Everyone knows Bartholdi and the gift of the Union Franco-Americiane to the people of the United States in 1876. Even Eiffel was involved. It resulted in a change of name for Bedloe’s Island, and Our Lady of the harbor became one of the first New York memories for millions of immigrants who arrived here in the years prior to air travel. My parents speak of seeing her as they passed, watching from the deck of Nieuw Amsterdam as it steamed up toward the Holland America docks then in Hoboken.
But Zurab Tsereteli? And what is this statue below?
I missed this story completely, a September 11 memorial from the people of Russia. After some wrangling about location, Tsereteli’s statue was erected on the northeastern corner of what used to be called the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne.
Another waterfront not-yet icon is the Merchant Mariners Memorial on the east end of the Battery just south of Pier A. Marisol Escobar designed it to make dramatic use of the tides.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
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December 12, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Frank (and Ekaterina) Huelster
Ekaterina was still living in Russia during September of 2001. We knew how the people there shared our grief and concern, but we were unaware of the gift from President Putin. Now we can’t wait to visit the location and learn more about it. It will be very interesting to talk about the next time we visit her family in Russia! We have enjoyed many of the articles and pictures you posted. I grew up in Hackensack and never saw the herons. Your view from the boat is something most of us never experience.