Archive for the ‘newtown creek’ Category
Archives #046
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
Further, as I predicted, the minute that the docs told me it’d be ok to start normal activities again – atmospheric temperatures dropped down into the 20’s, then it started snowing here in Pittsburgh, and the combination of all that resulted in leaving behind icy conditions.
No bueno, regarding the ankle and ice. Hopefully, this is the last week of archive posts, and next week new material should start showing up again.
Thanks for sticking with me during this trial, it’s meant a lot – the comments, views, etc. have definitely buoyed me up during dark times.
2013’s ‘uneasy voices’ detailed the scene as yet another one of the endless ‘Astoria Hullabloo’s’ set up just under my window when FDNY and NYPD suddenly appeared in large numbers on Broadway.
This sort of thing would occur at least once a month during the entire interval that I lived on Broadway’s corner of 44th street in Astoria. Yes, I lived directly over Gino’s Pizza. Zuzu the dog liked sleeping on the tile floor directly over their pizza oven, during the winter months.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey, that’s my shadow! You can see the outline of the street cassock filthy black raincoat and everything. Good times…
A standard ‘short walk’ I’d commit to at least once a week was to negotiate over to 39th street, at Northern Blvd., from Astoria, then walk past Sunnyside Yards and southwards up a shallow hill to Skillman Avenue. Skillman would then negotiate me across Queens Plaza and off the hill, slotting my feet into a path which led directly to the Degnon Terminal and the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek. There and back again was about 5-6 miles and a great short walk. Miss that route.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I didn’t used to just walk south from Astoria, it was just the more interesting walk visually than the other way. Y’know… another favorite destination for a short walk was Luyster Creek on the northern side, but there were so many long stretches of just residential blocks, which are rumored to be full of humans. In some spots, there are positive infestations of the man-apes. Always did I avoid the crowds and congregations of the humans, given the changeability and capriciousness of their moods.
I love’s me a post industrial and often deserted waterway, I do. Throw in all of the fence hole POV’s at Sunnyside Yards… Dutch Kills won most of the time.
In 2015’s ‘known specie,’ your humble narrator found himself walking over to the forbidden northern shore of Queens via ‘Astoria, astoria.’
“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.
Archives #045
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s been a long and strange experience, the broken ankle thing. Far and away the most painful injury suffered during the last twenty thousand and nine hundred twenty five days. As of publication of this post, the broken ankle injury occurred roughly one thousand eight hundred and ninety six hours ago. I spent the first three weeks of that interval in an opioid haze caused by the necessity of pain killers. I was helpless as a baby, as well.
Voting was a challenge due to the ankle, but a Cop helped me get up a set of steps to the polling site for the parking area, and I then cast my lot.
2010’s ‘ceaseless mazes’ talks about an encounter with the New York & Atlantic on the LIRR’s Lower Montauk tracks in Maspeth.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The opioid interval of this experience saw me watching endless hours of police bodycam footage on YouTube for some reason. Since, I’ve been preparing a twenty item long list of ‘things you don’t do when the cops show up, as it really sets them off.’ One of these (#13) is ‘don’t threaten to track the Cops down where they live and kidnap their kids.’ That really doesn’t go down well with the gendarmes, who happily slap a ‘terroristic threat Felony charge’ on the ‘perp’ in return.
It’s Batman rules. You’re not going to win, so just give up when the cops get there. Shut your trap and let them do what they do. The only person you talk to is a lawyer. Batman rules. Batman rules? You’re not going to be able to beat up or resist Batman, that’s the rule. You also can not win a fight with the Cops on the street.
2012’s ‘poor substitute’ detailed a ride on MTA’s holiday nostalgia trains.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m hoping that these archives posts will be a thing of the past pretty soon, but let’s see how sound the ankle actually is, and whether or not I can truly resume my normal activities. Thanks for sticking with Newtown Pentacle through all this, it’s been a balm knowing that y’all are here.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
Finally, 2016’s ‘unctuous haggling’ walks around the “Carridor” of Northern Boulevard nearby the border of Astoria and Woodside.
“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.
Archives #042
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek, as seen from the former Uneeda Biscuit factory in Long Island City, which is currently called LaGuardia Community College’s building C. I shot this one right before the first ever press conference that I was supposed to speak at on behalf of Newtown Creek Alliance, and this was also the first time I met Rep. Carolyn Maloney. She taught me how to smile for the cameras, and offered the trick of mushing your tongue up against the back of your teeth while grinning to cover up any gaps in the dentition.
In 2010, ‘Hunters Point Avenue Bridge Centennial, Dec. 11’ was published, hawking a free event which – as it turns out – was the first Newtown Creek event that had my name on it. This event is where all the tours and boat trips and Creekathons started. It’s also the last time that my pal Bernie Ente attended one of these goofy events before he got sick and passed away.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One of the things which I consider as being pure serendipity is that during the years I was focused on Newtown Creek, a mad king in Albany decided he wanted to replace the Kosciuszcko Bridge. I’d swing through the work zone about every two weeks and do a photo survey of the project. Eventually, I was invited to join the stakeholders group, which gave me onsite access. In the end I managed to record the scene before, during, and after the construction project played out.
In 2014, ‘worse because’ brought readers to DUKBO – Down Under the Kosciuszcko Bridge Onramp – on the ragged border of Maspeth and LIC.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Want to know why everything costs more these days? Corporate consolidation, that’s why. The concrete sector of the building industry in NYC, for instance, has been purchased away from ‘family’ companies by a national conglomerate – bit by bit. Monopolies charge whatever they want for their product, as there’s no competition.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
2015’s ‘flat platform’ explores what the modern version of NYC would be like if we were still using pack animals to move things around instead of using trucks and other vehicles.
“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.
Archives #037
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hands down, that’s my favorite ever angry pigeon photo above. It’s one of a series of shots that I’d use for profile pics on Xoom meetings during COVID, and I’d switch them around to signal my support or ire at whatever the active speaker was talking about. The ‘non verbal communication’ bird pictured above was encountered in Queens’ Sunnyside Gardens, as a note.
2015’s November 26th post, dubbed ‘louder drone,’ was definitely one for the birds.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At least once a week back in NYC, over a period of more than a decade, some sort of Newtown Creek ‘thing’ would require my attendance. I would arrive early and then walk home, usually. Two birds, one stone, yeah?
In 2021, ‘scoundrel out’ brought readers back to Newtown Creek.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Since moving to Pittsburgh, rail ‘stuff’ has been catching my eye. It’s actually a challenge photographing something which is huge and moving quickly. Now… that’s the sort of statement which I usually get lacerated for in the comments, so have at it.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
In 2024, a few images of Pittsburgh’s rail traffic was on offer in ‘Thanksgiving Choo-Choos.’
“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.
Archives #035
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Directly after this photo was taken in 2010, then NYS AG Andrew Cuomo transmogrified into a crab monster and chewed the heads off of eleven journalists, a television sound person, and three videographers. Luckily, your humble narrator was using a telephoto lens, and was thereby far enough away to avoid this carnage. A limo arrived, and every step Cuomo took toward it saw him reeling in the extra limbs and eye stalks, and a seemingly human creature in a tattered suit entered the vehicle, which drove away. Building superintendents appeared, who hosed down the charnel gutter. The viscera flowed into and out of the open sewers, and the Newtown Creek ran red with the third estate that day.
You don’t mess with Andy Cuomo.
In 2010, all the fancy people came to Brooklyn and gathered along the Newtown Creek to commemorate the end of legal hostilities between Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and the transnational energy giant regarding the Greenpoint Oil Spill.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Jesus! There’s something about mass production meeting the sacred, and it leads to an all too obvious and somewhat French influenced commentary about… it’s wank though. Nothing matters anymore. Still, commodifying the belief system of others for personal profit is a pretty delicate thing.
Whereas, at the time of this archive post’s publication – there was not – but now – there is – a fully articulated and posable Jesus action figure out there. Someone’s going to hell over this one, right? I mean… $55 for a doll?
In 2013’s ‘not inefficient,’ your humble narrator became transfixed by a series of plastic religious statues on sale in one of Astoria’s multitudinous 99 cent stores.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That bright orange business on the right hand side of the shot above is the Queensboro Bridge, with Manhattan at top of the shot and Queens Plaza in the fore. I got this one when a friend allowed me access to the roof deck of the condo building he was occupying for a spell.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
In 2018, ‘momentous talk’ showed off a few photos from high over Long Island City, at night! Why don’t any of the new people have curtains?
Back next week.
“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 