EAST NEW YORK
Along Pitkin Avenue, there is clearly a prominent South Asian community as seen on signage and the dress of passersby. You know you are in New York because, remarkably, a mosque and a liquor store coexist directly next to each other. A few blocks away, a large housing project rises above the railyard for the C and A trains. According to census figures, the residents are almost entirely African American. This pattern of racial stratification is seen all over the city.
BRIGHTON BEACH
The B train terminates at an elevated station in Brighton Beach, the home of the Russian expatriate community in New York. Many of those living here are descended from Jews who fled oppression in the former Soviet Union, and many are Russian and Ukrainian newcomers, including the Russian mafia, some of whom are closely associated with Manhattan real estate ventures.
PELHAM BAY
Pelham Bay is a neighbourhood wedged between the Hutchinson River Parkway and Interstate 95. The elevated 6 train terminates near a large cannabis dispensary, formerly a 7-11. This, and the many unlicensed ‘convenience’ stores, will undoubtedly date a few of the pictures from my project. If you’ve driven the Hutchinson River Parkway (The Hutch), you have undoubtedly seen this almost windowless glass cube next to the highway. It is the Public Safety Answering Center (PSAC), where 911 emergency calls are handled.
HUDSON YARDS
The idea was to create a new Rockefeller Center, an ensemble of buildings grouped around an iconic public space. Hudson Yards, instead of Prometheus and a famous skating rink, has the Vessel, a bronze sculptural object with stairs leading up to the sky. Tragically, people jumped. It happened a number of times, and the Vessel was closed to the public. It’s back now with netting and a stiff entrance fee. Totally free, however, is the High Line adjacent to Hudson Yards. I once walked it with a friend in a cold soaking rain. We had it to ourselves and it was glorious.
MIDDLE VILLAGE
The M train ends abruptly at a sprawling cemetery in Middle Village, Queens. The sign states: All Faiths Cemetery – For All Faiths. Wedged between the station and the cemetery is a large Catholic school, and on the other side of the station, stands an immense shopping mall that is virtually inaccessible without a car. Tucked in between these objects – cemetery, school, and mall – there are rows of tiny vinyl-sided houses and a few apartments. The mall hovers over the neighbourhood menacingly, but among its offerings is an indoor amusement centre for children called Funtopia.
