New York City Waterfalls

[Matt]

It sprayed water from the river, which mixes with the ocean.

[Mark J]

Well this has been one of the sadder chapters in the annals of NYFalls.com but perhaps enlightening none the less. Seeing as I started this thread when the show opened early last year, maybe I can help close it.

The beauty of the New York falls we all love -- from Chittenango to Niagara, from Taughhannock to She-Qua-Ga, from Carpenters to Letchworth -- is that they are natural. The falls we love are the product of water, time and gravity, and nothing more. The combination of these three factors, in endless variety, fascinates us. The NY City falls were pitiful man-made imitations. It's sad to read that the lasting effect of this exhibition is the destruction of living trees. Ten or twelve years ago, I planted a pair of willows in my back yard. Two years ago, one of them was destroyed an an instant by a bolt of lightning. I don't consider myself a "tree hugger" per se, but the destruction of a healthy living tree for no benefit is a tragedy. I mourned for my beautiful willow tree even as I fired up my chainsaw to carve it up into manageable chunks for disposal. I have since sold that property and relocated, but I will certainly be checking on my surviving willow tree any chance I get to return to the area.

So good-bye to the artificial falls of Manhattan's East River. We can all look forward to visiting New York state's more lasting and more beautiful falls, provided by Nature's basic natural elements of water, gravity and time.

Mark J.

[Brenda]

Well said, as always.