Archive for May 2013
quiet travel
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a short one today. Something pretty cool is in the pipes, and I’ve been developing a massive batch of shots from a site visit I got to do on Tuesday. Accordingly, a humble narrators eyes are tinged with red and the coffee doth flow freely. These Canada Geese are new neighbors, it seems, having taken up residence on Newtown Creek in Maspeth.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It feels as if one has spent the last few weeks doing nothing but hurtling about the harbor. Next week, it should be mentioned, the Working Harbor Committee 2013 schedule commences with the “Beyond Sandy” series of harbor tours. More information and ticketing can be found at the Working Harbor Blog, which is accomplished by Newtown Pentacle Aide de Camp and far eastern correspondent Armstrong. Check her stuff out here, and get more info on “Beyond Sandy.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I plan on being a fixture on those WHC boat tours, but not on the microphone. I’m the official photographer for the group and will be on board just shooting away. Back tomorrow with a bit more substance for you to sink your teeth into.
Upcoming tours:
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, May 25, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
The Poison Cauldron- Saturday, June 15, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
Kill Van Kull- Saturday, June 22, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
slowly onward
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Spotted recently in the wilds of Greenpoint, a Checker Cab. For those of you who came to NYC late in the game, these taxis were as iconic as the Empire State Building or Tugboats “back in the day.” There’s always a few Checkers in Greenpoint, repurposed as hotel limousines by the Box Hotel in DUPBO (Down Under the Pulaski Bridge Onramp). This model appears clad in stickers and vehicle wrap that seems authentic, and the color is spot on. Only thing missing is the smell of vomit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It has been mentioned in the past that this “future” of ours, life lived in the 21st century, is kind of a let down for me. As a child, I was sold on lots of conceptual technologies (I will admit that we’ve gotten the pocket sized personal computer network consoles) which have never materialized. Moving sidewalks, domed cities, jet packs- that sort of stuff.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Instead, we just seem to have a lot more cars zipping around, carrying people back and forth to a lot of unimaginatively shiny buildings, and a single orange can cost you as much as a dollar in Manhattan. Necessary evil, I suppose, these automobiles of ours. People to see, places to go and all that. One wonders, however…
Upcoming tours:
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, May 25, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
The Poison Cauldron- Saturday, June 15, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
Kill Van Kull- Saturday, June 22, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
impassable barrier
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Unhappily, one must report to you that the May 26 Newtown Creek Cruise has been postponed and needs to be rescheduled. Unforeseen circumstance has reared its ugly head, in the form of the NYC DOT announcing a bridge painting project which will preclude the opening of the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge during the time and date of our excursion.
Working Harbor Committee remains committed to the trip, but we need to reschedule it for a more opportune time when the three hour exploration is not in danger of being cut short some 30 minutes in.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After reporting on the bridge maintenance last month, in the posting “tireless and continuing,” your humble narrator contacted the WHC group’s leader- Captain John Doswell- and the two of us began a lengthy debate as to what to do. The NY Water Taxi we use for these Newtown Creek Boat Tours has a shallow draft, but we couldn’t take the chance that a rising tide would trap us in front of or behind the bridge and it was decided to reschedule.
All of you who bought tickets should have already received an email from the Captain, and a refund.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trip will likely occur in the autumn instead, probably toward the end of September. The silver lining in this is that the Newtown Creek seems to look best in the fall and those of you who are photographers will benefit greatly from the shift of seasons. I will keep you posted as news develops, but for now, apologies are offered for those of you who bought tickets and planned to spend some time with me exploring the Newtown Creek.
The walking tours listed below are offered as a curative.
Upcoming tours:
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, May 25, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
The Poison Cauldron- Saturday, June 15, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
Kill Van Kull- Saturday, June 22, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
habitual association
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It is childish for me to believe in anyone or anything beyond myself, it seems. In truth, the number of good men I have known in my life can be counted on one hand, and I do not consider myself one of them. Do not think that this handful are or were saints, they just held to a code of ethical behavior and behaved in a consistent fashion with their moral compass. History teaches that such men are few and far between, of course, and that the vast majority of those within the human hive are merely degenerate refugees from the monkey tribe- cowardly, bestial, restive, and capable of nothing but criminal and personal defilement.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I have always believed in certain principles, attempted to adhere to some sort of personal code. Rules are rules, and one of mine is “Say what you do, and do what you say.” Watching those incapable of such turpitude wriggle and splash in the ooze would afford me amusement, were I an evil man. If religion or the rule of law were my trip, condemnation and punishment would be all consuming passions- but all I ever aspire to be is a good man, and seeing those who should know better transgress this threshold between right and wrong just makes me sad.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There are things you do not wish to invoke upon yourself. You never want to say any phrase containing the word “fuck” to an on duty New York City Police Officer, for instance, nor get into a drinking contest with Russians or Koreans. Never date a woman who is named after a luxury car, and if you find a dusty book of incantations in some cabin in the woods- do not read from that book aloud. You have no idea what it is you might call into existence.
Upcoming tours:
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, May 25, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
The Poison Cauldron- Saturday, June 15, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
Kill Van Kull- Saturday, June 22, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
deeds and aspect
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photos by Mitch Waxman
For this Maritime Sunday, check out the show (visible from the infinities of Brooklyn) which was playing out on the East River last Friday.
What you’re seeing are two Moran Tugs- The Doris Moran and the James Turecamo- towing a floating dry dock past midtown. The Caddell company’s gargantuan… dare I say cyclopean… equipment is an amazing maritime structure. A floating dry dock will submerge itself, whereupon a boat will be floated into position over it, and the structure will rise up and capture the vessel. The dry dock will fully resurface and lift the ship into the air, allowing repairs and maintenance to be performed.
– photos by Mitch Waxman
Here’s a shot of a tug undergoing repair on another one of Cadell’s drydocks at the Kill Van Kull.
Upcoming tours:
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, May 25, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
The Poison Cauldron- Saturday, June 15, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
Kill Van Kull- Saturday, June 22, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
The Newtown Pentacle 