Archive for the ‘Long Island City’ Category
graceful valleys
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A structure which may be discerned in the distance, within the shot above, at Sunnyside Yards is the 35th street or Honeywell Bridge. The location of the camera which captured it was astride the 39th street or Harold Avenue bridge at Steinway Street, where ongoing construction has rendered a hidden breach in the fencing which normally frustrates its purpose by obfuscating the view.
For a discussion of another of the bridges which cross these titan rail yards, click here for the posting “incaculable profusion”, examining the Thomson Avenue Viaduct to the west.
from forgotten-ny.com
When the Yards were built, Long Island City, to the north of the Yards, was effectively cut off from Sunnyside and Maspeth, to the south. Viaducts were built at Queens Boulevard (which was itself under construction in 1910), Honeywell Street, Harold Avenue, and Thomson Avenue. Laurel Hill Avenue (43rd Street) Gosman Avenue (48th Street) and Woodside Avenue were carried under the railroad.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A paucity of such apertures in the fence lines around the yards exists, which is appropriate in this age of heightened vigilance, and the discovery of something large enough to accept the lens of a dslr is tantamount to observing a unicorn to one such as myself. Of course in the midst of all this faux security and theater, I can show you a dozen different places where you could work mischief if you chose to. Such is always the case with large installations like this one, however, and illegal trespass is not the Newtown Pentacle way.
The real estate happy characters in Manhattan are desirous to rob me of this vista, as evidenced in the document linked to below, describing the feasibility and benefits of decking over these yards and expanding the population of western Queens by tens of thousands. It seems to be a plan of some vintage, however, crafted before the financial crisis and concurrent economic crisis experienced by the region and country at large since 2008 (when do we get to start calling this a depression?).
from nyc.gov
Sunnyside Yards, one and three-quarters of a mile long and 1,600 feet across at its widest point, is the largest site in this inventory. The total deckable airspace of its 14 parcels – over 167 acres – is more than double the size of the next largest airspace site, the 74-acre NYCT Coney Island Maintenance Shop and Yards (K5000). This one corridor contains around one-sixth of the entire deckable airspace in this inventory.
The potential for large scale land uses above these yards is extraordinary. With the possible exception of Staten Island’s west shore, no other large tracts of “vacant” land remain in the City. Moreover, Sunnyside Yards is defined by a surrounding context of relatively dense development and plentiful transit access.
At the behest of former Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding Daniel Doctoroff, DCP’s Housing, Economic and Infrastructure Planning (HEIP) unit conducted a preliminary analysis concerning the viability of decking over and developing Sunnyside Yards. The HEIP unit determined that the most desirable sites within the yards were two roughly rectangular areas running from the southwest to the northeast; the northern third of both sites is located northeast of Queens Boulevard.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These trusses which fly over the Sunnyside Yards are actually rather new. The Honeywell and Harold Bridges (39th and 35th streets), for instance, were totally rebuilt recently. The Honeywell Bridge reopened in 2003 after having laid fallow and closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic for better than 20 years. The night shot above, by the way, is betrayed by its format and shape as being from my trusty old Canon G10, which is still in service at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
from nytimes.com
In 1979, inspectors from the city’s Department of Transportation judged the 1,600-foot four-lane bridge, which was built in 1909, to be on the verge of falling down. The inspection occurred near the end of an era in which the city, nearly broke and as exhausted as a disco dancer at dawn, partly balanced its budget by deferring maintenance on bridges. Tom Cocola, a department spokesman, said once costs had been cut by removing the bridge from the city’s regular inspection schedule, ”we probably just forgot about it.”
unseen material
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A recent walk took me up Vernon Avenue… why is it that walking towards Hells Gate always feels like “up” and towards Long Island City “down”? There is an actual change in grade, as Astoria is actually built on ground physically higher in altitude than the eluvial plain that LIC stands on- yes- but that’s not it.
Anyway, Vernon at Broadway, where once the 96th street and 86th street ferries from Manhattan met the Broadway trolleys at Hallets Cove. Right by Costco and Socrates Sculpture Garden, if you require modern landmarks.
Here’s a post from February of 2010 that described the area in some detail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There is a large amount of construction going on here, and fairly large scale buildings are hurtling up and out of the mud. It’s been a few months since my path has brought me in this direction, and it was startling to see how fast these structures are forming up.
Not too long ago, there was a massive fire at the little factory that used to exist at the bottom left of the shot above, the round sign that says “Alpine” is all that’s left.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The cool thing about the very large building which is going up on the corner of 12th street, other than the enormous footprint of a structure which will feature 199 apartments…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
…is that the whole thing is being built by just one guy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As you may have heard, American worker productivity is at an all time high, and no where more so than in Queens.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It seems hard to believe, but this fellow holds every possible license and certification that the building code demands of its employees, rumor has it that he’s also the principal financier.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It can’t be easy building things by yourself, there no one to take a coffee break with, and car pooling is out of the question entirely.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I look forward to the day when the 199 new families unpack, and join with the rest of us. Enjoying our comfortable and never crowded mass transportation, learning that they can rely on the presence of modern and top notch hospitals, and that their children can look forward to a rewarding and full scholastic life in local schools.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Always a selling point for Queens, multicultural experiences will abound. The nearby Queensboro, Ravenswood, and Astoria projects will satisfy anyone’s desires to learn about new and interesting cultures that have their roots in exotic foreign lands.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Welcome to Queens.
remarkable law
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A freelancer, your humble narrator is always looking for work. Recently spied in Long Island City, there seems to be a company that specializes in a trade I’m interested in.
Is this what “service economy” means?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just ask anyone who has ever lent me anything of value how good I am at this. Pretty much anything I touch ends up at least partially ruined, and when one puts his mind to the task… whoa, nelly.
I can’t have anything nice.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I too offer “Destruction Services”, although my understanding is that large players in the destruction trade, like the United States Marines for instance, play this game at “big league” levels. My destruction business isn’t limited to old files like these guys though, I’ll mess up new stuff too.
Freelance rates will apply.
rolling peacefully
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Cavorting along in that neighborhood which once hosted the titan works of the Waldes Koh-I-Noor mill, where relict rail tracks reach up mercilessly through the asphalt of modern times, your humble narrator was chasing a shot of mighty Queensboro in the distance- illuminated by the rays of a setting sun.
My path brought me to the lightly travelled and seldom commented upon Davis Court.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An industrial street lined by warehouses both old and new, my attention suddenly became fixed upon these six sandwiches of dubious origin affixed upon the ground.
They appeared to be a sextuplet of jelly sandwiches, but one can never be sure about such things until a bite has been taken- which I was unwilling to do.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It cannot be explained to you, lords and ladies of Newtown, why this arrangement of comestibles struck me as sinister. Perhaps it was the abandonment of perfectly edible food to the nocturnal scavengers which roam the creek lands, a beady eyed and squealing army which emerges from cracks and from other hidden apertures only when the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself has sunken below the horizon.
Perhaps it was the sandwich arrangement, I cannot say, but repulsion ruled my thoughts.
Feeling faint, your humble narrator moved on.
blissville update
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just in case you were wondering, not too much new to report on the oil situation in Blissville Queens, which is found on the northern shore of the lamentable Newtown Creek. Our friends at Riverkeeper continue to investigate, as do everyone’s friends at the State DEC. Conversation with highly placed members of both organizations indicate that they have people working on it.
These photos from the beginning of February in 2012 would seem to dispute that. Compare to the same area in August 2011.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The conversations were informal, and were initiated by your humble narrator. Concurrently, I’m not going to “report” the substance of these exchanges yet, as I’m not “that kind” of blogger. “That kind” would seek to embarrass or denigrate the process and participants for puerile amusement and or self advancement. This is not the case, and I draw a line between what a source tells me privately versus publicly. Suffice to say that things are moving along and that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
The Newtown Creek Alliance is aware of the issue as well, and we are working on it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Some of you may have noticed that I said “we” referring to NCA, and in accordance with some standard of full disclosure which only one such as myself adheres to- the group has awarded me the title of “Historian”. I’m picking up the fallen banner of my friend and mentor, Bernie Ente, and will strive to earn the honor by continuing to reveal the occluded history of this place.
The initial assessment of the leak, as presented in the posting “oil in queens” back in December of 2011 has garnered little attention from the mainstream press. The sole venue which ran a story on it is the DNAinfo website, their posting can be accessed here. If this was Manhattan, I’d be fighting the NYTimes for access.
But seriously, who cares anything about Queens?
ALSO:
March 5th, as in tonight:
Riverkeeper and NCA ask: How’s the Water? How’s Newtown Creek?
Join Riverkeeper and the Newtown Creek Alliance for a presentation on water quality in the Hudson River Estuary and its tributaries, focusing on the waters around Manhattan Island and in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek.
March 5, 2012, 7:30PM to 9:30PM
Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th Street, NY map
and March 6th, as in Tuesday
The Newtown Pentacle 