Bronx Kill
February 28th, 2008 -
The Bronx Kill is a neglected, inaccessible waterway between Randalls Island and the Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Port Morris. It is an untamed waterfront, sheltering wild dogs and homeless camps. Ruined bridges and old piers line its banks, alongside freight train tracks which pass underneath sections of the Triborough Bridge and the Hellgate Bridge. At one point, a new footbridge and a multi-million dollar waterpark were planned for its shores, but those plans have not yet come to pass. Heavy industry still separates the surrounding community from this tidal strait.
Dead Horse Bay
February 12, 2008 -
Dead Horse Bay lies at the southern edge of Brooklyn, across the street from Floyd Bennett Airfield. It is one of the oldest industrial areas in Brooklyn. A millstone from a 17th century Dutch mill still can be found inland, just off the shore. Dead Horse Bay's name comes from the carcasses that would wash up on its shores from a nearby horse rendering plant. Once a marshland, the area was slowly filled with rubbish. This landfill was capped after the refuse of the 1920's and 1930's filled the marsh. In the 1950's, the cap burst, spewing the artifacts of a different era onto the beach. Now glass bottles, shoe leather, plastic toys, old bones and handguns lie revealed along the waters edge.