Ravenswood in the Daily News

Today the Daily News discovers Ravenswood –the  Long Island City neighborhood west of  21^st Street and North of the Queensboro Bridge. In typical real estate hyperbole they paint a picture of a wasteland full of soda-pop swigging old timey yokels, gritty factories, pioneering artists, and recently arrived Brazilians. For entertainment, folks hang out at Costco and watch Eric Gioia turn fast food joints into banks.

The waterfront Ravenswood power plant—known to everyone but the Daily News as Big Allis— is up for sale as a condition of British-owned National Grid’s recent merger with Keyspan. This is the first time we’ve heard anyone mention the possibility of it being sold to a developer and not another power company. Or, you know, FedEx. We’ll believe that when we see it.

Predictably, the reporter advises adventurous types to get in quickly while the neighborhood’s still frozen in time. There’s no mention in the article of any of the large residential projects already happening  in the area –Hallet’s Cove Condos, the under construction Hallet’s Cove II and Sohmer Piano Factory conversion, or the planned Alma Realty Towers.

One thing we did learn from the  News: Something called the Queensbridge Theater is opening this summer at 37-10 10^th Street, Long Island City. It will be a “rock and roll supper club” and “will be used not just for concerts, but for Broadway and Off Broadway shows, performances for children, Cabaret, dinner theater, art exhibits and community outreach.” Hmmm….

Links

A quick look at some of the things we’re reading:

• “Weekend in New York” suggests a day trip to Astoria for Greek restaurants and culture. (This  makes up for last week, when Seth Kugel recommended  Manhattan as the place to go for ethnic grocery stores.) [NY Times]
• No one like the idea of CoEd selling off waterfront property for a FedEx depot. [Queens Gazette ]
• How can you eat on a budget in Astoria? We’d say it’s pretty easy, but here’s a whole thread at chowhounds. [chowhounds]
• One line buried in an article about the Javits Center and Willets Point brings back the on-again off-again idea that the Sunnyside Yards could maybe someday be home to a new convention center. In any case, Sunnyside Yards is definitely the sleeper in the Planyc 2030 proposal. [NY Sun]

Hotel Roundup

Channel 7 picked up on Eric Gioia’s proposal to change the approval process for new hotel construction and takes a look at how Dutch Kills residents are upset about all the new hotels and the zoning process.

There’s no denying the fact that the area could become an attractive, more affordable option for people visiting the city. But we have to have some sympathy for the tourists who undoubtably will book the “Astoria Grand Hotel” under the misguided assumption that they’re reserving a room at that other famous hotel with the word “Astoria” in its name.

 

Just how many hotels are up, under construction or being planned in Dutch Kills, Queens Plaza and the rest of LIC? Here’s our round-up:

• 1. The A Loft Hotel, brought to you by the people behind the W Hotel
• 2. The Z Hotel, with no relation whatsoever to the W Hotel.
• 3. The Ravel Hotel, on the site of the infamous Q Plaza Motel. Why not go with the trend and call it “The Q”?
• 4. The Astoria Grand Hotel, distinguished by its elegant name and slanty thing on the roof.
• 5. The Japanese Hotel, replacing the Irish store and the Czech store.
• 6. The yet-to-be-named hotel that will be built on 21^st Street near the Queensbridge F stop.
• 7. The hotel that’s rumored to be replacing the old bank building at Queens Plaza
• 8. Quality Inn, convenient to both 40^th avenue and the Statue of Liberty, according to its website.
• 9. Comfort Inn, which was sold recently for more than $20 million.

Did we miss any?

Astoria’s Flatiron Building for Sale

Astoria’s iconic flatiron building (on the west side of 21st Street, where Astoria Blvd. meets Newtown Ave) is up for sale and the craigslist ad touts its potential as a great development site. It would be sad to see this go, especially after the demolitions of the Hackett Building and the Long Island City Savings Bank.

According to Forgotten NY, the flatiron building dates to the 1890’s and once had a clock embedded in the circle on its facade. Since the ferry to 92nd street used to be just blocks away, it’s easy to imagine early 20th century commuters hurrying past and checking the time.