So long, waterfalls!

Love 'em or hate 'em, their outta here! Since early July, anyone walking, driving or floating around the New York waterfront saw the bewildering visage of a clutter of scaffolding perched on the water's edge, while a torrent of water flowed down from the top. the Waterfalls On New York was a public art display utilizing four man made waterfalls pumping water from the East River.

Okay, so they worked 5 out of 7 days a week, and when viewed on a windy day, they looked like someone's overflowing bathtub. They were kind of neat to see at night, and, supposedly, they generated some $150 million in revenue for the city, by spurring tourism, hot dog sales, coffee purchases, etc., etc. One big plus is that you didn't see people walking around wearing annoying foam "waterfall" hats, akin to those seen coming off of the Liberty Island ferry.


For a while, they caused quite a commotion. As an excursion boat captain, I got to hear numerous opinions on them. Most frequently, there were "oohs" and "aahhs" when people marveled at them from a distance. However, upon bringing the people up close to these structures, most started shrugging and asking the person next to them, "Is that all there is to them?" A favorite question by one part spectator was, (and you better believe this) "Are these waterfalls man-made?"

I guess one person's waterfall is another person's construction scaffold. But it's okay. Sometimes I think any attention to the waterfront can lead to good things.

So today I saw a crane being nudged up alongside the Governor's Island waterfall tower, as they begin dismantling the structures. Hardly a day was wasted, as they wrapped up their display this past Monday.

Now it appears that attention is being diverted to the planned creation of "Brooklyn Bridge Park," which is to convert piers 7-11 along the waterfront of Brooklyn Heights, to a public recreation area and greenway. But tonight it's too late to weigh in on what I feel is the latest move in strangling what could be a viable industrial waterfront. I'm saving up my steam for the next post, so stick around!