river dance

by cfmullen ••• I don’t know how many times I bemoaned the change of New York, the horrible gentrification and homogenization of it. But this Sunday, as I sat in a kayak on the Hudson River at 68^th street, all I wanted to do was celebrate the transformation I saw around me. Because this was not the Hudson River of my youth, where the only thing that paddled in the water were three-foot long, rodents. ••• Sitting there, I wanted to say thank you to the person or people responsible for all of this dramatic and wonderful change. ••• I wanted to shout out to all those latte drinkers in the café on the promenade that they didn’t know how lucky they were to enjoy this new and improved Hudson River. ••• I wished Joseph Mitchell, who wrote so caringly about this city and its people, and Phillip Johnson, who built here with such ferocity, were still around to see how vibrant and alive their beloved river has become. I wish my father, who swam off the 26^th street pier, could jump in this water instead of that putrid mess that he dove into. ••• The rebirth of this river is proof that regulation, and committed enforcement of those regulations is the only way to insure the preservation our natural resources. In 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) made it illegal to dump pollutants into our waterways. This law gave citizen groups like Riverkeeper, the right to sue corporations in order to stop them from fouling the river. Today, would our politicians have the integrity and the foresight to pass such a decisive and effective law? ••• So if you’re a biker, a stroller, a jogger, a skater, a dog walker, a kayaker, a tanner, a ball player, a picnicker, or sightseer, you may want to come down by the river and admire the achievements of the Friends of the Hudson River. It is a tasteful place, with its ornamental grasses and architecturally pleasant walks and piers. I particularly enjoyed the huge rusted iron structures that jut out of the water and look more like modern sculpture than ancient ruins.  And by the way the kayaking is free on Saturday and Sunday.