The Streets Where We Live

Out of Honey at Inwood's Farmer's Market

Disturbing news from the Farmer's Market: Dewayne, the beloved and eccentric honey guy, and Tremblay Apiaries will no longer be coming to Inwood on Saturdays. Instead, he will be selling his honey at the Union Square Market from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. No word yet on why they've made the switch, but it most likely had to do with low sales in comparison with potential revenue at the more densely populated and frequented Union Square Market.

Those interested in buying their honey without trekking south can order online, but then you would miss the scintillating conversation about the difference between bamboo (my favorite) and goldenrod honey.

Jason Kendall and Inwood Astronomy in The New York Times

Image by Evan Abramson for The New York Times

Astronomer Jason Kendall and artist Katja Aglert lit up yesterday's City section with a feature story about their efforts to turn down the city lights and turn up the sky above. 

Jason Kendall, an amateur astronomer, and Katja Aglert, a Swedish installation artist, want to turn out the lights in different parts of Manhattan and, weather permitting, illuminate the night sky.
“How can you appreciate something you’ve never seen?” said Mr. Kendall, 41. “You’ll never get anyone to make the sky dark until you show them how beautiful it can be.”

A True Love Story, Friendship Inwood-style

Absolutely loved this Times City Room article by Corey Killganon, and not only because it let me know that Gabe Pressman's (my patron saint of local journalism) daughter is living above Indian Road Cafe.

 
Image by Corey Kilgannon

UPDATE: Lights Out in Dyckman Field? Help Bring the Stars to Inwood

Jason still needs help getting support for this potential event, but wants to clarify a few things about the Parks and police departments. Please see below.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Jason Kendall <jasonskendall@gmail.com> Date: Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 11:55 AM Subject: [Inwood Astronomy] Re: Lights Out in Dyckman Fields To: "Inwood Astronomy Project, New York City" <inwoodastronomy@googlegroups.com> Hey there, I need to make a retraction of the previous email.  I had a chat with the parks administrator and I was mistaken about a bunch of things. First, the Parks are very supportive of all our efforts. Second, NYPD is not being an obstruction as I alluded to below, and the event is not in the purview of DOT at all. Third, the problem is purely one of speed and timing.  It does take time to work things out, and because I approached them very late in the process, they are still trying to work things out with sponsors and planning and even checking feasibility.  The expense of putting together proper security for a dark park in New York is significant, and needs to be funded by sponsorship which is still in the reach-out phase with potential sponsors. So, I made a big Jump-The-Gun on this one, and this email blast did more harm than good by forcing the issue onto other people's laps when the event is going through a necessary review process for public safety and feasibility. You can still certainly send notes to various people and elected officials about your desire for a public event that highlights astronomy in New York City, and you can certainly voice your support for light-abatement legislation that Assemblyperson Rosenthal is doing, but the Parks are big and their good staff cannot drop everything just to accommodate us in a hurry. The Parks and their administrators are being extremely kind in the whole process and have been more helpful than I could have imagined, and I just want to keep it rolling better for them. Jason

Jason Kendall (pictured above, you remember him from the Neighborhood Blog Watch, right?) of the Inwood Astronomy Project has a great idea: shut off the lights in Dyckman Fields on April 3 and 4th so that we can truly enjoy the stars in all their glory. Read below for details on how you can help in this initiative, and if it works, I'll be the girl in the field with the thermos of hot cocoa and wide eyes waiting for the show.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jason Kendall <jasonskend...@gmail.com>
Date: Feb 19, 5:53 pm
Subject: Lights Out in Dyckman Fields
To: Inwood Astronomy Project, New York City

Hello friends and members!

I have a bunch of exciting news and a call out to lend me a hand.

The pitch to get the Lights Out in Dyckman Fields for the 100 Hours of
Astronomy is starting to roll.  But to get this amazing feat done, we
all need to take a small action.  Here is the background.

I proposed to the Parks department that we use April 3 and 4 for dark-
sky observing in the Dyckman Fields.  (Visit this web page to see the
location:http://www.moonbeam.net/InwoodAstronomy/events-100hours.shtml
)  But the NYPD and the DOT may be putting big dampers on this
project.

But then lightning struck.  I am the subject of a soon-to-be-published
New York Times article (hopefully it will still go through, most
likely this weekend...) which talks about my efforts to get the lights
turned out in this field for the 100 Hours.  Anyway, the reporter
hopes that the publicity will help the cause and the effort.  But even
better, I was contacted today by an staffer of New York State
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal.  She is pushing a series of light
pollution measures upstate, and her office is interested in our
effort.

So, here is what I would like you to do:

Please write a letter TODAY to her, or to your NYS Assemblymember, in
support of this effort.

Here is a sample letter for you to print out and mail.

-----

Dear Assemblymember Rosenthal,

Thank you for your support of light pollution initiatives.  I agree
that light pollution wastes money that can be better spent anywhere
else in any budget.  To visibly highlight the benefits of reducing
light pollution, I hope that you will help Jason Kendall and the
Amateur Astronomers Association of New York in their efforts to have
"Lights Out In Dyckman Fields" on April 3 and 4 of this year.  We need
your support to help push it through the concerns of City Hall, the
NYPD and the DOT.  We respect and acknowledge their concerns, but if
we can shut down the City for a marathon, then we can easily turn off
the lights in a park that has no residential or businesses adjacent to
it.

If we do this, New York City will take the national and even
international stage in The 100 Hours of Astronomy Global Star Party.
Hundreds of other cities worldwide are holding star parties in
celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, and New York needs
an official presence in this truly international effort.

It is important to show the world that the great state of New York
supports learning science, going green, and saving huge amounts of
taxpayer money with properly shielded lights.

It takes just a few minutes on Google to see the immense scope of the
International Year Of Astronomy, its potential for inspiring citizens
with the desire to learn more about the universe and to contribute of
their communities.  All the efforts of the "IYA" have strong community
components in addition to learning about space, so supporting the
"IYA" and taking part in the 100 Hours of Astronomy Global Star Party
in April is a win-win all around.

Jason Kendall's Inwood Astronomy Project is a volunteer effort that I
support because it makes my parks safer, provides family-friendly
activities, and shows that science can be fun.  He and his fellow
amateur astronomers go out every week on nearly every clear night into
our parks and teach our kids and friends about the stars and planets.
Please see his website athttp://www.inwoodastronomy.orgto contact
Jason or contact the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York
(http://www.aaa.org, Rich Rosenberg, President: presid...@aaa.org )
for more information about this effort.

It is fantastic that you support light pollution abatement.  Please
help us take the extra step to show off the night sky to so many New
Yorkers who have never seen a starry night.  We know that it is
"Bright Lights, Big City" and some of the most brilliant and wondrous
lights are just waiting for us to just turn off the lights.

Sincerely,

Joe and Mary Astro

------------------------------------------------------------

Here is Ms. Rosenthal's site:  http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=067

You can also call her up and read this message above into the
answering machine.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help us out and please forward this email to as
many people as you can.  If we can do this, it will be an amazing day
in New York.  But I just need you to help me get it rolling!

Jason Kendall

In the Know - Free Old Radio Cabinet Available in Inwood

A little birdy told me about this hot free item and I thought y'all might like to take a peak. 

From the posting: "Anyway it's free and I'd like to get rid of it by this weekend. I can imagine this piece has seen it's share of shag carpeted wood paneled living rooms and maybe even bowls filled with the keys of eager party guests. If you listen closely you can hear the sweet sounds of disco filling the air while Riunite on ice helps to free up the libido. Sway your hips and lick your lips. You know deep down you want this thing. I would even say you need this. Now more than ever let this freaky piece of furniture into your life."

Shanty Town

Image from NY Times, J. David Goodman

A somber and somewhat sad article, "Under a Exit Ramp,  A Cluster of Mysteries" by J. David Goodman, ran in The Times today. The subject? The removal of shanty homes along Riverside Drive.

I've never seen the particular "one-room, plywood shanty" they describe in detail, but I've seen many of these ramshackle structures along the Hudson River and always wondered about the people dwelling there. Although I couldn't imagine living in one myself--and felt a deep sadness for the people and the stories that must have led them to those resting places-- I have always envied the solitude those structures must provide. Tucked away from the boom of Broadway, the roar and discomfort of the subway, one might actually be able to sleep through the night, once you get over the fear of being alone on a highway-side.

Sometimes when we drive down the West Side Highway I search through the trees for resting spots like this and try to feel what a cold winter night or balmy summer evening spent amongst the white noise of passing cars might be like. The thoughts whoosh by at the speed of our Mustang.

Last summer, Ben and I stumbled upon a nesting place like this under a bridge at the south end of Inwood Hill Park. I wondered who had made the place home. There were piles of clothing, a plastic tarp or large bag, and a cluster of tiles that had been glued to a wall, the beginnings of a mural. I wanted to sit amongst the clutter and touch the tiles, search the space for some clues as to the character and story of the resident, but felt like an intruder, uncomfortable that we had broken into someone's home.

I understand the never-ending myriad of twists and turns of fate that bring someone to a state of homelessness. It is an ugly and sad thing for someone to not have a place to call home--something Ben believes should be an inalienable right--but I (guiltily) revel in the romantic notion that this loner lived peacefully for a short time in the shack along the edge of the river, content to live in his "little house, solidly put together, with a single glass window and a front door equipped with a peephole and a knocker."

Regardless of what we think about the location of the home, the squalor it possibly lent, the peace he may have found for those short weeks in October and November must have been blissful-- a state even the most flush amongst us cannot always buy.

The Icy Park Where We Live

Honestly it's been too cold to take a walk around the neighborhood shooting photos of interesting spots and people. But, I do have to go to work every morning and in order to do so have to walk through the tundra which is Isham Park. This morning it was a bright shock of white and silver, frozen over puddles on top of polar bear white slick snow. 

The snow that came down in droves yesterday melted as the sky gave way to rain. Pools of wet, icy mess dripped off the east-edge wall and made lovely icicles (below). 

 

I saw on NY1 this morning that we've had way more snow than last year...something like 15 inches versus 2-point-something inches last year. I think it's been colder too. Ben loves this weather and said he is excited by the real New York winter we've all been having. But then I spoke to him as he was wheeling his cart full of equipment along the ice skating rink Isham became last night. I'm sure it was even worse than this guy precariously balancing him on the steps. 

I was next in line. 

Once I got down that landing, the stretch between Broadway and Park Terrace West awaited me. I took it slowly, sliding my feet along the edges, feeling the bumps and waves of cool beneath my feet. One man sailed by with his rubber-soled Hunter boots. He was too fast for me to snap his photo.  

This is what started it all yesterday. Forecast for this weekend looks like we're in for something warmer on Sunday.  

At the end, all of the ice made me think of a poem I wrote nearly five years ago. 

Winter Moment

 

Concrete paved in ice

black crystals obscured

reflecting our new moon

 

my swollen lined

lids remain hidden from

our nose rubbing kiss

 

as you hope we go mad

like Eskimos gazing

at their reflection in the snow

 

April 2004

Where does the time go?

Santa will Save Us! -- Marble Hill Mobile Alert

Saw this car in Marble Hill yesterday at the corner of W. 228th and Broadway. (Did you ever notice that the C-Town up here also has a Rite Aid attached to it like the one in Inwood on Broadway?)

Love the eccentricity. Note the Santa on the roof. Ben thought it might be Adames, the man who sued Bloomberg with claims that he falsely won the mayorship, but I'm going to go with a no.

First of all it was a lady. Second, I don't think Adames believes in Santa.