Condos looming
For the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. The ventilation system completely changes the air inside the tunnel every 90 seconds.
These Queensmarked beauties come with a less-than-ideal view. See for yourself.
Queens-Midtown Tunnel
(In case you're wondering, I'm trying to block the sun with my left hand.)
The Institute of Higher Burnin'. It's a massive complex — this is just a small part of one side.
(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.
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.
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."
A public high school that teaches aircraft maintenance
As seen from the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge
that importance can be steadfast. But if it can, then surely it would prevent the plaque from being ripped off its own monument. To add further indignity, this sign offers up a pretty lukewarm tribute: "pleasant personality"? I think the DOT has proven that it should leave the parks to Parks from now on.
This tiny community library cleverly sits on a hand truck that's chained to the sign post behind it, making it something like a bike locked to a pole, which, I believe, puts it technically in compliance with city regulations. See what's currently in circulation!
Father Giorgio Triangle honors the man who, among other things, was the pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, which is memorialized right on the other side of the BQE.
It looks similar to, but is quite distinguishable from, the current city seal. Apparently this is not uncommon: the seal has had a long and chaotic history.
The mystery is why this seal is here is the first place. The building is currently the home of E-J Electric Installation Co., and bears no other indication of its previous use by the city.
Looks like it's being watched, though.
This is the old sheriff's entrance to the Long Island City Courthouse. Did you know NYC still has sheriffs? I didn't!
Painted under the auspices of the city DOT's Barrier Beautification Program, this camouflage pattern is made from, or was at least inspired by, the shapes of the five boroughs.
As I was walking down 34th Street in Sunnyside today, I saw a tractor-trailer hit a parked car while making a right turn. The driver didn't stop, so I followed him over a couple of blocks to his destination at a nearby loading dock. I told him he had hit a car; he said he didn't realize that, but that he would go take care of it as soon as he finished up what he was doing. He seemed nice enough, but I jotted down his license plates, etc., just to be safe. I walked back over to the car that he had hit, and noticed an FDNY parking pass on top of the dashboard. Looking around, I saw an FDNY building (the Medical Equipment Unit) nearby, so I rang the buzzer and went inside. It turns out that the car belongs to the gentleman (Steve? Rob!) second from the left, who seems, oddly, to be the happiest of the four guys pictured. Anyway, I passed along the information I gathered, just in case the trucker decided to flee the scene.
What else will I end up witnessing while I'm walking?
I hope we can expect similar craftsmanship in their products. Their awning serves to inspire further confidence.
I've already started unexpectedly running across obscure things I photographed weeks ago. It's nice to have that kind of history with a place — it makes it feel a little more like home.
Six of the seven are within 200 feet of the Long Island Expressway (the elevated highway visible in the background). That proximity to a highway (in conjunction with them not advertising the business whose building they're attached to) is what makes them illegal, much like the billboard that collapsed onto the BQE a couple of weeks ago.
It's this enormous FreshDirect video billboard. With a screen size well in excess of 5000 square feet (how many NYC apartments could fit in that space?), it's the largest outdoor LED billboard in the world.
A rarity on the streets of NYC. That's a diesel LIRR train leaving the Long Island City station.
You can see the grade crossing from the previous photo off in the distance.
