Archive for November 6th, 2024
Archives #023
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Over in England, yesterday was Guy Fawkes day. I’m writing this on America’s Election Day, not too long after getting back home from voting. Hopefully, things are just swell for the Nation. Everywhere, and for everyone, swell.
Me, I’m recovering from a broken ankle so I’m just swollen.
November 6th’s 2011 post, ‘Remember, Remember, the 6th of November’ is the first time (I think) that I advanced my pet theory that the consolidation of the City of Greater New York in 1894 is the worst thing that ever happened to both Brooklyn and Long Island City, whereas it’s the best thing that ever happened to the Shining City of Manhattan.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve always found points of curiosity abound in things ubiquitous or mundane. How traffic lights work can be revealed at any sixth grade science fair, along with the fundamentals of volcanology, but how do interconnected networks of traffic lights do their thing? How did asphalt come to be, where does our garbage or the sewer water go, why is the 42nd street IRT station always so hot? What’s that smell?
2015’s ‘discoursed of’ explored a favorite amongst these obscure topics – manhole covers (more accurately ‘access covers’) and the insanely detailed historical stories which they can tell.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve been consciously staying at a surface level with Pittsburgh, learning ‘broad stroke’ stuff about the City. Unlike NYC, I can’t have an intelligent conversation here about where Blackbeard’s treasure was buried, or why the trolley to Calvary stopped at Penny Bridge rather than connecting to the Queens side of Newtown Creek.
Finally, this 2023 Pittsburgh post, called ‘Getting Around,’ discusses the always riveting reality of a ‘Mitch got a new lens’ photowalk. This time around it was a wide angle 16mm prime.
“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 