Because the universe would explode.
This is the FDNY's Bronx communications dispatch office. When you activate one of those fire alarm call boxes in the borough (the kind with buttons for the FDNY and NYPD — there are no more old telegraphic pull boxes in the Bronx), this is where the signal goes. The borough's FDNY-related 911 calls and building fire alarms are also all routed here.
On the side of the FDNY Bureau of Communications building
from May 18th to May 1st. I guess February 10th does fall in that window. Fortunately for me, the sidewalk (on the other side) was still open!
According to a sign posted on the fence, the name of this project is "East River CSO Retention Facilities, Bronx River Floatables Control" and the objective is "extending the weir length of the existing Regulator CSO 27A (beneath Bronx Park Avenue), and installing two (2) electro hydraulically operated mechanical underflow bar screens."
Wait, what?
Oh, this!
The New York, Westchester and Boston Railway used to run on an elevated track here. You can see its former course through this area pretty clearly in aerial photos. Just a few blocks north of here, the old railway is incorporated into the subway system as the Dyre Avenue Line (5 train).
You can see the reflection of a subway train (2 or 5) passing by.
This will one day be West Farms Park (scheduled for completion in Winter 2011, according to the nearby sign), part of the proposed Bronx River Greenway. That's another 2 or 5 train passing by on the elevated tracks.
That's an elevated subway station (2 and 5 trains) in the background.
I like pickles. I like pickles a lot. I like how they taste, and I like how they smell. But this place reeked of pickles.
United Pickle (run by these guys) fought in the Great Lower East Side Pickle War of 2006-2007.
This block-long, half-paved street was once part of the route of a New York and Queens County Railway trolley line, and it may be a remnant of a much older road that ran through Long Island City.
Reflecting the Hellenic heritage of Astoria's many Greek residents
This is the beginning of a mural, painted on the side of PS 17 in Queens, honoring (what I presume to be) the countries of origin of its students and their families. There are many, many countries represented; here are a few examples. I really love this mural, but it does offer some lessons in the difficulty of condensing a country's history into the names of a few famous individuals.
This tree's partial digestion of a Belgian block has preserved a trace of the original stones that once surrounded it.
This was once the main channel of the Astoria Scum River, which has since been diverted underground thanks to a successful public works project undertaken by a good friend of ours.
A 1954 Something-or-Another. The guy sitting inside it said he drives it because the insurance rates are really low.
(Cameo by the Queensboro Bridge.)
An alarm? A vent? I cannot figure it out. I've seen a handful of these poles around town, but they remain a mystery to me.
The foundation excavation has created some nice sand dunes.
Large and in charge, James is directing work (including replacement of the rails you see here) on the elevated Flushing Line, part of the extensive signal, track, and station improvements that have been disrupting 7 train service on the weekends. He also told me, very enthusiastically, about the other MTA projects that I need to go see, and he did a little bragging about his days as a skilled cricket player back in his native Guyana.
These broken chunks of concrete are remnants from the reconstruction of Queens Plaza, and they've been given a second life as part of this striking new streetscape.
You may remember meeting Young Jee earlier on this journey, but if not, you can read about him here, here, and then here.
Anyway, he just emailed me some photos of his creations (including this one of his recent work taken from high up a nearby hill), as well as a few shots of his feathered friends from Inwood Hill Park. I've posted some of my favorites in a set on Flickr for your viewing pleasure.
This house was once the site of an incredible homemade memorial (as of today, it still exists in Street View) to the Titanic, which sank 100 years ago this April, as well as an extensive collection of Titanic memorabilia. I remember being amazed at the sight of this place the first time I passed by and discovered it. It was the work of Joe Colletti, a lifelong resident of Long Island City who decided to move to Sunnyside because he didn't like the way the neighborhood was changing. (I assume that means he was sick of the new luxury condominiums popping up left and right.) He donated his collection to the Greater Astoria Historical Society, and it's good to know his 25 years of work will be preserved, but this block will always feel empty to me without Joe's memorial bursting out of 47-08. The only remnants of its existence are some small figurines, including the angels you see here, and some tracks left by the ivy that once ran up the side of the building.
I didn't intend to walk by Parking Rock today, but from a block away I could see that its population had doubled, and I had no choice but to come investigate.
