Archive for the ‘Astoria’ Category
joined to
Shots from the 11103, in today’s post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One seems to have caught the “night shooting” bug again, and my various bits of camera support have been dusted off. The shots above was captured one recent evening during a thunderstorm, and represents a 15 second interval. NYC never looks better than it does during the rain.
Someday, a real rain will come, and wash away the iniquity and corruption which pollutes our community – which is a polite and verbose version of the sort of thing that Robert Deniro’s Travis Bickle character in the Taxi Driver movie might have said. Since officialdom in City Hall seems hell bent on recreating their romantic version of that era, let’s remember what NYC was actually like back then, as it was hardly romantic.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The shot above is what I call “cloud porn.” It’s porn inasmuch as it doesn’t deliver anything other than a puerile thrill and doesn’t say much. It’s an interesting shot for me, technically, from the capture point of view. The evening thunderstorm which was deluging the bodega in the first shot was still building during the afternoon shot above, and controlling the light in order to build the cloud contrast was an interesting exercise.
It’s somewhat representative of my mood at the moment, btw, with all the foreboding and dire portent that our little community here in Astoria has been experiencing in recent months.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Astoria’s Broadway has been under siege by a large group of drunks and vagrants, a group who are composed of base characters that generally represent the worst sort of individual. Inebriated hordes descend upon the neighborhood every day, drunkards and ne’erdowells who seem to be beneath the notice of law enforcement. The municipal response to them is to send in the Fire Department, rather than the Police.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours –
September 20th, 2015
Glittering Realms Walking Tour
with Brooklyn Brainery, click here for details and tickets
party feeling
Complaint Department, that’s me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The shot above sort of sums up my mood at the moment. Go, stop, or exercise caution? Do all three at the same time? That’s where a humble narrator finds himself at the moment. September is always a bad month for me, it’s generally when people in my life tend to die (just this week, two elderly Aunts shuffled off the Earth).
Perhaps it’s some psychic residual from childhood, as the impending sense of doom which signaled the start of a new school year has never really dissipated despite my advancing age. It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since I’ve had to begin a new scholastic season, of course, but remembrances of social failings and playground beat downs never really go away. Others romanticize their childhood, but all I remember is the crushing ignominies of it, wherein you are denied the most basic of liberties – from the clothes you wore to what and when you would eat. Go, stop, or exercise caution.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Perhaps it’s the remembrance of the Jewish ritual calendar which colors the early part of September for me? Jewish holidays, or at least the holidays as observed in the particular sect of Judaism which my family participated, are fairly somber affairs. Days of Atonement and so on, during which you’d have to wear a suit and tie to temple, despite the stifling heat.
One doesn’t even own a suit as an adult, as I refuse to wear a ritual costume for anyone anymore. It’s stupid, and I try not to do stupid things. Depression is nipping at my heels, and great psychic effort is being expended in the name of remaining outward looking and optimistic, but it is – after all – September.
Go, stop, or exercise caution?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What would Superman do, I remind myself. Never give up, never surrender. Exercise your strength for those who aren’t able to, do no harm, and always – always – strive to do the right thing even if you’re the only one who can perceive what the right thing is.
Unfortunately, Sophistry abounds. The decision to “Go, stop, or exercise caution” is made most often these days based on bias and the politics “of the now” rather than on observable data. Bah!
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours –
September 13th, 2015
Poison Cauldron Walking Tour
with Newtown Creek Alliance, click here for details and tickets
September 20th, 2015
Glittering Realms Walking Tour
with Brooklyn Brainery, click here for details and tickets
well realized
The native art form of Queens, in today’s post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Venturi. That’s technically the name of the flame structure which a stove top burner is meant to form when gas is pumped through it and ignited by a pilot light. This burner was noticed on the corner of Queens Blvd. at 39th street, and won’t be heating up a can of Campbell’s Tomato soup anytime soon.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This shattered sink basin was found way over on the northern side of Astoria, and artfully arranged in a tree pit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Astoria Blvd. offered one this lovely bit of craft, and don’t think I didn’t notice the amount of effort which went into creating the floral motif. Illegal dumping, as I’ve often asserted, is the native art form of Western Queens. It’s done with a panache and attention to both detail and installed composition that you just don’t find elsewhere.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On Skillman Avenue, alongside the Sunnyside Yards, a bit of furniture was posed provocatively for the pleasure of perambulating pedestrians to both peruse and ponder.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Also on Skillman Avenue, a somewhat abstract expressionist amalgam of broken furniture boards was offset by a carefully placed mirror box by some unknown auteur.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Northern Blvd. displayed this graphic composition to me one morning, and I wondered if it was the same artisan responsible for the Astoria Blvd. radial flower that created this piece.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Purely modern – an installation, if you will – this composition was observed along Jackson Avenue in the Court Square area, across the street from the Citigroup Megalith.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours –
September 3rd, 2015
Newtown Creek Boat Tour
with Open House NY, click here for details and tickets.
September 20th, 2015
Glittering Realms Walking Tour
with Brooklyn Brainery, click here for details and tickets
not describe
You really just have to love them Astoria industrial zones.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While performing a perambulation back to Astoria’s southern border where Our Lady of the Pentacle and myself maintain our HQ, after taking a look at the Steinway Mansion found on the forbidden northern coast of Queens – one encountered this comical doorway on an industrial building.
The “danger” sign seemed apt, as there was a drop of about a yard from the door to the sidewalk. Somewhere out there, I thought, there’s an architect who has a bit of string tied around his finger to remind him to complete a task.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another view of it, just for perspective.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Oddly, after rounding the corner, I discovered that there was another doorway on the eastern face of the building offering a similar hazard. Is this some kind of “thing”?
You really, really, have to just adore the industrial sections of Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Oddly, on another walk, this time from the southern border of Queens at Newtown Creek back to Astoria’s Broadway section via Sunnyside – another structure was noticed which seemed to be missing something. This time around it was a residential structure whose entrances would be noticeably difficult to access. Perhaps that nameless architect has more than one piece of string tied about multitudinous digits.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours –
September 3rd, 2015
Newtown Creek Boat Tour
with Open House NY, click here for details and tickets.
September 20th, 2015
Glittering Realms Walking Tour
with Brooklyn Brainery, click here for details and tickets
drifting sand
Sigh… the Steinway Mansion, in today’s post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the subject of controversies I generally stay away from, the Steinway Mansion is one.
My plate is full, frankly. I’ve got Sunnyside Yards, Newtown Creek, and a good stretch of the East River to worry about – which virtually no one else pays any attention to. The Steinway Mansion is found on the forbidden north coast of Queens, in an off putting industrial zone which isn’t exactly a visually stunning spot.
Frequent Newtown Pentacle commenter George the Atheist has been paying close attention to the controversial sale and development of the Steinway Mansion property, as has the Greater Astoria Historic Society. As I said, my plate is full, but last week I decided to scuttle over and take a gander at what’s going on.
If this mansion was in Brooklyn, or Manhattan, it would have long ago been landmarked and protected – but as you know the borough motto is “Welcome to Queens, now go fuck yourself.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The neighborhood surrounding the former home of William Steinway, who is the actual father of Astoria (William Hallett and or Stephen Halsey usually get the credit, but Steinway created the modern shape of things in the same way that Neziah Bliss did in Greenpoint), is less than inspirational but it is highly useful. The good news is that this section hosts a blue collar “M1” zone that employs thousands, but its mills and warehouses are mostly products of the 20th century – which means not terribly interesting to look at, and ugly as sin.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The mansion itself survives simply because it was used as a private home, but the fellow who owned it died of a heart attack during a snow storm while waiting for EMT’s to cross unplowed streets – which is where I refer you back to the borough motto offered in the first paragraph of this post.
His family offered the property for sale, which was snapped up by some developer. Said developer carved up the expansive properties surrounding the mansion, and is erecting a series of sure to be hideous warehouse buildings upon it. My understanding is that the mansion itself will survive, but it’s going to be hemmed in and shadowed by said warehouses.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Steinway Mansion is, as mentioned, found on the forbidden north coast of Queens.
The NYC DEP maintains the 1939 vintage Bowery Bay sewage treatment plant there, and there’s a host of industrial businesses and energy infrastructure in the area. About a half mile east, the Rikers Island bridge is found, which offers access to the massive jail complex maintained by the City of New York.
Berrian’s Island used to be out in the bay – a bit to the north and east – but the water between it and Astoria was landfilled in and connected. That’s why the street intersection which serves as Steinway Street’s terminus is shared with a road called Berrian Boulevard, a street which I think used to be called “Winthrop.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The north side of Steinway and Berrian is home to a power plant, called Astoria Energy. It’s still under construction, and will use a combination of oil and natural gas turbines to generate electricity. The elected officials of Astoria take great pride in the fact that they were able to close the fabulously filthy Pollitti (thx Gary) Poletti Power Plant over on the East River side of the neighborhood, but seldom mention that they bent over backwards to allow Astoria Energy to come into being.
Welcome to Queens. Now, go fuck yourself.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours –
September 3rd, 2015
Newtown Creek Boat Tour
with Open House NY, click here for details and tickets.
September 20th, 2015
Glittering Realms Walking Tour
with Brooklyn Brainery, click here for details and tickets
The Newtown Pentacle 