(post by Dee) The long-awaited supermarket has arrived to LIC. Located at 4-85 47th Road in Queens West part of LIC (NOT in Hunters Point, as mistakenly reported by NY Daily News article - although they do specify in being in Queens West, also!) Someone at the paper needs to do little more research or ask the locals about difference between Hunters Point, Queens West, Queens Plaza and Court Sq. No, LIC is not all the same… such a huge zip code area.

So what does the LIC community think of the new food store, arguably the most awaited supermarket in history of New York city?! Apparently, many Queens West posters agree that the Food Cellar store prices are too high. Hello, why would anyone be surprised? LIC’s Food Cellar & Co Market is owned by co-owner of Amish Market… have you been to one of them? I frequently go for yummy EVERYTHING to their Murray Hill location. It’s top quality stuff, but can never be called cheap. If you want cheap, Costco further up north on Vernon Blvd is your answer. Or local bodegas and C-Town on 21st Street may work.

But if you live west of Vernon Boulevard, at 5SL at 5-09 48th St / 5-26 47th Rd, at any of the Avalon rentals, Rockrose rentals, City Lights, The Gantry or will at the Powerhouse, you are likely: 1. Happy to have this store; 2. To shop there out of convenience; 3. Not concerned with the higher prices because if you can afford a new condo here, or rent here, you are not an average Joe. Example: Rents at the Avalon Bay luxury rentals for 1BR are $2800 and they require income of 30 times annual rent. That means you make at least $100K per year. Average income in NYC, believe it or not, is about $54,000. And if you are buying a condo here, you are paying double the national average for 1-family house (about $250,000) for a studio in LIC. My point is, LIC is no longer a secret, 1-stop to Manhattan, artsy industrial neighborhood. There’s a lot money here, and that’s why the Amish Market people opened up here. Starbucks next??!! Well, let them get over their problems first

Whatever happens, I hope retail businesses in LIC are here to stay. So I’m going to go there tomorrow and get me some good bread and cheese. I will still get my berries at Costco and fish at Korean store, but for delicatessen, Food Cellar gets my business.

Thought of the day: Amazing how Americans scream murder when their milk costs 25 cents more, and don’t want to pay more for better quality (no, all cheese and beer are NOT the same) but they still refuse to drive smaller (really smaller, like in Europe) cars. Maybe we could cut calories intake by 25% as a nation. We’d save billions in food costs, and trillions in health care costs.

Manhattan is… across the water. 48th Avenue near Gantry Park: City Lights on the Left, the new Avalon on Right.