Out and about after Irene

Our backyard looked to be in pretty good shape: a few fallen figs and a bottle of prescription cough syrup that somehow blew our way; no real damage to report. After the rain stopped and the wind died down, we decided to take a long walk through Astoria and Long Island City. The abandoned umbrella, on Vernon Boulevard, brightened up a desolate stretch. Ditmars Boulevard was surprisingly lively; a number of restaurants found a way to open, and though a few trees were down, none of them seemed to have done much structural damage to buildings. Astoria Park was a nexus of activity -- two short stretches of Shore Boulevard were submerged, and the atmostphere was festive. Children splashed in the puddled water, bikers braved crossings, and people picnicked. Across the East River, with no public transit to speak of, Manhattan felt a world away.

In the neighborhood

We set out for a little romp in Astoria, walking first up 36th Avenue, then down Steinway to Ditmars Boulevard, and then down 31st Street until we were back where we started. The picture above is a mural near the Ditmars Boulevard N/Q station.

Steinway is bustling in most areas, but when you cross over Astoria Boulevard, there's a rather deserted little stretch that eventually gives way to row houses and pet stores and broader civilization. The shadow of the tree, and this dumpster-based protestation of love, won me over.

This disheveled cleaners/dyers is a few blocks away from our apartment. There are lots of strange and wondrous old buildings with great signs, many in advanced stages of disarray. I wonder how long these vestiges of the past will linger?

Lots more in latest upload to Flickr photo stream.