After getting by on its questionable merits for more than a quarter of a century, this gigantic mutated chain-link fence is finally going the way of the dodo, much to the artist's chagrin.
After twice having its application for a liquor license rejected (thanks to strenuous opposition from local community groups here in rapidly gentrifying Long Island City*), this was-just-gonna-be-a topless bar has decided to go fully nude, a state of undress allowed only in establishments that do not serve alcohol. Opening May 31!
* The immediate surroundings of this club are hardly gentrified, however.
After making my way down this long, dusty, Costco-adjacent parking lane (which looks like it's off limits to the public; I only walked it because Google labeled it a road), I came upon this entrance to a waterfront path. It's maintained by Costco, fulfilling a requirement of the deal that allowed them to build here.
These signs are located just inside the gate of Socrates Sculpture Park, which was an illegal dumping ground as recently as 1986, when some artists and community members took charge and began transforming the site into the outdoor exhibition space and public park that it is today.
I don't believe there are actually any salamanders in this area (although plenty do exist in more forested parts of the city); the Salamander Superhighway (which is a salamander-friendly tunnel constructed beneath the gravel path, seemingly eliminating the need for warning signs) is just intended to call attention (I guess) to a worldwide decline in the populations of salamanders and other amphibians.
Before being consumed by the sewer system, Sunswick Creek emptied into the East River here at what is now Socrates Sculpture Park (which explains all the poles).
This "new co-working space" built up in a poplar tree boasts views of Manhattan, Wi-Fi access, and "locally produced power" (which I assume is a reference to the nearby Ravenswood power plant). Supposedly you can book a spot here online, but I can't figure out how.
