The Newtown Pentacle

Thursday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

After visiting the Maspeth Avenue Plank Road, my next destination was in Queens, and another one was in Brooklyn a couple of miles away nearby the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge. I had decided to walk one of my familiar routes there, past Maspeth Creek and to the Kosciuszcko Bridge.

It was about 85 humid degrees at ten in the morning, and I was wandering through the section of Maspeth where the term ‘urban heat island effect’ was first described. What ‘urban heat island’ means is that this is an area nearly devoid of greenery and composed almost entirely of concrete, asphalt, and masonry. The latter materials both store and then release ambient heat, causing temperatures in this ‘zone’ to be ten to fifteen degrees hotter than in surrounding areas which are planted with trees and other vegetation – even at night.

It’s why ‘green roofs’ are important in new industrial construction hereabouts.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The Department of Sanitation New York (DSNY), maintains a garage nearby the Maspeth Plank Road which causes the pedestrian quite a few problems, navigating obstacles wise. Did I mention that I’m now able to fully smell everything, after losing my environmental adaptations while living far away in Pittsburgh? Did I mention the heat and humidity?

Yikes.

After rounding the corner, and finding a small patch of shade, it was time to readjust the bags and straps hanging off of my torso. Luckily, I was able to leave the secondary bag back at my buddy’s house in Middle Village for this part of the experience, but having that big knapsack on my sweaty back during this kind of heat just sucked.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Maspeth Creek was in the worst condition I’ve seen it in for about ten years. When it’s all emerald colored like it is the shot above, it means that somebody has been dumping nitrogen rich ‘something’ in one of the sewers which ultimately outfall here. Ten years ago, it was a ‘Pollo Viva’ abattoir and slaughterhouse doing it, illegally dumping blood and bird shit into the sewers around a mile from here on the Brooklyn side. Could also be a laundromat, or any number of shoestring operations trying to increase their margins by ‘getting away with something.’

If there’s any value whatsoever to all those years I spent on Newtown Creek it was this sort of observation. Showing up and noticing things, and then passing on documentation of these ‘things’ to relevant authorities for proper investigation and enforcement. There’s a long list of such issues along Newtown Creek, which I’ve discovered thusly.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

I have to admit, this leg of the walk was arduous. Direct sun, no cover, heat releasing and radiating out from the sidewalk and masonry warehouse walls… just awful.

Your humble narrator was sweating bullets.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Some street furniture was encountered, cementing Queens’ reputation in my mind for its native art form – illegal dumping.

Yeah, I did think about having a quick sit down on those chairs, but decided that I’d wait until I was in a shadier spot.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Luckily, when you’re in DUKBO, Down Under the Kosciuszcko Bridge Onramp, you can always shelter from sun and rain under the bridge.

Back tomorrow.

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