Ice Shuts Down NYC Ferry Service

The wind chill this morning was a record-setting -15.

De Blasio Announces New Ferry Service

Via Gothamist:

The East River ferry, launched by de Blasio's predecessor, currently shuttles passengers to a limited number of stops in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan along the East River, for $4 a ticket on weekdays and $6 on weekends. The new ferry service will be cheaper—Blasio promised yesterday that "new ferry rides will be priced the same as a MetroCard fare." The service will be operated by private companies receiving government subsidies. De Blasio said he plans to allocate an initial $55 million in capital investment for the first five routes (excluding the Stapleton/Coney Island routes), and anticipates an annual city subsidy between $10-$20 million to keep the whole thing afloat. If completed as envisioned, the expansion would likely be the largest municipal ferry service in the United States, in terms of passenger use.

According to a city study, there was an 8% increase in property values for locations within walking distance of the East River ferry stops created by Bloomberg, yielding $24M in new annual tax revenue for the city. Annual ridership for New York City's private ferry companies currently stands at about 10 million. The Staten Island Ferry, which is run by the city, has an annual ridership of 27 million.

Proposed: New East River Tramway

New York City already offers tram service between the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island, but a local businessman has proposed a new "high-speed" gondola system that would initially provide service between Williamsburg and lower Manhattan. Gothamist is digging it:

Picture this: it's 100 degrees out, you descend into the subway station to find a packed platform, you stand for 10 minutes waiting for a train as the sweat forms a glistening husk around your entire body. What if you could skip all of that, and float way above the river to your destination? CityRealty's president Dan Levy has proposed an East River Skyway, and we are on board—this high-speed gondola would connect a number of areas along Manhattan and the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts—kind of similar to the East River Ferry route. If the real estate exec's proposal ever takes flight, the first phase would connect the Williamsburg waterfront to Downtown Manhattan (a trip to Delancey street would only take 3.5 minutes!), South Williamsburg and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. After that, an extension north to Greenpoint, LIC and Midtown East, and south to DUMBO and the South Street Seaport area would be added. After that, who knows! Hoboken? The moon?

The proposed cost is $100M, which is probably less than the cost of a new subway station. There's a slick website in support of the proposal.

Commuter Ferry Crashes In NYC

This morning a commuter ferry crashed into Pier 11 at the foot of Wall Street. Local news reports that at least two dozen people were injured.   Story developing...

RELATED: In 2003 eleven people were killed and scores were seriously injured when the Staten Island Ferry crashed into the dock in lower Manhattan.

UPDATE: I've changed the headline of this post because the involved ferry is from the Seastreak line.  East River Ferry is the proper name of another company.

Morning View - East River

I'm just a couple of blocks from the East River, where water is already topping the seawall. Even at high tide, the water level is usually about eight feet below the ledge.  I'm guessing that they'll have to close the FDR before too much longer.

NEW YORK CITY: British Lesbian Killed In East River Helicopter Crash

A British woman celebrating her 40th birthday with her partner and parents was killed yesterday when their sightseeing helicopter crashed into the East River just off Manhattan. The frenzied rescue attempt was covered live on NYC television and was viewed by thousands from their office and apartment windows.

Moments before a doomed chopper crashed into the East River on Tuesday, the pilot yelled to his passengers, "We're going down." Suddenly, the helicopter plunged upside down into the chilly, fast-moving water, sparking a desperate rescue operation by city cops and firefighters that saved four people from the treacherous water. Despite their heroic efforts, Sonia Marra Nicholson, a British woman in the city celebrating her 40th birthday, was trapped inside the helicopter and died. The crash left her mother and partner in critical condition. Her stepfather was treated and released. Veteran pilot Paul Dudley escaped the 3:20 p.m. crash unharmed. "He's very distraught," a source said. "He says he just lost control and it crashed in the water."

Australian gay news site SameSame reports that the two women resided in Sydney, where they once owned well-known restaurants.

The Waterfalls Are Flowing

Artist Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls installations on the East River have begun flowing today, but probably don't give quite the intended thrill when the weather is as dark and gloomy as it is right now. The four waterfalls will run through October 13th, 7am -10pm. Via Gothamist, here's some good viewing spots. I'll put up some pictures later as they come in.
UPDATE: Aaron sends us this pic of the Governor's Island waterfall, taken from his 35th floor apartment in Jersey city.

Water Ski Threat Level: High

With all the world leaders in town for the U.N. General Assembly, security is naturally very tight. Yesterday, Farmboy C and I were walking along the East River where we watched this twin machine-gunned Coast Guard boat ward pleasure cruisers away from the U.N. side of the river. When they went by at high speed, the kid at the machine gun in front seemed to be having a great time.