Posts Tagged ‘Queensboro Bridge’
Queensboro Pedestrian Path
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One of the many things that your gumbo narrator was desirous of doing, during his recent return to NYC for a four day trip, was walking the newly opened pedestrian only pathway on the Queensboro Bridge. I met up with an old friend at Queens Plaza, whom I used to wander about South east Brooklyn with back in Junior High and High School, and we leaned into it.
Kind of wish that it hadn’t been ninety degrees at ten in the morning, or that the humidity dew point wasn’t in the 70’s, but there you are.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was hot, I tell you, on the southern side of Queensboro – HOT.
One needed to take a few rest-break sit downs whenever a shadow appeared, cast by part of the structure. It had been hot all week, since I arrived in NYC, but this one was the ‘whopper’ that would lead to a thunderstorm front blowing into NYC and clearing out all the ozone and bad air. It’s that same front which delayed my flight, so I received no benefit whatsoever.
Due to all of the tumult and weather, I woke up tired on this fourth day.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My friend lives in Manhattan, and I was going to head back into Queens, since walking over the Queensboro once on a ninety degree and high humidity day in direct sunlight just isn’t enough for me. He went his way, I went mine.
The first person I met up with here in NYC on this trip was My Pal Val, whom I rode the ferries with. She would not have enjoyed this walk one little bit, I thought to myself.
Come to think of it, I wasn’t enjoying it very much either, but that’s from a purely physical POV. I was lost in a sea of reminiscing.
Gridlock Sam and the Bridge Centennial Committee, the 2009 centennial event… the last time I spoke to my now deceased friend Bernie was also while walking over this bridge (on the ‘then’ shared bike and pedestrian lane found on the north side of the bridge.)
This trip dredged up a lot of memories, which I guess makes it a journey?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I did a lot during my years in Western Queens, beyond the creek and the community board stuff.
The Queens Plaza Mill Stones survive in Dutch Kills Green Park. I rode on Queens Plaza elevators that I advocated for with MTA when I was the Chair of Astoria’s Community Board Transportation Committee. There is no deck over the Sunnyside Yards. I never demanded that my name be attached to anything, instead I always preferred to do things the ‘Queens way,’ in quiet and logical conversation within the offices of Elected Officialdom.
I’m not taking solo credit for any or all of those things, btw, I was never alone in my advocacy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A third friend was on the list for the afternoon, and I would soon be heading over to Sunnyside to have a coffee and catch up with her.
As I neared Queens Plaza, thereby, I shifted my attention to the most visually impressive of all of NYC’s subway lines – the Flushing Line, aka lucky number 7. That’s another caper I worked on, with Access Queens, when we produced an event with the NY Transit Museum to celebrate the expansion of the Flushing Line to its current terminus in 1917.
Seriously, everywhere I went, and it wasn’t entirely on purpose either.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was a genuine relief to be swallowed up by the shadows of Queens Plaza after walking back and forth in that blistering sun. On the path, tar was actually bubbling up out of the sidewalk.
Back 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.
forward slumping
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The thing which a humble narrator is currently obsessing about, while you’re reading this, involves finding a job in the Pittsburgh area. There’s entire sections of my work life that are simple to describe – there’s a “Madison Avenue” advertising resume I can present, and I used to write and draw comic books as well as package other people’s stuff for publication so there’s that too. My photographer resume ain’t terribly shabby, nor is my tour guide one, and I can write stuff too. The question I’m struggling with is how to combine all of what I can do under a single job title, and does that position even exist in Pittsburgh? How on earth do I describe Newtown Creek Alliance and the constellation of federal and state agencies I help deal with all the time?
According to Jerry Seinfeld, most Americans would rather die than speak in public. Me? Easiest thing in the world, if you have something worth saying.
Existential crises are best experienced in September, I believe. Sweatshirt weather.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I like pondering things while I’m shooting photos, always have.
That’s the tug Joker that I pointed out in last Friday’s post, in an aerial shot captured at the One World Trade Center Observation Deck. Joker was docked at the concrete company which operates along the Williamsburg waterfront at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The barge full of sand makes a lot of sense, thereby.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There was also an agglutination of maritime cranes and all sorts of heavy equipment on display at the Navy Yard as the NYC Ferry’s Astoria line boat which I was riding on made one of its appointed stops at the venerable campus. It was a pretty nice day, if memory serves – August 19th. Fairly hot, but not horrific.
I’ve announced to anybody who will listen that I have no intention whatsoever of getting close to anything remotely non-profit or governmental in Pittsburgh, but that probably means that… crap.
Really, I just want a normal gig where I do mildly interesting photoshop stuff for some company all day, and then go home. Collect a salary 9-5, live for the weekends. An American sort of life.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What we have here in NYC is not an American form of life. NYC is an archipelago nation state that’s found off the coast of America, not an American City. Life here is quick and often fun, but it’s also mean and short. In America, there’s no “finding an open bodega” at 3 a.m. Transit, as we know it in NYC, does not exist beyond a daytime schedule and is extremely limited in scope. Adapting my frenetic “get it done” energy to the local frequencies on the other side of my move is going to one a real challenge.
Luckily, I feel like I’m a thousand years old and a medium strong wind will shatter me into sand particles. I could end up like Manhattan’s East River Park, pictured above. Annihilated.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just the other night, somebody said to me that “of course, you’re going to be coming back regularly to do Newtown Creek tours.” That part of my life is over, I’m afraid. I’m planning on doing one last burst of them in October and November, but no.
I have to remember to include being a NYC Parade Marshal for the centennials of Queensboro, Manhattan, Hunters Point Avenue, and Madison Avenue bridges on my resume. Oh yeah, the Community Board thing too, as well as the non profit stuff too.
Dear Nelly, who am I? What am I? Why am I?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As I mentioned, existential wonderings are on the menu right now.
The NYC Ferry dropped me off in Astoria, nearby Hallets Cove. My foot was hurting, so I limped over to a nearby bus stop and rode the thing back to HQ. Planes, trains, automobiles – that’s me.
“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.
gaseous consciousness
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What with the crazy heat wave and other obligations experienced last week, including having to quarantine for 3 days until I could get tested for Covid – because an Anti-Vaccine idiot friend of mine decided that his freedom to avoid vaccination trumped mine to not be needlessly exposed to a plague – a humble narrator is a bit behind on his schedule. Hey Anti-Vaxxer, I know that god is going to protect you from Covid and all that, but using that logic – why do you need to own a gun?
Shot 1, above, is a modern shot from 2021. For yesterday and today’s posts I’m reaching into the archives.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in 2009, the Queensborough Bridge Centennial celebration happened on June 9th. I was one of the parade Marshalls, which allowed me otherwise unthinkable access to the span. Zero traffic, and about an hour for me to “do my thing” while completely alone up there except for a couple of cops.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Also in 2009, a friend’s birthday celebration found me in Manhattan just as a thunderstorm was blowing through. A spectacular atmospheric display occurred at sunset. Luckily, I was a few blocks from the Chrysler Building.
Back tomorrow with something different 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.
awful wonder
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A humble narrator is continuing his short break from normal posts this week, and single shots from the archives will be presented.
Pictured above is the Queensboro Bridge, shot back in 2019.
“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.
outflung folds
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So, what happens when you use a lens designed for “crop sensors” on a “full frame” mirrorless camera? As I discovered, vignetting! Also, I can set my camera to think it’s a crop sensor, which produces a RAW format file that is cropped accordingly. What photoshop shows me however, is a full frame image with a vector crop mask applied to it. The rest of the image is still captured even if I tell the camera to do a square format, so, thought I – why throw away all those pixels?
You’re actually seeing the inside of the lens in the shots above and below, and that’s what’s causing the black circular edges to manifest. I’m thinking that if I made these high contrast and grain black and white, it would create something that looks like it came from an old timey box film camera.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Now that I’ve returned to the daylight, which has had the unfortunate consequence of shocking the general public due to my countenance, I’ve finally been able to start “straight up playing” with the new camera. Finally got to test out and figure the nuances of its sophisticated face and eye tracking autofocus system, screw around with shots like the one above just to see what would happen, and have gotten to know the thing in other capacities than the extremely capable low light shooter that it is.
Saying that, the small collection of lenses which are “native” to this particular camera mount (RF) which I’ve got in my bag are amazingly capable devices. Get a cheap camera and an expensive lens is the logic many will offer you. I say get the lens you need, not the one you want. There’s definitely a lens I want, but it’s price tag is equivalent to that of a decent used car. I’m buying the car first, if I’ve got any cash left over I’ll think about the lens. Besides, with a car I don’t need that long a telephoto option, since I I can get closer to things quicker.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The shot above is from one of the native lens, an f 1.8 35mm prime lens. Prime means it doesn’t zoom. It’s actually shot wide open, as in at f 1.8 which is a wide aperture for this sort of shot. Another experiment.
I’ve actually come round the bend on this camera, and am rereading the instruction manual in order not to miss out on some of the deeper nuances of the device. I still haven’t shot a single frame of video with it. Imagine that.
“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 