Waterfalls

I started commuting from Queens to Staten Island at the end of the summer in 2008, about midpoint in the Olafur Eliasson Waterfalls project. I was looking forward to seeing the four man-made waterfalls, all visible from the BQE, albeit with some neck-contorting required. I was underwhelmed (and naively believed they were causing all this midday traffic). They seemed more mechanical than magical, shiny aluminum grids sloughing water somewhat pointlessly into the East River or harbor. But as the summer turned to fall and I got to see them at different times of day and night, I began to anticipate their appearance, especially on the drive home--at once predictable (thus reassuring) and unexpected, depending on the light, the wind direction and strength, and the other moving pieces of the New York harbor: ferries, tugs, helicopters overhead, and so on. I miss them.

Here's the one perched on the edge of Governors Island.

For more info and images: NYC Waterfalls