Plaza’s been widened

The pedestrian area at Times Plaza, across from Atlantic Mall, has been widened, probably to control traffic in anticipation of the completion of Barclays Center. The asphalt has been decorated with a large rose the color of a basketball.

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F Train under the stars

The night sky is very visible from the Coney Island-bound platform of the Fourth Avenue F and G station. It’s pleasant, when it’s not raining or snowing. But when it’s coming down, everyone’s cursing the MTA and the prolonged construction work.

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Under the Ninth Street Bridge

The space underneath the Fourth Avenue Subway Bridge has never been that scary or disgusting: no trolls dwell in the space, nor do people hang out much and drink and do private things. Construction slows the movement of traffic, but when it’s over, the bridge will be a deco gem, like it was in 1930.

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The bridge is back @ Fourth Avenue

Brooklyn F Train riders, your inconvenience is about to begin. The bridge is back up at Fourth Avenue; work is starting on the outbound tracks next weekend. Some stops (15th St. and Ft. Hamilton) between Fourth Avenue and Church will be skipped for months.

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Fourth: the big sky avenue

Fourth Avenue is flat as a pancake and offers, at times, a hint of a big sky vista. Buildings used to all be low, but it’s still possible, on a day when the sky is bright blue and the clouds are fluffy, to stand in one place, look up and take in the wide-open view.

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Flat Fix on Sackett

Fourth Avenue used to be more industrial: there weren’t any large apartment buildings or restaurant/bars. But if you needed a funeral parlor or plumbing supplies, it was the go-to place.

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Taxi land (ketchup & mustard)

Red and yellow are the colors of fast food, but the business here is yellow cabs only. This taxi company used to pile the cars four-deep on the curb, but since this stretch of Fourth Avenue got fancier, the neighbors must have made them clean up their act.

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Follow the Town Car

When I’m sitting in the passenger seat of a car, the windshield becomes a large screen, and I’m a participant in the drama unfolding in front, like in a 70’s TV show. On this evening, we were tailing a Town Car on Fourth Avenue. Suspicious activity was observed in the vicinity. Do I even need to say?

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Deli @ night

A typical neighborhood deli – a go-to store for coffee, sandwiches, breakfast, beer, milk, and other necessities. In some neighborhoods, grocery stores are scarce, so places like this, which open early and close late, serve a crucial function.

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Tires, grass, dandelions (spring scene)

Simple things make me happy: green grass, a brown, textured wall, some foliage and shadows, windows, tires (note the different sizes), no one in sight. Throw in some cryptic writing to complete the scene.

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