Archive for December 16th, 2010
viscous obstacles
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A little Xmas business today… but first- I wish it was possible, scientifically and mechanically (and perhaps legally), to move about the city invisibly- to employ what the Star Trek franchise would refer to as “a cloaking device”. Hunters employ what is known as “a blind”, which is a hidden perch or camouflaged spot which offers one an enhanced angle of fire while remaining hidden from the viewpoint of their quarry. I like to pretend that I have several of these spots around the city- blind alleys and hidden culverts mostly. If there’s a manhole cover slightly ajar on Jackson Avenue, might it be that your humble narrator is the man in that hole?
I’m all ‘effed up.
Incidentally, as the Newtown Creek Alliance site has previously announced, there will be a meeting tonight in Greenpoint to discuss the recent developments about boating access from City owned property along the Creek. I’ll most likely attend, and I’m sure that the discussion and panel of municipal representatives will be engaging, lively, and ribald. Here’s the details, from the NCA site:
Boating Access to Newtown Creek in Jeopardy
The NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection will be holding a meeting to address its recent closure of the boat launch at the Newtown Creek Nature Walk. As the Nature Walk is one of the few public access points to the Creek, we encourage everyone to attend the DEP meeting and advocate for the City re-open the boat launch immediately.
When: Thursday, December 16, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Where: Newtown Creek Visitor Center, 329 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222 [directions]
In their own words “Please join the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of City Planning, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation for a hearing on the feasibility of future access to New York City owned kayak launches on Newtown Creek. The hearing will provide the public an opportunity to testify on the feasibility of future access to New York City-owned kayak launches on Newtown Creek. For more information and to submit written statements in advance for those who cannot attend, please email Matt Mahoney at MMahoney@dep.nyc.gov or call 718-595-6605.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Hunters Point Bridge Centennial Event on Saturday the 11th was well attended, despite the blistering cold typical of the period immediately preceding the winter solstice, and the stalwart engineers of the DOT opened the draw bridge for the surprised delight and education of the crowd. The supervisor of the Borden Avenue Bridge reconstruction project (who we kind of bumped into) also gave us a moment of his time, and described the long term project which he described as nearing completion.
Postings and photos will be coming forthwith, expect them soon, here at your Newtown Pentacle.
Speaking of your Newtown Pentacle, and the existential realities and meager finances currently extant for your humble narrator- please consider purchasing a copy of the first Newtown Pentacle book: “Newtown Creek for the Vulgarly Curious” – a fully annotated 68 page, full-color journey from the mouth of Newtown Creek at the East River all the way back to the heart of darkness at English Kills, with photos and text by Mitch Waxman.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In other news, a rather in depth profile of me was run yesterday at blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu, which is the sort of thing I’m afraid I’ll never get used to but which swells my ego nevertheless.
The Newtown Pentacle 