Gowanus By Water Taxi
[nggallery id=”22290″ template=galleryview] Yesterday morning the Center for the Urban Environment sponsored a Water Taxi tour of the Gowanus Canal. The ride was an incredible opportunity to see Gowanus landmarks like the canal’s series of bridges and the fallow Whole Foods site from a new vantage point. Dan Wiley, Community Coordinator for Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez,…
[nggallery id=”22290″ template=galleryview]
Yesterday morning the Center for the Urban Environment sponsored a Water Taxi tour of the Gowanus Canal. The ride was an incredible opportunity to see Gowanus landmarks like the canal’s series of bridges and the fallow Whole Foods site from a new vantage point. Dan Wiley, Community Coordinator for Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, was the guide. Wildlife sightings included a jellyfish, an egret, and a canal-side photo shoot. The Center for the Urban Environment has Urban Tours almost every weekend, and the next one involving a Water Taxi will be of the Newtown Creek.
Urban Tour Schedule [Center for the Urban Environment]
1:53= biff
Nokilissa – I took the Ferry on opening day from Wall St – Red Hook then took the Ikea shuttle to Park Slope – it was great – it took me about 1hr (door to door) vs. 40min (door to door) by subway but of course it was free and the sights are insane!
It was so good that I took it home the rest of the week and will continue to do so whenever possible.
The key to it is “a schedule” – for years I have tried to make use of the NY Water Taxi (used to live near Dumbo) but it never worked b/c the schedule was so infrequent, never followed and canceled without notice) but since Ikea is paying – so far – NY Watertaxi is reliable to the printed times (critical for commuting).
My observations on Ikea et al – the traffic wasnt bad (I could see by way of the bus as well as a trip to Fairway by car on Sat), Ikea also has a billion people working to move traffic and get people into parking spots quickly. I do not know if they are going to keep this many people at this but so far I was impressed, much more organized, coordinated and friendly then your typical Brooklyn operation.
The park they built is very nice (especially if you arrive by boat), although frankly given where it is (at the end of RH) I think they would be doing everyone (and themselves) a favor if they offered a Snack Bar or something at the Pier – Its a long way for most people to drive/boat/bus to, to simply sit and look at the water. Also some events should be planned to expose people to the park.
My overall impression is that this will be a big plus for Red Hook and many of the concerns while valid are way overblown and if Ikea lives up to its commitments and the bar they have set – people will generally be happy.
Thank you 1:48. You took care of the reply I was conjuring for the funny, ha-ha, pixie dust guest.
Every means of transportation pollutes (you emit CO2 when walking as well) but a 75 passenger ferry is alot more ‘green’ then driving 75 cars into manhattan.
I like the way you’re thinking 11:40/1:29 (same?) It is a great transport option to explore and open up. If it really took off, structural changes could be addressed.
By the way, how did Red Hook feel? What was traffic like, if you saw or noticed?
i’n not really sure how this is “green”, 11:40, since water taxis do pollute (powered by organic pixie dust?).
I believe if you had a ‘pickup” at/near 3rd Ave and 3rd St as well as near the Lowes – there is only one bridge that is a factor (9th St) and if the bridge can be raised to accommodate sightseeing trips – it really shouldn’t be so hard to accommodate commuters
BTW I am not saying that it is ‘likely’ – but rather it is a IMHO a way to open up more transportation alternatives and make an undeserved are a more accessible and given how much interest there is by developers and retailers in Gowanus – it should be possible to make them pay for it (and for which I think they will reap enormous benefit)
Uh, guest 11:40, that would not work (or is at least unlikely) because you have to raise bridges to get through the canal. And this stops traffic. I took this tour years ago and it was a lot of fun, btw. They had to arrange in advance to have someone work the drawbridge.
Gowanus jellyfish = used condom