The Newtown Pentacle

Thursday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

A brief visit to the nest back in NYC occurred, and one of the few photographs I was desirous of capturing was from up high on the Kosciuszcko Bridge.

The K-bridge replacement project was something which I had the pleasure of being quite close to, and one enjoyed an amazing amount of access during the demolition of the old bridge, and design/construction process of the new one. I was ‘on the bridge committee’ and the reason you can stick a lens through the fence on the new bridge is because of me.

They originally wanted to do chain link up here, but I connived the NYS DOT people out of that idea, and instead they installed fencing with vertical slats that offer 90mm apertures between them. Coincidentally that’s just big enough to fit my favorite lens through, but that’s not the point.

Particularly during the pandemic months, this point of view was a regular ‘go-to’ on my ‘every other night’ walks.

Unfortunately, the Manhattan skyline has been absolutely ruined by the rapacious real estate jackals, who have privatized the clean views of the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings from here with soulless condo buildings in the fore, or the abominate Hudson Yards development that’s behind it to the west. Bah!

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The pedestrian and bike path on the bridge has become quite well used by communities on both sides, although you wouldn’t know it from the shot above. I didn’t walk over to Brooklyn, instead it was the middle of the span which I was interested in visiting. One of the most unique views in the entire City, if you ask me, and a creek runs through the middle of it.

I’ve been up here during Thunderstorms, Blizzards, heat waves, sunrise, sunset… it’s one of my faves, and I would have suffered some regret had I not paid this spot a visit while I was back in town.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

For years and years, I’ve joked about this area being called DUKBO – Down Under the Kosciuszcko Bridge Onramp. Always got a laugh from the crowd on tours.

Coincidentally, my little joke also created a designation for a section of the Newtown Creek watershed which is otherwise quite anonymous. NYC historical and rail people will respond to ‘Haberman,’ others in the maritime world will say ‘yup’ when they hear ‘Turning Basin,’ but these are ‘cultic’ designations for the section of Newtown Creek’s upland IBZ (Industrial Business Zone) which is found between Greenpoint Avenue on the west and Grand Avenue on the east, not a colloquial one.

Apparently, some of the mouth breathers back in Maspeth take issue with my ‘DUKBO’ conceit, as I discovered when my pal Kevin from Forgotten-NY recently shared one of my shots from up here on Facebook. This really ticked me off from afar. Freaking keyboard warriors… say it to my face, cowards.

I’d be less pissed off about that particular burn, if any single one of those dullards had ever made the time to get involved with the Newtown Creek Superfund process, attended a few meetings with the powers that be, or spoke up for Queens. The only way you could ever activate the Maspeth people was by telling them that the hipsters in Brooklyn were going to get all the superfund money and they’d be left out.

Me? I went to and voiced up during the meetings, advocated for Queens, and at the very least got a fence installed on the new bridge which accommodates the view. What did you do to make things better, or did things just happen around you which you blamed on ‘the hipsters’ or ‘the libtards’? Democracy is a contact sport.

Eat my shorts, say I, and go ‘eff yourselves.

More tomorrow.

“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.