This Dyke's Newark

Selling water in the summer heat

2010-09-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Selling water on the highway under the train trestle in the heat of the summer.

The last of the last snow fall

2010-03-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Dirty snow from February's no'easter. Today it was cold and supposed to snow. I am glad it did not snow.

A death in the burbs

2010-02-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

Old lady found dead in the street in the 'burbs. The Medical Examiner's Office and the cops investigate. Old age and natural causes.

For a longer blog entry see here: Police Tape - do not pass.

(Yes, the picture was taken with my Blackberry, as are all the pictures since I surrendered the Treo for the Blackbery.)

A blizzard moment

2010-02-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

A young tree in the blizzard in the 'burbs. There was about 16" in my town, 12" to 18" across the state. I was home from work for 2 days. Today was sunny and good for sledding.

February 2010

2010-02-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

A winter sky in a Newark parking lot. A car being towed. The end of a workday. Pre-snowstorm clouds. Powerlines. Cars. Buildings. Not-quite-melted snow.

NJ has media who cover corrupt politicians and other "bad guys"

2009-07-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

There is lots of corruption and media coverage of this. The media hovers outside the federal courthouse hoping to capture the corrupt politicians and religious leaders. Oh, and the illegitimate body part, specifically kidney, broker.

So what-tcha-gonna-do-'bout-it???

Human graffito

2009-06-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Grafitti. Lots of it. Tags. Names. Gangs. Turfs. Shout-outs. Memorials. RIPs.

Who is he? No comments. An indecipherable artist's scibble. It's a human likeness. But...Who? Is? He?

Ethnic religious tiles

2009-05-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Many houses in Ironbound have wall tiles depicting religious scenes. Here is a Portuguese Guardian Angel guiding children across a bridge. This is a popular display seen on many homes.

Roof tiles

2009-05-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

Touch of the old Mediterranean world in the new urban, Ironbound.

Praying for Newark

2009-05-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

We are praying for Newark and God Bless America. Storefront churches are religious, enthusiastic Americans. I wish them well. I would hope they would not judge me as I do not judge them I merely wish them and their city well.

Worker

2009-04-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hard working, working-class stiffs. Working hard. That's what you you do. Every day, even if you drink all night like my grandfather and father. Of course, I don't mean all working guys or that this guy drinks. He was parked near a liquor store which is what made me think of drinkers.

Ironbound biddies

2009-04-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

Old ladies discussing hairdos and coupons here in the Ironbound. How they blathered on. How spryly they strolled. All that walking and talking in the Ironbound.

Cherry blossoms

2009-04-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

In Newark, like Washington DC, in spring, it is all about cherry blossoms. All around and beautiful. Love it!

Cement play area

2009-04-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Clearly a family with young children lives in this basement and the kid on the trike probably rides it in this small space. Lots of kids live in urban environments where the immediate play area is concrete.

It was like this in my early childhood city. Boy, did that concrete yard behind the tenement seem large when all the neighborhood kids played kickball and stickball on summer evenings.

Daffodils

2009-04-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Daffodils grow in Newark in the rain. Yet another dreary day!

Mall mannequins

2009-04-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mannequins in a local suburban mall. Ok, I am cheating because I need to upload new pics from my Blackberry but this was taken with my old Treo and the mall is about 10 miles from Newark. So, it's all still fair.

City Hall Eagle

2009-04-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Brass eagle in front of City Hall. Art Deco? Who knows? Certainly, No one likely cares.

The head of Justice

2009-04-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

The head. Of Justice. Immigrants now citizens get their picture taken in front of it. Teenage boys put cigarettes in its mouth and little kids climb on it clamoring to look up its nose.

Ironbound chuch

2009-04-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Catholicism. Bane of my childhood. Toxicity / topography of my life. Eight years of schooling. Twenty plus years of devotion. In Newark. In the Ironbound it IS. Ironbound church.

Store front churches

2009-04-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

Store front and small building churches permeate Newark. Most are Christian but cater to everyone and anyone and most languages. Some have neon lights, some have big signs butmany have small signs like the church on the right.

Old sign

2009-04-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

It is an old sign unearthed via recent teardowns and reconstructions.

The canals of New Jersey

2009-04-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Newark is located on the Passaic River. Other rivers running through North and Central Jersey are the Delaware, Hackensack and Raritan Rivers. Near many of these rivers and the streams which flow into them are canals which were used in the late 1800's and early 1900's to move goods. Mules pulled the barges carrying merchandise and raw material. This is the canal running near the Raritan River.

Industrial park

2009-04-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

There are many suburbs, ex-burbs, small towns and industrial parks between Newark and where I live. White people fled Newark after the 1960's riots often trading short commutes via public transportation for long commutes in cars from their homes in the suburbs to industrial parks situated in culturally, barren areas.

Two flags

2009-04-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Taken a few days ago on a walk around the Ironbound. Portuguese and American flags. I've never thought of dual-nationality as divided loyalty. Just broader vision.

Our Lady on the Corner

2009-04-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Catholicism permeates the Ironbound! It's all over place because so many of its inhabitants are and were Catholic. The Virgin was erected, judging by the name of the priest inscribed on the side, by the Irish. The children praying to her were clearly placed there much later by the Portuguese for whom she is Our Lady of Fatima. The shrine appears to be lovingly tended. Very sweet and very Old World.

Soup please

2009-04-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

There's a brisk, cut-to-the bone chill this lunch-time April Fool's Day. I was going to take a walk but have no desire to subject myself to the frigidity. I went to the newly opened Moroccan reastaurant and ordered some harira soup. Spicy with the perfect amount of warming. Yum.

Ice rink

2009-03-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

Back to the arena. A hockey rink in Newark...
Sounds like the beginning of a joke. So here is the sign on the arena as seen through the railing.
I liked the effect.

Ironbound washlines

2009-03-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

I like all the laundry hanging on wash lines. Reminds me of my childhood neighborhood in Hudson County, a place etched on my soul the way the Ironbound would be branded on the psyche of its (even brief) inhabitants. Just so working class. Bound.

Crossing under the Iron

2009-03-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

I work very close to the Ironbound section. It's just across McCarter Highway but is a world away from the downtown area. When I walk under the trestle, I cross into another country. Wave after wave of immigrants settled here: Irish, Italian, Jewish, Portuguese, Brazilian, Ecuadorian. Many signs are in English, Spanish and Portuguese. There are coffee shops and fruit stores and lots of churches. Many backyards have grapevines. Catholicism lurks on every corner. I am the foreigner. But this is my favorite Newark escape.

Rearview mirror

2009-03-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I be will commuting once again on McCarter Highway. Cars, bums and kids soliciting money for various sports and activities for underpriviledged kids.

Grind. Road. Work. Grind. Home. Grind. On. Each. Week. Grind.

Stores

2009-03-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

It was fun while it lasted to have a "better" store in town. Macy's and Old Navy and may other stores have left. There are a lot of dollar stores, hair product stores, beauty shops, discount places and empty stores. There is a Children's Place but most clothing stores cater to expensive name brand sports clothes unaffordable by most of the residents but which they buy. There are some plus size women's clothing places. The are also lots of places selling cellphones.

Note the new railing bought to go with the improvement associated with the arena. There are so many contrasts here!

The arena

2009-03-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

Newark is the home of the NJ Devils' hockey team. Most of the Newark residents are not interested in hockey. The hickey arena is to bring suburban fans into the city. The arena was very expensive and controversial. Most residents are low income and minority and could care less about hockey. I'm not sure where I stand but the arena issue but this edifice is better than the previous one called "Renaissance Mall" which never became a mall and which was abandoned when money ran out. Mostly, it seemed that people stole its brown marble.

New blog name, out and proud in Newark, NJ

2009-03-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

For quite a while, I've wanted to blog about Newark. Previously, I took pictures of Newark on my old Treo and did not want to name the city for anonymity's sake. Now I have a work-issued Blackberry and want to pursue this harmless, probably only interesting to me, hobby. I've worked in Newark the 16 years. It's a very underrated city that keeps promising a renaissance that never comes. Perhaps now it will. There are all kinds of people in Newark which has a very rich history. I will try to shed light on aspects of it through words but mostly, I want to take pictures. So here the first picture. Lots of people are afraid of Newark because they think all there is here is crime. I assure everyone there is a strong police presence.

2008-11-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

My daily grind begins again tomorrow driving up and down the NJ Turnpike. Some days I feel like I know every inch of it. Last week, as I was driving to work in the pitch black, I hit something and thought I had blown a tire. I pulled over and called roadside assistance. I could not make out through the pre-dawn the mile-marker. I was told a tow truck would be there within 20 minutes. A state trooper pulled up behind me after about an hour and then the tow truck showed up 20 minutes after that. I had not blown a tire but my fog light was gouged and distended and the under carriage was hanging down. I am still working on getting this fixed.

It will be nice not to drive in the pre-dawn dark tomorrow. What will not be fun will be the slow-going traffic caused by the setting sun's glare.

Passing man

2008-11-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

I like the contrast between the man's skin and his clothes and his clothes and the background. Just a guy I snapped in passing. But I liked the shot...

My shadow self

2008-10-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

My shadow on an early autumn, noontime sidewalk. I like the effect because it makes me look like I'm projected on a wall.

Parking sign

2008-10-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Park immigration." Where? How?

Pumpkin time

2008-10-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

On my porch railing pre-vivesection for the creation of seasonal celebrations. Pumpkins are really a pretty color and my son lined them up nicely in size order.

Dashboard inspiration

2008-10-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a mascot. This bobble Buddha is mine. He bobs all over the place and jumps up and down. He goes crazy over bumpy roads and in stop-n-go traffic. Sometimes, he bumps his head on the ceiling. He makes me laugh, a lot, especially when I reeling toward road rage. He is my amusing reprieve and my focusing respite.

Street scarves

2008-10-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

There are lots of African American Muslims in the city where I work. This woman only wore a veil. Some women cover everything but their hands and eyes. Why? What are they hiding? Why are they hiding? They scare me but I suspect they are very scared.

Seated in the city

2008-08-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

On my lunchtime walks, I see many things, many people. Most are unremarkable. There was just was something interesting about an Asian woman, in this city of few Asians, sitting casually on a ledge minding her own business, looking in her purse with nowhere to go and all the time in the world.

Universal access

2008-08-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone has cellphones: teenagers, preteens, street salesmen, homeless people. A few years ago, there was a homeless guy who begged outside a local eatery. One day, I saw him with a cellphone. He was talking to someone else, possibly another homeless person, and he was commenting how "business was going". He was doing alright where he was, he said.

I passed this street vendor twice within a half hour. He was not speaking on his phone: both times but was clearly text messaging. Everyone has a cellphone. I remember when there were only car phones in rich people's cars.

Hard lives

2008-08-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

This scene is outside a church on a major street. There are always downtrodden on the steeps. The noon Narcotics Anonymous meeting is a contributing factor but this was taken around 2pm. The woman in the wheel chair is always there, fair weather or foul. She begs but she has a nice motorized wheel chair, a blackberry and an ipod. The guy on the steps just asked for a coffee. Said he was on his way to jail or the hospital because he was hungry. (Yes, I bought him a coffee.)

Real, not real

2008-07-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Homeless guy wandering the distorted inner city streets. Cool effects. Sad guy. Where does he sleep at night? What does he do all day?

Portrait Artist

2008-07-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to see a portrait artist in the city where I work. In NYC, I think the artists seem hoaky with their samples of celebrities and their pleas to be patronized. This guy had only one sample of an unknown soul. In this city, he is welcome as a sign of normalcy and safety. His drawing was good, too.

A sight in my car

2008-07-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

In my car, my foot on the brake, stuck in traffic. On, off. On, off. Off, on, on, off. Everyday. This is my day. From work. To work. I go. I go. I go. I drive. I commute. This is my life. This is me on my way to earn my daily bread. Mundane.

Cyber-swim

2008-07-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, computers are at the pool. A beautiful pool with clear waters on a hazy, hot and humid day. Not the water beckons, but the laptop. Tap, tap, tap and tap, enter, send. Ah, yes. Reply, send. Urgh, why did you splash me????

bricks

2008-07-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

Bricks from the city of...

I wish our driveway had nice bricks. I wish I learned how to lay bricks. I did make an herb garden in our new house with some bricks. It came out good.

A view from my ear

2008-07-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

Perception: very tall gangly man with long skinny arms.

I took this picture with my phone angled next to my ear.

When I looked at the picture I did not remember the man being abberantly tall. Just tall. Then I noticed the fire hydrant which seems to be about the same height as the woman's shoulder.

Ah..it was the angle of the lense and my moving which caused the effect.

Distortion: makes cool visual effects

Old world custom?

2008-07-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

This man, dressed casually sporting a pony tail, and this woman, wearing a punjabi suit, emerged from a car a few minutes before this picture was taken. The man said something to the woman while fixing her necklace and adjusting her top. The man then looked at the woman and said something else. He began to cross the street. The woman waited a few seconds and then followed him about ten steps behind.

Dressed for the weather

2008-07-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

It's hazy, hot and humid in the air and on the streets. People are out in their summer attire trying to keep cool. The streets are dirty and crowded. Everyone is cranky. Still some people don't care if it's just too darn hot. They're comfortable.

Safety seat

2008-07-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is in rush hour traffic on my way home from my job in a large post-industrial city. I am never surprised by the way people travel. The man's feet jerked very time the truck started and stopped. I am glad I don't have to commute in this fashion.

Blog on the go

2008-07-07T11:09:00.001-07:00

I don't know why I need a third blog but I want a blog I for just jotting down observations, mostly from my blackberry. Sometimes, interesting quick things happen and I don't feel like writing about them later. So here there it is.