As any Hudson or Greenport resident who own a gasoline burning vehicle knows, Fairview Avenue offers a multitude of options to fill up a gas tank. It's part of the charm and beauty that is Hudson's and Greenport's short section of Route 9. While none of the stations may be very pleasant to visit, at least they are there for us. And thank goodness for them all!
At about 8:15 yesterday morning, while in the 500 block of Cherry Alley, I watched as one of County Waste's enormous garbage trucks emptied a few wheelie bins with its mechanical arm. The process of modern garbage collection is fascinating to me, particularly the mechanization of it. Sometimes, the process stops me in my tracks to just watch. The collection of garbage all over the place -- from town to town, alley to alley and street to street -- can be done by a loud, wheeled metal monstrosity whose sole occupant, the driver, rarely has to step out of the cab to touch a garbage can. The drivers don't even know what's inside the cans they are emptying. They don't care. A mechanical arm does all the work from the right side of the truck. Is there a dead body or toxic material in the can? Is the recycling inside full of contaminants? Whatever! Gotta keep movin' on! More garbage ahead! They even have a name for these garbage trucks: Automated Side Loaders. ASL's typically weigh anywhere from 25,000 to 35,000 pounds when empty and 50,000 to 72,000 pounds when full. The average SUV weighs between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds, and not much more when full.
With the help of a throttle, the two then ascended the million-dollar bluestone steps that are full of stains.
All pictures taken this week.
In my estimation, Hudson is becoming a less livable, less walkable, less interesting, less clean, less attractive, less stable and less friendly place to live. Much like America in general. The city has also gotten a lot noisier. Too much damn traffic, too much of it passing through town on the way to elsewhere (State Street is a major artery for vehicles passing through town). And the signs on and near the sidewalks... don't get me started. No one at City Hall or on the Common Council seems to care or be paying attention enough to care about any of it.
I don't mean to get all doomsdayish, but this is ridiculous! As any Hudson or Greenport resident who own a gasoline burning vehicle kn...
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