HighWaterLine

Beach Cities

I think yesterday, in Mill Basin, was the first time I actually could see the water. And it wasn’t the ocean or the bay, it was one of the many basins that snake up into south Brooklyn. I have already skirted Spring Creek Basin, Fresh Creek Basin, Paerdegat (pronounced pah-deh-gat) Basin and now, East and West Mill Basin. All of these inlets provide ample opportunity for flooding, much like the canals that criss cross New Orleans.

I had heard some time ago about insurance companies pulling out of home insurance in the NYC region (I could only find this reference), one of the dads I talked to on Father’s Day confirmed this. He said he lost his homeowner’s insurance last year and has had a hard time getting new insurance. This even though based on the 10′ line he would be sitting on a dry peninsula of land…

Bergen Beach and Mill Basin proved to be much quieter neighborhoods. More suburban than Canarsie, there weren’t a lot of people out on the streets, although I could hear people out in the backyards enjoying the warm weekend weather. In fact, Sunday was so warm that I had to stop at Dolly’s for Italian ices not just once but twice. For those who are fans of good ices, this place is it. I have a picture of the menu I will post soon.

One of the really interesting parts of this project is getting to explore new areas of Brooklyn that I might never otherwise see. Certainly with the lack of transit or good biking options, Canarsie, Mill Basin and Bergen Beach aren’t going to be on most people’s itineraries, but I am glad they were on mine. It provided an opportunity to meet and talk to some really interesting and engaging people. I think ultimately to understand the power of the piece you really do just have to be there. So I encourage you to do so. If you are interested in coming out, check out the timeline and then contact me. Next drawing will be June 29-July 1 and I will get to visit Gerritson Beach and Sheepshead Bay…