Posts Tagged ‘queens’
moss grown
When you hear the sound of three dogs barking…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A single night shot today, gathered at the Kosciuszcko Bridge job site a few months back. Two walking tours this week, accomplished with a broken toe attained on the first, so the second was a bit of limping tour but I didn’t let the group know about my situation until the very end up on the Pulaski Bridge. Pain and I are old friends, so we know how to coexist with one another.
Looking forward to a nice summer weekend, me, and I’ll be back Monday at this – your Newtown Pentacle – with a heartier meal for your hungry eyes.
“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.
mustered up
Sometimes, they come back.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One found himself in Maspeth, just yesterday, whereupon discovery of a large industrial site’s demolition occurred. The site used to be a cardboard box factory (Star Corrugated Box Co. originally and then Cascades Containerboard), which had occupied this plot of land for several generations. The crews from Breeze Demolition were hard at work pulverizing the place, and coincidentally were replacing the plywood construction fencing surrounding it as I wandered by. It’s apparently a “big secret” as to who the new occupants of the land here will be.
I know the secret, and as loose lips sink ships…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
54-15, 55-15 and 56-19 Grand Avenue were acquired recently by a California based company called LBA Realty for $72 million. The deal involves a partnership with another realty company, RXR, to build a four story warehouse large enough for heavy trucks to drive up a ramp for loading and unloading. Statements from the developer indicate that this facility would be ideal for the “last mile” logistics of e-commerce companies. Hmmm.
Wonder what e-commerce company that might be?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This project represents a fairly frightening intensification of the truck traffic issues afflicting both Maspeth and East Williamsburg, I would mention.
I would also like to change the subject and mention the importance of large continental river systems to human civilizations. The Mississippi, Colorado, and Hudson Rivers come to mind here in North America, as does the Yang Tse and the Ganges in Asia. There’s the Nile in Africa, of course, and the Rhine in Europe.
I’m forgetting a big and important river, I think, one that runs through South America or maybe Seattle? What’s that one called again?
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours and Events
Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Greenpoint Walking Tour w NYCH20
Explore Greenpoint’s post industrial landscape and waterfront with Newtown Creek Alliance historian Mitch Waxman.
Click here for ticketing and more information.
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.
cracked whining
Locusts, I predict locusts. Repent.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Recent wandering through Astoria revealed that the loathsome serial killer called the Queens Cobbler still stalks, and continues to taunt both community and law enforcement by leaving their macabre singular shoe trophies on public display. Also revealed is the continuing disobedience towards littering and sanitation law displayed by the citizens of Astoria. Sheesh, there’s a garbage can on the next corner, bro.
One is a bit worse for wear today, it was a weird week last time around, what with the pounding we took from the weather and my doctor appointments.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few of you contacted me after I mentioned that I had visited a doctor to deal with a couple of weird things I had going on, evincing concern. Thanks, but everything is ok, I’m just in a process right now wherein instead of just “having” health insurance, I’m trying to “use” my health insurance. My goal in this is largely prophylactic, as other than a few normal aches and pains I’m largely healthy, but it’s been a good decade since a good full body head to toe (and into orifices) examination has been undertaken and baseline condition was determined by a team of Doctors. Given my calendrical age, and the statistical likelihood of things starting to randomly go to hell, it’s logical to establish a “state of Mitch” report. On Friday, I went to an optometrist for the first time in more than two years, for instance, and discovered that my spectacles prescription had changed.
I’m also trying to keep all of this local, as in here in Astoria. Formerly, I was rolling with Beth Israel over in Manhattan’s Union Square, but that got pretty nasty when I had to commute into the City to see a doc for flu or whatever, so I’m establishing relationships with medical professionals closer to home. I’ll be complaining about invasive procedures and the draining of vital fluids and ichors for months, I can assure you.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One has no idea what’s going on with the shot above, other than offering a sure opinion that if you were to step into that chained off square you’d be transported into some blasphemous realm where the elder gods still gambol and play.
This is going to be a fairly busy week for a humble narrator. I’m doing two walking tours, and hopefully this week I won’t find myself huddled with the group on the Borden Avenue Bridge during a wild thunderstorm like I did last week. That sucked.
Keep an eye out for single shoes cast off and left around your neighborhood, for it means that the Queens Cobbler stalks in your midst.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours and Events
Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Greenpoint Walking Tour w NYCH20
Explore Greenpoint’s post industrial landscape and waterfront with Newtown Creek Alliance historian Mitch Waxman.
Click here for ticketing and more information.
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.
dark nether
They brought the show to me!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A humble narrator spends a great deal of time and effort trying to find something interesting to take pictures of. Often, upon stumbling across an interesting scene, one has to think fast about how to manipulate the camera in unfamiliar settings. Imagine then, my happiness when the most familiar of settings – the stretch of Broadway here in Astoria that I live along – was suddenly plastered with orange signs proclaiming that a road paving operation was nigh.
The shots in the embedded YouTube video above were gathered over the course of a few nights. Terrifically dusty and noisy, the first night saw a road milling contractor at work scratching away the asphalt roadbed of Broadway. On two subsequent evenings, workers of the NYC DOT arrived with a lot of heavy equipment to lay down a new asphalt roadbed. They were pretty noisy as well, and then there’s that delicious hot asphalt smell…
No sound on the slideshow video above, so no need to listen for something. Not yet, anyway. Hint, hint.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours and Events
Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Greenpoint Walking Tour w NYCH20
Explore Greenpoint’s post industrial landscape and waterfront with Newtown Creek Alliance historian Mitch Waxman.
Click here for ticketing and more information.
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.
slippery thumping
A few more from DUPBO, in today’s post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Recent endeavor found one beneath the Pulaski Bridge in LIC during a warm evening. Other photos from this series were presented last week, but for one reason or another I never showed these three off as I’ve been distracted by something closer to home and by a few medical issues. The big “project” for the last week has involved the fact that for once the City has brought the show to my own front door here in Astoria, but more on that one later in the week. Instead, here’s a few “purty” night shots.
Also, I published the wrong date for this week’s “Infrastructure Creek” walk yesterday, it’s Wednesday night rather than Thursday, and links to it are at the bottom of the post.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A humble narrator is already having a pretty odd week, it should be offered. It’s been decided that I’m actually going to use my health insurance rather than just having it, and a process has begun wherein I’m going to have diagnosticians examine all of the major systems which I’m in possession of. Yesterday, a Doctor and her team used microscopes to look at the entirety of my skinvelope, for instance. Made it through more or less intact, with the exception of having liquid nitrogen sprayed on a “thing” on the bridge of my nose and a scalpel carving a second but quite different “thing” off my left arm which was sent for laboratory analysis.
She wasn’t too concerned about either “thing,” the Doctor wasn’t. She kept on trying to assuage any fear I might have, whereupon I explained that what concerns me most is uncertainty. I don’t mind the proverbial sword of Damocles if I know about it, what drives me nuts is suspecting that the thing might be hanging over me and that I don’t know what to expect or prepare for. Optometrist is next, then I’ll move over to all the internals. Hoping someone can find that matchbox car I lost when I was five.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The big show that the City has brought to Astoria is a repaving project on Broadway, which has been an absolutely glorious display of millions of dollars of esoteric machinery being operated by large crews of night shift construction workers. I’m trying to figure out the right and most efficient way to show the operation, since as you’d imagine, I’ve shot hundreds of photos of the operation that’s playing out right under my bedroom windows.
Meantime, why not grab a ticket for tomorrow night’s Infrastructure Creek walk? It’s underwritten by Newtown Creek Alliance, so the ticket price is only $12!
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Upcoming Tours and Events
RESCHEDULED FROM LAST WEEK DUE TO WEATHER
Wednesday, July 17, 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
“Infrastructure Creek” Walking Tour w Newtown Creek Alliance
If you want infrastructure, then meet NCA historian Mitch Waxman at the corner of Greenpoint Avenue and Kingsland Avenue in Brooklyn, and in just one a half miles he’ll show you the largest and newest of NYC’s 14 sewer plants, six bridges, a Superfund site, three rail yards with trains moving at street grade (which we will probably encounter at a crossing), a highway that carries 32 million vehicle trips a year 106 feet over water. The highway feeds into the Queens Midtown Tunnel, and we’ll end it all at the LIC ferry landing where folks are welcome to grab a drink and enjoy watching the sunset at the East River, as it lowers behind the midtown Manhattan skyline.
Click here for ticketing and more information.
Thursday, July 25, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Greenpoint Walking Tour w NYCH20
Explore Greenpoint’s post industrial landscape and waterfront with Newtown Creek Alliance historian Mitch Waxman.
Click here for ticketing and more information.
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 