Marco _ _ _ Polo _ _ _

I wanted to feature something a little light and fun for this Saturday.

Culver Viaduct Discontinuation Syndrome

Long needed, ongoing construction on the Culver Viaduct has caused an array of disruption of G and F train riders in South Brooklyn.  The most persistent of these disruptions has been the closing of the Smith-9th Station.  I'm not a resident of Gowanus, but I can only image how much they want their Smith-9th Station back.  Its been even worse for Red Hook, whom have no direct subway service, that station is the closest link.  According to the MTA, this should reopen in Fall 2012, but then again, it was originally supposed to open by Summer of 2012.

Semi-Secret Passage

Semi-secret as in seen by many, but not readily accessible.  There's a spot of the West End line in Brooklyn, near Sunset Park when the D train enters a fragmented set of tunnels before it becomes elevated.  I was lucky enough to have a nice mix of filthy train car windows and rain give serve as a nice texture to enhance the photograph's mood.

Hoyt, Street Light. Street Light, Hoyt

I’m standing somewhere in what is the Astoria Blvd subway station/Hoyt Avenue/Grand Central Pkwy Infrastructure Sandwich in Astoria.  Its an early commute, and even though I’m a zombie at 5:30 in the morning, I can still take a photo.

Mmm, Cupcakes

Cupcake shops seem to becoming quite ubiquitous these day.  Sporting views of fire escapes, neon signs, tree lined streets, and the Empire State Building, Little Cupcake Bakeshop features an orgasmic urban view.  Being the pastry fan that I am, you definitely won’t receive any laments here, I do however, wish more decent donut spots were around.

The Never Ending Hustle

I suppose, no matter the activity, there are always ways to innovate and increase productivity.  I find myself wondering size of her (and many others I see) rake.  Depending on how efficiently she can collect in an hour’s time, several times a week, she could very well have a more stable (tax-free, straight cash homey) income than the freelancing efforts of yours truly.   Taken in Little Italy.

Horizontal Stripes: Do’s and Don’ts

I will be the first to admit that I am not exactly a fashionable guy.  I'm a person that keeps identical copies of the same (usually black in color) outfit for efficiency's sake.

There is however, one thing I do know.  The slender guy on the left can pull off horizontal stripes, the hefty gentleman on the right, cannot.  As a man who is somewhat circumferentially challenged, the fact that horizontal stripes add multiple reference points to your unflattering curves is instinctual.  Then again, the sweat pants is highly indicative that he probably doesn't, in fact, give a shit.

 

If you are that person that wears horizontal stripes and shouldn’t and you still choose to ignore my plea, have a dose of color inversion.

Yeah, thought so.

The Docking

Coming into Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry.

DT Sign Clutterage

Taking a 250mm stare down into the heart of downtown Brooklyn, from Fulton Mall.

In a Row

Queued, off duty M trains in the Fresh Pond yard in Queens.

Scenes from the Hoboken Terminal Waterfront

 

Its been a while since I have left the city of New York to go anywhere.  My duties don’t require much travel these days, but I have been wanting to venture out for some time.  Available time has been in short supply, so I needed to go somewhere close, really close.  Hoboken waterfront, here I come!

Meet the crew of the Hudson River Cruiser VULCAN III.

A Flickr acquaintance informed me that this used to be a pier that burned down in the early 1980’s

As someone who lives near Downtown Brooklyn, I am quite familiar with the Lower Manhattan skyline from the east, however, I am not used to this perspective.  From here, get a different view of Gehry’s New York Building (8 Spruce Street), the Woolworth Building, the Financial District, and am actually able to see Battery Park City.

The Hoboken terminal itself.  I would have liked to have gotten some shots of the interior, but it’s a somewhat camera-phobic, environment.

Overhead catenaries for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system and NJ Transit and Metro North trains.

Although this train was photographed in Jersey City, it was responsible for getting me to Hoboken Terminal.

We both eventually had to make the commute back to New York, our modes of transit however, were different.

D_a_on_ Corner

Never could resist missing letters.

Everywhere are Rooftops

The Ridgewood ‘skyline’ leads to way to the Midtown skyline; as seen from Palmetto and Seneca.

Up to 70% Off Creepiness

Taken on the Upper East Side, near 59th and 2nd.

Salvation

What can I say, I like to photograph and blog seedy looking auto body/repair/junk/salvage shops in overcast weather conditions.  This one was taken at the corner of Metropolitan and Flushing Avenues, near the Brooklyn-Queens border.

Hard Core Fishing

Let the chumps fish from a pier, this is how real fishing is done.  Taken in Far Rockaway.

A City Within

Newtown Creek and the Midtown Manhattan skyline as seen from the Pulaski Bridge.

Beach 36th Street

I spend a large amount of time in the Western part of Queens, and have featured many parts of it on this blog.  I rarely get the opportunity to make it out to the outlying areas of Queens to the east, so I feel like I have neglected some of the most interesting parts of the five boroughs here.  This post is the beginning of an effort to rectify this situation.  This shot was captured in the area known as Edgemere, on the Rockaway Peninsula, near Far Rockaway.

I was drawn to this street, for its quite a surreal site, even in some of the lighter density streets in New York City, to see something quite like this.  The streets themselves are completely accessible by car.  On one side of this area are a mix of residential neighborhoods and groups of new development, on the other, the Atlantic Ocean.

Signs in Astoria

Empire State of Sundial

The Midtown Manhattan skyline from a sundial’s perspective.  Taken from the Exchange Place waterfront on Jersey City.