I went out at dawn, the snow had stopped and the wind was still. I found mostly sidewalk shovelers, dog-walkers, and fellow photographers. This alien snow guy, I assume is the product of the regular Friday night alcohol imbibers in my neighborhood.
On East Houston Street.
Annoyingly the entrance to the East River Park at Houston Street is closed for construction. There is no indication of this until you are right on top of it. There is also no indication where the closest open entrance is. I can tell you that the 6th Street and 10th Street entrances are open.
The most damage I saw to trees from Sandy was in the East River Park. A pin oak, maybe this squirrel’s home, damaged by Sandy.
This playground flooded during Irene as well.
I thought it was unusual that this Linden tree’s trunk snapped instead of the dislodging the roots.
These trees snapped a lamp-post.
You can see that the water topped these benches.
Remnants of bee hives, that I think were housed at the Ecology Center, were scattered all along the path.
THe East River Park was heavily patrolled by cops trying to keep people out, but I got a shot of the water from the entrance. This was around noon, at that time the storm was just drizzle and a stiff breeze. It has picked up since then but is still not intense here in the East Village.
I’ve somewhat storm proofed my camera with a plastic bag and a UV filter. But nothing I’ve got can stop the raindrops from landing on the lens.
I suspect that this stretch of the Promenade will not be open to the public until the fall, even though it is mostly finished. It is occupied by several construction trailers, and I doubt they are going to evict themselves.
Potted plants ready to be stuck in the ground.
Just south of the Williamsburg Bridge, looks inviting.
What does this mean? Is it warning heavy trucks that all that is beneath them is a rotting pile foundation? Or is Pile Foundation the construction company, and If they increased the speed limit a bit, would the promenade be open already?
Shot through the fence just below the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Why are those rotten wood pilings still there? It may have something to do with preserving whatever lives there. Wood pilings are preserved in the design of the mostly finished norther portion of the promenade.
To be fair these desolate shots were taken on the weekend, it would look more like something is happening if the workers were there. Progress is hard to detect.
Cool Iron work separating the FDR from the East River Park, something to stare at while caught in traffic. Were there ever seahorses in the East River? One of you out there knows.
Crabs, my guess is that these crustaceans are hardy enough to survive.
I talked to a man fishing off the East River Promenade and he said he often caught bass and bluefish, catch and release, eating is not recommended.
The crane barge has moved a bit south of where it was a couple of weeks ago, but mysteriously it has left the pilings still unfinished.
The East River Promenade is still closed below Houston Street, though amenities in that closed stretch, such as more park benches, have been added since my last report. If you stay here for any length of time you will see many joggers and bikers disappointingly staring at this fence. There is no exit here, you need to go north four blocks to get out.
The fenced-off area, shot from the Williamsburg Bridge.
Just south of the Williamsburg Bridge, looks inviting.
