Archive for the ‘Long Island City’ Category
rhetorical effect
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There is a curious stretch of 50th avenue, a truncated street that starts at 27th street and terminates at 23rd street in the dusty streets of Long Island City, which is orphaned and decapitated. It is dominated by the high flying steel of the Queens Midtown Expressway section of the Long Island Expressway, and the tortured asphalt of the street it shadows often exhibits bursting ruptures revealing century old cobble stones.
Long have I exerted to refer to this area as the “Empty Corridor“.
Pictured above are the relict remains of Irving Subway Grate, which suffered a catastrophic fire a few years back.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Even during the work week, there are few places in New York City that allow one to feel so isolated and alone as this street. Once it connected with Hunters Point, but that was long before the Queens Midtown Tunnel and the astounding steel viaduct of the Long Island Expressway which sprouts from it were installed and opened to traffic on November 15, 1940.
It was before the Long Island Railroad established its operations that it met with East River, in fact.
Borden and Hunters Point Avenues are the main through way for traffic heading east and west, and this street is little more than relict of earlier times.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The overhead tracks of the Long Island Railroad are observed at the intersection of 25th street, which govern the passage of large trucks on 50th avenue. Never have these tracks been observed as active by a humble narrator, but those in the know about such matters assure me that they are in fact transited.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Alongside these tracks, on the loamy midden which surrounds them, one might observe the colonies of feral cats which hunt and frolic around these parts. The kind hearts of area workers insure that these cats are afforded shelter and food, which unfortunately allows them to breed and multiply.
It is not an easy life, to be a feral cat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in the past, when these nocturnes are observed as my perambulations carry the camera about the concrete devastations of western Queens, a sure notion that the right place and time have been arrived at sets into my mind.
Always, they signal that the path which stretches before me is an appropriate and often revelatory one.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Beyond the tracks and their feline neighbors, the gargantuan structure with its attendant loading docks on the right are the former Bloomingdales warehouse, and is currently used by the New York City Housing Authority. They refer to it as the “Long Island City Complex” which sounds menacing somehow.
The left (or south) side of the street hosts several garage based businesses, and mainly acts as a parking lot for fleet trucks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As the LIE slouches rudely toward the Queens Midtown Tunnel it descends from its 106 foot apex over Dutch Kills, just a few blocks away, and the street noticeably darkens. A guarded parking lot and entrance to the LIRR station lies to the right or north side, which is intended for employee access. To the south, one might follow 23rd street southward, toward Borden Avenue.
An audible hum, the sound of automotive tire spinning upon the elevated roadway above, colors the air.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The street ends in the driveway of a steel equipment company, which a humble narrator did not feel obliged to explore. What atavist wonders might lurk down there are surely beyond legal access, and are quite visible from the fence which adjoins the LIRR station on Hunters Point Avenue, near the Paragon Oil building. Surely some revelation hides back there, denied to me.
Illegal trespass, however, is not the Newtown Pentacle way.
nothing useful
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Observed, recently along the Boulevard of Death, this cool set of wheels.
Obviously, loved and kept in a state of functional restoration, this atavist vehicle caught my eye.
Occasionally, a humble narrator needs to remind himself to comment on little gems like this late model pickup truck, and marvel that such manufactured items can survive the trials of time.
Offered is the belief that this is either a 1949 or 1950 Chevrolet 3600 pickup, but I’m no expert.
Obcordate, a short posting today. Back tomorrow with something more substantial for you to sink your collective teeth into.
verdant valley
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While preparing the slideshow which was recently presented at the Ridgewood Democratic Club, which is one of two updated versions of the thing (differing lengths), I’ve been churning the content waters deeply. One of the little collections of images which I pulled together was called “Kosciuszko Bridge”.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
For awhile now, special attention has been paid to this decaying structure, due to those plans held by State employees and agencies to replace it with a modern bridge designed to overcome many of the flaws exhibited by the 1939 era “Meeker Avenue Bridge” – which was later renamed as the Kosciuszko Bridge in 1940.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s a lumbering and brutish design, inelegant, undistinguished, and strictly utilitarian. Which sort of makes sense given its construction during the latter half of the Great Depression.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Literally, and figuratively, this is Down Under the Kosciuszko Bridge Onramp, DUKBO. This is on the Brooklyn side, incidentally.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This post isn’t intended to carry any deep insight or reveal some historical truth. To confess, I’m showboating a bit today, and featuring something that won’t be here too much longer.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One thing you will notice in these shots is the horrific amount of corrosion which the bridge displays. This is, of course, why the State plans on replacing it in a few years time.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Naked, the bridge shows the lines of force which it’s engineered around, and for a structure that carries something like 200,000 vehicle crossings a day- that’s a lot of force. The Kosciuszko Bridge trusses are just so damned ugly about it, unlike the graceful curvilinear shaping of the Hellgate or Bayonne arches.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The reason it’s so high, around 150 feet of clearance at low water, is that ocean going ships used to come all the way back here. Not sail, although that was a consideration in 1939, but the smokestacks of ocean liners were what it was flung into the sky to accommodate.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sliding over to the Queens bank, where the piles are driven into compacted mud and sand instead of bedrock, the legs of the bridge straddle the former home of Phelps Dodge. The neighborhood around these parts formed the border between the villages of Berlin and Blissville.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
From what I’ve been told, the former Phelps Dodge site is in private hands, but parts of it will house the new bridge which will replace the 1939 model. From the planning statements I’ve read, the new Kosciuszko Bridge won’t be quite so high.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It seems that the needs of the trucking industry will be acknowledged in the design of the onramps, which will not present quite as steep a grade to the angle of their approaches. I’ll miss the scale of the current bridge, I fear.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Like the nearby Megalith at Court Square in Long Island City, the Kosciuszko Bridge provides a geographical frame of reference for miles around. The only other bridges of sufficient scale to provide such service span the East River or provide connection to… Staten Island…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Kosciuszko Bridge, on the Queens side, follows the shallow valley between Laurel and Berlin Hills, both of which are graded down shadows of their former selves. There must have been dense woods here once, bisected by a shallow stream that fed into the Newtown Creek.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Maespetche Indians who lived here were mostly wiped out by Smallpox by the 1700’s, and by that time the Dutch had already established a few homesteads here. When the English arrived, often overland from Eastern Long Island, they mocked the degenerate Dutch with their old fashioned customs and bizarre beliefs.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The English had plenty of controversies in this area themselves, with the bizarre adherents of the “Friends” cult showing up time and again from New England via the Long Island Sound, the presence of accused witches, and all sorts of odd religious experimentation by commoner and courtier alike going on.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All that sort of nonsense ended in the early 1800’s, when the post revolutionary industrial boom got started here in DUKBO. General Chemical came in the 1840’s, and joined with the distilleries and fat renderers who had been here for years to participate in what we would call “the industrial revolution”.
Things really kicked into gear when the Long Island Railroad laid down track in the 1860’s and 70’s.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Of course, in 1848, Dagger John Hughes buried Esther Ennis and consecrated Calvary Cemetery as the official burying ground of the Roman Catholic Church. Construction of the cemetery on Laurel Hill was largely finished by the late 1850’s, which removed approximately 360 million tons of topsoil from the hill and installed an enormous drainage system within it to dry the swampy land.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In the 1890’s, there were still homes and saloons, schools and churches here. Calvary grew by land acquisition and donation, and industrial pursuits rendered the whole area around these parts a smoky, soot stained mess.
And then, there was the smell.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The smell is legendary in the historical record, it seems that it’s all that the riders of the Long Island Railroad could talk about. Health Department records preserve complaints presented by residents of Manhattan who opined that the stink actually extended all the way to Turtle Bay (approximately 34th street).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All that is gone now, although on humid days after heavy rains, the stink is still more than just a memory.
As are the chemicals in the ground and water which all that industrial growth left behind for the future.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Definitely. I’m going to miss the big K when it’s gone, wonder what interesting things will be found in DUKBO when the shovels hit the dirt.
After all- who can guess, all there is, that might be buried down there?
aching chest
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Today’s huge dosage of weirdness was found in Queens Plaza, which is normally so incredibly bound by the mundane and material that it’s impossible to form an abstract thought.
Instead of the usual “how do I make it out of this area alive without being struck by a car, bicycle, or fellow pedestrian” or the “I’m rapidly becoming overwhelmed by the incredible loudness of this place, what in gods name are they thinking putting a park here”, your humble narrator noticed a set of missives tacked up alongside the entrance to the subterranean tracks of the subway.
from wikipedia
Queens Plaza is a plaza located on Queens Boulevard, between North and South Plaza streets, in Long Island City, Queens. The plaza is overlapped by an elevated railway transit (which was constructed in 1914), with the Queensboro Bridge starting on the eastern side. It has a subway stop for the E M R trains at the Queens Plaza station below ground and nearby are the 7 N Q trains at the Queensboro Plaza station on the elevated tracks. The only elevator for the underground subway station is on the SW corner of South Plaza St and Jackson Ave.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It is certain that a conversation about 911 and the various conspiratorial theories about its execution and cause will not be entertained at this, your Newtown Pentacle, as it’s just not a subject which I am wont to get involved with. As I’ve asserted in the past- what is it about the modern United States Government, and the Bush Administration in particular, that would make you believe that its employees were capable of pulling off a perfectly executed tactical mission in a pristine and lasting vacuum of secrecy? Additionally, a full decade later, has no single member of this highly professional cabal felt pangs of guilt, or caved in to sell the story, and bared his or her dissident soul to the world?
That’s my worldview, of course, and the fellow who has posted these laser printed bits of signage about Queens Plaza sees things differently.
from wikipedia
9/11 conspiracy theories are theories that disagree with the widely accepted account that the September 11 attacks were perpetrated solely by al-Qaeda, without any detailed advanced knowledge on the part of any government agency. Proponents of these theories claim there were inconsistencies in the official conclusions or evidence that was overlooked. In a 2008 global poll of 17 countries, 46% of those surveyed believed al-Qaeda was responsible for the attacks, 15% believed the U.S. government was responsible, 7% believed Israel was and another 7% believed some other perpetrator, other than al Qaeda, was responsible.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It would be worth your time to click through the photos to Flickr and check out the fullness of these pages, wherein Mr. Boss alleges the complicity of certain individuals and organizations in a far reaching “false flag” conspiracy and details the extreme and technologically sophisticated methodology of persecution these conspirators from the National Security Agency have subjected him to.
Of course, this is the viewpoint and position of the aforementioned Mr. Boss, I’m just pointing out what he or his supporters have left in Queens Plaza for all to see.
from wikipedia
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S. government communications and information systems, which involves information security and cryptanalysis/cryptography.
The NSA is directed by at least a lieutenant general or vice admiral. NSA is a key component of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which is headed by the Director of National Intelligence. The Central Security Service is a co-located agency created to coordinate intelligence activities and co-operation between NSA and other U.S. military cryptanalysis agencies. The Director of the National Security Agency serves as the Commander of the United States Cyber Command and Chief of the Central Security Service.
By law, NSA’s intelligence gathering is limited to foreign communications, although domestic incidents such as the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy have occurred.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Don’t get me wrong, Lords and Ladies, in no way should you interpret me as mocking Mr. Boss’s unique point of view, as I’ve seldom understood the childish formulae and meta themes which political people present. “Wealth trickles down to the poor”, “Change is good”, or “Hope” have all found their place in the mainstream. So has the sophomoric notion of “green jobs for the future” and the other modernist mottos of a generation of lobbyist bosses and their elected counterparts.
The sole argument I can offer against any of these conspiracy theories is simply this- the people who are supposedly perpetrating this “false flag” had nothing to gain from it, as they were already in full control over the government and its bureaucracy as well as being in a position to profit handsomely from the status quo.
from bossforcongress.com
The NSA is trying to kill me! And the NSA is preventing me from having my voice from being heard and of having a fair election. The NSA is bugging my car and home. The NSA is putting devices to give off microwave radiation in my car and through the walls of my apartment to kill me. I have a list of over 100,000+ people who have told me that when I campaign to them and give them my literature, that the NSA comes to them right afterwards and threatens to kill them and their families if they speak up. The NSA is forcing these people to take a gift card for $20,000 to join the NSA to keep them quiet about the NSA arranging the 911 attack.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A cursory scan of the vast interwebs reveals that Mr. Boss has indeed run for several offices over the years, including a recent stab at becoming Governor of New Jersey which netted him some 16,000 votes in 2009. Additionally, He has attracted the ire of many in his native state due to incessant pamphleteering and posting of flyers such as the ones in Queens Plaza.
His business life, as he claims, involves a past in investment banking, and seems to be associated with a company that promises the cryogenic storage of reproductive materials such as sperm and eggs- as well as the disposition of deceased pets.
also from bossforcongress.com
I CURRENTLY HAVE NUMEROUS CHEFS AND RESTAURANT WORKERS CONFIRMING THE NSA POISONS FOOD IN THERE RESTAURANT. THE NSA KILLS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS A YEAR BY POISONING THEIR FOOD.
I HAVE OVER 7 DIFFERANT NSA AGENTS ON DVD SAYING THEY ARE SERVING POISON FOOD TO OCCUPY WALL STREET! I HAVE PUT SIGNS UP, TOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TOLD THE PEOPLE AT OCCUPY WALL STREET.
IN THE LAST 4 WEEKS THE NSA HAS POISONED THE FOOD FOR OCCUPY WALL STREET.THE NSA CONSIDERS THE OCCUPY WALL STREET AS A REVOLUTION AND THEREFORE THINKS ITS OKAY TO KILL OFF THE UPRISING. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS ARE BEING POISONED AT THE OCCUPY WALL STREET. INCLUDING MANY CHILDREN. ALL THE WORKERS WHO ARE WORKING THE KITCHEN AT OCCUPY WALL STREET ARE NSA AGENTS.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I am sure that I will soon be decried as working for the NSA, or not, depending on what happens the next time Boss googles himself.
JB- I’ve given you as much leeway as I can…
Just remember that if you come to Queens, the Newtown Pentacle is always watching…and If you come into my house, I will notice. We’ve got enough wacky stuff going on here in Western Queens to fill a hundred cargo ships, but we don’t complain to Jersey about it…
If the NSA is listening, however, my advertising resume could indicate some potential as a propagandist and I have never had any issues with doing government work. My work as a photo retoucher could be a handy resource, and editorial photography is a special interest of mine. Feel free to contact me, however, freelance rates will apply.
from nj.com
Ledger Live host Brian Donohue interviews Jeff Boss of Guttenberg who says the government plotted the 9/11 terrorist attacks and vows that legalized sports betting is the key to solving New Jersey’s budget woes.
Click here for a video interview with Jeff Boss.
ALSO, this Friday:
My own attempt at presenting a cogent narrative and historical journey “up the creek” is up coming as well-
Your humble narrator will be narrating humbly on Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M. for the“Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385” as the “Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show” is presented to their esteemed group. The club hosts a public meeting, with guests and neighbors welcome, and say that refreshments will be served.
The “Magic Lantern Show” is actually a slideshow, packed with informative text and graphics, wherein we approach and explore the entire Newtown Creek. Every tributary, bridge, and significant spot are examined and illustrated with photography. This virtual tour will be augmented by personal observation and recollection by yours truly, with a question and answer period following.
For those of you who might have seen it last year, the presentation has been streamlined, augmented with new views, and updated with some of the emerging stories about Newtown Creek which have been exclusively reported on at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
For more information, please contact me here.
What: Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show
When: Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385
mural history
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Wandering around Calvary Cemetery is often a revelatory experience, and while perambulating through the hallows of Section 9 the other day, the shock of sudden recognition nearly laid me low. While scanning the monolith studded landscape for certain things which cannot be mentioned, the name of one of history’s most famous New Yorkers suddenly appeared before me.
Steve Brodie… The man who jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge and lived to talk about it.
Steve Brodie, photo courtesy Wikipedia
also from wikipedia
Steve Brodie (December 25, 1861 – January 31, 1901) was an American from New York City who claimed to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and survived on July 23, 1886. The resulting publicity from the supposed jump, whose veracity was disputed, gave Brodie publicity, a thriving saloon and a career as an actor.
Brodie’s fame persisted long past his death, with Brodie portrayed in films and with the slang terms “taking a Brodie” and “Brodie” entering the language for “taking a chance” and “suicidal leap.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There weren’t just three major newspapers in 1886, there were hundreds, and the proto “media” ate up Steve Brodie’s story, turning him into a celebrity. From all accounts, Brodie found every advantage offered by fame- opening a swank saloon on the Bowery and starring in a popular play about his exploits.
He would always be known as the “bridge jumper”.
from nytimes.com
A tall, slim man, who looked very much like an overgrown street boy, stood talking to a young woman at the New-York end of the Brooklyn bridge a little after 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon. He bade her good-bye and kissed her.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The scourge of the 19th century was “consumption”, or as we call it “tuberculosis”, and Brodie took ill. Like other “lungers”, it was thought that the dry air of the southwest would aid him in fighting the affliction and he packed off for San Antonio in Texas.
That’s where he died.
from nytimes.com
The body was taken to Calvary Cemetery for burial. A crowd of 500 or 600 men, women, and children, attracted by curiosity remained in the streets during the services at the house, and many of them followed the funeral cortege to Ninety Second Street Ferry on its way to the cemetery.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It is a real shame that someone has decided to pry the probable white bronze marker from the monument, which would have occurred in the empty oval space directly above the names and dates which remain. Such is the case though, and there are many instances of such theft not just at Calvary but at all the cemeteries which comprise the cemetery belt of western Queens.
It’s pretty low to steal from the dead, in one humble narrators opinion.
An interesting analysis of whether or not Mr. Brodie actually made his jump was published by “The Day” in 1986. Click here for the article by Larry McShane.
Steve Brodie, photo courtesy Wikipedia
ALSO, this Friday:
My own attempt at presenting a cogent narrative and historical journey “up the creek” is up coming as well-
Your humble narrator will be narrating humbly on Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M. for the“Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385” as the “Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show” is presented to their esteemed group. The club hosts a public meeting, with guests and neighbors welcome, and say that refreshments will be served.
The “Magic Lantern Show” is actually a slideshow, packed with informative text and graphics, wherein we approach and explore the entire Newtown Creek. Every tributary, bridge, and significant spot are examined and illustrated with photography. This virtual tour will be augmented by personal observation and recollection by yours truly, with a question and answer period following.
For those of you who might have seen it last year, the presentation has been streamlined, augmented with new views, and updated with some of the emerging stories about Newtown Creek which have been exclusively reported on at this- your Newtown Pentacle.
For more information, please contact me here.
What: Newtown Creek Magic Lantern Show
When: Friday, February 24th at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ridgewood Democratic Club, 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385
The Newtown Pentacle 