In terms of gentrification, Long Island City has the recipe all wrong. It's supposed to go like this: industrial area nobody wants to live in --> hipsters/artists move in for the cheap rent and open hipster/artsy establishments to cater to their crowd --> budding area draws yuppies and uptowners to thriving neighborhood social scene --> new establishments open to cater to new, upscale crowd --> developers build luxury condos --> hipsters/artists priced out, move on. But in Long Island City, the neighborhood went directly from wasteland to luxury condos without any of those steps in between. Now, the confusion has led to situations like this one: the week we find out about Manhattan-priced condos in LIC is the same week we find out about the neighborhood's first hipster rock club, complete with a matching "Downtown Has Moved to Queens" T-shirt campaign. Which is it, concierge service or dudes with tattoo sleeves?
· Long Island Rock City! [NYO]
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