ARC: When and why did you decide to open The Gutter?

Drew: The Williamsburg location opened in 2007. We were the first bowling alley to open in Brooklyn in 50 years.

ARC: Why did you decide to open a location in LIC?

Drew: We have always been fans of our neighbors to the north in Queens.  We love the industrial feel of the neighborhood and lucked out finding a building that could house this type of project.

ARC: The space looks pretty fascinating – is there story behind all of the wall décor?

Drew: We wanted to bring a bit of the Williamsburg location to LIC, but given that the space is so different we knew it needed to have a feel of its own. It’s a little more industrial ’80s than the ’70s Midwest feel of Williamsburg.

ARC: What do you think people like the most about The Gutter?

Drew: Most of us grew up bowling. It brings out the kid in you, and you can drink!

ARC: The neighborhood you are in is growing so fast. Why do you think The Gutter will fit nicely into the restaurant and bar scene? Who do you think your customer is/will be?

Drew: There aren’t many large venues to gather at in the neighborhood.  Our customer is one that likes to have fun.

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A calm mind leads to a healthier soul and the folks at Pranavah Yoga studio want ensure you have both. Carolyn McPherson first created this studio after taking countless classes across Long Island City. Disappointed with her experience, Carolyn took the initiative and opened Pranavah Studio in 2013 with a focus on nurturing a welcoming environment. With certified instructors encompassing everything from Restorative Yoga to Pilates and Barre, Pranavah offers something for any skill level.

When and why did you decide to open up a yoga studio?

I opened the studio in January 22nd of 2013 because there wasn’t a good yoga studio in LIC. As a yoga teacher, I took yoga in a couple of places in the area and the rooms were packed and the instruction average. Our intention was to open a boutique yoga and barre studio that offered high quality classes, with an eye for growth. (If student’s yoga and barre practices were not improving, then we’re not doing our job adequately.) We wanted to create a center for growth whether one’s eye is on the spiritual, physical, or emotional… it’s all related.

Why did you decide to do it in LIC?

I opened a studio in LIC because my husband and I bought an apartment in Long Island City in 2009. We love the area enjoy being a part of the Long Island City community. It was to important to me as a yoga, barre and Pilates instructor to offer wellness classes that help to balance people’s bodies and minds. NYC is fast paced city where the strongest thrive. When the body or mind is in pain, it’s difficult to be happy and focus, to thrive in one’s life. A healthy and strong body facilitates a healthy and strong mind, and vice versa. Our intention was to facilitate healing for those who need it, strengthen and challenge those who want it, and do it in a safe and fun environment.

For the people who just start doing yoga, what would be your advice when coming to your studio?

Fear not, and breathe. We’re here to support and challenge anyone that wants it through yoga, barre and Pilates. While barre and Pilates are not spiritually oriented, one leaves our barre classes vibrating on a high level, something like a kundalini class. After our Pilates classes, one feels a fairy dust has been sprinkled all over the mind and body. We’re bringing balance, and lots of Pilates equipment into our second space that will be opening in Court Square sometime in late 2018. Our name has changed to Classic Barre Yoga Bliss, but we’re retaining Pranavah Yoga for our yoga programs.

The neighborhood you are in is growing so fast. Why do you think Pranavah Yoga will fit in nicely? Who do you think your customer is/will be?

The neighborhood is exploding! It’s changed dramatically since we first moved here in 2009. Our studio fits nicely in LIC because our classes are small and we retain the community feel people look for in a classroom setting. Our students receive the attention they would not receive in a larger place, where improper alignment and bad habits do not get observed and corrected. We train our students well, and have trained hundreds of amazing yoga and barre teachers to do the same. Our clients are young families, singletons, anyone who is looking for balanced mind body system in this hectic world. We aspire to be the community’s oasis away from the hustle and bustle.

Visit us next time you’re in Long Island City, we’d love to see you!!! www.pranavahyoga.com or classicbarreyogabliss.com.

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Rich Nieto meets us at Sweetleaf with a perfectly made cup of latte and a smile. We only have a minute to take a good shot – latte art does not live long! We don’t argue, because no one knows and cares coffee better than Rich. But this Sweetleaf is more than just espresso. Here, signature cocktails are made with as much passion as their coffee blends.

When and how did you come up with an idea of opening espresso bar?

– I was a coffee geek for many years. It was almost impossible to find a good cup in NYC in the early 2000’s so I bought a home roaster and started roasting my own beans. When I saw an opportunity to get into the coffee business with my own shop I jumped at the chance. I had been working in LIC for about 20 years, so I knew the neighborhood well. Being born and raised in Queens, it was an honor to bring great coffee to this great borough.

This particular Sweetleaf location is a little different from the rest of them around the city. Why did you decide to go with coffee and cocktails concept?

– I love coffee and I love cocktails, and I thought others could feel the same way. One evening while we were still doing the build out I was in the shop. The neighborhood was really quiet. And then I saw everyone coming back from work. I knew they were our customers in the morning, but they were not coming back in for a coffee now, it’s too late. I asked myself, “What would I like to do if I were them? I’d like to get a drink!’’ That’s how the idea was born.

You are famous for your good espresso, and have a list of signature coffee drinks. What is your favorite to make and to drink?

– My favorite is a straight espresso because it’s the hardest drink to make, and our Rocket Fuel because it’s crack. No, really, it’s that good. It’s a special blend of coffees that we have worked hard perfecting, cold brewed with chicory and then we add Vermont maple and milk. I always keep a growler (that we sell at the shops) of it in my house.

What is your favorite cocktail?

– I love rum, coffee and LIC, so I would certainly go with our signature drink The Long Island City Special. It has Cruzan Black Strap Rum, House made coffee liqueur, Agave, Lime and Seltzer. Score!

What do you think locals and guests of the neighborhood would like the most about Sweetleaf?

– I’ve tried to make the Sweetleaf experience one that I would enjoy myself if I were a customer. I hope people appreciate our passion for what we do, feel they are in a beautiful space, feel well served and enjoy the final product. It all has to come together though because if you remove just one of those, it changes the entire experience.

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Luxury is a feeling and an experience, so for a building to advertise it’s units as luxury lic apartments, it means that they’re willing to put in the time to make sure that residents enjoy living there. Along these lines, most luxury apartment buildings feature a combination of the following aspects in order to keep their natural variety of residents happy, safe, and well taken care of.

Security

Security is among the top concerns of any luxury apartment building for the same reason that hotels take guest privacy and safety very seriously. In most luxury apartment buildings, the external doors are well protected with electronic, mechanical, and human security measures. Residents are welcome to come and go as they please, often with the use of a key card or security code, while non-residents will need approval from someone inside to enter beyond the front doors or lobby.

Windows and a View

Looking at the units themselves, each luxury apartment needs to feel welcoming. Most native urbanites can tell the quality of an apartment with a quick glance at the size of the windows. Crummy apartments in older un-renovated buildings tend to have smaller windows with thick frames and often outdated glass while luxury apartments have always been more prone to wide picture windows to give the tenants a great view of the city.

Spaciously Designed Floorplans

Space is in high demand in Long Island City and most other neighborhoods in the NYC area but that doesn’t mean your apartment can’t be spacious. Even with a small literal square footage, luxury lic apartments do everything they can to enhance the feeling of space with vaulted ceilings, big windows, and clever use of space for shelves and storage to give you the most room to breathe in your apartment.

Cutting-Edge Appliances

The age and upkeep of an apartment can often be told by the appliances. Old appliances that clearly haven’t been updated in 20 years are a sign of a frugal building manager while luxury apartments often replace the appliances with cutting-edge stainless steel models about every five years in order to keep up with the needs and preferences of their residents. Having new appliances isn’t just a convenience, it’s also a sign that you’re less likely to see maintenance troubles.

Quality Countertops and Floors

While cabinet styles come and go, one of the best markers of a luxury apartment, oddly enough, is the countertop. If your kitchen counter is made from real polished stone, cool to the touch and resistant to errant knife strikes, then your building manager is putting in the effort and budget to make sure each unit is actually luxurious.

Thick Walls Between Units

If you’ve ever lived in an apartment with ‘paper-thin’ walls or stayed in a hotel where you could hear the other nearby televisions, you know how important wall insulation and thickness is. When everyone lives close together, the only way to achieve privacy is with well-built walls.

Building Amenities

Finally, you’ll often be able to identify a luxury apartment building before you ever tour a unit by the quality and variety of amenities available. Luxury LIC Apartments include a workout gym and a garden and many will include things like pools, cafes, sports courts, laundry services, and some even hold fun classes and activities for residents.

The post What Defines The Term “Luxury LIC Apartments” appeared first on ARC.

Every home has its own personality and as any experience apartment dweller knows, even units that were built identically will change and become unique over time. From your enjoyment of the view to how easy and fun it is to move around the kitchen, every person seeking a new apartment in Long Island City is looking for something special, the apartment that seems to be a natural extension of their personality and lifestyle, not just some cookie-cutter cubby with default amenities.

The Antiglasstower Approach

If you’re looking for an LIC apartment, you deserve more than a default selection of identical units and here at ARC, we’re dedicated to making sure each and every client we work with finds the perfect residence for their needs and lifestyle. We don’t see each of our apartments as interchangeable or identical, even if the floor plans and amenities are the same. Interested potential residents who come to us for Long Island City apartment opportunities don’t get shown one unit at random to choose from half a dozen, we like to start with what the resident is looking for. The right view, the right number of bedrooms, and the right ‘feel’ is incredibly important to most people and our goal is to connect every resident with an apartment that has the right look and feel to become a new home-base for their already awesome lifestyle. This is what we like to call our Antiglasstower approach because no two luxury apartments are the same, and neither are our residents.

Spotting the Glasstower Mentality

If you are currently looking for an apartment in Long Island City, you may have noticed a trend in how you are treated by building managers, rental services, and real estate agents. All too often, they take note of your price range and demographic and offer you a string of nearly identical apartments or even simply suggest an entire building of units that ‘might suit your needs’. If you feel like you’re being offered apartments in a way that doesn’t take your real preferences and feelings into account, you’re probably dealing with the glasstower mentality and it’s time to look for someone using the antiglasstower approach. With so many residents and apartments packed tightly into the city, people who deal in property often get glassy-eyed and stop seeing either the apartments or the tenants as individual and unique.

If you want to test the glasstower mentality of apartment hunting services, try a little experiment. Dress down when you meet one service in your old ripped jeans and a band T-shirt and dress up for another service in your best interview outfit. Just see if the first service doesn’t offer you ‘trendy’ lofts while the second service offers you personality-free glass tower apartments. Don’t let stereotyping services choose your next home for you. Look for something special that suits who you really are, not how you dress.

Finding a Unique LIC Apartment with ARC

Tired of the glasstower mentality? So are we! Here at ARC, we apply our antiglasstower approach to treat every unit and customer with respect for what makes them special. Whether you’re looking for a new home for your family, a two-bedroom unit for you and a friend, or a cozy studio to ride out your independent young adult years, we’ve got you covered. Let us know what you’re looking for and we’ll help you find exactly the right apartment for not just your needs, but for your personality as well.

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Meticulous artisanship

A luxury lic apartment that is customized for excellence, will stand out the minute you walk through the door. You will sense the difference as skill meets quality materials. From the oversized ceilings to the floor to ceiling encasement windows, you will appreciate breathtaking views both inside and out. Custom-crafted woodwork and chic fixtures are other telling features of a luxury lic apartment. A polished modern ambiance reflects meticulous artisanship.

Extravagant amenities

There are amenities and then there are luxury amenities in our lic apartment. When searching for your luxury lic apartment, look for the upgraded touch in your amenity package. Outdoor and indoor amenities should be a part of a luxury package. Just because you’re living in a lic apartment doesn’t mean you need to skimp on the extravagance. You deserve to be pampered with concierge service, apartment valet cleaning services, and even a parking attendant. Go for the gusto a huge fitness center including yoga studio, golf simulator, basketball court, spin studio and private workout studio. This luxury lic apartment building has every amenity you would need.

A place for your pet

You need to make sure the apartment you choose allows pets and more than that offers services for your beloved pet. ARC luxury lic apartment offer state of the art facilities for pets. Look for a lic apartment that boasts plenty of outdoor play area for your pet.

Expansive space

Of course, you want to have the space to stretch out and enjoy life. There’s no need to feel cramped in a luxury lic apartment. In fact, you may discover more space to do the things you love both indoors and out. Discover the vast array of indoor facilities in a luxury lic apartment such as a huge rooftop pool, fitness and exercise facilities, a library, on-site dining and barbeque areas, and more. The space you crave expands to the outdoors too. From the meticulously manicured land to the garden area for delightful afternoon breaks, you’ll have plenty of room to move around in at a luxury lic apartment.

Service

Additional services are an added bonus that comes with only the most luxurious lic apartments. Whether it’s the 24/7 desk attendant, the concierge, the valet parking attendant, or the lifestyle director, they all are available to make your life simpler and more enjoyable. This is living the life of luxury. Do you need additional services such as occasional housecleaning? Or maybe you want to host a private dinner for special business associates and could use fine gourmet cooking. These are just a sampling of the upscale services that luxury lic apartments offer.

If you’re ready to make the move from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from the dull to the delightful, and from the modest to the luxurious, then look no further. ARC living is luxury lic at its finest. Connect with us today to discover all the reasons we’re called a luxury lic apartment.

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Do you need to be close to commuting options?

For some people living in the Long Island City area, the convenience of commuting to work is a big attraction. They don’t have to deal with the parking issues and can save on auto expenses as well. Long Island City apartments that are situated near subway lines make it easy to commute. In addition, commuting is an efficient use of your time because you can catch up (or get ahead) on work while riding the subway. It reduces stress since you won’t have to fight the traffic. If commuting is something you think you would definitely do at least some of the time, then a Long Island City apartment near the subway is an important feature for which to look.

Do you enjoy an active lifestyle?

Keeping active at all stages in life keeps you healthy and happy. If you enjoy a good deal of activity, social outings, and community gatherings, then you want a Long Island City apartment that caters to these desires. Some people enjoy physical activities that include outdoors ventures, nature trails, sports, and so on. Finding an apartment that has enough property for an outdoor dedicated space is important to enhance your physical activity. Other people are socially active and desire social interactions, dining, and shopping. Long Island City apartments that are close to dining and social venues will inspire the active life that you enjoy. You need room indoors and out if you want to maintain your active lifestyle.

Do you require concierge and/or valet services?

You may be a busy professional with a full social schedule as well. This means your time is limited. If so, concierge and valet services provide assistance with managing some of the daily/weekly tasks. From laundry to scheduling appointments to general apartment cleaning services, you can relax more when you have the added personalized services you need. You will have more time to play, cook, take a bath, go for a hike, shop at your favorite store, go out to eat, or simply sleep in your Long Island City apartment. Only a few select luxury Long Island City apartments offer such amenities as concierge and valet services. If this is something important to you, then be sure to make it a priority to find a place with these added services.

Do you have a hectic life and need a place that promotes rest?

Maybe you are not one of those highly active individuals who crave social gatherings and many activities. You may be the type that has enough of a stress load at work and you find joy in more quiet settings. You may enjoy tranquil walks in fragrant flower gardens or enjoy the quiet time you get lounging on a rooftop sundeck. Discover a Long Island City apartment that caters to your need for tranquility.

Do you have an eye for quality?

If you recognize superior quality, then you appreciate customized homes with upgraded features. People who have an eye for quality also recognize when quality is lacking. Inexpensive cabinets, cheap window treatments, and low-end kitchen counters are a glaring eyesore to those who have an eye for quality. However, when you find a Long Island City apartment with the distinct touches of high-quality materials, then you know you’ve found the perfect home for you.

Discover ARC and find your LIC apartment today.

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Finding a home that jives with our anti-cookiecutterism ideals may be challenging, but it’s not impossible. When searching for a Long Island City apartment that does not conform to the cookie cutter mold, look for following five tips.

Outside the box features = anti-cookiecutterism at its best

One of the key elements of anti-cookiecutterism is out-of-the-box thinking. When you push the boundaries of thinking, you end up with design features that are anything but typical or the norm. As you preview different Long Island apartments, look for custom features that highlight the forethought that has gone into each home.

Luxurious touches = anti-cookiecutterism in action

Nothing about a luxury Long Island City apartment will be mundane or dull. Luxury combats cookie cutterism. From the custom kitchen with high-end counters to the antique bathrooms, you know that these luxuries are a step above the standard. Living in a luxurious apartment means you have name brand appliances that keep your life simple and convenient.

Breathtaking outdoor grounds = real anti-cookiecutterism

As you tour the grounds of your new home in Long Island City, you want dedicated space outside that is beautiful and functional. Apartments that feature amenities outdoors as well as inside will put you on the path to have the anti-cookiecutter life you desire. Trails laced with greenery, outdoor games areas, barbeque and dining facilities, all make outdoor playtime an exciting adventure.

Outstanding amenities = anti-cookiecutterism your way

When you are “wow-ed” by the amenities when searching for your apartment in Long Island, then you know you’ve found your home. Amenities are where many apartments get lax. They fall prey to offering cookie cutter amenities such as an outdated clubhouse and a tiny pool. This will never do if you want to be anti-cookiecutterism. Some amenities that break the mold of the cookie cutter experience include:

• Yoga studio within the apartment complex.
• Resident’s quality lounging area with luxury compliments.
• Valet for high-end service options.
• Added storage capacity for residents who need it.
• Lifestyle bonus with director on-site.
• Golfing simulator and other sports equipment.
• Indoor arcade for game enthusiasts.
• Catering available featuring gourmet food.
• Lobby concierge.
• Private dining facilities available for hosting parties or family get-togethers.
• Business rooms to allow for meetings and conferences.

Quality craftsmanship = anti-cookiecutterism at work

Living the apartment life in Long Island City means you can expect a quality-crafted home if you stick with the anti-cookiecutterism mindset. Settle for nothing less than a home built with character and distinct qualities. Cathedral-high ceilings, granite countertops, authentic woodwork, and floor-to-ceiling windows are some of the features that reflect the anti-cookiecutterism values that every person craves.

When you begin your journey of seeking your next Long Island City apartment, don’t give the cookie-cutter apartments a second look. You deserve the unique experience that comes with an anti-cookiecutterism ideal. Discover the fine art of living with ARC. ARC is not your average apartment complex, it pushes the boundaries of unique living and delights the residents with luxurious amenities. Contact ARC today and break free from the cookie cutter living experience!

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