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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Canarsie Pier

Canarsie Pier, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, isn't a city park, or even properly a park at all. But its wide spaces, open air, and location jutting into Jamaica Bay make it feel like one. Even the approach from Rockaway Parkway and the Belt Parkway is parklike.

canarsie pier brooklyn nyc

We had the place nearly to ourselves on a late afternoon in February.

canarsie pier brooklyn nyc

The pier is best known for the fishing excursions that leave from it in the early mornings. There are also kayaking in season, summer concerts, birds, and the occasional "dead man floating." ("At first, police thought Nieves was dead, but then, he started flapping his arms and yelling for help," the Daily News reported in July 2015.)

We spotted a duck, or duck-like creature, that we couldn't identify. It wasn't flapping anything, not even its wings, nor was it yelling for help. Instead, it kept diving under the water to find food, which made it hard for me to get a sharp photo. But I'd like to know what species it is.

canarsie pier brooklyn nyc

I like the bird and fish designs in the side arches of the entrance.

canarsie pier brooklyn nyc

Things were busy here a century ago. The Golden City Amusement Park opened on the site in 1907, looking pretty spectacular in this image.

golden city amusement park canarsie pier brooklyn nyc
Image from the Brooklyn Public Library's Brooklyn Collection

All that's gone, of course. But some big old metal bollards are here to remind us of old seafaring times.

canarsie pier brooklyn nyc

1 comment:

  1. The bird is a horned grebe (in non-breeding season plumage):

    https://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/Horned_Grebe_y03-11-116_l_1.jpg

    They should be heading north for the season right about now. Pretty neat!

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