5 posts tagged “bay ridge”

is one of my favorite pastimes, although I carry a Nikon as opposed to a Leica. As I joyfully snapped away, the smoke got thicker and thicker, and the smell was definetly that of chemicals and metal burning. It wasn't the almost cheerful smell of a fireplace, or the common, at least here in Brooklyn, smell of a building turning to ashes. It was more like the smell of my ancestral homeland, North Jersey.
Even with the fireman about, and Con Ed standing around, the smoke was getting thicker and the smell was getting worse. My curiosity told me I should hang around, at least I would have something interesting to tell my wife when I got home. I've noticed, since I started carrying a camera everywhere the last few months, that when you're watching the world through a viewfinder it seems surreal, and brings about a degree of disconnect no matter how close you are to the action. This can be a both a positive and negative things, as I have heard Jim Nachtwey discuss with elegance. I was too busy lining up shots and checking the light to notice just how many people had stopped their lives to watch smoke pouring out of the street. I'd like to say it's something you don't see everyday, but in Brooklyn, it something you see about every other day.These photos were taken in very bright afternoon sunlight,
although it appears it's dark out. That's how much smoke was building up in the streets. Since it was
mainly chemicals and metal that was burning, the smoke
was much heavier than air, and it sunk and covered the
street, bringing dusk an hour or so early. It reminded me a lot of the way lower Manhattan smalled on 9/11, just less dense. It's a an odd smell, and one that's hard to ever forget.

One very drunk white guy in his 40's kept trying to cross the caution tape trying to get to a bar. He told me he stepped outside to have a smoke, no bad pun intended, and now he was stuck on the wrong side of the line and his beer was getting warm. We've all got our priorities, and nobody wants their $4 dollar beer getting warm.

On the left, you can see my new Chasidic buddy. We started chatting,and after spending a few years living in Kensington, Brooklyn, I picked up a lot of Yiddish and Hebrew slang, so we quickly became disaster buddies. I told him I was in architecture school, and he asked if I ever worked down in the subways. Nope - those are the engineers, so I was basically as clueless as he was, though I imagined that it was a transformer burning up, because there aren't too many thing underground that can cause a fire like this.

Then my buddy pointed to the hole and said, 'Look! Look! There are flames shooting out! Quick! Take a picture! Take a Picture!'. He was correct. Large flames were indeed shooting out of the hole in the street.
It's fairly difficult to take a good picture of an oscillating flame from 30 feet away, but I did my best.
I knelt down,shot the zoom all the way out and hit the shutter as fast as my camera would let me. I'm pretty
certain that the fellows from Con Ed had abandoned ship by now and gotten out of the hole, because even the NYFD were backing up at this point. Me and my Chasidic pal probably should have done the same.
The smoke wasn't quite as dense as it was a minute before, but the flames were large and jumping a good 3 or 4 feet above the street at times.

There was a festive mood on Fifth Avenue. The jolly Chasid, the Man Who Wanted His Beer Before It Got Warm, a beautiful Eastern Euro woman in fishnets, some kids from the Catholic school up the street, the woman from Dunkin Donuts eating munchkins outside the store, Con Ed and the Fire Department. With the Christmas decorations hanging above the street from the light posts, the fire fit right in.Nothing brings strangers together like a blaze.

A second later, an ear shattering explosion ripped through the air. All the manhole covers I could see in front of blew open and flew up into the sky. The oxygen got sucked out of the atmosphere where we were standing. Every car alarm for blocks went off all at once. Some type of powdery, but slightly substantial debris flew into my face, My Chasidic buddy grabbed my parka and screeched like a little girl. The crowd turned from jolly to panicking in a heartbeat. The lights went out in some of the stores and buildings. People began running down the side streets. The firemen hit the deck. Things went to shit quickly. More smoke poured out of the mystery hole.

I was kept snapping shots, although I noticed that I was deaf in one ear.

More fire belched out of the streets. I half expected to see Gandalf the Gray pop out of that hole, shortly followed by a whip wielding Balrog.
I figured out that the crud that hit me, and was resting in my hair and on my face, was actually broken pieces of asphalt from where the manhole covers had ripped from their moorings before flying into the atmosphere. Luckily, they landed on parts of the street that were not occupied by any of out merry band of gawkers. Flames continued flaming for another few minutes, and they the firefighters started spraying foam down the hole. I have quite a bit of respect for the NYFD - I wouldn't want to stand that close to a hole that contains elements of physics powerful enough to dislodge a blocks worth of manhole covers.

The fire foam did it's work in a few minutes, and soon the flames were no more, and we were suddenly a crowd without  a purpose. Everyone went back into their shells, and the camaraderie that I have found only appears in the face of disaster when people quickly run up on mortality, faded.


Fifth Avenue slowly started to inch back to normalcy.
As you can tell from the photo on the right here, it was a bright sunny afternoon,
but the smoke from the fire really changed the physical

appearance, and made it appear quite dark. I haven't gotten the 'Official' scoop from the 'real' news as to what actually blew up down there, but I'm certain the local Bay Ridge papers will have quite a bit to say about this. I didn't notice any of there reporters on the scene, but then again, I think they just make up their stories anyway.
Once again, I have cheated death. My own curiosity got me sprayed with burning asphalt, inhaling toxic fumes and dodging flying 75 pound manhole covers. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

is the main shopping drag in Bay Ridge, when I noticed a fairly large line of people camped out in front of Circuit City. I'm not using camped out as a clever euphemism either. Some people in the queue, which wrapped around the block, had tents, blankets, air mattresses and fairly elaborate entertainment setups.
I was curious to see what this was all about. Was Bono giving out free handjobs? Was Beyonce going to sit on the faces of the first 200 people in line? Was Mayor Mike holding a housing lottery where the first fifty people would get the chance to purchase an apartment for less then $1,000,000 (USD)?  After a few questions, I learned it was none of those things.

These fanboys were waiting for a shot to buy a  Playstation 3. I asked the fellows at the head of the line how long they had been there. Since Tuesday! This was Thursday afternoon. I asked when the Playstation 3's would go on sale. Saturday! I am amazed by their 
commitment on one hand, but I am somewhat disgusted by the whole scene on the other. What bothers me most is these poor folks have been duped into sacrificing days of their lives just for a chance to get a product from some horrible corporation that could give two shits about them. Sony sues grandmas who use Limewire. They package spyware in their legitimate software. Sony are a bunch of creeps.  The people waiting in line gain nothing  but a chance to blow their money. That's scary. It's not like waiting in line for a concert ticket, where your wait will hopefully get you a unique and worthwhile experience.Something you'll hopefully remember with a smile until your brain turns to mush and you don't even remember how to control your bowels. When you wait in line for Playstation 3, you get a chance to have $600 bucks disappear from your pocket, for a product you'll be able to get by just walking into a store in two weeks.
The horrible truth is Sony Corp., through commercials, bought magazine articles, paid for blogs and rampant hype has suckered these people into believing that they will be special if they are among the first to buy this product.These two young ladies have been sleeping in a

tent, eating egg and cheese sandwiches, basically simulating the life of a homeless person for five days. This is the basic equation: Live like a homeless person on the sidewalk on the side of an extremely busy Brooklyn thoroughfare = gain the possible chance to spend $600 rocks to be the first to have a video game system that according to first reports doesn't even work correctly.
 
I know that Colnago only makes 50 units a year of certain models of their bikes, and I have Colnago lust bad. You won't find me playing homeless to get one. The point being, this is degrading. No company should treat their customers this way, or encoyrage to act this way and live an inhuman existence. This isn't like the guys dresses up as Chewbacca and Obi-Wan; they all have huge smiles on their faces. The Playstation line dweller all seem miserable, and there isn't a smile to be found. Except this guy with arms raised and fingers out thrist. Him and his mother were certain they would be victorious. They just seemed really stoned to me. His mother kept trailing behind me the whole time I was snapping photos asking me how much she could sell her PS3 on Ebay for. In a few of the pictures, you'll notice a woman with a blanket over her head. She told me she had to cover her face, because she told her boss she was extremely ill, and couldn't come to work for a week. So she could wait in this line in front of Circuit City. She was worried her boss might see her in a picture and she would get busted.


These folks jumped onto a nearby wireless network and were sending regular updates to a PS3 forum, as well as checking out the current PS3 auctions on Ebay. If you didn't know that these people were waiting for a PS3, you would probably think that a shanty town had sprung up in Bay Ridge. It certainly smelled like one had. Everyone was in pretty bad humor, and they still had another two days to go.

I think the part that bothered me the most, was a conversation I heard two Circuit City employees having, around the far side of the building, away from where the queue was. They were joking with each other that there were originally 20 PS3's for sale, but the manager and employees had grabbed 10 for themselves and there friends. The manager told them that if people waiting asked how many PS3's they had, to say enough for everybody. The huge line outside was great publicity for the store and for the PS3 launch. These are just my random thoughts I want I think is a really bizarre, but very sad situation. I originally thought I would have a grand old time posting these pics and tearing these people apart. Now, I find that while I'm glad I took these photos to document an interesting phenomenon, that phenomenon is ultimately a sad one, that shows off very well the horrid levels to which modern society can drag its' people down.

these boroughs contain an enormous amount of amazing structures that rival or best their prettier sister across the river. The AIA guide is to other NYC guidebooks what the OED is to dictionaries. These other guidebooks are amateur hour. The AIA guide is physically enormous : 1,055 pages and weighing in around 5 pounds. It most resembles the bricks it deals with. This is the guidebook that has info even the most seasoned New Yorker's would strain to know. It details, many times with a picture, always with an address and witty commentary, every building of even slight architectural worth in all Five Boroughs. I have been a huge fan since I stumbled upon the Third Edition in 2000 while slogging in the dust filled trenches of The Strand Bookstore , and  I've suffered carrying  this beast around in my trusty Jansport since then.

I decided to take advantage of the creepily warm weather the past few days, and see what White and Willensky  had to say about my new adaopted Brooklyn neighborhood, home of disco, guidos, goombahs and the ever looming bridge, Bay Ridge.
My tour began with a stroll down 72nd Street, and while searching for a certain old church, I stumbled onto a gorgeous remake of a Federal style house. Bay Ridge

is a jumble of architecural styles, but unlike many other Brooklyn neighborhoods, people here seem to take  quite a bit of pride in their homes, regardless of style and importance. I'm not certain if it's because more people own their homes here, but each time I leave my apartment I feel as if I'm in Mary Poppins, because of how many denizens of the neighborhood are outside sweeping up their sidewalks. I'm still waiting for Julie Andrews to pop out of the hedges at the end of my block.

There's some nice stonework over the portico of this church on 72nd street. Maybe I'm a sucker who grew up in an Italian neighborhood in New Jersey, but I have a
soft spot for tacky lawn ornamentation, especially  wishing wells. You won't see one of these in Manhattan.

(DSC0036) The Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, built in 1885 snagged my eye because of the nice opposition of green ashlar with real brownstone trim. One thing I've learned hawking out building over the years, is real brownstone is pretty real in NYC. Real brownstone was absurdly expensive, even a hundred years ago, and it's a soft stone. It doesn't last. The weather chisels it down mighty fast, so quite a bit of what appears to brownstone isn't. This is the real deal.

There was a time when people cared about learning, and knowledge was a valuable  commodity. I'm not talking MP3 copyright's either. Gears for the engineers? Harps for the musicians? Lamps of knowledge? Stylised swirling atoms? On the front of the Bay Ridge Branch of The New York Public Libraryis this beautiful cast iron homage to learning. The rest of the building is a somewhat hideous mid 60's take on modernism that doesn't deserve a picture, but here is something unique and beautiful. I'm no hater of the modern world by any means, but these symbols here bring me back to a time when people cared deeply about learning, beyond the monetary rewards it can bring a person. C'mon, there's a harp, for g-d's sake.  I hear the newest brand of the NYPL will have dollar signs and a stylized M-16 carved into the window arches.

As a child, these Fallout Signs were allover my grammar school, and gave me Cold War nightmares. I'm glad they're still around to scare todays children. Although, by  now we know that  a few inches of concrete won't do squat to protect anyone from a nuclear explosion, nevermind the fallout. Radiation proof desks anyone?

As I was snapping these photos, I noticed a large apartment complex was on fire down the bloc. Then I noticed the Eyewitness News van, and I thought to myself, 'Wow, they must be psychic or have set the fire themselves, because they beat the NYFD here!'. On the other side of the news van, I saw Miss Sexy News Reporter, who looked at me, a bit puzzled and said 'What the hell is going on here? Is that building on fire?'.  They do an amazing job teaching the powers of observation at those journalism schools, eh?
It's probably something I picked up during my years living in SoHoin Manhattan, but I
am enamored with NYC's cobblestone streets. It's a great suprise to walk down some block and find these leftovers from New York's gaslight days. Most of the cobblestone streets have been paved over by now,  but here  and there  you'll get a chance to play Victorian New Yorker. This is a quiet little block just off 3rd Avenue. Those are my limited edition Nike Pele kicks

for the fellow sneaker whores out there.











Here's a gaudy but intricate tile mural, across the street from the Bay Ridge Masonic Temple. Completed in 1890, this building was originally the  home of the Exempt Fireman's Association. Exempt from what, we can only wonder.No longer a Masonic Temple, or home to the
mysteriously exempt fireman, if you look closely at DSC0070, you can see the buildings Masonic heritage below the sign for the current owners, the New Hope
Fellowship.  This building wears its' past proudly. In
addition to the faded Masonic signage, the seals of the
old volunteer fire company are clearly visible above
the entranceway on the cornice, over the windows and
on the keystones. There are some Masonic symbols in the
stained glass windows as well. If you have sharp eyes
you'll pick out the name 'Blythebourne', which was an
earlier incarnation of the Bay Ridge neighborhood.

White and Willensky call this building an 'archeology

lesson' above ground. That's an astute observation. Studying this building gives you an idea of how many different uses a building in Brooklyn serves over its' lifetime. Here's a closeup
of the entranceway to help you pick up on all
this history.

Here's a bit more fuel for the fire of my lawn ornament kitsch fetish - a nicely patinaed sundial  in a small private park dedicated to a local fireman who perished in the 9/11 attacks. A cheery homage to a sad event. Too bad it's locked and closed off to the public.I'm definetly of the opinion that all public should spaces should be just that - public and open. Fuck Gramercy Park and its' ilk.

I'd like to nominate this schizophrenic duplex for my 'Worst Conceived Renovation in Brooklyn' award. Ouch! I understand every building wanting to have a distinct character from that of  its' neighbors, but c'mon? If you look at the apex of the roof, this horror is most apparent. I almost knocked on the door to let the owners know about their prestigious nomination, but thought better of it.I might get shot around here.

The Flagg Court Apartments, buildt between 1933 and 1936 (Ernest Flagg, architect)are a stunning piece of efficient apartment design in the midst of the mostly single family homes in these parts. Ernest Flagg, who also designed the Singer Building and Scribner Building (one of my personal favorites) in Manhattan, really had his brain working overtime when he put this complex up. At the time it was built, it featured reversible exhaust fans, and outside shutters to regulate the temparature inside. Not a big deal now, but at the time this quite innovative. Additionally, Flagg Court was one of the first buildings to use finished concrete floors that double as the ceiling for the floor below. That's efficient architecture. Although locked, the courtyard with it's pseudo-Palladian temple and fantastic landscaping is quiet and beautiful. Compared to the average concrete monstrosities that pass as building courtyards in the rest of the cities, this is a hidden gem.

Flagg court is the type of building that people deserve to live in, and Ernest Flagg definetly had living well in mind when he drew up the plans. Kudos Ernest. The fact that the buildings are still well kept and filled with people 70 something years later says a lot, especially here in New York, when buildings are redone or disappear every five years. I aspire to design buildings that accomplish these goals.

The 'ridge' in Bay Ridge, refers to a huge piece of stone that moved here at some point during the last ice age, and which a good portion of the neighborhood is built on top of. One cool side effect of building a neighborhood on a huge glacial ridge is the  necessity of  step streets. In some places, the terrain is so steep that the Civil Engineers had to cut out slabs and  build steps to get up and down, because the grade is too step for any road or sidewalk to make its' way up.  This is a very cool and unique feature of Bay Ridge, and although I'm not certain this is the only place they exist in NYC, these are the only ones I've ever seen.

Nothing like a trike. I'm  surprised I don't see more trikes around the city. They are great human powered workhorses, and you can carry plenty of groceries or what have you without having to worry about keeping your balance.


The next few photos are from 76th street, and if you're a New Yorker, they may blow a hole out of the back of your mind they did mine. I am absolutely stunned that these homes, and this street is in Brooklyn. 76th Street is also a step street, and it is filled with brilliantly executed mansions. Real, honest to goodness mansions that would be more at home in Great Britain than Great Brooklyn.

DSC123 is a Gothic Revival mansion, completed in 1900 and set up on a pretty impressive hill, at the top of  larger hill, which I'm certain must have great views of the narrows and the bridge from its' many tower windows. This house was built by  Dr. Elliot, the founder of insurance giants Blue Cross. With its' hexagonal tower, rough stone bridge over the driveway and place of honor at the top of a step street makes this my favorite private home in New York.

I'd like to file this under 'Not In New York City'. Wow is really the only other thing I can say.







Also on the same block, although somewhat obscured by trees and foliage, but no less grogeous, is a Neo-Georgian stunner on a massive plot of land (massive for Brooklyn at least). The columned porch is something you don't see here everyday, and the side
of the house, which faces the street is just as impressive. My wife said it looks as if the Whitehouse dropped out of the sky and landed in Bay Ridge, and I think she's right. This house was built somewhat 
earlier than its' neighbors, being completed in 1865. I imagine at the time it was finished this part of Brooklyn was still bucolic farmland. Little did the owners know that an entire neighborhood would grow up round this neo-Georgian masterpiece.



This cannon is at the end of the mansion block, and it a somewhat fittingly stately
piece of lawn kitsch. You can't put a pink flamingo on the lawn of a mansion, can you? You might in Brooklyn actually.

A somewhat newer home, but still quite beautiful, with great proportions, rounds out my views of this quirky little Brooklyn nabe. Who would have known that any of this was here, except for the guidance of Willensky and White?


One of my favorite designers is Carroll Shelby, and while I prefer his older Mustangs, this newer Cobra is still a tough rolling work of art. I was pretty amazed that I was fast enough on the draw with my Nikon to catch this guy tearing down the block.

The detailed trim and bright, but non-garish colors make this home stand out. as you walk away from the mansions, towards the water, the homes shrink, but not by much. As they get smaller, the take a significant decline in architectural taste. The truth is, they start to get gaudy and ugky fast. This little charmer is a noted exception.


DSC0171, finished in 1892 is set apart from its'neighbors by its' massive tower. Although it doesn't face the street, the entrance is through the octagonal tower on the southern edge of the home. This is officially a landmark home, but its' not really to my taste.It may be because it has been refinished with ugly cheap looking brick and bad landscaping.
You can get a better look at the tower in the second photo below (DSC0175) and see what I mean about the poor choice of finishing materials. Money can't buy taste. This would be a wonderful looking home if it were finished with more appropriate materials that fit the style of the home.




Just as I finished picking my jaw up off the street after viewing the 76th Street Mansions, I turn the corner and find myself at Hogwart's. While I was taking pictures earlier in the day, I ended up chatting with a cool guy and his dog who were from the neighborhood. I told him I was an architecture student, taking shots of good looking houses, and he said, 'You have to see the Witch's House, a few blocks over.It's great!' Buddy, you couldn't be more right! This is truly a unique home, and a terrific example of Arts and Crafts architecture. Locally known as 'The Witch's House', or 'The Gingerbread House', it's officially known as the Howard E. and Jessie Jones House. Designed by J. Sarsfield Kennedy, architect, and completed in 1917, this is one of the most unique buildings in New York City. From the curving shingled roof, to the rough cut stone,matching stone wall and lush landscaping, this is a winner.

Everything about this home says 'Dreamer'. Almost nothing about it is standardized. The windows are all  irregular sizes and shapes. The stones are all cut to fit their specific place in the building. The iron gates lead me to imagine that children in neighborhood 
must be petrified to knock on the door for trick or treating. The wall and gates are cut from the same irregular stones that the home is made from, a hallmark of a real Arts and Crafts style construction. The elegant curves of the roof
and narrowing chimney all
add to the Hansel and Gretel effect. I was certain that as I shot photos I would be offered candy by an old crone. Although, I'm all skin and bones, so I'd probably have to spend a while eating in a cage before I made any kind of decent meal. This house is worth a trip to Bay Ridge in its' own right. Again, 'I can't believe I'm in New York City'. This is approximately 2  miles from downtown Manhattan.

Fort Hamilton high school is a nice looking building for a newer NYC Public School. It has impressive sports fields in the back, and a pretty sweet bell tower. As I was lining up these shots, I noticed an older woman and her husband, also lining up the same photos as myself. She approached me and said, 'I was in the first four year graduating class from this high school'. She was still alive and kicking hard. Right on sister.

Bay Ridge has a wonderful shoreline park along its'  entire length.I often go on about Owl's Head skate park, one of my favorite BMX spots in the city, but there is a lot to be said for a quiet, beautiful green spot to just hang out and read. There is also some nice rusty wrought iron. They don't make these dangerous fences anymore, too bad. There's always some dumb Darwin Award kid getting impaled on them.

One more piece of gaudy lawn kitsch for your viewing pleasure. I was thinking that Bay Ridge must be the capital of lawn kitsch in New York City. Then I realized that Bay Ridge is one of the only places with front lawns in all five boroughs. Ozone Park may give it a run for its' lawn ornanment money if I remember right. I haven't been over there in a while.

Facing the water, with have this overgrown Mission style home, shadowed by a hideous hospital building. This home is traeding the thin line between pertfectly overgrown and eyesore. For now it's definetly on the right side of the line.It would also make a great Brooklyn outpost of El Sombrero, although I heard that they don't have the deadly frozen margarita's to go because of trouble with out of town frat boys. Damn. Another amazing NYC tradition ruined by drunken outsiders.
Bay Ridge is chock o' block full of bike lanes. I'm a proud member of Transportation Alternatives, who do a great job of getting bike lanes all over the place. Even in way out there family Brooklyn.

This is the chapel of Visitation Academy, completed in 1913. You can't see it in the picture, but there is an enormous block spanning cement wall to protect the Catholic Virgins from bad Catholic boys like me. This Neo-Renaissance pile is a welcome surprise, as it just pops out of nowhere on a residential block.

Bay Ridge is proud, with good reason of its' bridge. Its' also proud of its' diners, of which there many. Here we have a nice confluence of both. This is a fantastic sign, both the stationary and spinning one. The interior lives up to the signage, being a classic 80's diner remodeling job.

After my walking tour with White and Willensky, I walked off into the sunset. Not really. I wandered home to my apartment and cooked veggie chick patties and drank Bud pounders.

Here's a jolly pumpkinhead enjoying the last nice day we've had. It's getting cold and feeling like Halloween in Brooklyn. -emilyrides