Gowanus Canal.
Like the shark before it, the whale swam into the canal in 2007, beached itself, and sadly, died.
Gowanus Canal
Enough said.
Gowanus Canal.
In 1952, a large shark was spotted in the canal, before the cops shot it.
Gowanus Canal.
Actually, it’s a combination of silt, coal tar, and something referred to as “black mayonnaise.” We wish we could take credit for the term, but we can’t. This mixture lines the bottom of the Gowanus Canal, a Superfund site.
Gowanus Canal.
This baby jelly was fished from the Gowanus by the New York Times urban forager and spent a few hours nestled inside a jar at our evening of poetry and performance at Proteus Gowanus in 2010. See a picture here.
Gowanus Canal.
Who would think that anything, aside from the mysterious white goo, could thrive in such polluted waters?
Gowanus Canal.
Anyone for a game of Go Fish?
Gowanus Canal.
In May 2009, a man drove his Volvo into the Gowanus. A firefighter dove into the canal after him and saved the driver. After swallowing water during the rescue, the firefighter received two Hepatitis B shots.
Gowanus Canal.
“I am a cage,” wrote Kafka, “in search of a bird.”
Gowanus Canal.
In 2003, an injured harp seal made its way into the Gowanus Canal and was nursed back to health with the help of the Riverhead Foundation. Later that year, a sister-seal known as Tama-Chan traveled from her home in Japan to visit Gowanda. Really.
Gowanus Canal.
Scientists are studying this goo—a mixture of bacteria, protozoans, and contaminants—for its medical potential, as it’s managed to thrive in one of the most polluted canals in the city.