Archive for December 2013
Project Firebox 100
An ongoing catalog of New York’s endangered Fireboxes.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The scarlet still stands in Hunters Point, although the neighborhood is unrecognizable.
Pepsi is long gone, as are National Sugar, the LIRR Power House, and the Daily News- but a noble firebox still stands at the ready. Here, in the capital of “wiping away the old New York” and “changing the skyline forever,” there is at least a single pole star of continuity. Rock on firebox, rock on.
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moist verdure
A life well lived is a series of dull events.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My annual pilgrimage to the MTA Holiday Nostalgia “Shoppers Special” Subway event carried me to Queens Plaza one recent Sunday. It’s a fun and wholesome thing to do.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, I have more than just a few acquaintances and friends who also enact this yearly journey, wherein legacy subway cars are run on the M line in a circuit between Queens Plaza and 2nd avenue in Manhattan.
It’s always nice to see someone you know.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The weird thing, for me, is that it involves willingly heading down into the rat infested tunnels- an activity which normally fills me with a malign dread.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These are all retired subway cars, once typical, that represent various eras of design. At the time of their original deployment, each of these legacy units were state of the art.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The legacy cars performed well, although they are quite rickety in comparison to modern subways units. There was a brief interval wherein a door got stuck in the open position, but the MTA guys sorted that out in no time.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An odd mix of folks were observed onboard. Some were ordinary commuters and customers of the M line, while many were hardcore rail fans. More than one photographer was spotted shooting models in period dress.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The rail guys, they’re mostly guys, are the quiet ones on the train who watch every little detail and are listening to the machine. These cats can tell you the part number for individual screws on these trains, and you ignore their knowledge at your own peril. Foamers indeed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This show will be running every Sunday on the M line in December, operating between Manhattan’s 2nd Avenue and Queens Plaza. Check out the MTA Holiday Train page for schedule info.
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receptive ears
Cool cars in today’s post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One found himself down by the former 5pointz in LIC, which had recently been reverse vandalized.
It’s a shame, really. 5ptz was the only thing in LIC that brought the punters and foreign tourists out from Manhattan, but LIC needs more mirror walls and luxury condos, so it had to go. This is the way of things, I guess, but it’s a crying shame and victory for the forces of blandness.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While visiting the lamentable location, this interesting car with its hilarious vanity plate was spotted. The vehicle was a variation of a classic muscle car, although its registration sticker called it a pickup.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sights such as this will no doubt be increasingly rare, as I saw the guy who got out of it heading towards the former 5ptz. Soon all one will see parked around here shall be Zip Cars, and tower dwellers unloading loads of big box store goods.
Luckily, vanilla ice cream can be obtained at Cosco in 50 gallon drums.
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linger strangely
The fedora district of Long Island City.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Last week, one found himself wandering desperately through the Fedora District.
A term of my own invention, as it seems like the sort of spot built for and by fellows who routinely placed felt hats upon their heads when leaving the house. My sweaty desperation was brought on by certain bodily functions which were calling for, nay, demanding attention.
Simply put, I had to poop, drop a deuce, or extrude ex food.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One of the big problems experienced all over the megalopolis is a lack of publicly available rest rooms.
For some reason, the credentialed urban planners of the world do not acknowledge human biology in their calculations, nor require accessible bathrooms from the real estate people in exchange for their tax breaks and $1 land deals.
This is why people piss on their green infrastructure, there’s no where else to go.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I should have stopped at the diner on Jackson to take care of business, but didn’t have the money or time to spend on a cup of joe or similar item as a ransom for relief. Urgency commanded one to double time it back to Astoria and the comforts of those porcelain fixtures which we keep confined in a tile room. I, for one, urge the incoming Mayor’s transition team to consider the fact that humans will need to crap and pee occasionally.
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wooded hollow
An old school MTA bus, spotted at Union Square.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Recent obligation, this time a consultation with and an examination by some the medical professionals who maintain that delicate homeostasis which forestalls my inevitable dissolution, brought one to the Shining City- specifically to the storied locale known as Union Square.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The MTA runs a museum program in December, rolling out so called “nostalgia” units from their vintage collection. The subway side of it runs along the M line and will be discussed later in the week.
There’s a bus program, which operates along 42nd street, so it was a surprise to find one of the legacy units at Union Square. Serendipity!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Fond memories of this model of NYC bus clutter my memories.
The first time I had a gun pointed at me was on one of these, as was my first experience of getting caught up in one the race riots which Brooklyn regularly offered back in the 80’s.
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