To keep your whites their whitest, you *probably* don't want to do this...

Big thanks to my friend Rowan for buzzing this on gmail - which I am still trying to figure out - anyway, without that, I would have missed this story completely... 

Last Tuesday I read this article in the New York Times, about someone - an artist, most likely - who, under dark cover of night, scaled a fence to put up a line and hang 12 items of pristine white clothing under the Queensboro Bridge on the Queens side.

The moment I saw the photo (look at the NYT article if you have not already), I was instantly smitten! I loved everything about this - the unexpected surprise for those in the area, the stark white linens against the dark, dingy city around it, the sheer whimsy of it all. I thought it was adorable and brilliant and wanted to see it/photograph it for myself.
 
That night, as much as I wanted to bike over there, my body had other plans and I was passed out in bed by 7:30.

On Wednesday I had a new plan: ride to Queens after my weekly allergy shots and before punk rope. But this time it was mother nature who rained on my parade. Or at least she rained on my mini bike/blog adventure, so I didn't go that night either.

Thursday evening I experienced a combination of commuting related mishaps which landed me home after 8, when it was too dark for me to carry out my plan.

Friday *had* to be the day. I knew that although the clothes were hung in a way that was not easily reachable, a lot of time had passed since they were hung and chances were slim that they would still be there. If I had any chance of seeing them, I had to go that night!

I ran into my apartment Friday evening when I arrived in Greenpoint - changed super fast, grabbed the cruiser and then pedaled my little heart over the Pulaski Bridge to Queens. I biked under and along  the Queensboro Bridge on the south side of the street. I headed east till I hit 27th St. I found the Dunkin Donuts referenced in the article, pulled over, grabbed my camera and looked under the bridge.

This is what I saw:

If you're wondering where the clothes are, they are not there. The clothing line, and clothes, were gone. What you're looking at is just a view of the mess under the Queensboro Bridge.

I ran (with the cruiser) from the street to the island to inspect it further, and try to find any evidence of what had been there just days earlier. I think I actually spotted some of the 'laundry' because there are a few cotton articles that are very white, so they couldn't have been here as long as the rest of the trash:

Clearly, I waited too long and the piece was gone. :(

I wonder if the artist took it down deliberately, it was an act of nature, vandalism, removed by a city agency or just wasn't secured very well and fell down on its own. I will probably never know. But I hope this is only the first of many 'clean laundry' pieces.

Thanks again, Rowan. And if you (or anyone else) hears of a similar installment, let me know! Next time I will make sure I get there sooner!

(Oh and here's a gratuitous shot of the cruiser with a downed street sign. It's amazing how huge those signs are when you see them up close - they look so small when you see them from a moving vehicle!)