A Canal In The Borough

When I tell people that there is an inland waterway in Brooklyn aka The Borough, they usually look at me with either complete disbelief that such a place exists or complete disgust that I would actually want to visit it.

As the neighborhoods below the canal (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill) have become hot spots with restaurants and shopping it has become a regular occurence to walk down (or up) Union Street - over the canal. A mostly industrial area - which is now being revamped..complete with old warehouses with faded writing on the exterior and former commercial business sites - they are now being renovated and sold as condo's. The Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation (GCCDC) being the main proponent of this change (there is always a group rallying for change- and controlling development).

The water is still not clear (ok not even vaguely) but on good days you can see fish in the canal (really) and over the years a number of strange visitors - including a seal, have been sighted in the canal system. Oh you don't believe me eh? Well in 2003 a 1-year old harp seal - lost and injured made the canal his home. The fate of said seal is not known - I've searched the web but to no avail - plenty of articles that talk about how filthy and polluted the canal system was, how much it will cost to completely revitalize it and the importance - even in recent times of the canal as a part of the transportation network.

My own experiences with the canal range from walking by and humming "ooh that smell" to stopping to enjoy a sunset. And yes in the summer there is an odor that comes up - not so nice. Even with that there is something about this small stretch of water that brings on instant nostalgia for times past. In the winter the canal frozen over looks trapped in time - I know it won't always be this way - eventually it will be fully capitalized as "waterfront real estate" and YRWP (Young Rich White People) will move in - in droves I don't look forward to that - but I can't wait till someone says "Yeah I live in Brooklyn..where? in Gowanus"- Insert your own "Go-Anus " joke here.

The charm of the bridges and overpasses - of the run down industrial infrastructure that was The Borough always make me pause and smile. The Union Street drawbridge has been a place where I have reflected on life, pondered the meaning of existence and stopped to smell the roses (or dead rotting roses) for as long as I can remember - I hope it retains some of that 'abandoned charm' - but in this new world I'm sure it will become a part of forgotten new york.

The history and details of the Gowanus Canal are definitely worth a read if you're into history. And of course I'd start with wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowanus_Canal