Castles Made of Sand

Arthur Kill

rmichals — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:57:29 +0000

Last Tuesday, February 28, I went with Shauna Cantor, Jean Miele, and Tracy Jordan exploring along the Arthur Kill on the New Jersey side from Perth Amboy up to Port Reading. Just north of the Outerbridge Crossing, we made our first stop. After driving through a partially abandoned complex, we came to a working barge pier. On the south side of it was an old floating dry dock, now apparently being used for storage. Just north from this spot is the dock for the New Jersey Responder.

Arthur Kill, Perth Amboy, February 28, 2012

I was surprised by how clear the water was.

As we drove back out, we stopped to take a look around.

Perth Amboy, off State St., February 28, 2012

Tracy sent this article from the Amboy Guardian that states that a $90 million agreement has been made to develop this property.

off State ST., Perth Amboy, NJ, February 28, 2012

Just down State Street off of Maurer Rd. is the old Chevron Refinery. It was last used in 1983. I felt as if I was turning into one of the Bechers. Before I could indulge in this fantasy very deeply, a security guard came out and told us we couldn’t take pictures of the refinery. Considering we were standing on a public road and that this structure is fully visible on google maps, this was ridiculous. The rest of the facility now makes asphalt. In 2006, 31,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled by Chevron from this site into the Arthur Kill. The New Jersey Responder was part of the clean-up effort.

Chevron Refinery, Maurer Rd., Perth Amboy, NJ, February 28, 2012

Our next stop was in Sewaren Marine Park.

Sewaren Marine Park, Sewaren, NJ, February, 28, 2012

Then, in Port Reading, we discovered the McMyler Coal Unloader. Jean found this great write up on Flickr about it.

McMyler Coal Unloader, Port Reading, NJ, February 28, 2012

McMyler Coal Unloader rail pier, Port Reading, NJ, February 28, 2012

Just south of the coal unloader is an old sunken ferry.

Major General William H. Hart Ferry, Port Reading, NJ, February 28, 2012

This part of the Arthur Kill is predicted to widen by 2100 permanently inundating this area. The bulkhead is already challenged. This was about one half hour after high tide.

Port Reading, NJ, February 28, 2012

There are a couple of issues. How well protected is the oil infrastructure from disruption by increasingly severe storms and flooding? And how contaminated is the soil here and will that contamination get into the water when this land floods?

Hess Refinery, Port Reading, NJ, February 28, 2012

Baltimore

rmichals — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:22:41 +0000

This week I have heard two very interesting talks about climate change and sea level rise. The first was at the Center for Architecture titled Climate Change: Inevitable Challenges and Potential Opportunities. The main speaker was David Dixon, FAIA, Director of Urban Design, Goody Clancy, Boston, MA. While dense, urban design is certainly part of the solution to carbon emissions, I am not so sure of its efficacy in dealing with sea level rise. I like the idea that slr could be an opportunity for areas poorly served by urban planning in the past to be rebuilt. But I am not sure how realistic this is. Why would we suddenly get it right in Coney Island or the Rockaways after decades of getting it wrong? Then this morning, the BWRC hosted Klaus Jacob whose talk was titled Climate Change, Sea-Level Rise, and the Future of the Brooklyn Waterfront. Jacob projects that New York will experience 5 feet of sea level rise by 2100. He has much less faith the protection measures will work or will work in the long term. I think the point he made that these measures are very expensive and that the political will is not going to be there to pay for this for the coasts while the middle of the country will be struggling with its own climate change related problems is probably dead on. He was willing to say that maybe people will not be living in New Orleans in 100 years. And if that is the way of New Orleans, it is likely to be true of southern Brooklyn and Queens as well.

The day after the Center for Architecture talk, I went with my family to Baltimore for a few days. I have been wanting to check out the waterfront there in order to compare it to Brooklyn. Baltimore will of course also face sea level rise. However, the city is fairly far from the ocean. The tidal variations are much less than in New York harbor. That said the city is built right up to the water.

When I walked down the the Inner Harbor, I at first thought I was at the South Street Seaport.

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD, February, 18, 2012

But then I became intrigued by the completely different attitude expressed in the design to the water itself. It is not fenced off. You can touch it.

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD, February 18, 2012

There are no fences along the esplanade, just a series of poles marking the edges of the walkways.

Inner Harbor, Light Street side, Baltimore, MD, February 18, 2012

On the south side is Federal Hill Park.

Federal Hill Park, Baltimore, MD, February 18, 2012

There is a great view of the harbor from the top of Federal Hill park. Except for the power plant that now houses a Barnes and Noble, everything is new.

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD, February 18, 2012

On Monday morning, I went out to Canton Park which is on the north side of the harbor. It was a gray morning.

From Canton Park, Baltimore, MD, February 20, 2012

The waterfront walkway ends here. There is also a kayak/jet ski launch.

Canton Park, Baltimore, MD, February, 20, 2012

From Canton Park to Fells Point is essentially one long series of new waterfront condos. I was intrigued by one that was actually built out into the water on a pier. The first floor is a car park and the apartments begin on the second floor. In case of flooding it would be easy to move the cars.

Off Boston Street, Baltimore, MD, February 20, 2012

There is an old pier off of Maritime Park that made me think a little of Red Hook.

Maritime Park, Baltimore, MD, February 20, 2012

My favorite spot of all the places I found in Baltimore was Hull Street Park in Locust Point. It is right by some kind of fuel storage facility and has this odd Immigration Memorial. I have learned this was where immigrant ships were docked.

Baltimore Immigration Memorial, Hull Street, Baltimore, MD, February 20, 2012

This was the only place that I found that has a “natural” (whatever that means) edge to the water.

from Hull Street Park, Baltimore, MD, February 20, 2012

A water taxi stops here every fifteen minutes. On this holiday Monday, the passengers seemed to be kids and their parents looking for a free ride.

from Hull Street Park, Baltimore, MD, February, 20, 2012

Bayonne

rmichals — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:14:20 +0000

Bayonne is a great example of why sea level rise will have an impact on everyone in the metropolitan area no matter where you live. The parts of Bayonne that are predicted to face permanent inundation are primarily on its east coast where it houses energy infrastructure and two large fingers of landfill that jut out into the harbor that host a container port. (The northern one is is actually in Jersey City.) All of us depend on this infrastructure to create life as we know it.

Bayonne across the Kill Van Kull, January 16, 2012

Two tankers were in port when I was at Bard Avenue along the Kill Van Kull on Monday.

Mount Hope, tanker, Bayonne, NJ, January, 16, 2012

Altesse, tanker, Bayonne, NJ, January 16, 2012

Going north across Constable Hook after a number of tank farms, there is the Bayonne Golf Club. It is built on a former garbage dump. According to nbcsports in 2006, the
Initiation fee is $175,000 for locals and $75,000 for national or international members and then a member must pay $10,000 annual dues. I have seen the ferry that goes between Lower Manhattan and the golf course. I couldn’t make this up. The golf course is 100 feet above sea level, having been elevated with sludge from the harbor according to golfcoursegurus.com so no fear that you will lose your initiation fee because the course is under water.

Bayonne Golf Club Clubhouse, Constable Hool, Bayonne, NJ, January 18, 2012

Running along the north side of the golf course is a section of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. I learned about this walkway by going on a walk through Bayonne last April offered by Shorewalkers led by Craig Nunn. He is extremely knowledgeable about New Jersey history. If you get a chance to go on one of his walks, I highly recommend it.

Pretty much everything that you can see across the water from the walkway faces the challenge of sea level rise. Lets start with Alexan CityViews.

Bayonne, NJ, January 18, 2012

Looking at google maps, this apartment complex wasn’t even built yet when they took the satellite photo of this area. It is isolated from other residential areas and shopping on the west by route 440. On the east extends the pier. I noticed a fair amount of truck traffic. Reviews on yelp are not good.

This apartment complex is at the western base of a long man-made rectangular finger of land that was once called MOTBY-Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne and has been renamed The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor. At the end are the Cape Liberty Cruise Port, Bayonne Dry Dock and Repair Corp. and the Tear of Grief 9/11 memorial. There is a remnant of MOTBY on the water tower.

Here you can see the cranes of Global Marine Terminal.

Global Marine Terminal, Jersey City, NJ, January 18, 2012

As I was out on this section of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, I saw a Bald Eagle. I have seen them before in New Mexico but never here in the east. I thought at first it was a very large gull. It was carrying a rat. I have to admit I am still a bit amazed. I read at the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife that there are now over 100 pairs of Bald Eagles in New Jersey. Good news.

Bald Eagle, Constable Hook, Bayonne, NJ, January 18, 2012

Sunset Park-Bush Terminal

rmichals — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:38:06 +0000

On Friday, I took a walk around the Bush Terminal with Sean McGoldrick who knows this complex well. We started at 39th Street.

39th Street and 2nd Avenue, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, December 30, 2011

As you look along 39th Street, I think you get a sense of the mixed state of development of the Bush Terminal, much of it now known as Industry City. From left to right, 168 39th Street has been renovated and is partially occupied, 80 39th Street has not been renovated and is partially occupied and 52 39th Street is abandoned.

It is from 39th St to 53rd street east of 1st Avenue that the Coastal Resilience map predicts the greatest damage from sea level rise. Climatealtas predicts a slightly different scenario with damage all along the pier areas from 54th to 26th. Either way, Sunset Park’s deep water, that in many ways is a great asset, will need to be considered.

Here is 52 39th St from the other side looking north.

52 39th Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, December 30, 2011

Here you can see how the building is built out into the water which would have been fantastic for shipping whatever one made or stored in 52.

South side of 52 39th Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

South of 52 is this building.

40th Street, Bush Terminal, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

Out from it extends the one pier that does not appear to be included in any redevelopment plans.

40th Street, Upper New York Bay, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

The next pier as you go south is slated for cement production according to the Brooklyn CB7 197-A plan.

Bush Perminal Pier 6, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

43rd Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

All of what we had seen so far seemed more or less as it had been the last time I had been here in the summer of 2009. But looking south, things are really in the process of transformation.

Bush Terminal Piers Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

Work was ongoing even on this Friday before the New Year holiday weekend. It is already possible to get a sense of how lovely it will be. It looks like it could be ready to open this year but I can’t find a confirmation of this.

Bush Terminal Piers Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

At least it must have been relatively easy to get clean dirt to the site.

Bush Terminal Piers Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

The views of course will be spectacular. From here you can see the Goldman Sacks Tower in Jersey City.

Bush Terminal Piers Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

And of course Lower Manhattan.

Bush Terminal Piers Park, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

Bush Terminal Piers, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

Then we walked south and went into some of the Industry City buildings. From the top of one that was particularly nicely renovated, we could see out over the Southern Brooklyn Marine Terminal. The Axis Group looks like they are already storing a few cars here. And on the far pier it looks like the new recycling facility is underway.

Southern Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Brooklyn, NY, December 30, 2011

Randall’s Island

rmichals — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:23:26 +0000

I have gone to the combined Randall-Ward’s Island twice in the last few weeks. The edges of Randall’s Island will be slightly eroded by sea level rise but my real interest here was the thought that I could get a view of the shoreline of East Harlem and the Bronx as well as the big power plant in Astoria all of which are predicted to suffer some inundation. I also have very fond memories of bicycling on the island in the 60s with my family which added to my interest in photographing here. The warm fuzzy nostalgia was quickly eroded when I got off the M35 at what is now the the Charles Gay Assessment Shelter/Clarke Thomas Men’s Shelter, 234 beds, the Keener Men’s Shelter, 292 beds and the Schwartz Men’s Shelter, 335 beds. (info from the Coalition for the Homeless website.) The first is run by HelpUSA and the other two by Volunteers of America. It seems that the Koch adminstration first put an emergency shelter here. This NYT article from 1981 says that homeless men prefer the Ward’s Island shelter to one in the Catskills that was being used at the time. For a different view of the shelters, scroll down on this page of city-data to the post by wearemightierthanthesword written in October of this year.

When I got off the bus, I thought I could get down to the water by walking down the road between the shelter buildings and the Psychiatric Center. In fact, there are fences to prevent any cross over. Then I tried walking between the buildings only to find more fences. Finally, I started out under the Triborough Bridge overpass towards the east side of the island and a man approached me to ask if I was lost. I admitted that I was. He said, “You must be looking for the Tennis Center!” Never having even heard of the Tennis Center, I replied, “Yes, how do I get there?” Given the evident misery in the men around me since I had gotten on the bus, my actual purpose in being there seemed irrelevant. This experience made me question what I am doing. Not sure what to do with this yet.

I followed the man’s directions and ended up on Randall’s Island by the Tennis Center. As described in New York’s Other Islands by Sharon Seitz and Stuart Miller, Randall’s Island has been transformed by Karen Cohen’s Randall’s Island Sports Foundation.

Tennis Center, Randall's Island, NY, NY, December 19, 2011

There has been some wetlands restoration in the area where I assume Randall’s and Ward’s Islands were once separated by water.

Randall-Ward's Island, NY, NY, December 8, 2011

There is a great view of the Astoria power plant complex from behind the Tennis Center.

ConEd Astoria LNG Plant, Queens, NY, December 8, 2011

The train trestle is quite lovely.

Randall's Island, NY, NY, December 8, 2011

Randall/s Island, NY, NY, December 8, 2011

This week, I went back accompanied by my friend and photographer, Nina Young. The clouds rolled in more or less as we arrived. We explored the Bronx Kill before it was just too dark and sullen to continue. In the Bronx, we could see an encampment outside the New York Post fence by the water.

Bronx, Ny, from Randall's Island, NY, NY, December 19, 2011

The Bronx Kill is very narrow. This was near high tide. The water was coming in. Signs mark this as a protected wetland.

Bronx Kill, Randall's Island, NY, NY, December 19, 2011

There is ongoing work including on this bridge which looks very different than it did in this blog post which I am going to guess was 2009.

Randall's Island, NY, NY, December 19, 2011

The water was very clear.

Bronx Kill, NY, December 19, 2011

Much of what is on the Bronx side makes a strong contrast to the manicured playing fields of the new Randall’s Island.

Bronx Kill, NY, December 19, 2011

At the end of the Bronx Kill where it meets the Harlem River on the Bronx side is predicted to be permanently inundated by 2100. Given what is there now, I doubt anyone will care.

The Bronx Kill from Randall's Island, NY, NY, December 19, 2011

Bergen Beach

rmichals — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:51:56 +0000

Last Monday, I went to a spot in Bergen Beach along Paedergat Basin off of Avenue V with Will Elkins who has put together the New York City Lighter Log, for which he collected over 1900 plastic disposable lighters from waterfront sites. This spot in Bergen Beach had the highest total of lighters found.