twisting willows
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman, 2012
During this infirmity which has struck me down, a twisting gimlet of overstressed tissue in my lower back (for those of you who haven’t read my endless complaints about it in the last week), an amazing amount of time has been spent combing the vast Internet in search of amusement and diversion. While doing so, a few images at the New York City Municipal Archives provided me with some intellectual whimsy. The shot above is quite modern, captured a few days after Hurricane Sandy. It depicts the “Queens Midtown Highway” section of the Long Island Expressway.
– photo by nycma.lunaimaging.com, May 13, 1941
The historic shot from May 1941, above, is shot from a few hundred feet south of my vantage point. Unfortunately, the spot where that photographer stood is now obscured by both a chain link fence and a highway sign which blocks the historic view. Of particular note in the 1941 shot are the presence of private homes, rather than industrial buildings, along the northern side of the highway. Also, the blanket of vaporous exhaust visible in the air of Long Island City is of some interest.
The Newtown Pentacle 
Looks like the same water tower on the right in both pix. I luv these old photos, donchu? (Hope you’re on the mend.)
georgetheatheist
November 26, 2012 at 2:43 am
Hey, Mitch – sorry you hurt your back – what happened!?
Where is this photo’s vantage point?
Jim Garrity
November 27, 2012 at 12:58 am
This is Grenpoint Avenue, overpass LIE, looking west.
Mitch Waxman
November 27, 2012 at 2:02 am