to assent
Take a breath every now and then. Shhh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My beloved Astoria can kick up quite a racket, which is my primary complaint at the moment. The not so accurate decibel meter on my phone tells me that the zone around my house is subsumed by a constant din of 60-70 decibels, which can amp up to as high as 80-95 on a regular basis. That’s just ambient noise, I’m not including the passing ambulance, fire engine, or police car in those calculations.
It’s enough to cause one to lose his last nerve, I tell you.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sonic pollution is something that doesn’t seem to register with New Yorkers, and most folks try to “tune it out.” What can you do about it? “That business with the bank of refrigeration units in its yard was here before you were” was what one of my neighbors opined when we were having a “kvetch.” There’s actually a LOT that I can do about it, but I try not to use the relationships with environmental officialdom that I’ve got lightly.
Luckily, there’s always Astoria Park to escape to, but it’s actually pretty noisy there too.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Seeking quiet, I walked over to Luyster Creek with a couple of friends recently and found this impromptu memorial. Set up to commemorate the death of those poor kids who drove into it a couple of months back, I see too much of this sort of thing all over the neighborhood. You’ll recall that a group of high schoolers met their end back here, when their vehicle left the road and the car landed in the drink.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
There’s two FREE Newtown Creek walking tours coming up.
Sunday, June 15th, DUPBO – Down Under the Pulaski Bridge Onramp
A FREE tour, courtesy of Green Shores NYC, click here for rsvp info
Sunday, June 21st, America’s Workshop
A FREE tour, courtesy of Green Shores NYC, click here for rsvp info
The Newtown Pentacle 
That building on the left in the top photo – the one with the flag – the post office: drives me nuts. It’s too small for the nabe. Lines go on for ever. Why can’t they up the staffing when the lines stretch out? Also, the mail has to go through Brooklyn to be delivered. All of LIC does. Who though that system up for Queens? Wastes a whole day in delivery time.
georgetheatheist . . . wounded with weltschmerz
June 13, 2014 at 12:11 pm
thought
georgetheatheist . . . wounded with weltschmerz
June 13, 2014 at 12:12 pm
[…] You can click on the photo to enlarge it, but better still is to look at it a photographer Mitch Waxman’s intended size and resolution on his Newtown Pentacle blog. […]
Urban Gadabout: Is this or is this not a gorgeous photo? Take a gander at Mitch Waxman’s beloved Astoria at twilight | City of Travel
February 12, 2015 at 4:16 am