Tompkins Square Park was still closed this morning. From what I can observe from the perimeter, the park had significant tree damage from Irene. A large oak near the park offices fell over. Another large tree, I’m not positive but I think it is another oak, the one that was in the middle of the path on the west side of the central grove, has fallen. I have heard that there was some damage to the Hare Krishna Elm but it is still standing. Another elm, near 9th Street and Avenue B, lost a limb. A medium sized locust fell near the center entrance on 7th Street. I also noticed that a few small trees also fell over.
Update: The park opened at noon. Sadly, the large tree in the center of the park that fell was one of the magnificent elms. But I’m glad to report that there was no damage to the Hare Krishna Elm. Photos coming soon.
Washington Square Park was open. There was minimal damage to the trees from Irene here. One large branch of a London Planetree came down. Elms and Planetrees seem the most likely to lose large branches. Ginkos dropped a lot of small branches.
Adopt don’t shop. Riggs, a male beagle mix, was severely underweight when rescued, but is now fine. Contact earthangelsnyc.org for adoption information. times-up.org
I poked my camera lens into the chain link fence around the Washington Square Park renovation. They’ve removed the fountain, planning to center the new one with the arch. This is about as good a view as you can get from the ground. Most of the surrounding fence is covered with black tarp. Some NYU Flickrite probably has a good shot from one of the surrounding building.
From artist Phil Kline: Every year since 1992 I’ve presented
Unsilent Night, an outdoor ambient music piece for an infinite number
of boomboxes. It’s like a Christmas caroling party except that we
don’t sing, but rather carry the music, each of us playing a separate
track that is a voice in the piece. In effect, we become a city-block-
long sound system. In New York, the event begins at Washington Square
Park and we walk to Tompkins Square Park.
Join us and bring a boombox, or anything that will blast a cassette,
CD, or Mp3. (Cassettes sound the coolest, but we realize cassette
players are getting scarce now.) The more tracks we play, the bigger
and more amazing the sound is. In recent years, Unsilent Nights in
New York and San Francisco have attracted crowds of over a thousand
people, with hundreds of boomboxes. It’s spectacular. If you’d like
to participate, please e-mail the contact listed for your city for
instructions. If you’d like to participate but don’t have a boombox
or a music player with speakers, you can just show up and join the
parade. Everyone is an important part of the procession. Help us make
a big (and joyful) noise. This is always a free event and all ages
are welcome.
Unsilent Night has spread around the world. Phil Kline is a unique
artist whose work employs music in many mediums and contexts, ranging
from experimental electronics, performance art and sound
installations to songs, choral, theater, and chamber music.
The western statue of the Washington Square Arch. The face was deeply pitted until the recent restoration. It looks like some sort of putty was trowelled on to fix it. Some pix from the restoration. View Large
The newly restored Washington Square Arch, with One Fifth Avenue in the background. “Developer Joseph G. Siegel acquired the plot in 1926 from the charity organization Sailors’ Snug Harbor and set to build one of the first apartment skyscrapers in the city.” – greatgridlock.net
A closer look at the arch. I took this shot last Thursday.
