant cultural force for all of New York.

What's not so great about LIC?
In LIC proper there isn't much green space, and there is a dearth of shopping. Dining and drinking have improved dramatically in recent years. And of course, the city forgets about you during power outages. It's also cut off a bit from Astoria and Sunnyside, from a pedestrian standpoint, thanks to all the bridges and roads coming in around Queensboro Plaza and connecting Jackson Boulevard, etc. That was clearly not the result of any well thought-out city planning. It's a bit of a hassle, and perhaps one reason it's remained sort of off the beaten track.

What do you say to people who act like LIC is the boondocks?
I tell them that I can get to any part of the city on the 7 faster than anyone on the UWS can. I can get to work anywhere in midtown. I'm near the Empire State, my wife's near Grand Central, and I often have to go around the Bryant Park area in 20 minutes or less. I can get to the LES way faster than some Upper East Side chick heading to Schiller's. And we get twice the space for half the cost of Manhattan or Brooklyn. The $1,000 a month I save, I can spend on enjoying the LES, Williamsburg or UWS, rather than living rent-poor there.

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