22 The QUEE NS Courier • FEBRUARY 21, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com THE COURIER/Photo By Angy Altamirano Long Island City or LIC? BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] In order to avoid being mistaken with suburban Long Island, officials and business leaders are looking to change the name of Long Island City to the “hip” abbreviation “LIC.” After meeting with travel agents from around the world to introduce them to New York, Rob MacKay of the Queens Tourism Council frequently finds that travelers get thrown off by the name when searching websites of Long Island City hotels. “It’s a nightmare! I actually have to show them how close we are to the city,” said MacKay. “The name apparently affects the real estate world and the tourism industry.” With changing the name, MacKay hopes to distinguish Long Island City, emphasizing its unique businesses and thriving community, as being only two subway stops away from Manhattan. “I’ve been frustrated with this for a while now. A lot of people call us daily and they’re confused because they have a misconception of Long Island City,” said Eric Benaim, owner of real estate firm Modern Spaces. The change in name does not seem too drastic, as Long Island City is already being referred to as LIC by residents and businesses. “People here already call it LIC and businesses use it in their names. We always say LIC, we’re trying to get people used to it,” said Benaim. According to MacKay, the process of changing the name does not follow any legal or financial steps but instead just takes the dedication of the community to begin calling itself “LIC.” Yet, not everyone agrees with the name change. “Leave it as Long Island City!” said Manducatis Rustica owner Gianna Cerbone-Teoli. “People do get confused about it, but it’s so great when you have to explain.” Instead of changing the name, residents believe the community should help others understand the differences and unique qualities of Long Island City. “I think it’s unnecessary to change it for people that are not well informed,” said Esteban Varas, 23. “I mean, we are all on Long Island.” The Who’s Next LIC Bar gives back to band’s favorite charity BY ALEXA ALTMAN [email protected] They’re back for an encore. A Sandy-struck venue that received a new sound system from music icons The Who is returning the favor by hosting a fundraiser to benefit one of the band’s favorite charities, Teen Cancer America. LIC Bar, at 45-58 Vernon Boulevard, was inundated by seven feet of water during the superstorm, wiping out its entire cache of electronic equipment. The Who heard about the venue’s plight when LIC Bar patron Robert Basch alerted members of the band’s record label about the damage when the revered British group stopped in Brooklyn during their “Quadrophenia” tour in November. The band donated gear from Shure Microphones and Peavey Electronics, the same state-of-theart equipment The Who uses at their shows, to get the venue up and running again. With its regular line-up back on track, LIC Bar wanted to show their appreciation. “We decided to do this event in order to thank The Who for what they did for LIC Bar,” said the venue’s talent booker Gustavo Rodriguez. “We came up with the idea of throwing a fundraiser for LIC Bar is saying thanks to The Who by hosting a fundraiser to benefit one of the band’s favorite charities. their charity as a way to give back.” On Saturday, February 23, LIC Bar will host a concert to benefit Teen Cancer America, an organization founded by the band that works to improve the lives of adolescents and young adults with cancer. Who’s Next, a well-known tribute band, will perform songs from the international rock group’s catalog. Godfrey Townshend, a guitarist who played with The Who’s late bassist, John Entwistle, will also perform an acoustic set. Bill Canell, Who’s Next’s guitarist and a close friend of The Who’s guitarist Pete Townshend, said the band is ecstatic about the fundraiser. THE COURIER/PHOTO BY ALEXA ALTMAN “They love it,” said Canell. “It’s all good and they’re extremely happy. Anything that gives back to a charity, they’re grateful that we’re doing it.” Tickets for the event are $20 with all proceeds going directly to Teen Cancer America. Additional funds will be raised through a raffle, including a valuable Gibson SG guitar, signed by Pete Townshend and several items signed by The Who’s frontman Roger Daltrey. Rodriguez said he hopes the event will raise between $3,000 and $5,000 for Teen Cancer America. FIGHTING DIRTY LIC RESIDENTS BELIEVE SANITATION TIX A MEANS TO EVICT THEM BY ALEXA ALTMAN [email protected] A resident of “the neatest block in Long Island City” is fighting a sanitation ticket, issued, some say, as part of a plot to push low-rise occupants from prime real estate. Ann Leggett, an artist who has lived on Jackson Avenue since 1979, was issued a $100 ticket for trash surrounding her home at 8:22 a.m. on August 22. When she went outside to retrieve the newspaper at 8:30 a.m., she saw the ticket, adjacent to her immaculate sidewalk. An employee of Argon Management Corp., the taxi company next door to Leggett’s home, saw his neighbor eyeing the ticket and was puzzled by the violation. The worker had finished sweeping the walkway minutes before the sanitation agent surveyed the property, as someone from Argon does every morning. “There are many people around here who believe the owners of small buildings are being harassed because the powers that be would really rather have us go away and be replaced by great, towering edifices,” said Leggett. “They want to be rid of us.” Jackson Avenue, zoned for both low and high-rise buildings, is targeted heavily by developers in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. Leggett said any mess near her home is created by the taxi drivers and the Sunnyside Railroad Yard across the street from her house. While the taxi drivers sweep up their used coffee cups and bits of paper that spill over into Leggett’s property, swaths of litter accumulate around the MTA-owned plot. There are also three bus stops, a state office building and a subway stop in the immediate vicinity of her home, generating garbage. Upon contesting the violation, the judge admitted there was a double standard by sanitation, where small properties seem to be targeted and tickets are not issued to MTA-owned properties, state buildings or high-rises where sidewalks are much dirtier. However, the judge allowed the ticket, stating Leggett failed to indicate through photographs that she had in fact cleaned the sidewalk. “If there is somebody who wants this particular plot of land and is getting the help of the city to harass us out, now that’s corruption,” said Leggett. George Avdoulos, owner of Argon Management Corp., allegedly wrote a letter on behalf of Leggett to Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, explaining that the ticket was unfounded and Leggett’s sidewalk is constantly clean. He has yet to hear back from the official. Avdoulos, Leggett and other nearby tenants frequently receive phone calls and letters from realtors and developers, offering money in exchange for them to vacate their properties. Leggett said she often sees people scanning the block holding clipboards and taking measurements. While the letters generally refrain from offering an exact figure, they indicate the ability to get her a “big fat price” for her house. Leggett believes that by obtaining several contiguous properties, a developer could stand to make a great deal of money. “It’s a shame about Long Island City. It’s becoming more and more unwelcoming to the people that lived here a long, long time.” Calls to sanitation were not returned as of press time.
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