The Newtown Pentacle

Altissima quaeque flumina minimo sono labi

short pursuit

with 3 comments

It’s National Shrimp Day, in these United States.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Zuzu the dog is pictured above, and she has been growing ever more “crotchety” as she’s grown older. She does not like it when one leaves her alone in the house, no matter the cause. Notice the amount of smoke she’s blowing at me there, and she was giving me the side or horse eye while I was calling her inside from her perch on the porch. I had to go, as there was some business I needed to attend to during the evening over in LIC, and I also wanted to get some shooting time in as well. Zuzu, however, was having none of that.

Promising her that we would go for a walk when I got back home, she nevertheless angrily slunk past me, and then dove right into the bath tub. This is how she signals her displeasure, my dog. She has become a canine Jewish mother, my dog.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

My path carried me first through the Dutch Kills neighborhood and into Queens Plaza, which is in the middle of a dystopian construction boom, on my way to Hunters Point. Nightmares in sapphire glass, these titan things just keep on going up. The real estate shit flies may have stolen the sky, but at least we can still see the reflections of it in the mirror facades of the residential slabs they’ve thrown at it. They don’t need to build supermarkets or anything like that around here, since FreshDirect is nearby, found along the Newtown Creek.

Soon, every midwestern trustfundafarian’s dream of living on the site of a former chemical factory in Queens Plaza can be realized. Progress is achieved.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

When I was walking down 29th st. in Dutch Kills, this interesting bit of street furniture was observed. It was right in front of the Flux Factory, so it’s entirely possible that this was “art.” Saying that, in my experience, when you leave a toilet on the street, somebody will use it for the purpose it intended for whether or not it’s hooked up to plumbing.

Also – gentlemen, please remember to leave the seat down for the ladies.


Upcoming Tours and events

Newtown Creek Alliance Boat tour, May 21st.

Visit the new Newtown Creek on a two hour boat tour with NCA historian Mitch Waxman and NCA Project Manager Will Elkins, made possible with a grant from the Hudson River Foundation – details and tix here.


“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle

Written by Mitch Waxman

May 9, 2017 at 11:00 am

3 Responses

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  1. What did the writing on the toilet seat read? Maybe that was the art part?

    GORDON COOPER

    May 9, 2017 at 12:19 pm

  2. Ladies, please leave the seat up for the gentlemen.

    georgetheatheist . . . the last drop

    May 9, 2017 at 4:29 pm

  3. Nothing like a smooth morning poop it says. Droll, real droll LIC

    JQ LLC

    May 10, 2017 at 6:34 am


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