Flushing Bay NYC Nov 29th 2013

Here we are, Thanksgiving was yesterday , so I have the day off work. I've been wanting to paddle out in Flushing Bay for ages, but conditions have not coincided with my spare time (there being very little of that). Even today was far from perfect, as the low tide (very low right now)  was in the middle of the day, so I didn't get to paddle up Flushing creek I'll have to save that for another day.

It was cold (wind chill of -3 C (27 F)), but one i was properly dressed this was no problem. I took the chance to drop in to Willet's Point in Queens, a place I had only been to once before. I read that it is about to be cleared, so I wanted to get some photos before it disappeared. I am posting some of these here, even though it bears no connection with kayaking beyond being very close to the boat ramp from which I launched. It is pretty amazing that it has survived so long. Goodness know what the people who make their meager livelihood here are going to do when they raze it (starting tomorrow).

The World's Fair Marina was closed and I thought I would not be able to launch, but a friendly Parks Officer pointed me in the right direction.
The only remnants of the Worlds Fair (1964) evident  in that location was these shelters.

This barge, moored at The Rikers Island Prison, houses 800 prison cells....and I thought the British were the only ones to put their prisoners on boats ( and that was 250 years ago!)