Elevated Waterway

Over the past few years, several of the stations on the elevated portion of the Bronx IRT 6 line have undergone renovations.

As these were completed, panels of artwork were also installed making the stations a little more cheery.


This artwork consists of either colorfully tiled murals or whimsical metal sculptures.  My favorite is the "Cross-Bronx Waterway" sculpture, located at the Middletown Road station.  The artists are Amanda Schachter and Alexander Levi of SLO Architecture, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design as part of the NYC Transit Rehabilitation program.


Their piece pays homage both to the train's course as it navigates its way across the borough, while also traversing parts of the Pelham Bay watershed, which includes the Hutchinson River,  Westchester Creek, and Bronx River waterways, before reaching the Harlem River as it crosses into Manhattan.

The sculpted panels are mounted in such a way that when standing on the platform it is as if you are underwater looking up at items floating on the surface.

I think this is a really fun, creative way to expose aspects of the Bronx's ecology
to the public that they typically don't see or even think about
as they commute back and forth to work or school.

I can tell you it has certainly made my otherwise long,
daily commute a little more delightful!

Persistence

 
At the end of the Pelham Bay 6 train line. . .











. . .high above a bustling Bronx street,

life's persistence never ceases to delight and amaze. . .

. . .each and every day.

The Beds. . .

. . .bereft of all their colorful flowers from spring and summer. . .

. . .are being put
       to bed
           for winter.









So, until next spring. . . 

Nighty, night. . .

In the Heart of Midtown...

. . .a different kind of pulse.

Fall Fortitude

Lava Leaves

Each year, Autumn leaves rain down from trees. . .

. . .lava-like upon the pavement. . .

. . .completing the life-cycle begun last Spring. . .

 

Nature's fiery "coins", laying there just for the taking! 

Get 'em while they're hot!

Carved in Stone

Mixed Use

A Moment of Stillness...

. . .amid the hustle and bustle of Bryant Park at lunch time.

Take a moment to take in such moments.
They are truly priceless!

Upon a Pedestal

Quenching a City's Thirst

Earlier this summer, after being closed for 40 years, the High Bridge, formerly an aqueduct,  re-opened to public pedestrian traffic.  Spanning the Harlem river at the northern edges of  the Bronx and Manhattan, it was originally constructed in the mid-1800's to meet the growing demand for fresh water in response to the City's explosive industrial and residential growth at that time. 

Construction of the High Bridge was completed in 1848, bringing fresh water from the Croton River, 40 miles away in Westchester county to an increasingly thirsty city.. Over 100 feet high and close to 2000 feet in width, it was considered to be a major engineering feat at the time,




Yet, less than 20 years later, demand was already outpacing the capacity of the High Bridge's two original 3-foot pipes, and a 7.5-foot one was added. The aqueduct remained in service until the 1950s. 

This pattern of escalating demand for water continues unabated even today.  Two major projects-- the High Bridges of our time-- have been undertaken to meet this challenge. One is the Third Water Tunnel and the other is the Croton Water Filtration project.

In 1954 the City recognized and began planning for ways to improve the dependability of the City's water supply system.  In 1970 construction finally began on the Third Water Tunnel. This project is not expected to be completed until 2020.  Like the High Bridge, the source of the water flowing through it also originates in Westchester county.  At a cost of 6 billion dollars and a length of  316,800 feet (or 60 miles) it will ultimately have the capacity to deliver 1.3 billion gallons of water daily to NYC residents.  It is considered to be one of the "...largest and most complex public works projects ever attempted", not only in the city, but the country as well.

The Croton Water Filtration Plant, on the other hand, began construction seven years ago and was just completed and brought online this past May.  It is located under a section of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, "inside an excavated area big enough to hold Yankee Stadium". Again, like the High Bridge once did, it will bring water from the Croton watershed and is capable of treating as much as 290 million gallons of water a day, about one-third of the total daily citywide demand.  Understandably it too has been cited as one of the largest construction projects in the City’s modern history.

However, will projects of even this colossal scale be enough to slake the City's thirst? If the past is any indication, maybe only for just a little while.  According to the census, the City's population continues to grow, and faster than original estimates anticipated.  At 8.5 million people, it has already surpassed projections for 2020!

At some point the City may just finally reach its limits-- either that of ingenuity or of nature.

Life, Unexpected

Summer Light

Park Avenue Topiary

Tucked away among the trees and bushes. . .

. . .growing in the Park Avenue median. . .

. . .are these whimsical animal figures.

However, I can't quite figure out if they're 

big dogs or little horses!

Everybody in the Pool!

GuestPeek: Butterfly Garden

My friend Karen and her daughter, Kalena created a butterfly garden in their back yard!

Karen is a Librarian (woo hoo!) at Riverview Branch Library in Florida and she'd hosted a Master Gardener program on butterfly gardens at her branch a couple of months ago. She thought it sounded like an easy gardening project for non-gardeners as well as being good for the environment, so decided to gave it a try!
 

Why is this exciting?

Due to destruction of their native habitats or the plants they eat, butterfly populations are decreasing or even going extinct. The creation of a butterfly garden represents an intentional act to try and create or restore habitats favorable to their life cycle and survival. 

Since butterflies also happen to be flower and plant pollinators, they are an essential part of the food cycle. Environments that attract butterflies also tend to attract other types of insect pollinators. 

Basically, if WE want to keep eating,
we need the pollinators!

As you can see, Karen and Kalena already have a few visitors!

Hat tip to Karen and Kalena for taking on this project, and thanks so much for sharing, with us here at Permie Peeks! If you live down in that area, and want to learn more about the Master Garden Extension programs, click here.