Day 24

Oh, that Marshal

January 23rd, 2012



At it again!

Day 24

The litterbug

January 23rd, 2012



Perhaps the only extant animal with an odd number of legs

Day 24

The dream is dead

January 23rd, 2012




Day 24

Be the Dragon

January 23rd, 2012



You'd think the world's largest brewer could afford a proofreader. They even got their own website wrong! Speaking of their website, the banner at the top instructs you to "Drink the Dragon", which seems to promote some bizarre form of self-cannibalism when taken in conjunction with the message of this ad.

Day 24



Day 24

Aha!

January 23rd, 2012


Day 24

Portal of the day

January 23rd, 2012


Day 24

Happy New Year!

January 23rd, 2012



Today was the first day of the Chinese New Year, and to welcome the Year of the Dragon, this business laid out an offering of foods traditionally thought to bring prosperity, health, and happiness.

Day 24



Day 25

Draining the BQE

January 24th, 2012


Day 25

Mt. Carmel Triangle

January 24th, 2012



This little park memorializes the church that used to exist here before the BQE was built. There is also a statue of the Virgin Mary (a.k.a. Our Lady of Mount Carmel), similar to the image on the plaque, standing in the park. I was surprised to see such overtly religious imagery in a public park, but apparently the Parks Department decided the statue (which was donated by members of the congregation) was acceptable as a tribute to the original church. (The church also helps maintain the park, for what it's worth.)

Day 25

Skull aficionados, rejoice!

January 24th, 2012


Day 25

Any guesses?

January 24th, 2012


Day 25

9/11 memorial #8

January 24th, 2012



Catherine Fagan is the woman from Hausman Street killed on 9/11.

Day 25

Portal of the day

January 24th, 2012


Day 25

Combined sewer overflow

January 24th, 2012



Most of NYC's sewers are combined sewers, meaning they collect both sewage from buildings and stormwater runoff from the streets in a single pipe and carry it all to a wastewater treatment plant. During times of significant rainfall or snowmelt, however, the increased volume of runoff entering the sewer can exceed the capacity of the system. In order to prevent a backup, the excess (including untreated sewage) is dumped directly into area waterways.

Day 25

Pouty

January 24th, 2012



Apparently this guy is unhappy with his busty companion.

Day 25

Pouty, still

January 24th, 2012



Smile, man! How are you ever gonna sell all these condos with that attitude?






Made from discarded Christmas trees

Day 25

Lithuania Square

January 24th, 2012



A tribute to Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, who attempted to fly nonstop from New York to Kaunas, Lithuania in 1933, but died when their plane crashed in what is now Poland. The monument, however, makes no mention of their death. An inscription in the stone simply says that they "conquered the Atlantic, New York to Kaunas". They did make it across the ocean, but not all the way to Kaunas.

Day 25

Romeo

January 24th, 2012



That's him in the doghouse.

Day 25

Dominican flags

January 24th, 2012



Mostly

Day 25

Hey, a balcony’s a balcony

January 24th, 2012


Day 25

Williamsburgh Library

January 24th, 2012



The first Carnegie library built in Brooklyn. (In case you were wondering, Williamsburg lost the "h" when it was annexed by the City of Brooklyn in 1855; this library, built in 1903, just decided to use the older spelling.)

Day 25

At least we know

January 24th, 2012



they're not gonna outlaw hats.

Day 25

Plan Ahead

January 24th, 2012



318 knitted fence posts. You can't quite see the joke in this shot; here's a much better photo by a friend of the artists.

Day 25

Little hints

January 24th, 2012



of playing cards

Day 25

A wider shot

January 24th, 2012


Day 25

Domino Sugar

January 24th, 2012



In the late 1800s, this refinery processed the majority of the sugar consumed in the US! Coming soon — you know it — condos. The only question is: will they put Mr. Pouty in their ads?

Day 25

Secret Project Robot

January 24th, 2012



Well, the former Secret Project Robot, anyway.

Day 26

Long Island City

January 25th, 2012



Condos looming

Day 26



Day 26

Ventilation building

January 25th, 2012



For the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. The ventilation system completely changes the air inside the tunnel every 90 seconds.

Day 26




These Queensmarked beauties come with a less-than-ideal view. See for yourself.

Day 26

Entrance for toll collectors

January 25th, 2012



Queens-Midtown Tunnel

(In case you're wondering, I'm trying to block the sun with my left hand.)

Day 26

Patriotic fire hydrant

January 25th, 2012



A remnant of 1976? No — the paint looks too fresh.

Day 26

5 Pointz

January 25th, 2012



The Institute of Higher Burnin'. It's a massive complex — this is just a small part of one side.

Day 26

Train Fame

January 25th, 2012



(The column you see is a support for the 7 train viaduct overhead.)

The four-star review is attributed to City Councilman Peter F. Vallone, Jr., a strident crusader against graffiti.

Day 26

Kingz of Queens

January 25th, 2012


Day 26

Citicorp Building

January 25th, 2012



The tallest building in NYC outside of Manhattan, it's often derided for being an immensely bland piece of architecture that is totally out of place among the much lower buildings around it. It does have one interesting feature, though, which is only evident at a distance. We'll see it later in the day.

Day 26

Long Island City Courthouse

January 25th, 2012



This is where, in response to a reporter asking him why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton apocryphally uttered the famous line: "Because that's where the money is."

Sutton claims this exchange never took place, but does answer the question in his autobiography:

"Why did I rob banks? Because I enjoyed it. I loved it. I was more alive when I was inside a bank, robbing it, than at any other time in my life. I enjoyed everything about it so much that one or two weeks later I'd be out looking for the next job. But to me the money was the chips, that's all."

Day 26

Mini-grotto!

January 25th, 2012



St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

Day 26

Aviation High School

January 25th, 2012



A public high school that teaches aircraft maintenance

Day 26

Portal of the day

January 25th, 2012



Casa Jimmy USA, Inc.

Day 26

Dear lord

January 25th, 2012



He's on the prowl again.

Day 26

Off in the distance

January 25th, 2012



The upward arrow of the Citicorp Building

Day 26



Day 26




As seen from the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge