Posts Tagged ‘New York City’
fair land
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 5 saw a humble narrator join with other maritime enthusiasts at a NYC EDC job fair set up for NYC High School aged students at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook. Pictured above is the United States Coast Guard’s current ‘Commander of Sector New York’ Captain Zeita Merchant.
I wasn’t there to do anything other than photograph the event, and I donated my services for this one. Maritime is a great career, one that’s often overlooked by an educational system that seems to be set up for the singular purpose of creating office workers and clerks. Anything I can do to help is worth the time and effort.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The event was created by NYC EDC’s Ports unit, and they brought in Coast Guard, the Harbor Units of FDNY and NYPD, as well as a series of private capital outfits from the port. Tugboat operators, international shipping companies, lots and lots of offshore power generation companies. The kids attending the event were shuttled from table display to table display and offered a free lunch.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Longshoreman’s Union was there, and they were showing off the cool toys that they get to play with on the job. After the event ended, it started to rain and that didn’t stop for days.
Luckily, I was bogged down with photos to develop and a series of Zoom meetings which I had to attend but didn’t demand 100% of my attentions.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 7th, I was still in Zoom meeting hell and it was still raining, but I couldn’t help but shoot yet another rainy night view of the garishly lit Bodega across the street from HQ in Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On April 8th, it had stopped raining, but when I went out to drop off my laundry and pick up a bagel, blood trails were discovered that went on for blocks and blocks here in Astoria.
I made a few calls.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It seems that somebody was displaying his great physical prowess with the intention of impressing a young lady. This display ended when he punched out the plate glass window of a bakery and he severed arteries in both arms and the neck. Further, his reaction to the open vessels situation was to run up and down Broadway while flapping his arms. Luckily, an FDNY ambulance happened to be passing by and noticed the spot he was in. I’m told the unlucky fellow was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was refilled with blood.
Now, as far as cleaning up those blood trails… this is yet another one of those “incompetent fuck” NYC stories which sees the City’s various agencies passing the buck to each other as to whose responsibility it is. NYPD said it’s FDNY’s job, FDNY said to instead call Sanitation, who in turn suggested calling NYPD.
As of middle May, the shadow of the scab trails are still visible on the sidewalks of 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.
weary journey
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A long walk continued, and the East River coastline in Long Island City was visited. One of the fervent arguments I have, all the time, with the “bicycle people” revolves around how there’s actually entire multi block streets in Western Queens that don’t even have sidewalks.
Two wheels good, four wheels bad, nobody cares about pedestrians.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The sky had gotten dramatic while I was scuttling along and I couldn’t resist the saturated colors NYC had on offer.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one looks up 44th drive towards the Citigroup Megalith at Court Square. I think we should rename 44th Drive as “Eric Adams is Awesome Avenue,” and then he’ll send us all vegan candy and money in the mail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Don’t worry, there’s a bike lane under that puddle.
No sidewalk, but there’s a submerged bike lane. God almighty, does this City suck or what? The City DOT’s paving unit is literally based across the street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Really. The brick wall with the barbed wire and the graffiti is them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My shot of the night is presented above, depicting the Queensboro Bridge from under one of its onramps.
“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.
no singers
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After another depressing visit to the collapsing bulkheads of Long Island City’s 29th street, one continued his lonely scuttle along the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek.
My toes pointed towards Borden Avenue, so I followed them.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A strip club nearby Borden Avenue has reopened after its pandemic slumber, it seems. I’ve always been a Star Trek guy, and don’t enjoy this form of bawdy adult entertainment, but to each his own.
Life, as it were, finds a way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One decided to continue westwards along Borden Avenue, heading towards the East River where I would hang a right and begin scuttling back towards Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, the enormous construction site which used to house the HQ of the online grocery “FreshDirect” was passed.
I just can’t pass up a view like this one.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Long Island Railroad was operating at street grade, and two of their engines were heading towards the Sunnyside Yards. An absolutely terrific amount of FDNY traffic had been passing me by and heading west towards Hunters Point for about a half hour, a deployment which included that ambulance pictured above.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the Vernon Jackson stop, a gaggle of fire chiefs and multiple engine and ladder companies were turned out. It seems that some sort of metal debris and reports of “people on the tracks” had drawn their attention.
I hung around for a while, waving the camera around. Anything the FDNY does is interesting.
“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.
verdant valleys
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On April 3rd, I went to Dutch Kills in LIC to confirm that New York City and State remained incompetent and uncaring, which was unsurprisingly confirmed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
29th street is now permanently sagging, and never drains.
You can still park on top of the collapsing section of the street, just like the moving truck I was standing alongside.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Shoreline dissection continues.
Bulkhead collapse underway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a block away, if you wanted to see it looks like when sewer solids pile up, you can. Go at low tide.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Nothing matters, nobody cares.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My little tree of paradise is all I have, an eidolon of hope.
“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.
nimbus over
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Mentioned yesterday, the building pictured above sits on the site of the first large scale petroleum refinery in the United States. It later became known as the Standard Oil Queens County Oil Works, but the original 1854 facility and its founder are described in this post from 2014.
Truth be told, on this particular evening, I wasn’t in “history” mode, instead I was focused in on taking pretty pictures of ugly things.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This shot looks north, across Newtown Creek and at Queens, along the line which the Brooklyn Queens Expressway travels along between LIC’s Blissville section on the left, and Maspeth’s “West Maspeth” section on the right.
The BQE is sited along what was formerly (1870-1898) the legal line between the municipality of Long Island City and Newtown’s Village of Maspeth. Maybe it was already the “Town of Maspeth” back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries… something I’m not sure of, speaking in a purely calendrical manner.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back on the walkway of the Kosciuszcko Bridge, and once again setup with the tripod and all the other gear, I got busy.
You have never ending vibration problems up there, due to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway traffic running behind you.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You can really feel it when a heavy truck rolls by at speed up there, and mid span there’s a discernible flex when one shouts by. It’s not at all disconcerting, but it’s a factor if you’re doing a longish exposure up there as the vibration can transmit up the tripod and shake the camera.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
For some reason… ahem… the bridge’s fences offer apertures just big enough for me to slide my favorite lens through… ahem…
There’s a trick to shooting up here which revolves around making sure that neither the tripod legs nor the lens are making the slightest physical contact with the fence, as it transmits the traffic vibration.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Satisfied that I had actually made it worth getting up that morning by doing something useful and fun, I packed up the bag and headed back to HQ.
More tomorrow.
“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 