So there I was stuck in traffic on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway cursing under my breath and regretting not taking the under highway route that makes you feel cool if you can figure out how to make it all the way to the Hamilton ave Drawbridge. I had some hopping music on but all the trucks drowned it out so instead of picking my nose like most people stuck in traffic I looked out the window at the beautiful skyline of Manhattan- I notice a scaffolding device spraying water out of it and wondered what it could be.
At first I thought they were dredging the river, but then realized that dredging had to be in the middle of the river. Then I figured it was some sort of new water treatment thing, although I was a little concerned at having just treated sewer water spraying my car windshield- taking me back to the days of the squeegee guys who would wash your windows with the grimiest of waters. Could it be a firefighter practice station? I racked my brain but could come up with no feasible answer as to why a tower was spewing forth sprays of water back into the river. Water testing maybe? Maybe it was some sort of device to create energy by harnessing the water power coming out of it? But wouldn’t the pumps use electricity as well- and thereby cancel out all of the energy created by the device in the first place?
Then my father asked me one day if I had seen the “waterfalls”? I answered no of course and asked what on earth he was talking about. Then he went on one of his “its all the farshtunkena liberals fault” and we have to use our tax dollars for a glorified fountain. Ohhhhhhhhhhh, those things are part of some government funded art project- now it all made sense, sort of. Then I got to wondering who actually though this was art- which in itself is a bad discussion especially if you have ever stepped foot in a modern art museum, art is totally subjective and you cannot really say what art is- because it can be anything.
Last night I happened to see the waterfalls in their full glory from the river at night and it was a different experience, and a good one. I went on this concert cruise to see the New Mastersounds a funk band from England who were amazing, oh and I met fellow blogger and serial commenter SB So anyway as we passed under the Brooklyn Bridge there is this huge wall of water all lit up and pouring forth its contents and is was VERY cool.
BUT how many people are as cool as me and get to go on concert cruises, or any nighttime cruises around Manhattan. I definitely recommend it by the way, especially for you love birds out there, it was very romantic- even though I was with a guy friend. Don’t worry it didn’t turn into a Brokeback Cruise. So for everyone else- the waterfalls are just something to wonder about in traffic and they aren’t that cool- definitely not worth the 15 million spent in public moneys- in my view at least. But then again in my view I would have spent the money to feed the homeless or bring the universal sushi kiddush to reality.
Then again- for all those folks in NYC who have never seen a waterfall, then again I can always imagine some kids thinking that this is what all waterfalls were- and it will happen- they will ask people on one of those morning shows about real waterfalls and folks will say “they all look like scaffolding with water spitting out of the top” and thats it. There are some small waterfalls in central park by the way and in Paterson NJ there is also a mighty waterfall- although Paterson is awful sketchy.
This site had some nice pictures of the waterfalls and the comments are interesting as well.