Travel & Tourism Council of Long Island City Formed

Long Island City, NY - Travel and tourism, one of the largest industry sectors in the United States, is slowly emerging as an economic force in Long Island City as part of the area's recent transformation. Few other industries offer Long Island City the promise of job creation, business profitability, and indirect benefits quite as much, or as fast, as travel and tourism. Return on investment of time, capital, and talent could produce extraordinary results.

Anna Gaffney, Director of Sales and Marketing, Holiday Inn Manhattan View is spearheading a new initiative to organize the stakeholders, professionals, agencies, and organizations in the community so that tourism in LIC can be grown in new ways. Anna gained her experience in organizing a community's tourism effort while sitting on the Board of Directors for RiverCenter's Business Improvement District in Red Bank, NJ. This BID was extremely successful in growing tourism for Red Bank.

The purpose of the Travel & Tourism Council of Long Island City (TTCLIC) is to prepare for and promote a growing tourism industry in the greater Long Island City area. The Council will also seek to derive the benefit of grants provided to organizations from borough, city, state, and federal governments and agencies.

Through events and a destination marketing approach, an organized Council will be able to help expand the base of visitors by attracting worldwide travelers as well as local and regional visitors.

Go to Full OurLIC NEWS Coverage

Go to TTCLIC New Website

For questions, comments, and feedback please use our Optin Form or send an email about the Travel & Tourism Council of Long Island City (TTCLIC) to Arthur@CityEntree.com

Susan Lacerte, Executive Director of Queens Botanical Garden, and Patricia Olmstead, owner of Urban Explorations team up.

Urban Explorations, a landscape design company based in Long Island City, has teamed up with the Queens Botanical Garden in an innovative new program to keep employees working during their off season.

Urban Explorations company is donating the time of its experienced employees to provide much needed manpower for special projects at the Botanical Garden. This comes at a time when the Botanical Garden budgets have been limited and cut. Entrepreneur, Patricia Olmstead, owner of Urban Explorations and Susan Lacerte, Executive Director of Queens Botanical Garden, have created this perfect public-private partnership.

Pat sums it up. "We have to help each other." It is that simple.

During the down winter months, Pat's employees report to Karl McKoy, Head Gardener, at the Botanical Garden to do projects. Pat's company continues to pay them. While they are working for Karl, her employees are gaining valuable experience and horticultural skills. Managers from Urban Explorations continue to supervise as well.

Enjoy your space. Go to Urban Explorations new website.

Go to Full Video and Photo News Coverage including a tour of the Platinum LEEDS Award Winning Administrative Building at the Botanical Garden.

Long Island City has been home to working artists for decades. Currently there are well over 1,000 practicing artists living and working in LIC. Karen Fitzgerald, Steffan Partridge, and Arthur Rosenfield have initiated a joint venture to create an innovative model for "Art for Business Space".

Located at Space Realty Group and Art Gallery, 29-09 39th Avenue, Art for Business Space is a curatorial project that will exhibit local artists' work. As a complement to the online OurLIC Gallery and located at Space Realty Group offices, these exhibitions will connect neighbors to artists, businesses to artists and politicians to artists. Art for Business Space will provide a platform of distinctive visibility for artists in LIC. It will encourage the business community to support the creative community. Finally, it will make visible to LIC and the wider NYC community, the active presence of the creative force living and working locally.

LIC is in the process of becoming a significant hub and culturally rich destination-neighborhood within NYC. In conjunction with the newly formed Travel & Tourism Council of Long Island City, Art for Business Space is positioning itself to contribute to this identity. Urban design has come to understand that thriving communities are a combination of disparate factors, the most important being the inclusion of the arts. LIC is unique in its capacity to support collaborations and partnerships that reach across the usual boundaries defining business practice. By linking the physical space with the continuous and interactive online environment, this collaborative effort will reach people beyond the physical community.

Karen Fitzgerald invites you to join us in this unique collaboration. It will offer you the opportunity to not only envision but to also implement the integration of your business with that of the creative community.

Karen Fitzgerald - Curator and Artist

Karen Fitzgerald, professional visual artist, has lived and worked in Long Island City for 29 years. She is active in the arts community, serving on the Board of Directors for Long Island City Artists, Inc. as exhibitions director. She has worked closely with the Queens Council on the Arts for many years, including serving as a grants panelist, arts-in-the-schools advisory panelist as well as participating in a wide range of their programs.

During 2009, she coordinated a 5-venue exhibition celebrating the Centennial of the Queensboro Bridge. Curated by Judith Tolnick Champa, the exhibition featured 44 artists and 66 works and was on view from May – July, 2009. She also produced "Change," at Flushing Town Hall, featuring member work for LICArtists.

Contact us today!

Arthur Rosenfield 646.920.4652 / Arthur@CityEntree.com
Karen Fitzgerald 646.369.7184 / Kbfitzgerald@gmail.com

Developing news and calendar at Art for Business Space.

For questions, comments, and feedback please use our Optin Form or send an email about Innovation 2010 to Arthur@CityEntree.com

On Thursday, March 11, 2010 The Waterfront Crabhouse [ Go to OurLIC Profile ] hosted a dinner at Hope Lodge, New York City. Hope Lodge offers free, temporary housing for cancer patients and their families who are undergoing treatment. More than a place to stay, Hope Lodge is a home away from home, offering a comfortable and supportive environment for encouragement and healing. Through its Patti Fund, The Waterfront Crabhouse, its founder Tony Mazzarella, Tony Dipippo, and friends have made a generous commitment to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge. The Patti Fund, Care for Childhood Cancer is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and provision of care for children and adolescents with cancer. The Patti Fund has established the Patti Fund Family Room at Hope Lodge in NYC.

Go to OurLIC's Full Video and Photo Special Report.

Go to OurLIC's Profile of The Waterfront Crabhouse.

Go to OurLIC's Profile of The Patti Fund.
Read a facinating History of Long Island City and The Waterfront Crabhouse.

On Thursday, February 25th, the Long Island City Business Development Corporation LICBDC hosted a briefing by three leading City officials who discussed plans for vital areas of civic infrastructure. Maura McCarthy, Queens Commissioner, NYC DOT; Assistant Chief Diana Pizzuti, NYPD Queens Borough North; Dorothy Lewandowski, NYC Parks Dept., Queens Commissioner.

OurLIC provides EXCLUSIVE Video News Coverage

For questions, comments, and feedback please use our Optin Form or send an email about Innovation 2010 to Arthur@CityEntree.com

Council Member of The City of New York, Jimmy Van Bramer, presents Frank Carrado with a Proclamation of Honorary Major of Long Island City on February 20, 2010.

Frank Carrado also received a Citation from The State of New York for his examplary service to his community as an outstanding citizen. The Citation was Resolved by Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan.

An 80th Birthday Party Dinner was catered by
/Foodcellar Market catered the event.

Go to EXCLUSIVE Video and Photo Story

Long Island City, January 14, 2010 - Time Square Construction & Development, Navillus (HQ in LIC), will soon open an extraordinary new restaurant designed by architectural firm Studio V Architecture PLLC. It is located at the Jackson-Vernon Triangle.

Watch OurLIC for more coverage of this important Condominium and Restaurant addition to LIC.

Restaurant Presentation [ pdf ]

Video Coverage of Community Board 2 Public Hearing

Cuba...Land of Romance!

Bringing the romance, flavors, and excitement of Cuba to you, Madera Cuban Grill and Steakhouse will open soon on Vernon Blvd in Long Island City.

This warm new restaurant will be serving delicious Cuban Cuisine and the type of tender, Mid-western Steaks you can only find in the finest Steakhouses...and grilled to luscious perfection

Miriam Porto, owner of the soon to open restaurant Madera Cuban Grill, brings over 20 years of experience to Vernon Blvd's newest addition to LIC's own "Restaurant Row". Ms. Porto managed the Tennisport Restaurant until its closing to make way for New York City's Hunters Point South plan.

While at the Tennisport, Ms. Porto demonstrated that she has a passion for the details of running a restaurant and selecting the absolute best ingredients that make quality menu items. She had built a large following from both club members as well as the general public.

When Madera Cuban Grill opens on Vernon Blvd, Long Island City will welcome this new addition to our restaurant choices.

Go to Pre-Opening Profile of Madera Cuban Grill and Steak House

Go to Madera Cuban Grill and Steak House website.

OurLIC for Business provide companies, business people, and professionals in Long Island City with a platform offering the newest tools, technology, and space to communicate, share, publish, distribute video, exchange ideas, collaborate, seek solutions, and to reach out to accelerate their success.

BizWiz, The Internet's Largest Business Network and Resource Marketplace, has been providing business-to-business services to help companies get connected to their markets and customers since 1995. It is a self contained system of services that can help any size company improve its business.

BizWiz is owned and operated by Rainbow Pages Inc., the owner of OurLIC.com. Join BizWiz

Know Your Neighbor!

An important part of the OurLIC platform, the OurLIC Networking service provides a way for residents, merchants, artists, business people and others to meet, social network, and get to know each other. It also provides a place to blog and publish for yourself and your organization. Please sign-up. It is a FREE service.

Know Your Neighbors
michellekawka	paulsalas	brentoleary	andrew	Jimmy_Van_Bramer
Join Today...Create your Space. Here's Why => Here's How  => ...It's FREE!

If you are interested in special promotions on OurLIC.com or advertising in OurLIC Newsletters. If you would like to have your company or organization profiled in our GUIDE, or want display advertising, please contact Arthur Rosenfield at 646-920-4652 for rates.

If your company or organization is not in our searchable MARKETPLACE for business-to-business, OurLIC Business MARKETPLACE, please let us know the details.