Category: NY Environment

NY Environment

Reconnecting Washington Heights and the Bronx

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by vastateparksstaff
by vastateparksstaff

Finally, after decades of closure, the High Bridge linking Washington Heights and Highbridge is reopening. Built in 1848 it closed down in the 1970s and pedestrians were not able to make the move from these two neighborhoods. At the reopening, officials and community members were joined by Gale Brewer (Manhattan Borough President) and Ruben Diaz Jr. (Bronx Borough President). The two raised their hands yelling “Welcome to Manhattan.”

This is a great way of bringing families together. As Diaz said, “today this is about making sure that we’re not just joining Washington Heights and the Highbridge section of the Bronx physically, today is about joining families.”

What is great about this is that it is similar to the bridge as it was in the 1950s. Indeed, Sidney Horenstein crossed it during that time and said it is now “almost the same…save for the 8-foot protective fence, the benches and the light posts.”

Overall the feeling is that it is great that people can walk between these two neighborhoods now. The focus though probably has to move toward ensuring safety though.

 

NY Environment

MoMA Exhibition

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by The Coincidental Dandy
by The Coincidental Dandy

Between May 7 and August 16, visitors to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will be privy to an exhibition detailing the connection between east and west. China Through the Looking Glass is set to be one of MoMA’s largest exhibitions, and has taken nearly two years to put together. It shows guests the inspiration western designers found in all things Chinese. For example, Imperial Chinese costumes and military dress worn in the Cultural Revolution.

The title of the exhibition is a spin off from the 1871 novel “Through the looking Glass, and What Alice Found There,’ since it is focused on what one feels when they enter another world.

NY Environment

‘Tis the Season for…

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Central ParkNew York is a great place for travelers, and during springtime this is even more the case. Indeed, if one can only get to the Big Apple during the winter months, it is a bit of a shame as the cold weather can render the excellent sightseeing opportunities lost. So now that things have brightened up a bit, what is on the menu for both New Yorkers and tourists alike?

First off there is Central Park that simply cannot be missed during the springtime. Boasting an array of stunning colors through its blossoming flowers, it is the perfect place for a lazy Sunday picnic or romantic stroll. For wine lovers the Seneca Lake shores in Finger Lakes Wine Country provides one with a wonderful appreciation of the countryside that is so often missed by New Yorkers.

For those who cannot get enough of the city, shopping in New York is always a must. The springtime will offer the latest fashions for spring but there is also the flea markets that provide something a bit different. Be sure to make a stop there.

Environmentalists will love the outdoors during springtime in New York, with a special emphasis on birding that is a very popular hobby in NYC. And then for those who want to enjoy the aspect of the city that never sleeps, the nightlife is there all year round for their pleasure.

NY Environment

Beauty in Manhattan

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gherkinThere is so much concealed beauty in Manhattan. The city is not necessarily known for this – more4 spoken about is the happenings in the center of New York. But thanks to filmmakers Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky – who actually set out to do something quite different – this could be changing.
What the twosome did was walk the entire length of Manhattan from top to bottom, noting their discoveries of pockets of beauty for others to enjoy.
Beginning at 225th Street’s Broadway Bridgek, walking through Inwood, Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen, Gramercy, the West Village and more, the filmmakers completed their journey at Battery Park.
Here is their advice for those looking for beauty in Manhattan: A walk through Fort Tryon Park offers a great escape from busy urban life; United Palace Theatre which has a sign saying “come in, or smile as you pass” was “hopping with an incredibly diverse group of people” the day they arrived there. They feel like it is New York at its truest!
Next up Washington Heights that turns to Harlem that has 30-40 blocks sporting a very “interesting island [with] an elevated train… wide blocks, wide sidewalks and really lovely trees.” Then there is the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on Amsterdam Avenue and West 12th Street – one of the world’s largest cathedrals. If you’re getting hungry at this point, Koronet Pizza serves “ridiculously giant slices” and Jacob’s Pickles at West 84th Street is the pickle-lover’s haven.
There are a few other places on their list. But this makes a great start.

NY Environment

Transforming the Upper East Side?

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ny-highlineThere has been a push recently in New York’s Upper East Side to transform the area that houses a garbage dump.  Indeed, those in the neighborhood are working on transforming the quite unsightly garbage-transfer station into an attractive amenity.  So instead of residents having to face the garbage trucks, these will be relocated by a quarter-mile-long ramp and covered with a green walkway modeled after the High Line.  In addition, the station’s roof will become a park, akin to the sewage treatment plant along West Harlem’s Hudson River.

There’s no way of getting rid of the transfer station, so, making it into a building to enhance the neighborhood, is, according to board president overseeing the Asphalt Green Recreation Center next door, Andy Nussbaum, the next best thing, whereby people get to enjoy a “lovely park and outdoor space.”

In addition, the Sunset Park waterfront will complete its reconstruction and redevelopment.  Over the next month, New York will be completing Bush Terminal Piers Park construction, located between 43rd and 51st Streets.  It was back in 2006 that the transfer station was proposed by Michael Bloomberg in order to give authority to each borough to dispose its own garbage which would then be brought to the new facility and transferred to barges on the East River to be moved out of the state.  Now, it looks like it’s going to be moving to the Asphalt Green complex periphery.  According to Kathryn Garcia, Sanitation commissioner, they will push ahead with their “open dialogue with the community to find a reasonable, cost-effective solution to their concerns.”