Ahoy! A Nautical View from the Eyrie

Every day and night, as I look out on the harbor and the confluence of the East River and the Hudson River I marvel at the wonderful opportunity I've had with this birds-eye view of Manhattan.  There is something happening all the time, day and night, and I never seem to tire of the Staten Island Ferry, or the New York Waterway ferries to New Jersey, or the yellow Water Taxis, or the barges, or the schooner Adirondack.  These water vessels are just a handful compared to the ships, ocean liners, ferries and sailboats that sailed into New York in the 400 years since Henry Hudson explored this area.  (Of course, I can't even touch on how many years the less intrusive canoes piloted by the Lenapes used these waterways for fishing and exploration).

Ships and sailing vessels seem more romantic to me than airplanes ever will even though they served the same purpose.   For thousands of years water-bound vessels allowed men to explore the ends of the earth and to introduce new forms of art, precious metals and jewels, commodities, spices, and agricultural products as well as weapons, slaves, opium and disease to their home countries and to other cultures.  These men would be gone for years at a time, often facing great dangers and uncertainties.  Some of these adventurers would lose their souls, like the  mysterious Dutchman in Wagner's Der Fliegende Hollander, who wanders the sea for an eternity landing on shore only every 7 years.  He has accumulated unimaginable wealth but peace and happiness elude him until Senta sacrifices herself for him and frees him from an eternity wandering the sea.   I loved the way the gigantic looming  hull of his ghost ship overwhelmed the Norwegian dock in the Met's production and the haunting double chorus of the two crews contrasted one groups' free camaraderie with the others' shared mutual despair.

The wonderful exhibition at the New York Public Library called Mapping New York's Shoreline let me see how earlier settlers documented the shore and the streets that I have been walking these past few months.  What a thrill to see Pierrepont Street on a 200 year old map and to identify Brooklyn Heights on even older maps.  Over the 400 years since European boats first made their way into the harbor, looking for that elusive quick route to China, the islands, peninsulas and mainland in this area have been witness to naval battles, clipper ships returning from China, steam boats making their way to the new Erie canal,  millions of immigrants crossing the ocean in the steerage of large ocean liners.  And every decade or two, the shoreline would change to accommodate the new, larger boats or add more warehouses or docks, and Manhattan and Brooklyn would morph to accommodate the human flotsam that came ashore.  My next blog will be on my journey out on these waters to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Until then, let's watch those ships come sailing home in this sunset photo from the Heights.