Archive for December 2012
perils exhorted
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It has been discussed so often here that it is depressing to actually bring it up again, but your humble narrator absolutely detests this time of the year. Miserable vulnerabilities to cold wreak havoc upon an already weakened constitution, and the diminished availability of light emanating from the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself during these months cause me nothing but misery and consternation. In short, I hate the winter, and it sort of figures that the world will cease to be on precisely the date when the winter solstice occurs and the days begin to grow longer.
Mayan Apocalypse Countdown: just 10 days left until the 13th b’ak’tun ends, initiating the Mayan Apocalypse on December 21st. Tick, tock.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Wandering about in the wastelands surrounding the Newtown Creek and its tributaries normally bring me a sort of solace, but of late, not so much. It is painful to know so much about a subject that you actually have no one to chat with about it. More and more, I think about my friend Bernie Ente, and his loss grows ever more profound. He is dearly missed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The good news is that the excess time I am cursed with is being put to some use. A schedule of 2013 tours and events is being hammered out and negotiated as you read this, and there are quite a few interesting things on the horizon. There will be two completely new Newtown Creek walking tours, as well as an updated “Magic Lantern” lecture and slideshow. Additionally, discussions about new opportunities out on the harbor are starting as well. Just have to make it through to the spring in one piece…
madness born
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It might be a bit of an oxymoron to say this, but there has been a lot of oil floating in the Dutch Kills tributary of the Newtown Creek since Hurricane Sandy. Realize who this statement is coming from, of course, and the unhealthy familiarity with this waterway which I enjoy. Dutch Kills is one of the forgotten parts of the creek, mainly because it is in Queens.
Mayan Apocalypse Countdown: just 11 days left until the 13th b’ak’tun ends, initiating the Mayan Apocalypse on December 21st. Tick, tock.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One is often faced with a quandary regarding the Newtown Creek’s northern bank. The Brooklyn, or southern side is well monitored by an army of concerned observers, whereas it often seems that the Queens side only has me. Relying on one such as myself is a terrible idea, given my onerous personality and irksome inability to fulfill even simple responsibilities like doing the laundry.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Photographic records which I have been building for several years of this canal also reveal that the water has never been observed with this particular coloration before, which is obsidian. Something has changed here, possibly of a chemical nature. Perhaps the Bowery Bay sewer plant, whose out falls are found along this stretch, was impacted deeply by the storm? I have no answers to offer.
I guess it doesn’t matter, who cares about Queens anyway?
heavy articles
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a short one today, the tug Mary Alice rolling along at twilight. Back tomorrow with something a bit more substantial, but today must be spent with loved ones as the world soon ends.
Only 12 days left until the 13th b’ak’tun ends, initiating the Mayan Apocalypse on December 21st, after all.
impression sustained
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Only 13 days left until the 13th b’ak’tun ends, initiating the Mayan Apocalypse on December 21st. With time running out, it’s probably wise to try and keep your strength up. if you’re on the south side of Astoria, specifically 34th avenue and Steinway, you could do worse than visiting the food cart we locals call “Shwarma Joe”. They do a chicken sandwich here that can’t be beat, which incorporates eggplant, french fried potatoes, and white yogurt sauce along with fiery red sauce for around five bucks. Yum. I avoid Gyro’s like the plague, so can’t recommend that.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Oddly, another of my little quirks is that I like to pick a particularly cold day and go to the local fruit seller for tropical or out of season varieties. This is one of the great luxuries of living in New York, the overwhelming availability of fresh citrus in December, or the sheer caprice of buying a mango during a blizzard. Such carbon churning and earth destructive market availability is a rare historical anomaly. After the Mayan Apocalypse, we will be fighting each other over rat meat, so enjoy it while you can.
mold stained facades
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Only 14 days left until the 13th b’ak’tun ends, initiating the Mayan Apocalypse on December 21st. Seeking to visit those places special to me- one last time- before the sun blinks, the heavens crash, and the earth splits- your humble narrator journeyed to the Empty Corridor in Long Island City. Empty Corridor, incidentally, is a term of my own invention- the rest of you know it as 50th avenue.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The feature rich terrain which surrounds the Newtown Creek and its industrial districts is often difficult to categorize without some sort of assigned nomenclature. The Creek itself…long time readers of this, your Newtown Pentacle, have grown accustomed to the appellations DUKBO (Down Under the Kosciuszko Bridge Onramp), DUPBO (Pulaski), DUGABO (Greenpoint Avenue), even DUMABO (Metropolitan Avenue) to describe various sections using bridge crossings for reference. I’ve called a certain route through Greenpoint “The Poison Cauldron” and another that leads from Bushwick to Maspeth “The Insalubrious Valley”. There is a reason for this, beyond my personal amusement.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Simply put, the historic place names for these spots have fallen out of common memory. If I said, meet me in Arnheim or at Whites Dock near the Plank Road, how many would be able to reach these spots? In my educated estimation, knowing the various players and personalities of the local historical enthusiasts and area wags, approximately eleven people would have any idea what I was taking about. For a time, the nickname of DULIE (Down Under the Long Island Expressway) was considered for this spot, but that fits the eastward section of Borden Avenue a bit better, so “Empty Corridor” was assigned to it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There used to be lots of interesting things here, before Robert Moses rammed the steel viaduct and the midtown tunnel which feeds it through in 1939. There were warehouses that were fed by the freight lines of the Long Island Railroad, as well as a thriving manufacturing community. Nowadays, there are nothing but truck based businesses- UPS is the biggest of them. And cats. Lots of cats.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One thing you will notice as universal in these industrial backwaters is that ferals are everywhere. Cats, that is. These days, you don’t see packs of dogs roaming about. When your humble narrator was a boy, living in the hinterlands of flatlands and canarsie, it was not uncommon to see 10-20 dogs of dissimilar breeds roaming around. Some were escaped or abandoned pets, but most were the product of miscegenation and rough in appearance and demeanor. These days, Cats seem to be the dominant feral animal.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another thing you’ll notice is that laborers in the neighborhood look after these creatures, creating shelters out of plastic crates and depositing large quantities of food. This, of course, provides fuel to the fire, and an unsustainable birth rate. There are only so many birds and rats that can be caught under normal circumstances, and without their tenders, life can get pretty grim for these kitties here in the Empty Corridor.
The Newtown Pentacle 