photo by Jesse Winter

It was a year ago when LIC Spot reported about high school kids entering playgrounds that are obviously for young children, and were constantly abusing the equipment.

In fact, we had reached out to Councilman Van Bramer about the issue last year and were told that he was working on the issue:

“I have been working with local community residents as well as the 108^th Precinct to make sure that this problem is addressed in a swift manner,” said the Council Member. “My office will be working with both the Parks Department and the NYPD to ensure that Long Island City park spaces are preserved for visitors who cherish these wonderful spaces within our community. I will continue to pressure both of these agencies to protect our quality of life.”

 

Fast-forward 365 days and we are hearing and seeing that nothing has changed. Just last week I witnessed with numerous other parents the same belligerent kids in Murray Park. A call to 911 was never answered.

Yesterday numerous parents had to call 911 again at Rainbow Park because high schoolers had “invaded the kids area”. The Parks Department representatives approached them but stated that they were not legally allowed to kick them out of the playground area. Police did arrive afterwards and the kids left.

We are doing some research and trying to figure out if anyone without a child is legally allowed in the children’s playground area.

Even after the slashing of the canvas drawings last month, someone hasn’t stopped vandalizing it, with tasteless graffiti throughout the fence.

We are being told that the incident is still under investigation and there is not much chance that it will be replaced.

If you thought our awesome new water front couldn’t get any longer, wait for a few more months when Hunters Point South’s waterfront opens up! There will be 11 acres of water front and park combined into a modern boardwalk.

The site is waterfront and city, gateway and sanctuary, blank slate and pentimento. These readings suggest an approach to the landscape that enhances what is unique about the site, while framing a new multi-layered identity as a recreational and cultural destination. New open spaces with connections to the surrounding communities provide access to the water’s edge and spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline.

 

via Curbed

Our good friends at LIC Market have given us a great list of hand picked events for LIC Arts Open for this week. There are many more than listed here, but it’s a great list to start with!

 LIC is a large and thriving art community with clusters of happening spots. LICAO is cleverly organized into “Nabe” Nights: Artists and cultural institutions organize their receptions and performance schedules by location.  This means you can gallery hop each night of the festival and check out many outstanding events, just a short walk from each other.

Additional May 16  Events Include:

Studio 34 | 34-01 38th Ave

 ”1st Annual Open Call Group Exhibition”, “A Concert by Globular Cluster” (installation/audience participation), “RottoBella: Works of Broken Beauty” (a mixed media presentation on loop), “Brush-Votes-Creating the Creator” (performance/audience participation), “LICArtists, Inc: Independents Group Show” & “Beach Elements ll”

Clocktower | 29-27 41st Ave

Luba Lukova: Recent Prints & LIC Arts Open 2013 Group Show (Bertille de Baudiniere, Gabino A. Castelan, Michelle Cheikin, Jean Patrick Guilbert, Jack Howard-Potter, Annalisa ladicicco, Ananda Lima, Ray & Rita Normandeau, Selva Sanjines, Studio 7/Junenoire & Nadia and Rita Varian)

Gotham Center | 42-09 28th St

“Idle Hands…” (Karen Dimit, Beth Williams Garrett, William Garrett, Kenny Greenberg, Jean-Marie Guyaux, Eliot Lable, Karen Cintron, John Day, Peter Goldwater, Matt greco, Sin-Ying Ho, Osaretin Ighile, Antonia Perez & Priscilla Stadler)

& “Pillow Talk”

The Space | 25-17 41st Ave

“Lined-up” Works on paper by Cristian Pietrpiana

Materials for the Arts | 33-00 Northern Blvd

“Long Forgotten Song” Artwork by Ben Pederson

Space Gallery | 29-09 39th Ave

Unknown Group Show

RESOBOX | 41-26 27th St

Asian & Asian American Group Shoe

44-02 23rd Street, Suites 203 & 205

Akie Bermiss

The Secret Theater | 44-02 23rd St ($18 – $20)

“Reasons to be Pretty” & “Periapsis Music and Dance”

There are many more LIC Arts Open events taking place from 5/15 – 5/18. For more information, visit the LICAO website or pick up brochures at local businesses including LIC Market.

The other day at Rainbow Park I got a whiff of someone’s cigarette smoke and it made me wonder if smoking is banned at Gantry Park. It is.

Don’t get me wrong, I used to smoke and loved the outdoors while I puffed away on my death sticks. But it’s only fair that others (yeah, like the children at the parks) don’t have to suffer through it.

You heard is here folks, stop smoking at Gantry Park! It’s now the law:

Smoking will be forbidden at more New York State parks this summer.

The office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that residents should be able to enjoy the outdoors “free of pollution from secondhand smoke.”

The new rules vary from park to park, so the state has posted a list online of places where smoking is banned.

In the state parks in New York City, smoking is permitted only on sidewalks and certain parking lots. The New York City state parks include Riverbank State Park in Manhattan, East River State Park in Brooklyn, Bayswater and Gantry Plaza state parks in Queens, Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx, and Clay Pit Ponds Preserve on Staten Island.

 

via CBS News

Not in LIC!

Do any of you remember the days when the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks took place on the East River? The roads would get crowded and our apartments offered the best seats in the house for the most spectacular pyrotechnics in the United States (though I hear San Francisco has a pretty good one too).

Ever since Macy’s moved the barges to the Hudson River in 2009, it’s stayed there and it seems like it may never come back.

Therefore I’d like to perhaps inspire one of our followers to start a petition: Bring the Fireworks Back to the East River!

Any volunteers?

After 17 years in rehab, the cicadas are coming BACK! At some point this month, when the finally soil warms to a steady 64° F, the mysterious Magicicada Brood II cicadas will burst forth for the first time since 1996 in Long Island City. Billions and billions are expected to surface, mate, and die, and the fine folks at Radiolabwant you to help make sense of it all. So they’ve started this interactive cicada tracking map.

If/when you see a cicada, research scientist John Cooley and professor Chris Simon at the University of Connecticut Ecology & Evolutionary Biology are asking you to fill out a report form so they can compile a study tracking their reemergence.

via Gothamist

A subway rider contacted the police about a horrifying attack he/she witnessed on the 7 train last week, and now cops are looking for the assailant.

According to police, the incident took place on a Queens bound train on Sunday, May 5 at about 1 a.m. In the video, an unidentified man punches a victim and then leaves the train at 69th Street.

The suspect is described as a M/W-H, approximately 5’9″, 180 lbs with brown eyes and long black hair with a pony tail. He was wearing a dark T-shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website atWWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

via Gothamist

Patrick and his wife, Ro

Alewife’s festival of Beer and Balls (meat, that is) lifted its glass to a crowd of appreciative punters in ways that achieved so much more in quality and style than my previous excursion to this beer-lovers haven on 51^stAvenue in Long Island City. Beers (all local NY) represented included interesting stronger-than average beers (10-12%!), hop driven IPAs and some nice darker-than-the-night stoat and spicy wheat beers. Finding matches to the range of meatballs was an enjoyable experience.

I had attended the APorkopolypse pig and beer fest a few months ago and felt that the system of tickets for beer and food was a little unfriendly. Today’s deal was tickets for the food and as much beer as you wanted to taste, making this a much more welcoming experience.

Meatballs were offered by local restaurants Alewife and Open Door (that new place on 50^th between Vernon and Jackson) and Manhattan establishiments Dirty Burger and Tommy Lasagne. Each offered choices with the prize, for me,  going to the home team Alewife for their three options, especially the Dragon Ball – generously spiced (clove, cinnamon etc) balls in a Schezuan sauce. That’s not to say that the other offerings were low-key. The chilli-led sauce for Dirty Burger’s 25 spice option required at least twice the amount of beer to quell but was very tasty, the sauce sitting around the meat so that your taste buds were able to taste both the meat and the sauce without retreating to a glass of milk. Open Door’s options were also very tasty, great meat and respectful flavorings. I wanted a final taste-off but by the time I had done the rounds the dishes were empty.

My favourite in the beer department was the “Notorious IPA – Chinook”from Bed-Stuy brewery, not blatantly advertized but hidden as an “under the counter” option and served by the brewer himself in an experiment to gain votes from customers in choosing between his two beers; the other being termed more “aggressive”. This made the occasion extra special, discussing hops and brewing with the man responsible, head brewer Charlie Wildman is quite a different experience from  the “I’m only here to serve the beer and don’t know much about it” reactions from most of the servers. Bed-Stuy brewery is a venture partly owned by Alewife owner Patrick Donagher who plans to bring brewing onto the Alewife premises, thus joining other locals like Rockaway in offering “Fresh-As” beers to the local scene; a welcome boost to the local economy and the variety of ales available to locals, as well as those who travel miles to enjoy our growing neighborhood food and drink options.

by Eric Hathaway