Journalism & the Sea

So Walter Cronkite used to take a tugboat out to fancy ships to interview celebrities before they docked.

The term “anchor,” came about because of Cronkite: when he led the coverage of the Democratic and Republican Conventions, the director of television news referred to Cronkite as an anchor, because he held the ship (or the event, as this metaphor goes) in place.

South Boston's Waterfront

The Courthouse Station on the Silver line.




I believe this is the Northern Avenue Bridge.






The IAC.


I really like this picture of Kayley.

East River Power

I like this idea of using rivers as power sources, because it makes perfect sense. The currents of the East River are very, very strong, reaching up to maybe 2.5 knots at low tide. I don' t have my handy tide chart, otherwise I'd know exactly what it is. While rowing during low tide, if you're rowing with the current, you barely have to row at all--the water just moves you along. Rowing against the tide, though, is a struggle.

Flags of Jones Beach

Relief

The MIT Boathouse at the Charles River in Boston.

Chasing New York City's Waterfalls, Brooklyn-Rail Style

My photo essay in the upcoming July/August issue of the Brooklyn Rail. Click the image to see the full version.

Chasing New York's Waterfalls

The Waterfalls under the Brooklyn Bridge.

In New York City, you can find cascading waterfalls right in the middle of the East River. This sounds impossible in the city, but of course, these aren’t natural waterfalls. Instead of falling from cliffs or mountains, these waters churn from metal structures—but at least the water’s real.

The waterfalls are part of Dutch and Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s current exhibit: The New York City Waterfalls, unveiled on June 26. The four waterfalls are located throughout New York Harbor: Under the Brooklyn Bridge, between Pier 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, on Pier 35 in Manhattan and along the north shore of Governors Island.

Courtesy of New York Water Taxi’s “Unofficial” Tour, I was able to check out the waterfalls, as well as the rest of New York Harbor, and learn about New York’s history a bit more. Launching from South Street Seaport’s Pier 17, the four waterfalls could be seen. Before we saw the waterfalls up close, we explored the rest of New York Harbor first. Our guide pontificated on the origins of Battery Park City, the Hudson River, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge Park.


The Waterfalls at Governors Island.

The metal structures resemble scaffolding, stirring up imagery of New York City construction. Using intake filter pools located in front of the waterfall, East River water is collected without harming fish. The pump sucks the water to the top of the scaffolding. The water falls down into the East River through a filter that resembles a cheese grater and creates the frothy waterfalls-look. Around each waterfall is black piping to deter boaters and swimmers from approaching too closely. At night, the Waterfalls will be lit up with LED lights powered by renewable energy. The heights of the Waterfalls vary slightly from 90 to 120 feet tall, mimicking New York’s skyline.


A close-up of the Waterfalls under the Brooklyn Bridge.

New York City is surrounded by water, and Eliasson wants New Yorkers to become aware of their aqueous environment. With that, you have the waterfalls, which showcase New York’s relationship and proximity to the water.

“In developing The New York City Waterfalls, I have tried to work with today’s complex notion of public spaces,” Eliasson said in a press release. “The Waterfalls appear in the midst of the dense social, environmental and political tissue that makes up the heart of New York City. They will give people the possibility to reconsider their relationship to the spectacular surroundings, and I hope to evoke experiences that are both individual and engage a sense of collectivity.”


The Waterfalls at Pier 35 in Manhattan.

The Public Art Fund and the City and State of New York, and especially Mayor Michael Bloomberg, pushed for these temporary exhibits throughout the city.

Eliasson describes his inspiration as coming “from natural elements and phenomena to create sculptures and installations that evoke sensory experiences.” He often plays with light and water in his works, such as the Green river in different Asian, American and European cities.

Eliasson is also featured at the Museum of Modern Art and P.S. 1 with his exhibit Take your time, a retrospective of his works, including new pieces.
Plans for the waterfalls began in March, 2006 and construction started in March, 2008.The Waterfalls will run through October 13, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m, except on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.


The Waterfalls under the Brooklyn Bridge at night.

Hudson River Rowing

I just wanted to share some rowing pictures because I haven't been in a very writerly mood lately.






This picture was taken on an earlier excursion to Maxwell House Beach (also known to Pier 40 folk as Playa de Hoboken). We found this abandoned boat that we wanted to take back with us, but there was a hole. Still, it was a cool looking boat.

Motorboat, Bengali-style

In the Naf River, back in January.

Bits: Viva Egypt, Sinking Bengali Ferries and Romanian Traffic Cops/Ballerinas

Cairo, Egypt--1950. Photo from Slate.

1.

"Egypt Independent" from Slate

In celebration of Egypt's independence from the British Empire, Slate posted pictures of Egypt through the years and it looks amazing.

2.

"Thirty-one dead as Bangladesh ferry sinks" & "Chronology - Bangladesh ferry disaster" from Reuters

Because of the recent ferry accident near Dhaka, Reuters decided to compile a list of all the ferry accidents in Bangladesh, which is sort of strange and interesting.

3.

"All the jam's a stage for Romanian traffic police" by Kate Connolly, from the Guardian

So Romanian traffic cops in Timisoara have to take ballet lessons in order to become more graceful and to calm angry drivers, giving them something to enjoy while stuck in traffic or behind red lights. There really is nothing more to say about it.

The Corals of St. Martin's

Port of Chittagong

Water, Water, Filthy Water

Look at all that water flowing into one of the rivers of Dhaka.

When my family and I went to Bangladesh back in 1995, we weren't as cautious about what we ate and drank as we should've. Remember, Bangladesh is a still-developing country, and its water system isn't exactly all that great. So, we all got very sick at various times, being shuttled back and forth between various doctors because our immune system, to used to the American way, couldn't handle the Bengali way.

This time, my dad, after making sure we all had our shots, made sure that we drank nothing but either bottled water that we could trust (because who knows what people put in bottles, slap a label on it and call it "safe") and cooled, boiled water. Our dishes were even washed in boiled water and we didn't drink water at other peoples' houses if they didn't know our requirements.

I talked to Rob about this yesterday and he told me about the first time he visited Pakistan. He went with two "germaphobes" (his word), a doctor and someone else I can't remember right now. They'd wash their hands and scrub down everything, in fears of catching something horrible. This got on Rob's nerves so one day while they were eating in a restaurant, Rob ordered an entire pitcher of tap water and drank it by himself. He was later rewarded with amoebic dysentery.


Imagine drinking that.