Posts Tagged ‘Cool cars’
frequent fumbling
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After exiting the Court Square subway stop in Long Island City and crossing Jackson Avenue, the Manhattan bound 7 train runs on an elevated truss bridge which follows Davis Street. Davis Street is where the Neptune Water Meter company used to be found, which is the factory building that became 5ptz – the graffiti and street art gallery. These days, there are tower apartments sitting on the site, and their owners call them 5ptz. Grrr.
Davis Street is where Batman’s parents were murdered by gunman Joe Chill in at least two cinematic iterations of the crime, and I think Highlander once had a sword fight there too. These days, there ain’t too much to see on Davis, other than the soundproofed walls of luxury condominium towers. Soul? None.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m Facebook friends with a lot of people I’ve never met in “meatspace.” One of them is an artist who carries his sketchbook to a lot of the same places that I bring the camera. Monte Antrim. Look him up, great stuff. Anyway, Monte had posted a drawing of a derelict car he found at the end of Davis Street which intrigued me, and since I was in the neighborhood…
Why not?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is a very, very late model car and something I can tell you for certain is that it was dumped here in the last couple of years. That’s odd. How certain am I? Very. I have been haunting this area for 15 years.
I’m told it used to be a Mercedes.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I whipped out the tripod for this series of shots, as my desire was to reduce the distraction offered the water’s texture. The tripod allowed me to do a longish exposure, and the wind driven ripples were thereby smoothed out into a mirror finish.
There’s another condo building that’s opening down at the end of Davis Street, found under the screaming steel wheels of the Subway. The looks I was getting from them… on a street once renowned – globally – for attracting artists… Maybe if I had set myself up to do some investment banking it would have seemed normal to them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A sign adorning the new building promised studio apartments starting at “just $660,500” were available for immediate occupancy. This is what their frontage looks like.
It’s a scam, you’ve been had. You been took. There’s a state superfund site on the other side of that railyard fence and there’s a federal superfund site 3/4 of a mile away. You’re living on top of what used to be a chemical factory. Every ten minutes a subway train goes past your window generating 100+ decibels of ear damage. The elevated tracks are dripping with dielectric oils and PCB’s. You’ve got the off ramps of the Queensboro Bridge a quarter mile away, and traffic is always heavy, as is auto exhaust. If you’ve got that kind of money, you could be living in a house rather than a noisy and polluted box. It’s also not a good investment, no matter what the broker told you. You’ll be lucky to get your original capital back when you sell.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sigh… what’s the point anymore.
The good news is that I continued to not get wet as the rain began to really come down. My umbrella was deployed and I continued scuttling towards Queens Plaza and the subway ride back to Astoria.
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“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.
prattle feverishly
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned yesterday, a bit of travel was in the cards for early December, and in the midst of preparing to pick up and split for the better part of a week, I decided to get in one last “short walk.”
This one never left Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
They must’ve decriminalized graffiti bombing people’s cars. I’ve seen so much more of this sort of thing in the last two years…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned – short walk. Turn around point was at 31st street and Astoria Blvd.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Checked another gas station off my list at 44th street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Managed a shot of an old wrecker tow truck I’ve had my eye on.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Encountered evidence of an apparent miracle on 44th street, nearby 31st avenue, with an abandoned wheelchair.
“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.
he wishes
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A bit of personal news, firstly. On December 30th, a humble narrator began to notice his throat feeling a bit sore. On New Year’s Eve, a wicked ibuprofen proof headache set in, and on New Year’s Day I developed a low grade fever with hot and cold flashes accompanied by body aches and fatigue. Given that this more or less describes the way I felt after getting the Covid vaccine a few months prior, guess what? The good news is since I am full vaxxed, the entire experience only lasted about 36 hours, and I’m back to the fine fettle I normally enjoy. Our Lady of the Pentacle is feeling similar symptoms as you’re reading this, minus the fever.
It was pretty miserable, but I’m glad that say that the vaccine protected me from ending up in a hospital. Overall, I’d give Covid 3 of 4 stars for physical misery, were I leaving it a Yelp review. Compared with what people I know experienced in middle 2020, this was a cakewalk, and wasn’t even close to the sickest I’ve ever felt from a virus.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Saying all that, won’t be heading out for a walk again for a few days, despite desperately needing some outside time and exercise. Pictured above is one of the very few “independent” gas stations left in Western Queens. I’ve been making it a point of recording gas stations for a couple of years now. Gas Stations are targets for Big Real Estate because of the size of the lots they inhabit, and because the titans of affordable housing tax abatements know that they can get New York State to pay for the environmental cleanup of said lots under the “NYS Brownfield Opportunity Areas” program. Believe me when I tell you that the local political people aren’t going to be approving any new permits for such establishments anytime soon, because climate change and “Four wheels bad, two wheels good.”
This is Maspeth, in a legendary locale known only as Haberman.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Oh, industrial Maspeth, the happy place, how I long for thee.
After shooting this photo, I boarded a rideshare taxi and headed home to Astoria. The shots above were captured after I had departed the company of that Grad Student whom I mentioned earlier in the week. Given that I had already scuttled around for about seven miles, I figured that a bit of comfort would be welcome. My driver told me about his theory that the last person legally elected President was Herbert Hoover. Under my mask, there was a big grin. My favorite conspiracy theories are the ones so grand in scope that they approach opera.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was out the next night and shlepping down Steinway Street when I spotted a pair of atavist automobiles in front of a mechanic’s storefront. This was the first of several recent perambulations which I’ve described to Our Lady of the Pentacle as “local” and “not leaving the neighborhood.”
I’m trying to take more frequent walks these days, ones which are a bit shorter than walking home from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in the name of burning off some of the pandemic blubber suit which I’m wearing. I’m not just overweight right now, I’ve gotten fat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The plan I’ve hatched is to jack up my metabolism a bit with a two pronged regime. First is to cycle in daily walks of no less than 90 minutes, with longer walks scheduled every three to four days. What that means, as an example, would be to walk from Astoria to Dutch Kills in LIC and back – roughly 4 subway stops each way – followed by a longer walk on the third day – industrial Maspeth or East Williamsburg or Flushing. The dailies build up my stamina and endurance, while the longer ones build muscle and eat up the adipose. The wild card is that trick left foot of mine.
Hopefully, by late spring or early summer I can begin to see “fighting weight” coming up in my rear view mirror.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That green splotch on the left side of the shot is what happens when it starts to rain and a blob of water lands on the lens. There’s actually something I really like about the way that a distant traffic signal’s green light flowed into the droplet.
Back next week with some images from a newly instituted schedule of constant movement at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“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.
numberless domes
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s been a while since the cool cars spotted here in LIC have been offered, even though an eye has been kept peeled for vehicles of the “off the beaten track” variety. I’ve always wanted one of these military style trucks, mainly since it’s a diesel engine deal with a pipe snorkel that would allow the motor to keep running even when submerged. Imagine cruising a flooded Frannie Lou in that ride, Queens kids.
This was parked on the sidewalk nearby the Big Allis power plant in the Ravenswood section of Long Island City. Were I ever to become a Batman villain, Ravenswood is where I’d set up my lair, and my lackeys would drive what’s pictured above.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Not too far from HQ in Astoria, there’s a business which handles all of the mechanical and construction needs for food trucks and carts. I won’t decry the fact that they illegally park on and block the sidewalks. A recent addition to their “honey do” list is a classic Airstream trailer. Stainless steel skin and a galvanized chassis, the Airstream is a 1960’s dream.
This business, and several like it, are under threat of displacement by the Innovations Queens project, which proposes bringing thirty story luxury condo buildings to Astoria in the 35/36 Ave. zone between Steinway and Northern Blvd.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in Ravenswood, where there’s a thriving industrial sector devoted to vehicle maintenance, this collection of spare parts was observed. It was poised in front of the old silk thread factory, and seemed to be the property of a garage engaged in the repair of taxi cabs. It reminded me of the biblical Abraham, with his tent open to the four cardinal directions.
More tomorrow – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“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.
limited causation
Friday is inevitable.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I like a cool car, and when I see one the camera is engaged. Spotted this one on 48th street in Sunnyside recently.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Don’t know what the story is with it, but I like the artwork a lot. If I was still drawing comics, odds are that if I was asked to paint a car similar themes and subject matter would be applied.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s all for this week, Lords and Ladies.
Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, March 1st. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates here, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.
“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 