Newtown Creek Tour

SL and I went on a three hour tour of the Newtown Creek on Sunday. Newtown Creek is often called one of the "most polluted waterways" in America, and we are lucky enough to have it right in our neighborhood. The tour was organized by Riverkeeper, The Newtown Creek Alliance, and the Working Harbors Committee, and it was a fascinating (and smelly) trip into New York's working industry.

It's almost unbelieveable, seeing the state of the waterfront today, to realize that this area was considered a hunting and fishing paradise up until the 1850s, crammed with oysters, fish, and wildlife. As we traveled, the boat's propellers dredged up the smelliest sludge you can imagine from the bottom of the creekbed (called "Black Mayonnaise" by the harbor crew). The creek is shallower than it was back in the early 1900s, when it was an extremely busy waterway into the geographical center of NYC. The creek is no longer dredged because of all the toxins in the sediment. No one has a good, safe way to dispose of the mess. But there it sits, suffocating any fish that dare swim deeper than a couple inches below the surface.

Images below, and more here.

Sign seen from the entrance to the Creek, from the East River.

The point that the name "Hunter's Point" comes from. UN in the background.

Black Mayo.

Metal scrapyard.

Abandoned barge. People still dump unwanted items into the creek to this day. This was towed in by parties unknown and left. I did not know barges had styrofoam interiors to keep them afloat.

Civil War era storehouse.

Rusty industrial goodness.

Out.

Leaving for London today through next Monday on my last trip for Visionaire. I go to Leicester to oversee the assembly of Sport, and then to London for a few days for some quality time with Lisa B., Alex and good ol' Jay McMullen. I'm going to spare change the rich Brits, since the exchange rate means a cup of coffee costs about $7.

The Times on Palin

An article in the mainstream media that is starting to get to the heart of the matter here. Money caption:

The Wasilla City Council, with Sarah Palin, the future governor and vice-presidential nominee, at the center, in a 1998 photograph. Throughout her career, Ms. Palin has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and blurred the line between government and personal grievance.

Studio B reopened

Studio B was open last night for the first time since July 30th. Wonder if they got that cabaret license that is required to allow dancing. I'm guessing not. Although the roof deck wasn't open, nothing on the DOB website indicates that anything has changed in their status.

David Foster Wallace Dead

I was shocked to read this evening that writer David Foster Wallace committed suicide on Friday at his home in Claremont, California. While I didn't like everything he did, his books of essays, including A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again are great reads. He was an absolute real talent, and in passing, a tangible loss to American contemporary literature.

Elections

I may have to stop reading TPM. All of the blatant lies being thrown out by McCain and Palin are only making me angrier and angrier. If the US public votes these clowns in, I'm moving to Southern Spain.

And justifying my occasional enjoyment of the View, Barbara Walters took McCain to task on today's show. Go Baba. Love that she nailed him to the wall, seemingly more than any other major reporter has to date.

Lots more clips from the View here. Nice job, ladies.

The Queen's Hideaway Closing

If you like Liza Queen's flavor-filled cooking, get on down to The Queen's Hideaway before October 18th, when Ms. Queen will be closing up shop. Sadly, landlord problems are forcing her closure, but she's open Thursday-Saturday until D-DAy. The food's as good as ever and the brugs are in full bloom in the backyard. For more on Liza, check out the three pages on her in this month's Elle, including one foxy opening picture.

Images of Summer

Uploaded some new stuff to Flickr. Some of my favorites from the past month or two below.

New Decor

North Fork garage sales are GO! I scored two chairs, now freshly spray painted black. (Along with my foot, making a permanent thong mark. Der.)

Published!

An online guide called Schmap.com snatched one of my photos from Flickr of the Arena in Verona, Italy with my permission and published it online here.

No, they didn't pay me. And yes, I'm giving them a free link.

Seriously.

WHY is that Palin baby up every night at the convention?? The kid has Down (when did it become 'Down', btw? I thought it was 'DownS' my entire life) Syndrome, is four months old and they simply MUST trot him out every single night past a reasonable bedtime to gain some votes? Seems like a crap mothering decision to me. And does his mother ever hold him? (Assuming that the Sarah dope is the mommy, ahem) What is wrong with these people??

No reply needed. I truly am trying to cease the hourly frothing.

Fred Thompson is like James Earl Jones for the Republicans now. King of the Douchebag voiceover. And Tina Fey must be pissed about that whole lookalike thing.

Summer's Not Over

Staving off the inevitable fall by being out in here in our Greenport-trailer-by-the-swamp rental with SL and the cat for two weeks. Its been more with the farmer's markets, beach, reading, catching up with old Shelter Island pals, pond/LI Sound swimming, Camille in (and now gone) for a few days visit, and we go to a wedding in East Hampton on Saturday night for some old friends from This Old House. Also regularly getting totally worked up by the conventions and daily coverage. We'll be back Sunday. But it's still summer on my calendar, goddammit. Suckas.