Simon Tan - The Nostalgic Astorian

Andrew Indellicati, a denizen of Brooklyn who was born and raised in Astoria, Queens, NY, has long documented the history of the city he calls home. Over the years, the gentrification throughout the city has upset this retired bus driver, who mostly isolates himself in his house where a flashlight serves as the main source of light. Nov. 2, 2023

Andrew Indellicati, an Astoria native born in the 1960s, is a denizen of Brooklyn.

As a retired bus driver, Indellicati has developed a hobby of collecting relics.

Every Friday night into the morning, Indellicati hosts a radio show called IN THE NIGHTIME starts at 2 a.m.

One of the things that concerns Indellicati, as he proceeds with his relic collection activities, is the gentrification happening around the NYC.

Gathering old road signs, artifacts and photos from different sources, Indellicati now owns more than 300 GB of photos featuring old railways, city buildings and music scores.

However, as a "tired people." Indellicati rarely goes outside. And he tends to keep the light down, using a flashlight to guide him around his own house.

Indellicati's son, Chris, a documentary maker, is considering shooting his dad a personal documentary. But the two fell off pretty often, according to both the father and the son. The walls of photos can't stop them.

Getting into his retirement, Andrew Indellicati has grown more silent than he used to be. But I'm really appreciative that he guided me to the right place in terms of my gentrification project.