This is your typical Bicentennial-era fire hydrant (there's been no shortage of patriotic hydrants during my recent travels in Staten Island). You can still make out a red, white, and blue color scheme, but the paint is heavily faded and chipped. Quite a difference from the vibrant specimen we saw last week!
lies the Sweet Brook Bluebelt (which you can see from the air here).
What is a Bluebelt, you ask?
The Staten Island Bluebelt is an award winning, ecologically sound and cost-effective storm water management for approximately one third of Staten Island’s land area. The program preserves natural drainage corridors, called Bluebelts, including streams, ponds, and other wetland areas. Preservation of these wetland systems allows them to perform their functions of conveying, storing, and filtering storm water. In addition, the Bluebelts provide important community open spaces and diverse wildlife habitats. The Bluebelt program saves tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure costs when compared to providing conventional storm sewers for the same land area. This program demonstrates how wetland preservation can be economically prudent and environmentally responsible.
This old-timer dates back to the days when NYC color-coded its street signs by borough.
Sporting a now-rare Statue of Liberty license plate. (According the windshield sticker, the registration expired in 2002 — the year these plates were finally phased out.)
Poison ivy makes the rules in this part of town, and it don't take kindly to DOT interlopers.
From a distance, I figured this version of The Starry Night was just a mass-produced mailbox cover, but it's actually hand-painted onto the mailbox!
when you're driving an RV, Mike.
