"On The Waterfront": Andrew Rice Of The New York Times Writes About Gowanus

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photo credit:
An Evening View From the Union Street Bridge

By Jose Gaytan For The New York Times

Make sure to read Andrew Rice's excellent article on the Gowanus Canal's past, present and future in the New York Times. It will appear in print in the newspaper's magazine section on Sunday, but is available in print now.

New York Times, October 21, 2009

THE GOWANUS CANAL runs one and a half miles through brownstone Brooklyn, cutting a disreputable gash between two of the most desirable residential neighborhoods in New York City. Sunken below street level, no more than 100 feet across at most points, the canal does not really flow — it skulks. On sunny days, its waters take a greenish hue and are clear enough to afford glimpses of rotting bulkhead timbers, mud-caked tires and other submerged detritus. When it’s overcast, the water turns an inert gray. In the lawless old days, industries along the canal’s banks fouled it with all kinds of pollution. Today, the canal is mostly disused, a corridor of warehouses and razor wire, and the most enduring reminders of its colorful past emanate from several underground deposits of coal tar, which belch up oily bubbles. The residue forms a prismatic sheen on the canal’s surface, reflecting shimmering visions of the landscape.
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PS: The accompanying photo is from photographer Jose Gaytan. To see his Gowanus series, go to www.josegaytan.com