Brooklyn Heights Blog

Your correspondent got this photo of the Danish frigate HMDS Thetis from the Brooklyn Bridge this morning. She was approaching Pier 7, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue, where she is now docked. I hope the bars along Atlantic are well stocked with Carlsberg beer. Thetis is visiting New York along with nine other ships from various nations, making up NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group 1.

Update: Belgians, Canadians, Dutch, and Norwegians join in! More photos and text after the jump. Read more »

“The Waterpod is a sustainable, sculptural art and technology habitat, with 4 artists living on and off it, generating food, water, and power in a contained and self-sufficient environment,” and now it’s here in Brooklyn Heights through August 17th on Pier 5.  It’s open to the public on Fridays from 3-7 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 7 pm.  Just walk down Joralemon Street to the very end, make a left on Furman and follow the signs.

I did on Saturday night for their benefit party.  At first, approaching the pier as the sun was setting, it was all greys and blues, the area desolate with barbed wire.  As I got closer, I caught a glimpse of the white dome bobbing against the Hudson River.  I walked the gangplank onto the barge and noticed first of all a profusion of greenery, a miniature garden to my immediate right.  I felt dizzy.  Why?  Then I remembered:  I was on a boat and it was rocking.  Then I saw a chicken coop.

The air down here was devoid of humidity, and it reminded of the days of the Floating Pool; the vast expanse of space, of water and the skyline of downtown Manhattan.  All around the edges of the barge are more gardens, some hydroponic, called window farms— suspended in the air.  On the right side of the barge are the living quarters. One room looked particularly inviting;  a loft bed, a small window to glimpse the stars and the bright ribbon of traffic on the BQE. At the far end of the boat, the galley, people were grilling fish tacos, and serving local beer.

I thought of a Japanese garden; a precise arrangement of stones, plants and flowers.  I thought of Noah’s Ark for the new millennium.  I mentioned this to Mary Mattingly, the green genius, who is the founder and Art Director.  She liked the analogy.  I asked her, “How long from conception to realization?”  She replied, “Three years.”  Click on the above link and read her log entries; they are a fascinating record of the creation and journey of the pod, as well as its philosophy. I was particularly impressed that the link marked Manifesto was a long passage from Joyce’s Ulysses.

The Waterpod is both on and off the grid.  Electricity doesn’t come from Con Ed, but rather from solar energy and even sometimes a bicycle.  Read more on the website for how this happens as well as the process for transforming rain water into drinking water.  I began a skeptic.  But when I saw a white flag unfurling in the breeze that read: I Remember Earth, I was a convert.  And you will be, too.  Take your kids, your dogs and parents.  All are welcome.

As we noted in a previous post, a new ferry stop near the foot of Atlantic Avenue is one of the locations from which expanded ferry service to and from Brooklyn will be considered at a hearing to be held at Kings County Community College tomorrow evening. Tomorrow morning, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will announce the construction of a “water taxi dock” at Pier 6, now being developed as part of Brooklyn Bridge Park and situated near Atlantic Avenue. According to the press release, “[T]he creation of the new dock will provide direct ferry service between Brooklyn Bridge Park and Governors Island.” Whether this will replace the free Saturday-only ferry from Fulton Landing, and whether it will be free, or run on a more frequent schedule, remains to be seen. Also, that the terminal is being called a “water taxi dock” raises the question whether New York Water Taxi, with its extensive service to Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Upstate, will stop there. We’ll keep you advised as more information becomes available.

Seen from the Promenade, the topsail schooner Clipper City, under auxiliary power, passes Pier 3 on her way back to her berth at Pier 17, South Street Seaport.

Commuting by water can be a pleasant, and, for many, convenient way to start or end the workday. Consider also the prospect of getting to or from LaGuardia or JFK by ferry (both would require a shuttle bus or van to get from ferry landing to terminal), or to Citi Field or Yankee Stadium, or to Coney Island to see our own Cyclones.

The City’s Economic Development Corporation and Department of Transportation are jointly conducting a study to determine what new ferry routes should be established. In connection with this, they are holding a town hall meeting at Kingsborough Community College, Room U 219/200, 2001 Oriental Boulevard, starting at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, July 22, to which Brooklyn residents are invited to present their ideas about new routes on which they would like to see service. Read more »

Seen from the Promenade this morning, what appears to be a huge yacht lies anchored near the mouth of the Hudson. Perhaps the owner didn’t get the memo that displays of conspicuous consumption are passé.

Update: mystery solved. The yacht is Le Grand Bleu, owned by Russian oil billionaire Eugene Shvidler. Russian billionaires were exempt from the conspicuous consumption memo, provided Putin said “Da.” (Thanks to Ulrich and Kent at NYCMaritime for the info.)

Continuing the tradition of foreign warships docking at Pier 7 (see here, here, and here), at the foot of Atlantic Avenue, the Japanese Coast Guard’s large patrol vessel Kojima (LP-21) is berthed there now.

Has the reputation of Atlantic Avenue’s bars spread throughout the navies of the world?

A free ferry service from Fulton Ferry Landing, at the foot of Old Fulton Street, to Governors Island, will begin this Saturday, June 6, at 11:00 A.M. State Senator Daniel Squadron and other community leaders will be present for the inaugural ceremony. The ferry will run only on Saturdays when events are scheduled on Governor’s Island. It will also stop at Battery Park, in Manhattan. This Saturday, it will depart Fulton Landing every hour at fifteen minutes past the hour, beginning at 11:15 A.M. with the last departure at 4:15 P.M. Departures from Governors Island will be every hour on the hour, beginning at 12:00 noon with the last departure at 6:00 P.M. The Schedule may vary from week to week; updates will be posted at the Governors Island website.

Update: Reader Neighborhood Observer checked the Governors Island website this morning, discovered that the schedule for this Saturday has been changed, and added a helpful note concerning bikes:

Saturday: departures every 20 min starting at 11:20 A until 5 P; returns every 20 min starting at 11:30 A until 5:50 P. … BTW - bikes are allowed on the Ferry and there are 5 miles of bike paths on GI.

Thanks, N.O.

Second update: A reader has kindly informed me that “Governors Island” has no apostrophe. I’ve amended the post accordingly.

Germany’s naval might is on display at Pier 7, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue. As seen from the Promenade today are the Deutsche Marine combat support ship Frankfurt-am-Main on the north side of the pier, and the frigate Sachsen, whose conning tower can be seen in front of the legs of the distant Red Hook Container Port gantry, on the south side. More photos after the jump. Read more »

Setting out on my walk this morning, I saw from the Promenade a warship docked at Pier 7, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue. The Tricolor flying from the jackstaff at her stern and “D620″ on her bow identify her as the frigate Forbin of the Marine Nationale. Perhaps the crew of the Monge, which visited here last November, recommended to their compatriots on Forbin the joys of playing bocce at Floyd.