Archive for May 2022
budding branches
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 12th offered an extremely productive evening up to me. The weather was perfect – crisp and clear – and I had no obligations to hold me back from just wandering around the “study area.” A long walk was on the menu, so here we go…
First stop was at “hole reliable” along the fence lines of the Sunnyside Yards, where a Long Island Railroad train was hurtling through the Harold Interlocking on its way into Manhattan.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Next up was yet another visit to Long Island City’s 29th street to document the continuing collapse of a bulkhead into Newtown Creek’s Dutch Kills tributary.
Fill in the blanks: XXXXXXX matters, XXXXXX cares.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yup, getting worse, every time it rains.
Can’t wait to call out the elected officials and agency personnel at the funeral of whomsoever ends up dying here when the street collapses. I will happily testify at the court case too.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One continued on his merry way, and decided that tonight would a good one to loop across the Newtown Creek at the Pulaski Bridge and then use the Newtown Creek Nature Walk to connect to the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge via Kingsland Avenue to get back to Queens.
As it turned out, this was a fortuitous idea, as you’ll see later on this week.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Checked in on my beloved tree of Paradise, which was just beginning to bud with spring time foliage.
I continued up to Borden Avenue.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Long Island Railroad 404 was crossing Borden Avenue, on its way to the Main Line tracks at Sunnyside Yards. There’s a bit of complicated rail infrastructure nearby.
I’ll attempt to talk about that in some detail tomorrow, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
fair land
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 5 saw a humble narrator join with other maritime enthusiasts at a NYC EDC job fair set up for NYC High School aged students at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook. Pictured above is the United States Coast Guard’s current ‘Commander of Sector New York’ Captain Zeita Merchant.
I wasn’t there to do anything other than photograph the event, and I donated my services for this one. Maritime is a great career, one that’s often overlooked by an educational system that seems to be set up for the singular purpose of creating office workers and clerks. Anything I can do to help is worth the time and effort.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The event was created by NYC EDC’s Ports unit, and they brought in Coast Guard, the Harbor Units of FDNY and NYPD, as well as a series of private capital outfits from the port. Tugboat operators, international shipping companies, lots and lots of offshore power generation companies. The kids attending the event were shuttled from table display to table display and offered a free lunch.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Longshoreman’s Union was there, and they were showing off the cool toys that they get to play with on the job. After the event ended, it started to rain and that didn’t stop for days.
Luckily, I was bogged down with photos to develop and a series of Zoom meetings which I had to attend but didn’t demand 100% of my attentions.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 7th, I was still in Zoom meeting hell and it was still raining, but I couldn’t help but shoot yet another rainy night view of the garishly lit Bodega across the street from HQ in Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On April 8th, it had stopped raining, but when I went out to drop off my laundry and pick up a bagel, blood trails were discovered that went on for blocks and blocks here in Astoria.
I made a few calls.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It seems that somebody was displaying his great physical prowess with the intention of impressing a young lady. This display ended when he punched out the plate glass window of a bakery and he severed arteries in both arms and the neck. Further, his reaction to the open vessels situation was to run up and down Broadway while flapping his arms. Luckily, an FDNY ambulance happened to be passing by and noticed the spot he was in. I’m told the unlucky fellow was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was refilled with blood.
Now, as far as cleaning up those blood trails… this is yet another one of those “incompetent fuck” NYC stories which sees the City’s various agencies passing the buck to each other as to whose responsibility it is. NYPD said it’s FDNY’s job, FDNY said to instead call Sanitation, who in turn suggested calling NYPD.
As of middle May, the shadow of the scab trails are still visible on the sidewalks of Astoria.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
weary journey
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A long walk continued, and the East River coastline in Long Island City was visited. One of the fervent arguments I have, all the time, with the “bicycle people” revolves around how there’s actually entire multi block streets in Western Queens that don’t even have sidewalks.
Two wheels good, four wheels bad, nobody cares about pedestrians.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The sky had gotten dramatic while I was scuttling along and I couldn’t resist the saturated colors NYC had on offer.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one looks up 44th drive towards the Citigroup Megalith at Court Square. I think we should rename 44th Drive as “Eric Adams is Awesome Avenue,” and then he’ll send us all vegan candy and money in the mail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Don’t worry, there’s a bike lane under that puddle.
No sidewalk, but there’s a submerged bike lane. God almighty, does this City suck or what? The City DOT’s paving unit is literally based across the street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Really. The brick wall with the barbed wire and the graffiti is them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My shot of the night is presented above, depicting the Queensboro Bridge from under one of its onramps.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
no singers
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After another depressing visit to the collapsing bulkheads of Long Island City’s 29th street, one continued his lonely scuttle along the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek.
My toes pointed towards Borden Avenue, so I followed them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A strip club nearby Borden Avenue has reopened after its pandemic slumber, it seems. I’ve always been a Star Trek guy, and don’t enjoy this form of bawdy adult entertainment, but to each his own.
Life, as it were, finds a way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One decided to continue westwards along Borden Avenue, heading towards the East River where I would hang a right and begin scuttling back towards Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, the enormous construction site which used to house the HQ of the online grocery “FreshDirect” was passed.
I just can’t pass up a view like this one.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Long Island Railroad was operating at street grade, and two of their engines were heading towards the Sunnyside Yards. An absolutely terrific amount of FDNY traffic had been passing me by and heading west towards Hunters Point for about a half hour, a deployment which included that ambulance pictured above.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the Vernon Jackson stop, a gaggle of fire chiefs and multiple engine and ladder companies were turned out. It seems that some sort of metal debris and reports of “people on the tracks” had drawn their attention.
I hung around for a while, waving the camera around. Anything the FDNY does is interesting.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
verdant valleys
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On April 3rd, I went to Dutch Kills in LIC to confirm that New York City and State remained incompetent and uncaring, which was unsurprisingly confirmed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
29th street is now permanently sagging, and never drains.
You can still park on top of the collapsing section of the street, just like the moving truck I was standing alongside.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Shoreline dissection continues.
Bulkhead collapse underway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a block away, if you wanted to see it looks like when sewer solids pile up, you can. Go at low tide.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Nothing matters, nobody cares.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My little tree of paradise is all I have, an eidolon of hope.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 