Posts Tagged ‘Long Island City’
struggling madly
Like a leaf, you.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s Furrinalia, an ancient Roman holiday venerating Furrina. Furrina was a water goddess of truly ancient origins, one of the 12 “flamines minores.” July 25 is “one of those days,” when random events in the calendar as revealed by the historical record seem to be propitious in retrospect. Events speak of broad strokes and suggest some sort of guiding hand- although that’s 20/20 hindsight and western bias talking. Coincidentally, July 25 is also the day that the Inca empire celebrated its thunder god Ilyap’a, who kept the Milky Way in a jar and used it to make rain.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After his Dad died, a fellow we refer to as Constantine the Great was proclaimed the emperor of Rome by his troops in 306. A scant 9 years later, the “arch of Constantine” was unveiled in Rome, hailing the victory of the General and his armies at the Milvian Bridge- a battle made famous by the Emperor’s conversion to Christianity, which was an event signaling that the end of the pagan era in Europe was nigh. In 1261, the armies of Michael VIII Palaiologos recaptured the city named for Constantine from latin usurpers, beginning the final iteration of the Roman Empire which would end in the fires of 1453.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In 1837, the first electrical telegraph was demonstrated in London. In 1866, the newly created post of “General of the Army” in the United States was awarded to Ulysses S. Grant. In 1898, United States troops began the invasion of Puerto Rico, and in 1946 an atomic bomb was detonated at Bikini Atoll. Today is the day that Dylan went electric in Newport, Connecticut in 1965, and 1978 saw the birth of the first “test tube” baby. In 1984, Salyut 7 cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to perform a space walk.
Also, in 1966, New York City Council speaker and Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn was born in Glen Cove.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
Glittering Realms– Saturday, August 3rd, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets now on sale.
Kill Van Kull– Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
vivid melange
A rapidly cooling post today
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This last weekend, your humble narrator led a short boat tour up a long Creek for Metropolitan Waterfront Alliances’ City of Water Day festival, despite the Bataan Death March atmospherics. Upon returning to Astoria and after inhaling approximately 40 gallons of water, one went out in search of Mr. Softee. The mister is no good, as Mrs. Softee spends every night alone during the summer, and has no idea where he spends his time or for whom his bells toll.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Time spent in the ancient village of Astoria is often revelatory, as many of the neighbors speak English not just as a second, but in many cases as a third language. This will often result in unintentionally meaningful signage, as with this sign board found on Broadway nearby the elevated N and Q lines which succinctly describes United States foreign policy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Finally, a quick peek at Hunters Point, where construction seems to be gearing up and the brave new world is forming. Ten years from now, this same POV will portray the entrance to a grand tower building of the “happy shiny” sort which will be part of the new Hunters Point South community. I’ll miss the view, myself, but I like muddy puddles.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
Kill Van Kull– Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
sardonic source
Fearful and frightful, be afraid… be very, very afraid.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sometimes you scare yourself, I know that I do, but then again I’m a fairly scary person- or so I’ve been told by those who seek my destruction. Looking out from behind my eyes, I believe that I set the standard of sanity for the rest of the world, a situation which terrifies me, as there has to be someone better upon which to draw the line between madness and sanity. Anxious, phobic, given to fits of melancholia and nostalgic ennui- your humble narrator is all ‘effed up.
from wikipedia
Most phobias are classified into three categories and, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), such phobias are considered to be sub-types of anxiety disorder. The three categories are:
1. Social phobia: fear of other people or social situations such as performance anxiety or fears of embarrassment by scrutiny of others. Overcoming social phobia is often very difficult without the help of therapy or support groups. Social phobia may be further subdivided into
- generalized social phobia (also known as social anxiety disorder or simply social anxiety).
- specific social phobia, in which anxiety is triggered only in specific situations. The symptoms may extend to psychosomatic manifestation of physical problems. For example, sufferers of paruresis find it difficult or impossible to urinate in reduced levels of privacy. This goes far beyond mere preference: when the condition triggers, the person physically cannot empty their bladder.
2. Specific phobias: fear of a single specific panic trigger such as spiders, snakes, dogs, water, heights, flying, catching a specific illness, etc. Many people have these fears but to a lesser degree than those who suffer from specific phobias. People with the phobias specifically avoid the entity they fear.
3. Agoraphobia: a generalized fear of leaving home or a small familiar ‘safe’ area, and of possible panic attacks that might follow. It may also be caused by various specific phobias such as fear of open spaces, social embarrassment (social agoraphobia), fear of contamination (fear of germs, possibly complicated by obsessive-compulsive disorder) or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) related to a trauma that occurred out of doors.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Ignoble, embarrassing and meaningless- the dire consequence or ironic fate one fears most is to be taken down by some unturned screw or careless inattention to detail. Such an end would be more embarrassing than I can bear. A loosened brick, cast off tool, or some other loose bit of debris falling from on high worries me as much or moreso than being struck by an out of control vehicle or being torn asunder by wild dogs. Danger comes at you from 360 degrees here in the megalopolis and it is best to maintain a state of mild panic whenever you leave the house (which is a statistically dangerous place as well, but at least you die comfortably and with some private dignity at home). Fear everything, I always say, New York would like to see you die luridly just so she can tell the story when hanging out at the bar with Chicago and New Orleans.
from wikipedia
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (derived from Ancient Greek roots ἑξακόσιοι [hexakósioi, “six hundred”], ἑξήκοντα [hexékonta, “sixty”], and ἕξ [héx, “six”]; literally meaning “fear of [the number] six hundred sixty-six”) is the fear that originated from the Biblical verse Revelation 13:18, which indicates that the number 666 is the Number of the Beast, linked to Satan or the Anti-Christ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Having embraced the philosophies of the Terror War, wherein every neighbor is a potential person of interest to inform the Cops about and the innocent actions of children are viewed through a filter of threat assessment. That guy BBQing down the block just might be cooking up trouble on that grill- how do you know that propane tank he’s using doesn’t have some secondary and quite sinister purpose? One has decided to just allow paranoia to rule my days and let fear be my watchword. Be afraid, be very, very afraid. Trust no one. If you see something, say something. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, by the way, he’s with the government.
from wikipedia
Panphobia (from Greek πᾶν – pan, neuter of “πᾶς” – pas, “all” and φόβος – phobos, “fear”) also called omniphobia, pantophobia, or panophobia, is a phobia known as a “non-specific fear” or “the fear of everything” and is described as “a vague and persistent dread of some unknown evil”.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
Kill Van Kull– Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.
13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
Modern Corridor
Want to see something cool? Bring a camera, and follow me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When I decided to start doing walking tours of the Newtown Creek watershed a few years ago, I found myself presented with a significant organizational issue. There’s a different story to be told about Maspeth than there is about Greenpoint (also, there are arguably two Greenpoints), yet… the two communities are inextricably linked up. Same thing with Bushwick and Ridgewood, or the residential centers at the Creek’s intersection with the East River. 3.8 miles long by around a mile wide, the Creeklands are vast when on foot. There is also SO much information to pass along, not just about the Creek’s past, but about all the stuff that’s going on right now- EPA, Superfund, the cool things my pals in NCA are doing with Green Infrastructure and Citizen Science…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My solution was to simply to connect the stories of these places up along the ancient roads or paths along which they grew, and follow the water from one borough to another. “Poison Cauldron” does the Greenpoint to Bushwick route, “Insalubrious Valley” follows a colonial era turnpike path, “Glittering Realms” moves from residential East River Greenpoint back to the industrial zone along another colonial pathway, and “13 Steps around Dutch Kills” traces the Queens tributary back to the Creek and ends at its smaller counterpart Whale Creek in Brooklyn.
The new one- “Modern Corridor”- is all about Hunters Point, one of the least known sections of New York City, which sits directly opposite the Shining City of midtown Manhattan.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This “Modern Corridor” walking tour starts at the old city center, nearby Jackson Avenue and Court Square, and explores the brave new world rising from the ashes of a 19th century industrial titan- the independent municipality of Long Island City. Writ large, the growing community of the titan real estate development which has reshaped the colonial vintage section of Queens called Hunters Point will be encountered, and one of the finest parks in the entire city visited. This park is built upon a significant piece of rail infrastructure which once allowed train cars to be loaded onto barges for maritime transport to Manhattan and points west.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Then we walk through to the proverbial wrong side of the tracks, and to the industrial machine surrounding the infamous Newtown Creek. Former home to sugar refineries and cargo docks, rail yards and powerhouses, this will be the future home of thousands who will live in the forthcoming Hunters Point South development which has already begun construction. See it as it is, before the towers rise and the land is reshaped to modern wants and desires.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Skirting along the Creek, you’ll see vast infrastructure, visit DUPBO (Down under the Pulaski Bridge Onramp), and walk over railroad tracks as we head back to the modern incarnation of Long Island City. Bring your cameras, as your friends won’t believe you when you try to describe the places you’ve witnessed. Closed toe shoes are also highly recommended, as is a hat or parasol as there will be little to no shelter from the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself. The walk will be approximately 2 hours in length and will cross all sorts of ground. There will be one flight of stairs involved.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
We’ll be passing from the 21st century all the way back to the 1600’s with particular emphasis on the late 19th century, when the fellow pictured above- the notorious Patrick “Battle-Ax” Gleason, served as the last Mayor of Long Island City. Gleason was personally responsible for the construction of the exquisite PS1 schoolhouse pictured in the second shot above, which nearly bankrupted LIC- amongst other imbroglios. Dogged by claims and accusations (and at least one conviction) of corruption- Gleason used to sit in a barber chair outside the Miller Hotel- which is today the LIC Crab House- and hold court with constituent and passerby alike. This was his favorite spot, directly across the street from the LIRR train and ferry terminal. He told those he met to avoid addressing him as “Mayor”, instructing them instead to “Just call me Paddy.”
Hope you can come along, this Saturday at 10- meetup at Court Square Station on Jackson Avenue.
walked abroad
Another industrial corridor, just another day in Queens.
-photo by Mitch Waxman
Clinging to queer ideations about the storied past, and to the ceramic bricks of the former Swingline factory on Skillman Avenue one fine and recent morning, your humble narrator began to accept the fact that he’s been working too hard. For the last several weeks, I’ve been up at sunrise, not going to bed until well after midnight, and the intervening hours have been more or less filled with various projects, deadlines, and curtailed wanderings. Additionally, chaos and argumentative situations have colored my perceptions.
-photo by Mitch Waxman
Unlike certain others, my “busy time” of the year is during the summer, with nearly every weekend bringing another walking tour to conduct. The usual schedule of meetings, along with institutional obligations along the Creek and the larger Harbor, have kept me busy in the evenings. Suffice to say that my game is a purely reactive one at the moment, as I stumble from place to place and show up “a day late and a dollar short.” This is a somewhat untenable situation, and an enormous backlog of tasks gets a bit longer every day.
-photo by Mitch Waxman
Accordingly, for the rest of this week, a series of short postings will follow this one. Its the holiday thing, I guess, and strong desires to fire up the BBQ and drink a beer rule the day. One would also enjoy just sitting in a dark room while staring at a blank wall for just a little bit. Time to regroup, regathering, refocus. It’ll be short posts through the holiday weekend, lords and ladies, as I try to take little break and catch up on what I should be doing instead.
The Newtown Pentacle 