Looks like the illustrious International Foundry Society of New York has a new member — its first from outside Asia! I've previously seen manhole covers from India and China and fire hydrant bollards from Thailand.

The people have left southern Edgemere, but the rain keeps coming.

(What are all those paint dots?)

The five-mile-long Rockaway Boardwalk sustained major damage during Hurricane Sandy. This section at the southern edge of Arverne East, between Beach 35th and Beach 39th Streets, is still awaiting replacement. In the meantime, a 12-foot-wide mini-boardwalk has been installed to connect the full-width (40-foot-wide) sections at either end.

Arverne East

in old Edgemere

While the old streets of southern Edgemere are still mostly in existence, there were several pathways, running between rows of bungalows, that have now vanished, their former locations marked only by street signs.

More remnants of southern Edgemere, today's Arverne East

Looking up toward the A train in Arverne East

While southern Edgemere may have perished many years ago, its skeleton — the neighborhood's infrastructure — remains. The flesh is gone, but the streets, hydrants, and storm drains linger on.

Take a look at this aerial image of the Rockaways and you'll notice a curious sight in southern Edgemere: a vacant, wild swath of land stretching more than a mile along the ocean from Beach 32nd Street to Beach 56th Place. You might think it was some kind of nature preserve if it weren't for all the streets running through it.

As you can see in this 1924 aerial image, these now-crumbling streets were once lined with houses — hundreds of tightly packed bungalows and some much more spacious homes as well. But by the 1960s, many of the dwellings had fallen into disrepair and were being used to house poor families on welfare. In the name of urban renewal, the city decided to level almost every building in the area, as well as in an adjacent section to the west, and replace the old structures with new residential developments.

Demolition began around 1969. But after the land was cleared, with nearly 4,000 buildings razed, the renewal part of the plan hit a snag. The only residences erected during the remainder of the 20th century were two apartment complexes, one of which was partially located outside the renewal area, and three two-family houses. The western portion of the renewal area, in Arverne, finally began to be developed around 2001, but the tract in Edgemere — now called Arverne East — remains empty, save for one school, PS 106, that predated the demolition.

While designs have been put forth for Arverne East and there is talk of imminent construction, I wouldn't be surprised, given the site's history, if this accidental mini-wilderness manages to hang on, at least in part, for some time to come.

Do yourself a favor and visit this guy's website.

The twinkling stars and mishmash of fonts and colors on the mile-long home page are just the beginning. Here are some favorite excerpts:

From the "How To Order" page (which makes no mention of a price):

• No Pay Pal yet - have to meet up - or make other arrangements -
• Can meet at the local Wifi - Starbucks, Panera Bread
• Can preview DVD on any computer - Runs off disc

Can Also Throw In a Copy of My "Classic Rock" Collection - MP3's
• Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, ELO, Duran Duran, The Clash, The Cars, Supertramp, Tom Petty, Midnight Oil, Billy Idol, Black Crows, Bee Gees, Nirvana, Santana -
• ALL the GOOD Music You Like to hear - With a special emphasis on the stuff you don't hear all the time
• 7 Gigabits - Transfered via Flash Drive (only place it fits)

Non Stock Trading Related Skills:

• Graphic Design / Desktop Publishing - and some Web Design:
Can make good basic flyers with eye catching graphics (and / or pics) and generate appropriate text that shows and sells.
• Results in a superb quality flyer that is eye catching and informative.
• Can do whole job start to finish.
• Then can put the whole thing up in cyberspace and make a website.
• Have Dreamweaver program and can make good basic multipage websites that an attorney would use, or a small company, complete with email link and all (and "meta search keywords" so search engines can find).

Investors Wanted - For Inventions - Have Prototypes:

Single Wheel Bicycle Trailer
3 Timely Cell Phone Related Products:
• The first is call The Phone Sock
• The second is called the Phone Sack
• The third is called the Phone Pocket

IF / When Inquiring About My Inventions:
- Please don't ask me to send a pic
- Please don't inquire about patents - My people say not to talk about it

Also Keep In Mind: Personal and Professional Image: - The way you interact with people with your Smart Phone says a lot about your intelligence level (or lack of) - and how "Modern" you are (or "Stuck in the Ice Age / 19th Century / Horse and Buggy days"). Can convey "With It" - or "Hopeless". Like it or not, people will formulate opinions about you based on how you sends emails and stuff - IF you're Not good at, be careful how you interact - especially professionally.

Looks like she was here last summer as well. I'm not sure what the appeal of this spot is, though. Take a look around in Street View and see for yourself.

596 Acres (whose signs are much fancier than they used to be) is an organization that identifies vacant city-owned lots and encourages neighborhood residents to get permission from the city to turn the lots into community gardens and other kinds of public spaces. Check out this interactive map of all the vacant city land in the five boroughs; here's more info on the particular property pictured above.

Good luck getting past the padlocked gate, you dastardly garden vandals!

This house at 455 Beach 37th Street was already standing in 1924, with no other structures in the immediate vicinity. By 1951, ten new residences had sprouted up around it, but by 2006 it was all alone again.