LIC Popularity Growing

You must be joking licc. It's a ten minute cab ride either way. And, as I wrote, it is but one of my many reasons for not living in LIC. Not in a rental, and no way in hell in a condo that's located in an oversaturated, overpriced market such as yours. But enjoy you should as resale opportunities are likely to become extremely rare.

Just keep calling my views disgusting. Your personality, such as it is, shines through with your every post.

LICC can get to the UES as quick
Even if he gets there quite sick
Marching through swamp
With circumstance and pomp
LICC walks on water - and slicks!

steve lives in an area that has tremendously higher pollution and sickness rates than LIC, yet tries to say LIC is polluted. Hypocrite?

Riverview listed as a Superfund site

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20427853&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574902&rfi=/

Major Railroad Company State Superfund Site - Queens, NY

http://www.rouxinc.com/projects/major-railroad-company-state-superfund-site-queens-ny

You want me to keep going? Denial is more than a river - it's a Creek.

Long Island City: Right to Clean Air Is at Stake In Case of a Malodorous Business

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F4091EFC3D5C167493C4AB1782D85F438785F9&scp=64&sq=long%20island%20city%20pollution&st=cse

"Denial is more than a river - it's a Creek."

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I personally like LIC. I think the industrial feel of the neighborhood is charming and I don't want it to change into some generic suburban outpost, much the way I feel the West Village was a better neighborhood before gentrification. I wouldn't want to live there anymore even if I could afford it.

In LIC, the views from Gantry Park are breathtaking and not everyone feels the need to live in Manhattan. Especially when so many apartments in Manhattan are overpriced, ugly and in questionable condition.

Arris lofts has stunning apartments. One Vernon Jackson is a striking building, I would rather live there than the thousands of cookie cutter box apartments in Manhattan with outrageous maintenance and taxes.

There is a neighborhood for everyone in this city and there is no reason to belittle those who like LIC when it offers a vibrant underground arts community, some excellent restaurants, creative architecture, proximity to Manhattan and is situated between some of the best neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.

I used to live in the East Village and I've seen the life get sucked out of it. The creativity, distinctiveness, energy has been replaced by Jersey flotsam, moneyed yuks, Hollister addicts. Some of the neighborhoods that are so prized on Streeteasy are the exact opposite of where I would want to live.

steve, you tried this argument a few months ago and bjw tore you to pieces. The statistics that you cited showed that Manhattan has far greater sickness rates than LIC.

What was that about denial?? Ha!

"The statistics that you cited showed that Manhattan has far greater sickness rates than LIC."

No. The statistics showed that Manhattan has a far greater rate of people who can afford health insurance - sickness doesn't get reported when you die untreated, or are shot under the Queensboro Bridge.

Feeling Groovy indeed!

"aboutready...So how much would steve's apartment rent for if the Ellington could be teleported to LIC.

That's the apples to apples comparison"

ME: Ugggh, that is what I have been saying now for ten posts. The buildings JUST LIKE Steve's in LIC - Rockrose, Avalon...RENTAL buildings, rent for the same price as his Rose! Same price! And this has been the case for as long as I have been looking for doorman apts in NYC (2002.)

"stevejhx...Wrong, Jason - steve is a renter AND an owner. Just nowhere near LIC."

ME: But you RENT in Times Square, and THIS is what I am comparing to LIC. And LICC is correct - the Times Square merchants AND the theater owners (and all the tourists milling about on 8th) put you in "Times Square." It goes to 8th. Hell, the NEW YORK TIMES, for whom the square is named, says there new building is in Times Square...and its on 8th.

Anyway, Steve, as you know from many posts of me being on YOUR side in the rent versus buy arguements, you have have spent endless amounts of time saying how BIG your RENTAL in times square is and how therefore its so CHEAP on a price per square foot basis. And as you can see from your landloards current rental website, your building is still relatively cheap. Therefore my point stands - the market - the MARKET values a 2/2 doorman new-ish rental buidling on 53rd/8th the same-ish as the same-ish in LIC, period.

Not really, jason - I just happen to have a deal. Look at the rents at nearby buildings and you'll see they're higher.

Indeed, I think that everyplace else is vastly overpriced, and my unit is properly priced. To wit: we have about 0 vacancies, the other buildings are virtually empty.

Jason, I may be wrong but I thought the Ellington was an older building, albeit renovated. I don't think you can compare the far newer buildings to it if that's the case. Look at how much they charge for the tiny brand new apartments that are in or near purgatory, the west side highway low to mid-40s.

LIC

feels kinda "new"
like a lil "town"
evan has a "creek"

nirvana

AR, 1987 ain't that old, and all of the mechanicals have been upgraded in the last 2 years. This is THE BEST place I've ever lived - I love it here. The Village was a nicer environment, but all in all, for the price and the space and the views, this is much better.

I've been to LIC. There's no comparison. "Desolate" would be an understatement.

steve's been to LIC in the 1970s.

Live in the Theater District?? No thanks . ..

help me find my mommy....

Then why steve is YOUR building...not buildings NEAR it...but YOUR building renting a 2/2 for $3800?

http://www.rosenyc.com/No-Fee-Rental/The-Ellington.aspx

It also says you might get a free month to boot. This is the same as a comparable LIC bldge (and aboutready, steve himself says its comparible to new.)

Rockrose, same price: http://streeteasy.com/nyc/rental/663684-rental-4705-center-blvd-long-island-city

Avalon riverview, where they START for MORE...and this building is the oldest doorman highrise in LIC:

http://www.avaloncommunities.com/avaloncore/nfloor.asp?comm=119

Jason, please. I disagree with you both. 1987 is ancient compared to most of the rental stock in lic.

That to me doesn't make steve's building less desirable, it just emphasizes how we've become such status-oriented, "luxury"-seeking imbeciles.

I agree! in past years we had 5-10 moves max a month in LIC in recent months it has been more like 20-30 moves a month ( http://www.divinemoving.com )... not all are into to the area some people are actually moving out.
I must say that the area is improved by 1000% we used to tell our drivers not to leave the trucks alone for a second, now it's really nice that I even spend a Sunday in the nice park off Vernon Blvd... Who would have thought that I will actually come from Manhattan to LIC

Also a building like the Ellington may have a lot more room to cut prices to get full occupancy. I think you know it's not that simple, Jason.

I like Williamsburg, Harlem. As you probably know.

Well of course I have voted with my wallet to live in HK over LIC before, but the simple fact is that Steve cannot have it both ways. Either the Ellington is worse than similar sized places in LIC and thus deserves the same rents, or LIC is in fact not so bad as he claims.

> > Set aside the fact that I can get to the UES from LIC just as quickly, or more quickly, than you from PCV

> You must be joking licc. It's a ten minute cab ride either way.

Agreed, we're getting into insanity here. Hell, I can WALK IT (and often do). 40 fing blocks. Really pretending crossing the river is the same? Now we're just in wackyland... and if you need wackyland as part of your argument, you've lost.

"Look at the rents at nearby buildings and you'll see they're higher. "

Yeah, and they're better buildings.

> Midtown "fringe"? Really? Compared to what? Madison Square?

You're the fringe of midtown, at best. But, yes, certainly. Your blocks is incredibly less desired, and incredibly less expensive than Madison Square Park.

sme, I am at Grand Central in 5 minutes. However long it takes to get to the UES from Grand Central, add 5 minutes, and 3 minutes max for the transfer. If I drive, I am through the midtown tunnel in 2 minutes or over the 59th Street Bridge in less than 10. You are just ill-informed about this.

ar is grasping at straws again. She and steve are the great couple of being disengenous.

She and steve are the great couple of being disengenous?

i'd just like to interrupt by saying that you are all insane, petty, and childish, and it makes for some fantastic reading. keep up the good work!

jason has the perfect mindset of the property boom: it's GOOD to overpay for a place to live.

That apartment you quote is a very nice apartment; I pay slightly more for a better apartment 10 floors up. I happen to think that it's the PROPER price for all apartments of this size. Just because some people want to pay more and think it's GOOD to pay more, it ain't my problem.

"Either the Ellington is worse than similar sized places in LIC and thus deserves the same rents, or LIC is in fact not so bad as he claims."

Completely illogical. Perhaps the owners of the building want to keep it occupied so they rent it at the proper price, whereas other building owners overcharge. You have to remember that the Ellington is no longer subject to tax incentives or rent regulation - if you rent at the Archstone or Related buildings, they're 80/20 buildings with 20% of their units reserved for the poor, and the remaining 80% subject to vacancy decontrol: every time a new owner comes in, the apartment - at market rates - becomes subject to stabilization. And having been built in 1987 means the building is nearly fully depreciated and depreciated at a much lower cost, making operating costs significantly lower. Archstone is still amortizing the goodwill from taking over its properties at the height of the boom, much like Stuvyesantown and PCV.

So - your theory is ridiculous. The Ellington has a number of economic advantages that it can use to keep occupancy as close to 100% as possible. Look at Archstone avails - and they give you up to 3 months' free rent: their vacancy rates are much higher.

"sme, I am at Grand Central in 5 minutes."

Yes you are. From the time the train arrives in the LIC station to the time it arrives at GC. However, you have to get to the train - a long walk - and wait for it.

Anyone who lives anywhere in NYC has to walk to the train and wait for it. But thanks for that idiotic comment.

There are several entrances to the 7 train platform at Vernon and Jackson, and they are near where the waterfront area condos are located. No long walk steve, but thanks for be delusional.

and steve, thanks also for that stupid response to jason. According to him, desirability of rental buildings should be based on what steve thinks they rents should be, rather than what the rents actually are from all the people living in the building.

The fact is that lots and lots of people would much rather live in LIC than in the Theater District.

The Madness of stevejhx . . .

"The fact is that lots and lots of people would much rather live in LIC than in the Theater District."

Then why do so many more people live in the theater district?

> Then why do so many more people live in the theater district?

poverty?

> If I drive, I am through the midtown tunnel in 2 minutes or over the 59th Street Bridge in less
> than 10.

Try hailing that taxi!

"poverty?"

No projects here.

steve lives two blocks from projects.

I do? Where might they be? 6th Avenue?

steve, I guess you like playing dumb, since we have had this discussion before about the projects near where you live.

there are and will be no projects in LIC

"since we have had this discussion before about the projects near where you live."

Oh, I get it! You're talking about the tiny little projects on West 56th Street & 11th Avenue, behind the Westport!

That's right, 3 cross-town blocks and 4 uptown blocks = 2 total blocks according to LICC!

Whereas the Queensbridge Houses aren't actually in Long Island City, n'est pas?

a matter of a few blocks and steve is claiming "No projects here".

steve and the truth have an interesting relationship.

he's also nowhere near times square either.

There's so much negativity on LIC but yet if you look at the discussion board, the boards are full of threads on new condos (Powerhouse, LHaus, 5SL, Solarium, Hunter's Point & View, One Vernon, etc. etc.) in Hunter's Point Long Island City. There's no other neighborhood in all of NYC with as much discussion. Strange?

So, folks don't let these 'i missed the housing bottom StreetEasy' groupie here (AboutReady, CC, NowhereElse, WhoreStreet, etc.) distract you from the truth.

Haven't been following this thread fully, but LIC is popular with who? 20 somethings? Seems to be attracting residents who formerly might have gone to Hoboken.

"Haven't been following this thread fully, but LIC is popular with who? 20 somethings? Seems to be attracting residents who formerly might have gone to Hoboken."

20s to 40s.
There's an explosion of young families in this neighborhood the last 3-4 years.

Sales must be 'horrible' because the developer that built the Powerhouse has already started building the 2nd building to the East. The horror! Who's buying these units at 600 psf?

The banks lending to these projects are not based in the U.S. and the least knowledgeable on local real estate. But if people see value and are buying then that is the bottom line.

and there's like no built supply, and nowhere left to build

a no-brainer place to invest

> There's no other neighborhood in all of NYC with as much discussion. Strange?

Not at all.

1) The sheer volume of construction there
2) We have some special shills
3) I think LIC, like Flatbush corridor, attracts a lot of unknowledgable buyers (price point + the broker pitch is way above reality being suckered on the owner-occupied RE as "investment" idea)... and these are the type of folks who suddenly become real estate experts and argue nonsense.

And so what if its like Hoboken was a few years ago? Its nicer now than it was as well. What Steve and others fail to notice is that MANHATTAN rents and condo prices will go down if more inventory opens up just across the river in Wburg, LIC, Hoboken, wherever, or in Harlem etc. Thus it will be cheaper to live in their far-superior Times Square location across from the Hilton Garden Inn.

jason, not all of us are failing to notice the effect of the development of the emerging area on pricing. I think it could have a huge impact depending on timing.

but that hasn't been the focus of this thread.

It's NOT like Hoboken a few years ago ... Hoboken gentrified organically before all this antiseptic sort of crap was built. Long Island City, not so much. In fact, not at all. Not at all. They might as well have plunked it down in Nebraska.

If anything, it resembles the "New Territories" sections of Jersey City.

riversider ia a good example of a person who likes to comment even when she has zero knowledge whatsoever of which she is speaking.

Note that steve acknowledges that he does live near projects.

sme, believe me, the buyers in LIC predominantly are not buying for the purpose of flipping. jason is right- the people who have moved here in the last few years (renters and buyers) are mostly people in their 20s to 40s, with a good percentage of young families.

"Note that steve acknowledges that he does live near projects."

Not anywhere near the Queensbridge Houses or the Ravenswood Houses, eh?

LICC: "believe me"

HAHAHAHA!

"the people who have moved here in the last few years (renters and buyers) are mostly people in their 20s to 40s"

That's because the waiting list for public housing is YEARS long.

LICcomm, I thought you and Riversider were BFFs.

BFF's only in terms of national socialism.

Socialism???

National socialism. Look it up.

"Manhattan Was the Dream; Jersey City Fit the Budget"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/realestate/20hunt.html?hpw

OBVIOUSLY they meant, "Long Island City Was the Dream; Queensbridge Waiting List Too Long"

HAHAHAHAHA!

Sure steve. National socialism. Totally random and idiotic, so I'm not surprised it comes from you.

That's the beauty of Ayn Rand - totally random and idiotic.

"No. The statistics showed that Manhattan has a far greater rate of people who can afford health insurance - sickness doesn't get reported when you die untreated, or are shot under the Queensboro Bridge."

Wow, Steve, that's just all kinds of wrong. You don't like the stats because they pretty clearly debunk your "theories," but that doesn't mean you have to invent excuses, especially false ones. You're forgetting about a little program called Medicaid. Those cancer rates are as good as you'll find. And turns out you live in a pretty polluted place.

Why bother even debating LIC vs. Manhattan. It is not even a comparison to make. LICC loves his area, steve lives in a better area- Midtown vs. LIC---not even debatable. LICC obviously feels it's better than Manhattan, let him think that, he needs to rationalize his purchase. His arguments are pretty damn funny though! I thoroughly enjoy the banter!

The gist of LICC's argument is that he can get to Manhattan in less than 5 minutes.

I've never heard of anybody moving to Manhattan because they can get to Long Island City in 5 minutes.

JP78, you're absolutely right ... but still, it's a shame in this age of psychotropic pharmaceuticals that LICcomm should be that way.

"I've never heard of anybody moving to Manhattan because they can get to Long Island City in 5 minutes."

I know quite a few people living in Mid town Manhattan that is quite happy they are 1 stop away from LIC. They love the new water front playground. Oh, that's right. Manhattan don't have one of these.

By far, LIC housing prices have held up the best compared to almost all the neighborhoods in all of NYC.
Now, that speaks volume.

I also know quite a number of people moving out of Manhattan over the years because of dumb asses like Alanhart and Steve.

Nothing bodes worse for LIC than CarolSt giving her freakout support to it!

If CarolSt says its a good idea, RUN!

Whatever you dumb-ass. That mind of yours is truly some where else.

r u my mommy carolst?

LIC waterfront? none in manhattan? Hmmmm the next time I circumnavigate manhattan (that's sailor language and has nothing to do with a bris, carolslut) I'll see if there anything that compares to a piece of land next to the water...

Water Taxi Beach - it's to die for!

Manhattan has no coastline because it's not an island, silly billy!

Manhattan don't have one of these ... but Chitroit do!

ill repeat---the most compelling reasons to invest in LICC are:

1) there is no supply for sale at the moment

2) there is nowhere else to build over there

}I know quite a few people living in Mid town Manhattan that is quite happy they are 1 stop away from LIC."

I'd like a list of these few people who is so happy. What do they go there for?

"They love the new water front playground."

Oh! Silly me! WATERSPORTS!

I Cover The Waterfront

> I'd like a list of these few people who is so happy. What do they go there for?

Grammar classes

SWE, have you no sense of irony? Take a look at the post I am mocking.

I was exploring the area and I loved LIC but I am freaked out about the "biggest" middle income housing project being built by the City of New York, not to mention a public school is in the works. Its a shame - but this jewel area of Queens will be transformed in a couple of years.

Why is biggest in quotes?

Its the largest project in the city. Its also not quite "middle income". Lots of poverty there.

Which projects are you talking about somewhereelse? If you are refering to QB houses then you didnt read that comment correctly....

Well a broker was trying to convince me that its "middle income" but I am not so sure. The salary range is 50 to 150 k. But who knows, they are suppose to be fire fighters, police officers and municipal workers. In the long run, this area will become an extension of the housing projects in Queens bridge.

It is going to be middle income. I am not loving the idea either, but its not going to be a Queens Bridge. Just google it and you will find more info.

people stay away from LIC due to the train noise. LIC will never the the first choice for people considering a conod in NYC. Brooklyn or Queens have better areas than LIC.

Speak for yourself. I, for one, don't stay away from LIC. I drive right through it.

here, we are talking about living not driving through it

Can you see Peter Cooper Village from LIC?