Posts Tagged ‘New York City’
meager iron
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Returning from a walk one evening, I encountered an FDNY Ambulance screaming past me, on April 4th, specifically. This was about the high water mark for such activity in Astoria, by my observation, during the first and second weeks of April. Most of the shops on Broadway were closed, and in a few of the open ones you encountered unfamiliar workers filling in for people who were home sick.
The skies really started to clear, as automotive traffic and air travel fell off.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On April 8th, one found himself in a place which would often be visited during the tribulation, the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek. Right around this period, I started seeing groups of muscle cars speeding around the industrial zone at night.
As mentioned in the various postings offered during the pandemic, one has been avoiding the customary usage of headphones. The deserted streets required vigilance, and a few encounters with “crazies” occurred while I was out there in the darkness. Occupational hazard always, malign elements of the street have enjoyed somewhat free reign during this period. Look at the graffiti which has appeared just about everywhere if you don’t believe me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was hanging around at HQ, working on how to shoot the star fields visible for the first time in my life here in NYC on April 11, when the surrounding street began to flash crimson. Unfortunately, one of my next door neighbors who had been sick with COVID found her condition deteriorating and needed to go the hospital. After the EMT’s suited up in protective gear, they wheeled in a stretcher and soon they ambulance was loaded up and off they went in a flashing screaming hurry. She has since recovered, thankfully.
It’s around this period that some life began returning to Broadway in Astoria. A few of the shops reopened, and supply lines began to open back up accordingly. You could go to a fruit stand or grocery store rather than a supermarket, and a slight uptick in pedestrian and automotive traffic was noticed.
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, June 22nd. 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 as we move into April and beyond, 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.
unhallowed garret
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Both the shot above and the one directly below were captured on March 31 on the night time walks one was taking during the pandemic tribulations. In both cases, on a technical note, my inexperience with the modern version of photoshop’s particular vagaries resulted in a distracting moire pattern emerging the sky areas of the shots. In addition to receiving news of a death in my extended family due to the virus, and hearing about more and more friends coming down with it, a personal problem of far less gravity has been afflicting me. Right at the beginning of the plague, a mechanical issue began affecting my work horse Macintosh tower, and it has been down ever since. I’ve been working off a spare laptop, which required creating a predictable environment for my “digital darkroom.” There’s been a few growing pains. Oops.
I seem to recall that this is right around when the pandemic got political. Coke vs Pepsi dynamics popped up. I advocate going green, since Ginger Ale is delicious.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is also right about when that bizarre siren display was activated on the Empire State Building, which gave the nocturnal and deserted landscape of NYC a science fiction vibe. The reality was that we were entering into a period of science fact and deepening economic hardship. It felt like the bottom fell out. This was also about when all of this teleconferencing business really kicked into gear.
Time began to slip and nobody could remember what day it was anymore. On the financial hardship note, this is also right about when I realized that my rather aggressive tour schedule for 2020 was going to have be abandoned.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 2nd is when I found myself on the Pulaski Bridge over Newtown Creek capturing the shot above. A point was made of framing the Empire State Building into compositions whenever I could, which is never a terrible idea, in order to “set” the image firmly into the pandemic timeline.
More tomorrow.
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, June 22nd. 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 as we move into April and beyond, 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.
festering horror
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While the tribulation was really gearing up, my walks around Western Queens continued. As mentioned yesterday, one is feeling a bit reflective about the recent months, and the shots presented this week were recently gathered and some presented before. On the 18th of March, one wandered around the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek in Long Island City. The skies were starting to change a bit, and stars became visible to the naked eye. I began to notice troops of Raccoons walking around like they owned the street, and those dickweed Canada Geese reappeared.
The most notable thing, to me, was the quiet. With automotive traffic reduced by an enormous percentile, the “buzz” of NYC disappeared. It was not unpleasant, but you could hear Ambulance sirens screaming from miles away in all directions. Things had just gotten grim.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Returning from a shorter walk on March 22nd, a blazing inferno was encountered around the corner from my house. Whereas I originally thought I didn’t know anyone who lived there, it turns out a friend of a friend was made homeless by this fire. The office of Jimmy Van Bramer was made aware of the situation, who helped find some temporary shelter for them, I’m told.
This is about when I started receiving news about friends or family who had come down with Covid, and when people in the extended network of “people I talk to” began to relay horror stories. It’s also when I started seeing EMS personnel wearing surgical gowns, respirator masks, and face shields over their uniforms in Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Late March was when I decided to just hang around HQ for a few days. The weather was crappy, and a decision to perfect certain photo techniques which I’d previously dabbled in was arrived at. Controlled environment practice is critical for pulling something off in the field, with its myriad distractions. Over the years, I’ve taken a LOT of pictures of that bodega, here in Astoria.
The one just above was captured on March 28th.
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, June 22nd. 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 as we move into April and beyond, 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.
made wild
It’s freaking Friday?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few odds and ends for today’s post. That’s a Department of Sanitation recycling pickup truck exiting from DUGABO – Down Under the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge Onramp – back onto the normal street grid in Long Island City’s Blissville section. Now, as I often chide – you’ve got garbage trucks from all over Queens making their way to Newtown Creek to drop off their collections. The truck above is based at DSNY’s Queens 13 garage, which is in Flushing. This bit of information should make you wonder about equity, environmental justice, and why you don’t find transfer stations (which is what you call the facilities which garbage trucks dispose of their collections) in the communities which are generating the trash.
Instead, little Blissville does the job for the rest of the Borough, and what do they get in return? Local hiring? Compensation for the annual tens of thousands of truck trips moving through their community? What?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Apologies for today’s post being a couple of hours behind normal schedule, but one was up late exploring on of those internet rabbit holes you occasionally find yourself trapped in. This one involved people setting themselves on fire. Combustion seems to be another one of those concepts which some do not grasp, or seem to have much foreknowledge of. I saw one where, for some reason, a young lady decided it would a great idea to fill a drinking glass with rubbing alcohol and then strike a match.
Fire is a punk way to die, incidentally. Brrr.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It would seem that here in Astoria there’s a fellow named Omar who only has one boxing glove. If you’re reading this, Omar, 34th Avenue and 44th street is where the left one is. Another public service offered.
More fun next week, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
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, June 15th. 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 as we move into April and beyond, 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.
sprang suddenly
Tiamat be praised, it’s Thursday.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A visit to the Penny Bridge site in Greenpoint, said site pictured above, qualified as my turn around point for a fairly long walk last weekend. “Turning points” are critical for me when out on one of my photo walks, since if you choose the wrong one you’re walking through a boring residential neighborhood. Nothing wrong with residential, of course, but I don’t like taking pictures of people’s houses. I do like taking pictures of “the People’s house” as in our commonly held properties like Government facilities or various privately held but often publicly traded industrial locations. I like a good waste transfer station or the odd oil terminal, I tell ya.
Luckily for me, the new Kosciuszcko Bridge hosts a pedestrian and bicycle lane, so instead of having to walk all the way to Grand Street to cross back into Queens I can reattach at Laurel Hill Blvd. and get home via Sunnyside’s 43rd street rather than having to loop through Maspeth and Woodside.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The view from up on the Kosciuszcko Bridge is commanding, and worthy of your attention if you haven’t been up there yet. You can pick up the pedestrian/bike lane on Laurel Hill Blvd. in Queens, or Meeker Avenue in Brooklyn. A couple of new playground/parks will soon be opening under the bridge in both boroughs.
I’ve mentioned this a few times during the recent tribulations – the communities surrounding Newtown Creek have found their way to the waterway during the pandemic, and I’ve seen far more people than normal just walking around or riding their bikes in recent months. Does a humble narrator good seeing this, but… joggers in Industrial Maspeth? Yikes.
Be careful, I tell them all, Newtown Creek is an easy place to get dead.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
High above it though, lots and lots of people are enjoying pleasant strolls across and over the Newtown Creek. Seriously, if you haven’t walked over the new bridge at sunset/dusk, you’re missing one of the best free shows in NYC. If you get lucky, there’s a chance that tugboats and or rail traffic might be moving around. I like me a good scenic overlook, I does.
May all your Thursdays be happy days, back tomorrow.
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, June 15th. 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 as we move into April and beyond, 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 