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Winter is a Misnomer in NYC
By Michael Arnold
This year in New York City, spring didn’t give the groundhog a chance to see his shadow. It arrived weeks before he resurfaced from hibernation.
The peculiar winter, or lack thereof, in the city has been an extremely atypical phenomenon. The Big Apple rang in 2012 with April-like weather, a stark difference from the usual icy cold conditions. Trees and plants have been budding and then dying off since the holidays and throughout the month of January.
February 2012 in Madison Square Park.
The Unseasonable Weather is Throwing Off Plants and Animals
Surely, many city residents, myself included, are overjoyed at not having to shovel mounds of snow each morning. However, the unseasonably warm winter has been disorienting for plant cycles and bird migration patterns.
In early February, Japanese apricot trees and yellow Adonis plants – exotic annuals at the Bronx Botanical Gardens – began blooming. One freeze, however, and these plants will be killed off until next spring.
Budding crocuses on Park Ave South in early February.
It Looks Like Spring Throughout the City
Likewise, crocuses can be seen popping out of the ground throughout the city’s parks. Small trees are flowering, and many bushes are producing berries. Birds have migrated back to the city area in droves – about two months before their usual migration time. One short bout of real NYC winter weather, and it could be to the detriment of all this wildlife.
The city thus far has seen less than significant snowfall in January, and an overnight dusting in early February. We can only hope that there isn’t a major freeze, or it might be a quiet spring.
A warm February day in Madison Square Park.
Photographs by Michael Arnold.
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The Destruction of NYC’s “Graffiti Mecca” is Looming
By Michael Arnold
5Pointz in Long Island City, Queens.
5Pointz is a massive warehouse in Queens ensconced beneath layers of street art, appropriately nicknamed the “Graffiti Mecca.” As the westbound 7 train wraps around this complex, the Manhattan skyline can be seen – the finishing touch to this urban industrial picture.
To the dismay of graffiti artists throughout the five boroughs, however, 5Pointz may be bulldozed in the near future. In April 2011, the property owner, Jerry Wolkoff, met with city planning officials and announced plans to build two 40-foot-tall high rises and a shopping mall. Despite being unclear about exactly when construction will take place, artists and street art appreciators have been outwardly defiant.
Some people have likened the outrage felt at the tearing down of 5Pointz to the razing of the Guggenheim or the MoMA. A Facebook group called Show Ur Love to 5Pointz has been launched with thousands of fans showing support for the protection of this graffiti museum.
5Pointz is a Graffiti Haven Like No Other
Artists are only allowed to graffiti with a permit. Permits are granted by appointment, and only the finest, most credible, street artists are allotted a spot to graffiti. For decades street artists have been going through this process to create a building almost entirely covered in a myriad colors of paints, graphics and tags
The 5Pointz Appointment Office.
Whether or not one appreciates graffiti, this complex has transformed from a broken-down warehouse to a visually stunning display of art. It predates the gentrification of its surrounding neighborhood of Long Island City, and is a contribution to NYC culture in its own right.
Until Wolkoff decides to go forth with the construction, graffiti artists throughout the city will be saying their goodbyes to this unique museum.
A close up on the exterior wall of the warehouse.
Photographs by Michael Arnold.
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Tagged 5Pointz, Graffiti, Long Island City, NYC culture
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