The Plaza at Waterside Plaza (NYC, October 2007)
This is the plaza area at Waterside Plaza. Waterside Plaza is a HUGE, three building, housing development alongside the East River in the East 20s of Manhattan. It is separated from the rest of Manhattan via a busy highway (FDR Drive) and so it is isolated, and island onto itself, and can be accessed only by car or by a foot bridge. That makes for a unique setting for this community.
The plaza of Waterside Plaza is stark and plain. Other than the pattern on the ground, it is almost without feature or ornament. It reminds me of the futuristic urban settings of the Planet of the Apes sequels and other movies set in a fictional future -- only this stark, sprawling, featureless, plainness (yet oddly attractive) is here and now.
I love how the residents, pictured here, all found a spot on the plaza. All facing the same direction, yet all completely ignoring each other and not interacting. All part of a unit.
In the background, off to the distance, towards the right, you can see the pointy spire of the magnificent Chrysler Building. That dense, concrete, beige monolith on the left is the main building and in-patient wing of the world-famous Bellevue Hospital.
A few photos below this one show you the beautiful community garden which has secretly been installed next to the plaza here (shhhhh.)
1 comment:
Excellent shot. I remember growing up a few blocks away. During the late 60s I used to park to the left of Waterside with our dates :)
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