I was delighted to be included in the New York City Department of Sanitation’s “Instameet” at the Spring Street Salt Shed and Garage. I figured the focus of an “Instameet” would be on taking (and sharing) photos, but it was more of a limited tour with a few photo ops. Not complaining, just explaining why I wasn’t prepared to scribble notes.

We started off on the roof of the sanitation garage on the north side of Spring. I got a laugh when they told us that the mechanicals were hidden behind slatted fences so as not to bother the residential neighbors—who don’t exactly return the favor. And my friend Andrea, also on the tour, says that the reason the sedum planted on the roof may not need much fertilizing is because goose poop was abundant. Nice to know that the geese haven’t been priced out of the neighborhood.

The east side of the roof is sloped because that’s where the ramps are.

Also, I loved the aerial view of the Salt Shed.

Then we went to the fifth floor, where we split our time in the office area (we learned a lot about the process by which DSNY staffers are allocated to various jobs) and in the garage itself, while standing next to a truck outfitted with a snowplow. The organizers handed out “NYC recycling” and “NYC organics” buttons, which put Andrea and me in a bind: Accepting them was the gracious thing to do, but we didn’t plan on wearing them, ever, and throwing them away is at odds with the DSNY’s big “zero waste” mission. Anyone want a button?

While at the office area, the organizers insisted we not take photos inside the actual garage, but then everyone totally ignored that, so I took one, too. I hate being left out even more than I hate breaking rules. Anyway, it’s a garage with trucks in it, and if you wanted to blow up a city building, you could probably find a better target elsewhere.

Two final garage-related infobits that were news to me. First, before the garage was built, UPS used the land as a parking lot for its trucks; as part of the deal with the city, the company gets the ground floor. Second, at night, the building appears to be lit up in various colors, but those aren’t LEDs—that’s just light reflecting off the interior walls, which are painted red, green, yellow, etc. Each floor gets its own color, and there appear to be two floors of green in the photo below because the office areas have locker rooms tucked above them on a mezzanine level.

Next: the shed. I love this building! But you knew that. I geeked out on the control panels embedded in the exterior, and I was delighted by how much the salt reminded me of Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park.

But even a fan of the shed might have to admit that the best part is what you can observe from the street. I guess I hadn’t been over there in a while, because this was the first time I’d seen the “illuminated moat.” Now I just need to get there at night….