Category: Uncategorized

Cafe/bar coming to Court Square, complete with church pews and chandelier

August 12, By Michael Florio
A new neighborhood café and bar is expected to open in the Court Square section of Long Island City this fall. John Veenema, the owner, has taken an old garage space and spent the past year converting it into a café/bar called The Beast Next Door,…

Doggie day care center, pizzeria open in Court Square/Queens Plaza area

August 11, By Christian Murray
Dog Island City, which announced in April that it was moving from Hunters Point to Court Square, completed its relocation earlier this month. The doggie day care center, which had been located at 5-29 50th Avenue for the past five years,…

DOE wants school to start at 8:00am, PS/IS 78 parents push back

August 8, By Christian Murray
Many parents with children at PS/IS 78 are upset that the Department of Education plans to change the time school starts to 8:00 am The Department of Education notified parents that school will start 40 minutes earlier this fall than it is now—and that school will end at 2:20 pm instead of 3:00 pm.…

Old-school pizzeria L’inizio opens on Vernon Blvd

August 7, By Christian Murray

L’inizio, an old-school pizzeria located at 47-23 Vernon Boulevard, opened today.

The owner, Tom Blaze, said that the pizzeria offers simplicity—from a casual, homey atmosphere to food cooked with the freshest of ingredients.

Blaze said the pizza is made each day,…

Western Queens residents can buy groceries online via new App

August 7, By Michael Florio
An online grocery delivery service has just begun serving Western Queens and is looking to take away business from Fresh Direct. InstaCart, an online grocery delivery service that has been in operation for two years,…

After long delays, Jora finally opens

August 6, By Christian Murray
It took more than 18 months but it has finally arrived. Jora, which offers traditional Peruvian food, opened two weeks ago on the corner of 48th Avenue and 11th . The restaurant is owned and operated by 26-year-old Alejandro Rojas,…

Cranky’s Cafe/1682 French Louisiana closes

August 5, By Christian Murray
Cranky’s Café, which was recently re-branded 1682 French Louisiana, has closed. The restaurant, located at 48-19 Vernon, is now empty and all its signage has come down. Last Tuesday, an auction was held on site and items such as bar stools,…

After years of rapid growth, rental prices show signs of leveling off

August 5, By Christian Murray
While rental prices may be surging at a rapid pace in Long Island City, there are signs that the market might start to normalize. “I expect the market to start leveling off in terms of rental prices,” said Eric Benaim,…

City council approves zoning change, 140-unit complex coming to 49th Ave.

August 4, By Christian Murray
The development company that plans to build a 140-unit complex on the corner of 49th Avenue and 21st Street was granted the zoning change needed to move forward with the project. The city council voted July 24 to approve the zoning variance—which represented the final step in the lengthy Uniform Land Use Review Procedure needed to get a zoning change.…