Archive for August 2016
frightened messengers
Massing, massing, massive – in today’s post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a few days ago, one found himself walking towards Hunters Point via the Northern Blvd./Jackson Avenue route which I refer to as “the Carridor.” I was heading for a public safety meeting, regarding the East River parks in Hunters Point, and as is my habit – the opportunity to stretch my legs and get a bit of exercise was seized.
Whenever I’ve taken this walk over the last couple of years, one thought seems to predominate as I cast my gaze around – “they’ve stolen the sky.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The sky has been stolen, or horse traded away, by the Real Estate people in collusion with the short term thinkers who populate City Hall – of course – but ultimately, who did they steal it from? Did anyone used to own the sky in Western Queens?
Definitively, somebody does own the sky now.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The area around Queens Plaza and Court Square, in particular, has become a shadowed warren of glassy towers.
At the public safety meeting in Hunters Point, which was called due to a disturbing allegation of a rape occurring in Gantry Plaza State Park, the residents of the new buildings surrounding the waterfront had a chance to speak and offer their complaints about this and that.
Most of their comments boiled down to “I’ve lived here for twenty minutes, and this isn’t what the realtor told me it would be like.” Nobody told them that the Borough Motto was “Welcome to Queens, now go fuck yourself” it seems.
The tower people mainly offered quality of life complaints to the panel at the front of the room which included Jimmy Van Bramer and representatives of the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy as well as the various branches of law enforcement who have jurisdiction over the parks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You can barely spot the Citi Megalith anymore, which once stood as a lone sentinel.
The impossible thing which cannot possibly exist that lurks in its cupola… with its unblinking three lobed burning eye… no longer has an unoccluded view of the world below.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Wednesday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. –
Port Newark Boat Tour,
with Working Harbor Committee. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
acrid smoke
Tremulous skies and clean underwear, in today’s post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That crazy heat wave which we all suffered through last week produced a series of powerful afternoon and evening thunder storms here in Astoria. The skies were so interesting and dynamic that one felt compelled to record the scene.
Pictured above was a worrisome looking funnel cloud that formed up to the east, and on the right hand side of the shot you can see the wall of rain pushing in from the west.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another day (or night actually), and another thunderstorm formed up. For this one I was at home on my porch. Psyched to actually capture the bolt of lightning seen above (it’s harder than you would think to photograph lightning without certain specialized trigger devices) one suddenly realized that I was standing next to a chain link fence during a lightning storm and was in a particularly exposed position.
Suddenly, my underwear didn’t feel so clean.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I found myself a slightly safer spot, under something, and continued to crack out shots of the approaching deluge. Likely, I was deluding myself as to being safer, but regardless I felt a bit less exposed to the elemental fury that was approaching.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On a completely different note, while in the financial district of lower Manhattan last week, the van pictured above was spotted.
Clean underwear on demand is its promise, which is something I think we should all aspire to, especially during stormy weather.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Wednesday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. –
Port Newark Boat Tour,
with Working Harbor Committee. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
stark madness
so… I’m on the East River last Thursday…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A “travlin man,” your humble narrator had some business to attend to in Greenpoint last Thursday which was meant to be followed by helping out on a Working Harbor Committee excursion in the evening. The WHC trip was leaving from Lower Manhattan’s Pier 11, so the logical path was to catch the East River Ferry from Brooklyn to the City. While onboard, I spotted something fairly curious.
Is that the nose of a submarine being towed on a barge?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The tug doing the towing was the GT Lyman. As is usually the case, tugboatinformation.com has everything you’d want to know about the Lyman on display at their site. To sum up – she was built in 1968, is owned and operated by Delaware’s Gateway Towing, and can normally be found in the waters around Philadelphia.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What Lyman was towing looks very much – to me at least – to be the front section of a submarine. Maybe I’m being crazy here, but there’s a conning tower and… that’s a submarine.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Now, I’ve taken lots of shots around NY Harbor but I’ve never taken a photo of a submarine before.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Actually, I probably have, but pictured above is what you’d normally get in a shot of a submarine.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One was kind of hoping that the Lyman was going to execute a turn into the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but it continued heading north along the East River.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
File this post under “You don’t see that every day.”
Upcoming Events and Tours
Wednesday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. –
Port Newark Boat Tour,
with Working Harbor Committee. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
gone amiss
Single shots, the humans of Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m taking a break/week off, and will be offering a single shot that I like for one reason or another.
For a change, the shots offered this week will feature people in them. Normally, I go to some effort to have no humans of New York at all in my photos, but occasionally I do the opposite.
Pictured above is one of my neighbors in Astoria, a professional Greek musician who was playing a bouzouki.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Sunday, August 21, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. –
Poison Cauldron Walking Tour,
with Atlas Obscura. Click here for more details.
Wednesday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. –
Port Newark Boat Tour,
with Working Harbor Committee. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
farther and farther
Single shots, the humans of Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m taking a break/week off, and will be offering a single shot that I like for one reason or another.
For a change, the shots offered this week will feature people in them. Normally, I go to some effort to have no humans of New York at all in my photos, but occasionally I do the opposite.
Pictured above is one of my neighbors in Astoria, who brought his La-Z-Boy with him to Astoria Park.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Sunday, August 21, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. –
Poison Cauldron Walking Tour,
with Atlas Obscura. Click here for more details.
Wednesday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. –
Port Newark Boat Tour,
with Working Harbor Committee. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
The Newtown Pentacle 