I went to catch the M60 bus yesterday, and the city has dressed up the traffic island on Astoria Boulevard–I think it’s optimistically named Christopher Columbus Square–with some planters.

What’s in them? The usual decorative cabbage, but also: chili plants!

I deemed the planters a safe distance from the club across the street–no one would really stagger across five lanes of traffic to come pee on these plants, would they? Passersby pretended not to notice my snipping off some sprigs from each plant. (Well, and also hacking at the stem of the tougher plant with the edge of my house key.)

As I was clutching my extemporaneous bouquet and waiting for the bus, I noticed an anti-Columbus Day flyer stuck to the post. So, was stealing New World food from Columbus Square a power-to-the-people move, or just perpetuating European exploitation? Discuss.

The setting is quintessential (by which I mean fugly) Queens:

That’s the sprawling expressway, and the Jim & Paul Halvatzis billboard in the back. (Sadly, the angle was all wrong to work in Lattos, Lattos & DiPippo.)

And there’s the N line, and the train just coming into view.