View allAll Photos Tagged Bridges_and_Tunnel
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski with falcon.Two baby boys and one baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Throgs Neck Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
As part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Veteran Corps of Artillery fired a 50-gun salute, with howitzers on both the Brooklyn and Staten Island sides of the Narrows.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
청천강다리의 초소.
In a strangely pointless exercise, railway bridges and tunnels in the DPRK are guarded by gun-toting female soldiers.
Persistent Toll Violator vehicles interdicted by MTA Bridges & Tunnels at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge on Thursday, Feb 9, 2023.
(Aaron Donovan / MTA)
New York City- Joint Task Force Empire Shield (JTF-ES) during recent patrols at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.
JTF -ES is the state’s standing military organization that plans and prepares for defense support to civil authority missions throughout the New York City area and is jointly staffed with Army and Air National Guard personnel along with members of the New York Naval Militia and New York Guard.
The service members on JTF-ES augment the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Police at Penn Station, Grand Central Station in New York City and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD) at John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports, the New State Police and the Tunnel Bridge and Toll Authority (TBTA) at the various bridges and tunnels in the New York City area.
Joint Task Force Empire Shield is constantly planning to meet security threats in conjunction with New York State and municipal emergency and security managements, providing surge forces much more rapidly for New York City law enforcement and first responders. Division of Military and Naval Affairs Photos by New York Guard Captain Mark Getman.
The 50th running of the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. MTA Bridges and Tunnels personnel at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
"Old Elbe Tunnel or St. Pauli Elbe Tunnel (German: Alter Elbtunnel (coll.) or St. Pauli Elbtunnel (official name)) which opened in 1911, is a pedestrian and vehicle tunnel in Hamburg, Germany. The 426 m (1,398 ft) long tunnel was a technical sensation; 24 m (80 ft) beneath the surface, two tubes with 6 m (20 ft) diameter connect central Hamburg with the docks and shipyards on the south side of the river Elbe. This meant a big improvement for tens of thousands of workers in one of the busiest harbors in the world.
Four huge lifts on either side of the tunnel carried pedestrians, carriages and motor vehicles to the bottom. They are still in operation, though due to the limited capacity by today's standards, other bridges and tunnels have been built and taken over most of the traffic.
In 2008 approx 300.000 cars, 63.000 bicycles and 700.000 pedestrians used the tunnel. The tunnel is opened 24 hours for pedestrians and bicycles."
Source: wikipedia.org
(more details later, as time permits)
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You probably think that you already know everything that you need to know about the Central Park reservoir. After all, everyone has heard of New York City, and most people (except the residents of certain boroughs that we won't mention by name) assume that "New York City" means "Manhattan." And if you've heard of Manhattan, then you've heard of Central Park ... and if you know about Central Park, then you know about the reservoir in the middle of the park. What more is there to know?
Well, actually, there's a lot you should know, beginning with the fact that its official name is now "The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir," in honor of the late widow of President John Kennedy. But you can call it the Central Park Reservoir, because that was its original name, and that's what most of us here still do call it. (We also insist on calling the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge by its original moniker, "the Triboro Bridge," but who knows how long that will last.)
More importantly, it's not even a reservoir any more ... or, to be more precise, it became a "decommissioned" reservoir in 1993, when it was deemed obsolete because of a new water-main under 79th Street that connected to the Third Water Tunnel. (There was also some concern that the reservoir might eventually become contaminated because of the nasty habit of the rowdy bridge-and-tunnel crowd -- aka visitors from New Jersey, Long Island, and other 'burbs -- to pee in the reservoir after getting thoroughly sloshed on green beer and Ripple wine every St. Patrick's Day. But we don't really like to talk about that, because they eventually go home, and we make a lot of money from the event.)
So basically, the Central Park so-called reservoir is just a big pond with a billion gallons of water (give or take a gallon or two), with colorful Kanzan cherry trees along one section, a bunch of rhododendrons along another section, and lots of animals (mallards, Canadian geese, coots, loons, cormorants, wood ducks, raccoons, grebes, herons, and egrets) who hang out in the general area. It also has a 1.58-mile jogging path, which means that you can almost always find dozens of people jogging, walking, or racing around the park; and only the cynics would remind you that game show host Jack Barry died while jogging around the reservoir in 1984.
You might think that the reservoir was originally a pond or a small lake, or that it was fed and replenished by some kind of underground stream. But in fact, the reservoir was built during the period of 1858-1862 by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, as part of the overall design of Central Park. It was never a source of water itself, nor was it a "collecting" reservoir; its purpose instead was to receive water from upstate New York, via the Croton Aqueduct, and distribute it to the thirsty residents of Manhattan. All of that predated the work of Olmstead and Vaux; the Croton aqueduct was begun in 1837, and began delivering water to New York City in 1842.
So much for the history of the place. Like I said, it's basically just a big pond in the middle of Manhattan; but it happens to be a very beautiful place, especially with the skyline of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, and central Manhattan so visible from different vantage points. During the brief week or two that the cherry trees are in blossom, it's almost as beautiful as the famous stretch of trees in Washington; and it's a peaceful place for a stroll throughout the spring, summer, and fall. It's even beautiful in the dead of winter, when much of the water has frozen over, and when the jogging path is basically empty...
On three consecutive days in mid-to-late August, I walked around the reservoir with my camera, doing my best to capture some of the peaceful beauty, as well as the activity of the joggers and walkers and tourists. On the first day, I walked clockwise around the reservoir -- because everyone else was following the posted rules, and was running/walking counter-clockwise, which made it easier for me to photograph them. Then I came back the next day and walked the circumference again, but this time in the officially-sanctioned counter-clockwise direction. And then I decided that all of the still photos had failed to capture the beauty of the fountain that sprays a plume of water high into the air, as well as the constant motion of all those joggers and walkers ... so I came back for a third lap around the park, but this time with my camera set to "video" instead of "still." I've done my best to winnow all of the photos and videos down to a representative set; but to truly appreciate the beauty of the place, you'll have to come back and see it for yourself.
By the way, don't ask me what a grebe is. I have no idea, and I can only hope that I haven't stepped on one by mistake as I've walked around the reservoir from time to time...
This is the path that leads along the eastern side of the reservoir. It's also where the cherry trees are located; to see what that looks like, that a look at this photo, which I shot in 2005 with a simple point-and-shoot pocket camera. The view here is looking north; Fifth Avenue is about a block to the right of this photo...
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You probably think that you already know everything that you need to know about the Central Park reservoir. After all, everyone has heard of New York City, and most people (except the residents of certain boroughs that we won't mention by name) assume that "New York City" means "Manhattan." And if you've heard of Manhattan, then you've heard of Central Park ... and if you know about Central Park, then you know about the reservoir in the middle of the park. What more is there to know?
Well, actually, there's a lot you should know, beginning with the fact that its official name is now "The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir," in honor of the late widow of President John Kennedy. But you can call it the Central Park Reservoir, because that was its original name, and that's what most of us here still do call it. (We also insist on calling the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge by its original moniker, "the Triboro Bridge," but who knows how long that will last.)
More importantly, it's not even a reservoir any more ... or, to be more precise, it became a "decommissioned" reservoir in 1993, when it was deemed obsolete because of a new water-main under 79th Street that connected to the Third Water Tunnel. (There was also some concern that the reservoir might eventually become contaminated because of the nasty habit of the rowdy bridge-and-tunnel crowd -- aka visitors from New Jersey, Long Island, and other 'burbs -- to pee in the reservoir after getting thoroughly sloshed on green beer and Ripple wine every St. Patrick's Day. But we don't really like to talk about that, because they eventually go home, and we make a lot of money from the event.)
So basically, the Central Park so-called reservoir is just a big pond with a billion gallons of water (give or take a gallon or two), with colorful Kanzan cherry trees along one section, a bunch of rhododendrons along another section, and lots of animals (mallards, Canadian geese, coots, loons, cormorants, wood ducks, raccoons, grebes, herons, and egrets) who hang out in the general area. It also has a 1.58-mile jogging path, which means that you can almost always find dozens of people jogging, walking, or racing around the park; and only the cynics would remind you that game show host Jack Barry died while jogging around the reservoir in 1984.
You might think that the reservoir was originally a pond or a small lake, or that it was fed and replenished by some kind of underground stream. But in fact, the reservoir was built during the period of 1858-1862 by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, as part of the overall design of Central Park. It was never a source of water itself, nor was it a "collecting" reservoir; its purpose instead was to receive water from upstate New York, via the Croton Aqueduct, and distribute it to the thirsty residents of Manhattan. All of that predated the work of Olmstead and Vaux; the Croton aqueduct was begun in 1837, and began delivering water to New York City in 1842.
So much for the history of the place. Like I said, it's basically just a big pond in the middle of Manhattan; but it happens to be a very beautiful place, especially with the skyline of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, and central Manhattan so visible from different vantage points. During the brief week or two that the cherry trees are in blossom, it's almost as beautiful as the famous stretch of trees in Washington; and it's a peaceful place for a stroll throughout the spring, summer, and fall. It's even beautiful in the dead of winter, when much of the water has frozen over, and when the jogging path is basically empty...
On three consecutive days in mid-to-late August, I walked around the reservoir with my camera, doing my best to capture some of the peaceful beauty, as well as the activity of the joggers and walkers and tourists. On the first day, I walked clockwise around the reservoir -- because everyone else was following the posted rules, and was running/walking counter-clockwise, which made it easier for me to photograph them. Then I came back the next day and walked the circumference again, but this time in the officially-sanctioned counter-clockwise direction. And then I decided that all of the still photos had failed to capture the beauty of the fountain that sprays a plume of water high into the air, as well as the constant motion of all those joggers and walkers ... so I came back for a third lap around the park, but this time with my camera set to "video" instead of "still." I've done my best to winnow all of the photos and videos down to a representative set; but to truly appreciate the beauty of the place, you'll have to come back and see it for yourself.
By the way, don't ask me what a grebe is. I have no idea, and I can only hope that I haven't stepped on one by mistake as I've walked around the reservoir from time to time...
At the direction of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, MTA Bridges and Tunnels closed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel at 2 p.m. on Monday, October 29, 2012, in advance of Hurricane Sandy.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
9-11
We were there.
We lived in NY; upstate, about 50 miles from The City, and my wife owned a gift store in the Bronx and commuted daily.
I remember that morning as if it had happened today. We got up for our early morning walk…what a beautiful fall day it was. Everyone commented on the stunning blue sky and the beauty of the day. We also noticed that there was a strange stillness in the air, like the calm before the storm, and people commented on that, too: It was so still and quiet that morning. It was a portent of things to come.
I saw my Beloved off to work and planned to catch up on some chores around the house. Before that, however, as was my custom in the mornings, I spent some time in meditation and prayer, ironically enough sending thoughts and hopes and prayers out for…world peace…
It was while I was in the middle of chores that I heard the front door unlock and open. There was my wife with the strangest look on her face. “Honey, are you okay? Are you sick?” I asked her.
“You haven’t heard, have you?”
“Heard what?” I asked.
“The World Trade Center towers have been attacked. They’re gone.”
When the attack had occurred she had wisely closed up shop and come home. How many more people would have made it out of the towers alive if they had obeyed their first instincts and ran instead of listening to those in authority tell them that everything was okay, to return to their desks and go back to work. People, if shit is hitting the fan, don’t stay around to be splattered with it; get the hell out of there, fast!
I turned on the TV and we sat there in shock along with the rest of our country and the world. What in hell do we do now? Do we go out to eat? Do we change channels? Is it okay to watch something else besides bodies plummeting from the sky as people jumped rather than burned? Suddenly Three’s Company re-runs didn’t make a hell of a lot of sense to watch at the time.
I can’t begin to explain to you the rage that burned within me then, and still burns within me now. Get over it? Move on? Move forward? Move past it? You delude yourself. I will never forget; and I will never forgive. Those that pretend to do otherwise are cowards and fodder for bullies. They also bury their heads in the sand and pretend that things are okay, that the enemy can be “understood,” or “placated,” or “lived with,” that with enough tolerance and cultural understanding things will be okay. They won’t.
The nightmare continued, and my wife took some days off of work. When she finally decided to go back into the Bronx and open up the store she asked and I simultaneously told her that I was going with her. No way would I let her enter the city alone! If there was another attack at least we’d be together. We made it a few miles and then discovered that the highways had traffic jams miles and miles and miles long, and that it would probably take us the entire day to make it the short 50 miles into the city, and we turned around and went back home.
When we were finally able to make it back into the city and open up shop there were the inevitable stories that the rest of the nation saw on TV and in the newspapers: the memorials, etc. But it was how daily life had changed in its details that most people didn’t understand: crossing bridges into the city, for example. It would take an hour to two hours or longer just to cross over a short bridge! Every incoming truck, van, and car had to be examined for explosives, creating a huge backup of traffic.
Photographers, even press photographers, were screwed. The World Trade Center site was declared a crime scene, and even press photographers were forbidden to photograph, and some were even arrested, their gear confiscated. Those stories made nearly all of the major photography magazines. You weren’t allowed to photograph the bridges for awhile! I remember crossing over the George Washington and there was a sign posted forbidding photography. I snapped a photo of it from our moving car. For a period of time photography of bridges, tunnels, and other sensitive areas was off limits.
We had a cruise scheduled, and we were greeted with heavily armed personnel who checked the underside of our car with a mirror plus an explosives-sniffing dog that investigated our car, and us, thoroughly, when we parked in the lot before boarding the ship. Armed police were everywhere, and explosives-sniffing dogs patrolled the drop-off points where passengers and luggage were dropped off from taxis and private cars.
You got used to seeing heavily armed personnel everywhere: Grand Central Station; on the streets; bridges and tunnels. NYC looked like, and was, a war zone.
Tensions ran high: every dark-skinned foreigner could be a suicide bomber or an attacker. (Racism?? Bullshit!!! If white folk in blue suits had attacked us, I’d have been looking askance at every cracker mofo in a blue suit, too!) The cab drivers, mostly dark-skinned and “foreign-looking,” tried to protect themselves from this tension by investing in the best protection that they could think of: they festooned their taxis with American Flags, pleading solidarity.
And the fallout extended to all areas of NY, not just the city proper.
We went to West Point Military Academy for a crafts fair that was being held there in one of their buildings on the grounds. Armed soldiers looked under every single car with a mirror, looked in the car, in the trunk, looked you over, and examined your purse, camera bag, backpack, etc.
It became routine to be searched, inspected, delayed, scrutinized.
In the midst of all of this trauma, heartache, loss, sorrow, and grief, there were brief moments of humor: We flew a flag at our house even before 9-11; thereafter I lit it and flew it day and night, and added a hand-lettered sign underneath: “We will be victorious.” There was a restaurant with a small bar directly across the street from our house, and while sitting there at the bar, which featured large plate-glass windows that faced our home, one of the waiters looked at the sign and asked me: “What’s Victorbus?” In my haste I had misshaped some letters and spaced them too closely together, and from across the street the sign looked like it read: “We will be victorbus.” It’s a private joke my wife and I still use to this day.
I have friends overseas who couldn’t understand America’s reaction and desire for revenge. Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? But when the shit begin to hit the fan in their own countries, well then, this terrorism bullshit was suddenly no laughing matter, nothing to be complacent about, and they wanted something done, by God!
Life had changed. Life has changed. And for anyone who thinks that we’ll be okay if we just develop enough cultural understanding, patch over enough differences, change a foreign policy here and there…you’re wrong.
They haven’t quit coming, and they won’t quit coming.
And I, for one, will do everything in my power to ensure that this never happens to my home again.
So should you.
Let Freedom Ring!
Removal of existing center median on Staten Island side of Verrazano-Narrows Bridge underway using overhead gantry crane as part of upper deck replacement work. Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels / Tutor Perini
MTA Bridges and Tunnels officials, Staten Island elected officials and family members of fallen MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officer Thomas Choi attended a solemn ceremony September 28, 2015 to rename a portion of Major Avenue in honor of Choi, who was critically injured at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in October 2013. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Street Near Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Renamed In Honor Of MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officer Thomas Choi
MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officers involved in rescuing more than a dozen people from a burning building near the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on July 30 were presented with Heroism Awards by MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas Prendergast during the MTA board meeting on Wed., September 24, 2014.
Officer James McGuigan.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
Photos I took during the taxi ride from LGA, where my flight from Toronto landed at 8:30AM, to Brooklyn Heights, where my cab driver dropped me off at the Mariott Hotel to wait until the bridges and tunnels reopened. Time stamps are approximate, since these were print photos that I scanned later.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels lent personnel and a fleet of 18 trucks and other pieces of heavy equipment to assist in the snow removal efforts in Suffolk County after a huge blizzard dumped up to 30 inches of snow across the County on February 8-9, 2013.
Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels
MTA Bridges and Tunnels wraps up installation of new environmentally friendly LED lights at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the last of the agency’s four suspended spans to upgrade its “necklace” light fixtures that are part of the bridges’ architectural features. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
A Bridges and Tunnels Maintainer took this photo, of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge's Queens span at sunrise, while bicycling around Randall’s Island during a break. Photo: Marvin Springer, MTA / Bridges and Tunnels
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo toured the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly known as the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel) on Oct. 30, 2012, with MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota and Jim Ferrara, President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The tunnel flooded during Hurricane Sandy.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
Lucca, an IED detection dog who lost her left leg to an IED last year while serving in Afghanistan, walks through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel with her handler, USMC Gunnery Sgt. Chris Willingham, during the annual Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run, commemorating the FDNY firefighter’s run through the tunnel to the World Trade Center on 9/11 on Sunday September 29, 2013
Photo: Peter J. Smith/The Wall Street Journal
In a strangely pointless exercise, railway bridges and tunnels in the DPRK are guarded by gun-toting female soldiers.
This photo shows the view from the Manhattan side of the 103rd Street Footbridge in New York City, which connects East Harlem, Manhattan with Randall's Island. In the distance is the East River span of the RFK Triborough Bridge, which links the island with Astoria, Queens.
The Lackawanna railroad station and ferry terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey, from a ferry boat in the Hudson River. The main entrance to the station from the land side is at left. It originally had a towen 225 ft (69 m) high, which was demolished in 1948.
Most rail connections to New York ended at the Hudson River. Passengers and freight had to take a ferry into New York City, until bridges and tunnels were built. My father commuted to New York on the Lackawanna (later Erie-Lackawanna) railroad for many years, through Hoboken. He took the ferry, and later the Hudson Tubes (later PATH, or Port Authority Trans-Hudson). I went through Hoboken to summer jobs when I was in college and graduate school.
This photo was probably taken in the mid-1950s. The slide does not have a printed date, which establishes a certain age.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels lent personnel and a fleet of 18 trucks and other pieces of heavy equipment to assist in the snow removal efforts in Suffolk County after a huge blizzard dumped up to 30 inches of snow across the County on February 8-9, 2013.
Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Image of fraudulent license plate on vehicle pulled over on the RFK Bridge on Wednesday, June 9, resulting in the arrest of the motorist for third degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Photo courtesy MTA Bridges and Tunnels
MTA Bridges and Tunnels wraps up installation of new environmentally friendly LED lights at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the last of the agency’s four suspended spans to upgrade its “necklace” light fixtures that are part of the bridges’ architectural features. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
This is a picture of Netherhope Lane bridge and Tidenham Tunnel (See next picture) and from it can be seen an extraordinary amount of clearance work which has taken place from the tunnel mouth and extends about 1/2 mile southwards to the rear of the National Diving and Activity Centre on the A48. One can only speculate that track recovery is imminent as otherwise this is a pointless exercise. 10th January 2019. It has been recently confirmed that the track has been lifted and donated to DFR.
Persistent Toll Violator vehicles interdicted by MTA Bridges & Tunnels at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge on Thursday, Feb 9, 2023.
(Aaron Donovan / MTA)
Wrinkley kindly sent this photograph for publication.
Contact and catenary wires have been installed through the bridges and tunnel west of Bolton station and out into the countryside beyond.
Copyright Wrinkley 2018.
On Monday, October 22, 2012, the former Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in honor of New York State's 51st Governor.
The ceremony was attended by (l to r) former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota, former New York State Lt. Governor and MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch, and Jim Ferrara, President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
The 50th running of the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. MTA Bridges and Tunnels personnel at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
MTA Bridges and Tunnels officials, Staten Island elected officials and family members of fallen MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officer Thomas Choi attended a solemn ceremony September 28, 2015 to rename a portion of Major Avenue in honor of Choi, who was critically injured at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in October 2013. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Street Near Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Renamed In Honor Of MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officer Thomas Choi
MTA Bridges and Tunnels personnel fought snow and kept the RFK Bridge plowed, salted and sanded during the snowstorm of February 8-9, 2013.
Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels / Charles Passarella.
MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officers involved in rescuing more than a dozen people from a burning building near the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on July 30 were presented with Heroism Awards by MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas Prendergast during the MTA board meeting on Wed., September 24, 2014.
Officer Joseph Vasquez.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
View of Brooklyn main span gantry crane west girder with walkway. Photo: Tutor Perini /MTA Bridges and Tunnels. July 2014.
Runners in the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel annual Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run, commemorating the FDNY firefighter’s run through the tunnel to the World Trade Center on 9/11 on Sunday September 29, 2013. Photo: MTA photo/B&T Director of Central Operations Daniel DeCrescenzo
This panorama view of the reservoir was taken from the southeast corner of the reservoir, facing more-or-less west, to show the skyline of the apartment buildings on Central Park West, in Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Note: this photo was published in a Aug 31, 2011 issue of Everyblock NYC for the "customized" region of Central Park.
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You probably think that you already know everything that you need to know about the Central Park reservoir. After all, everyone has heard of New York City, and most people (except the residents of certain boroughs that we won't mention by name) assume that "New York City" means "Manhattan." And if you've heard of Manhattan, then you've heard of Central Park ... and if you know about Central Park, then you know about the reservoir in the middle of the park. What more is there to know?
Well, actually, there's a lot you should know, beginning with the fact that its official name is now "The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir," in honor of the late widow of President John Kennedy. But you can call it the Central Park Reservoir, because that was its original name, and that's what most of us here still do call it. (We also insist on calling the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge by its original moniker, "the Triboro Bridge," but who knows how long that will last.)
More importantly, it's not even a reservoir any more ... or, to be more precise, it became a "decommissioned" reservoir in 1993, when it was deemed obsolete because of a new water-main under 79th Street that connected to the Third Water Tunnel. (There was also some concern that the reservoir might eventually become contaminated because of the nasty habit of the rowdy bridge-and-tunnel crowd -- aka visitors from New Jersey, Long Island, and other 'burbs -- to pee in the reservoir after getting thoroughly sloshed on green beer and Ripple wine every St. Patrick's Day. But we don't really like to talk about that, because they eventually go home, and we make a lot of money from the event.)
So basically, the Central Park so-called reservoir is just a big pond with a billion gallons of water (give or take a gallon or two), with colorful Kanzan cherry trees along one section, a bunch of rhododendrons along another section, and lots of animals (mallards, Canadian geese, coots, loons, cormorants, wood ducks, raccoons, grebes, herons, and egrets) who hang out in the general area. It also has a 1.58-mile jogging path, which means that you can almost always find dozens of people jogging, walking, or racing around the park; and only the cynics would remind you that game show host Jack Barry died while jogging around the reservoir in 1984.
You might think that the reservoir was originally a pond or a small lake, or that it was fed and replenished by some kind of underground stream. But in fact, the reservoir was built during the period of 1858-1862 by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, as part of the overall design of Central Park. It was never a source of water itself, nor was it a "collecting" reservoir; its purpose instead was to receive water from upstate New York, via the Croton Aqueduct, and distribute it to the thirsty residents of Manhattan. All of that predated the work of Olmstead and Vaux; the Croton aqueduct was begun in 1837, and began delivering water to New York City in 1842.
So much for the history of the place. Like I said, it's basically just a big pond in the middle of Manhattan; but it happens to be a very beautiful place, especially with the skyline of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, and central Manhattan so visible from different vantage points. During the brief week or two that the cherry trees are in blossom, it's almost as beautiful as the famous stretch of trees in Washington; and it's a peaceful place for a stroll throughout the spring, summer, and fall. It's even beautiful in the dead of winter, when much of the water has frozen over, and when the jogging path is basically empty...
On three consecutive days in mid-to-late August, I walked around the reservoir with my camera, doing my best to capture some of the peaceful beauty, as well as the activity of the joggers and walkers and tourists. On the first day, I walked clockwise around the reservoir -- because everyone else was following the posted rules, and was running/walking counter-clockwise, which made it easier for me to photograph them. Then I came back the next day and walked the circumference again, but this time in the officially-sanctioned counter-clockwise direction. And then I decided that all of the still photos had failed to capture the beauty of the fountain that sprays a plume of water high into the air, as well as the constant motion of all those joggers and walkers ... so I came back for a third lap around the park, but this time with my camera set to "video" instead of "still." I've done my best to winnow all of the photos and videos down to a representative set; but to truly appreciate the beauty of the place, you'll have to come back and see it for yourself.
By the way, don't ask me what a grebe is. I have no idea, and I can only hope that I haven't stepped on one by mistake as I've walked around the reservoir from time to time...
The Ocean Drive '66. The sundrenched New Yorker is given an escape route to Long Island's parks and beaches as well as the Great Kills Park Marina in Staten Island.
Map published and distributed by Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.
Sandbags are piled in front of the entrance to 2 Broadway, the headquarters for MTA New York City Transit, MTA Bridges and Tunnels and MTA Capital Construction.
Photo: MTA New York City Transit / Nelson Ortiz.
Photos I took during the taxi ride from LGA, where my flight from Toronto landed at 8:30AM, to Brooklyn Heights, where my cab driver dropped me off at the Mariott Hotel to wait until the bridges and tunnels reopened. Time stamps are approximate, since these were print photos that I scanned later.
Newly replaced brighter LED security lights on piers beneath bridge are pictured here. Security and marine navigation lights at MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, are functioning once again under a $686,000 project that was completed ahead of schedule and within budget.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Despite the rain, and even hail, we'd had a wonderful afternoon in Great Yarmouth, but we needed to pick up some things for tea. We made a conscious choice to stop at Asda on the way out to the Acle straight simply because of the views from the car park.
As if to reward us for our wise decision, the rain stopped, the clouds broke slightly to let the sinking sunset through and we were rewarded with a glorious lightshow. Unfortunately only had my mobile phone with me, so had to accept the flare - I hope you do too :-)