long island city
Sad to see 5Pointz reduced from its former glory; last month, the vibrant murals that used to cover the building were whitewashed. New York is a system of constant flux, but it hurt a little to see the art of this quirky neighborhood attraction so flippantly destroyed.
Walking on 29th Street near Queens Plaza, I noticed a sign I hadn't seen before: a building was recently demolished, revealing an ad for a delicatessen that is presumably long gone.
A tribute to the US of A on an empty LIC street; although shuttered in this photo, All American Coffee Shop is a cheap and cheery little place on 37th Avenue.
Across the street from Socrates Sculpture Park, a piece of street art was being painted over, replaced by a new mural. A few feet from a ladder, a bucket, and several cans of spray paint, one relic of the past remained: two cartoonish eyes, watching over Vernon Boulevard.
Not to be outdone by Brooklyn, Long Island City now has its very own hipster market by the river: the LIC Flea.
Plenty of vendors, including local stores like Matted and Nook 'n Crannie, are offering their wares, as are artists, jewelers, and clothiers. But the real strength is the food: I had Sweetleaf's Rocket Fuel, okonomiyaki, a baked black-bean empanada, a fantastic green-mango salad from Hong Kong Street Cart, and Sweet Silk's truffles. Stuffed to the gills, I stopped myself from eating more, but I'll be back. The market, in a lot at the corner of 5th St. and 46th Ave., will run through the summer on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Get there early---by noon, it was already impossibly crowded!
It's not uncommon, really, to find objects slightly out of place: a book left on a bridge's railing, crochet wrapped around a lamp post, what have you. Still, the dinosaur toy jutting from a tree trunk made me do a double take. (Seen on 46th Avenue in Long Island City.)
Lengths of metal suggest the shape of a building to come on Jackson Avenue in Long Island City.
From an open window at Reis Studios in LIC, a different view of a water tower.
Though I was, of course, taken by the work inside the studios, I found myself fixating on how artists adorned their studio doors. These three are from Reis Studios, which are open to the public again today for the LIC Arts Open.
It's that time again: time for the LIC Arts Open, nearly a week of gallery nights, events, and open studios spread across Long Island City.
Tonight revolved around Queens Plaza/Dutch Kills; first, we visited the Clock Tower, 29-27 41st Avenue, which is hosting a group show, with standouts like recent prints from Luba Lukova. Next, we wandered over to Space Gallery, 29-09 39th Avenue, and took a peek at Windmill Tap & Grill, still not quite ready for the public, but beautifully restored and looking like a promising addition to the neighborhood. Finally, we headed to Studio 34, 34-01 38th Avenue, and checked out a group show as well as a few studio spaces.
Lots of great stuff---like "Power" in pink plush, below, in addition to pieces by Ayakoh Furukawa, Mary Teresa Giancoli, Sofia Hager, Eric March, Nancy Rakoczy, Helaine Soller, and many, many more. Have a wander in the neighborhood---this weekend, the open studios should be another big draw; Reis Studios and Diego Salazar are a pretty good bet.
