Archive for 2016
tried every
I mentioned this over the weekend to my Facebook peeps, now it’s your turn…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An old friend of mine recently hit a bit of a health crisis. Surgery ensued, and she’s having a bit of trouble with the purely existential part of her life during recovery – food shopping, laundry, the lifting and carrying sort of stuff. Our Lady of the Pentacle and I volunteered to help her out, and last Saturday our plan involved an afternoon trip to Hunters Point to help out with “whatever.” Before you ask: a) my old friend doesn’t live in one of the new buildings (it’s one of those century old and quite rickety walk up jobs on Jackson where she has lived for literally decades), and b) there was no connection between Court Square and the IND station at Queens Plaza due to maintenance work so we took the R from Astoria and hoofed it the rest of the way.
That’s not the story, though, that’s just the setup.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Now, this was Fourth of July weekend, of course. The news was abuzz with the news that NYPD was operating a full scale and City wide security operation, and that Hunters Point in particular was going to be focused on due to the gathering at the waterfront to watch the fireworks. I call it the Homeland Security Kabuki show, for various reasons. Pretty standard stuff, in the age of the Terror Wars.
What wasn’t standard was the steel cylinder, which appeared to be some sort of garbage can, sitting on the 46th street subway platform. Having “seen something” a humble narrator thereupon went over to the MTA Station Agent housed in the booth and let her know that the incongruous item was there. She indicated that the authorities would be alerted, and I boarded the incoming R train having “said something.”
As a note, when I arrived at Queens Plaza, I walked over to the NYPD office at the end of the platform and informed the on duty officer of the situation – and also showed him the picture positioned above. He seemed concerned about it.
I was thanked and told that it would be investigated.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Of course, the 114th precinct being what it is, when Our Lady of the Pentacle and I returned to the 46th street station some three and change hours later… the curious cylinder was still there and clearly unmolested or investigated. That’s when I posted about my experience, and made sure that our local Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer was tagged in my missive. He let me know that he had contacted the precinct and that it would be dealt with. In my neighborhood, JVB is the motive force of all things, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, the council member has a unique ability to twist the dials and move the levers of the municipal machinery.
The thing about Queens which drives me absolutely mad is why it is that when someone “sees something” and “says something,” you still need a high government official to cajole the freaking cops into doing their damn jobs. As far as the MTA station agent goes, she probably didn’t have the union certifications for dialing the phone.
I think it’s the International Brotherhood of Button Pushers, Local 5, who does that. You also need three Union carpenters on duty, but you always need three carpenters for some reason.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Tuesday, July 12, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. –
LICHenge, with Atlas Obscura and the
Hunters Point Park Conservancy. Click here for more details.
Saturday, July 16, 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. –
FREE Newtown Creek Boat Tour,
with Waterfront Alliance (note- WA usually releases tix in batches).
Click here for more details.
Wednesday, July 27, 1st trip – 4:50 p.m. 2nd trip – 6:50 p.m. –
2 Newtown Creek Boat Tours,
with Open House NY. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
insider knowlege
Happy July.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a short one today, with an archive shot depicting a car accident I caught nearby Union Square. Back tomorrow with something a bit more in depth, and I’ve got a couple of exciting events to tell you about as well.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
unknown even
Happy weekend, all.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It has been a very, very long week around here. I’ve got a bunch of cool stuff to tell you about for July, there’s boat tours and walking tours, and even an LICHenge party in LIC on the horizon. Right now, though, I’m just going to be doing what everybody else is doing this weekend – eating BBQ, drinking warm beer, and watching fireworks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One hopes to carve out a bit of time out of the holiday weekend to go out and do some shooting, as well. The one problem encountered with “being on the microphone” during excursions around the harbor and upland properties adjoining it, is that I don’t get to wave the camera around as much as I used to. I’m not complaining about that, of curse, but it’s just a weird thing which I’ve really been feeling lately.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I should be in a pretty great spot to see the East River fireworks show this year, and I promise not to drop my camera again on the way home.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
upon twilight
uggggh, anywhere but here…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In the infinite wisdom, and macabre sense of humor, which the employees of the City of New York are known for – a recent pass by an inspector from the Department of Buildings here in Astoria resulted in several square blocks of building owners being cited to replace their sidewalks. It is an election year, of course, but this edict has resulted in a non stop cacophony of masonry saws and jack hammers pounding the pavement for the last several months.
Even the sidewalks in front of HQ, which I will point out were in fine fettle, needed to be replaced.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Scalar waves of noise, which my little dog Zuzu has found most off putting, have been bouncing around between the brick walls of the ancient village. Clouds of concrete dust, a small army of day laborers stretching out the jobs, and a general disruption of the day to day has created a decided edge to things hereabouts.
I’m willing to go anywhere that’s even marginally quiet at the moment. Industrial Maspeth is actually more pleasant from a sonic POV than the old 11103 at the moment.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Noise is the one pollution vector which we all seem to just accept here in NYC. Car alarms and elevated subways are one thing, but the fact that some random inspector can just decide to order three square blocks of building owners to replace their sidewalks – at no small expense, incidentally – seems crazy to me. It’s also goofy that DEP noise cops keep showing up in the hood to write tickets for excess noise due to the demolition of the old pavement, which was ordered by DOB.
The funny part about the endeavor is that the City owned sidewalk sections found on the corners have received no such work orders, and you see brand new walks abutting the craphole Municpal section. The sewer catch basins and curb cuts are found there, as well as the traffic lights. This section of pavement is at least 30-40 years old, cracked, filthy, pockmarked. The curbs are broken, and let’s just say that the City does not feel the same need to ensure that the crosswalks in Queens are ADA compliant that they do in Manhattan.
Upcoming Events and Tours
TONIGHT! Thursday, June 30, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. –
Port Elizabeth Newark Boat Tour,
with Working Harbor Committee. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
presiding demon
Bringing the thunder…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned, tomorrow night I’m going to be co-narrating the Working Harbor Committee Newark Bay tour with my pal Gordon Cooper. Now, Newark Bay is WHC’s signature tour, and the people who have handled the narration in the past – WHC’s Capt. John Doswell, Ed Kelly of the Maritime Association, Lucy Ambrosino of Port Authority – lets just say that they’ve set a pretty high standard for this narration on this particular caper.
Tugboat Alley and the 3rd largest Port in the United States is quite a subject to write a tour of.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Saying that, I’ve been on this particular tour literally dozens of times and have always paid close attention. I’ve also got a whole bunch of historical information which hasn’t been offered in the past, and I’m hoping to add something to the narrative if such a thing is possible. The good news is that the weather promises to be on my side tomorrow, and a beautiful NYC summer day and evening is forecast.
This should be glorious, and for my part – I’m planning on being in rare form tomorrow night.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Port Elizabeth Newark is gob smacking in its scale, history, importance to our regional economy, and in its ongoing maritime operations. Our boat will be leaving from Pier 11 in Lower Manahattan, crossing the anchorage channel, transversing the Kill Van Kull, and then visiting the literal prototype for all modern container terminals. We will be proceeding north into Newark Bay – the confluence of the Hackensack and Passaic rivers – and then exiting back through the Kill Van Kull and heading over to the Statue of Liberty for sunset.
Hey, what better place are you going to get your selfie than at the Statue of Liberty?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trip will be two hours long, and I’m truly excited to invite you lords and ladies to come along. Ticketing link is below – come with? If you do, bring your cameras, as the Workign Harbor Committe’s Port Elizabeth Newark tour is a not to be missed and quite spectacular experience.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Thursday, June 30, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. –
Port Elizabeth Newark Boat Tour,
with Working Harbor Committee. Click here for more details.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
The Newtown Pentacle 