Post-Apocalypse New York Is Confusing

Back in June, we looked at a fascinating article from Scientific American titled "An Earth Without People." The article was based on the premises of a book by Alan Weisman called "The World Without Us." Both focus on what would happen to the earth if humans vanished from the planet immediately. The SA article even has some cool animation of what would happen to NYC here. This obviously inspired other artistic renderings of what a post-human world would have in store for the city, like the one above.

Instead of contemplating a city landscape altered, however, the picture above leaves us contemplating a landscape completely unrecognizable. With the Brooklyn Bridge closer to the point of view than the Manhattan Bridge, we'll assume that we're looking north and standing on the Brooklyn side of the East River. We're at a loss to explain how the Empire State Building moved from Manhattan to downtown Brooklyn. Closer in the foreground is the venerable SoHo bar/restaurant Fanelli Cafe. Perhaps rents got so high Manhattan that even Fanelli Cafe had to move to Brooklyn. One thing we love about this picture, however, is that even as skyscrapers topple, streets rupture, bridges crumble, and nature reclaims our great Gotham, all the fire escapes seem to be perfectly solid and up to code.

Can you find anything odd or out of place in the above picture? A larger version is available here for closer examination.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Dave Hogarty in Arts & Entertainment on November 25, 2007 1:00 PM

Comments [rss]

Snoopy

^^^^ Horrid idea. If they ever filled in or made another bridge linking New York City with the outer boros I would move back to Ohio, although I never lived there or wanted to live there.

Through God's great wisdom he made the East and the Hudson rivers to seperate the haves from the wishing they had. No man made bridge can bridge that gap.

DaLata

actually this fantasy rendering opens up a few good ideas. if we drain out all the water in the East River we can build a concrete foundation linking NYC and Brooklyn which will further drive up the real estate boom in Williamsburg, making lower manhattan West Williamsburg. or making dumbo the lowest east side. also we can open up a lot of lanes eliminating Bloomberg's congestion toll thing so he'll implement an oxygen tax.

Amanda Harletsch

aahhh new yorkers can be the most ethnocentric people ever! Talking about being the navel of the world; Of course it is modified...the rendition is a superficial idea of new york, why? Because the majority of people that will watch this movie are not new yorkers! No body cares about a street being off. What would be the difference!?

vmxeo

The geography and bridge layout makes more sense if you mirror the picture. But the building placement is just a mess.

junglebunny

Will Smith can take on any NYPD cracka zombie.

TN

He won't be the last black man standing if those NYPD zombies get him.

junglebunny

Wrong! This is the Will Smith "I am legend" apocalypes. The last man, black man, standing. Black power.

Snoopy

Wrong again! This is Charlton Heston's greatest hit since his Moses schtick. Not "Planet of the Apes",not "Hercules Destroys Cleveland", nope none of those nor, "Chuck Joins the NRA", oops I forgot his great performance in "Soylent Green," this is his final GO FOR IT kind of performance. He's teaming up with OJ Simpson and Bridgitte Bardot doing a redo of "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow."

schadenfreudian mensch

@Toby von Meistersinger

This isn't the Charlton Heston "Planet of the Apes" apocalypse but "The Omega Man" apocalypse.

Snoopy

Holy shit! I think you are right. It does appear to be a 1976 Chevy LUV. What are they going for now in the open resto rod market?

But at the same time where is the tree or rock like item that took out its roof.

I know, I know, it's artistic license.

stollef

These renderings came from mondolithic.com

Toby von Meistersinger

The pickup truck appears to be a late 1970s Chevrolet LUV. I think they have all rusted out by now, since I haven't seen one in years.

Plus Charlton Heston being chased by apes is missing.

speed_racer

How about giving credit where credit's due? Who or where did this rendering come from?

iceberg

The "one-way" signs are posted way too high on the signal poles.

Kevin Walsh

If you leave out the Empire State Building, Dumbo kind of looked like that before Walentas bought all of it.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Rocknrope

Where are the zombies?

junglebunny

What's obviously wrong with the photograph (clearly fake) is how the 4 or 5 story building is taller than the brooklyn bridge. Anyone who has seen the bridge knows it's much taller than that.

angry_pickle

There are no residential buildings at the edge of the East River like that. It should be the highway.

freddyhere

Speaking of apocalypse, simple is often more evocative - recall the closing scene in the original classic "Planet of the Apes"...

Spirit of 76

This looks more like the Manhattan side, based on the angle of the bridges (further apart on this side) and the buildings on the other side looking very DUMBO while this shore's buildings resemble Manhattan more. Looks to me like they mixed up the bridges and moved the ESB downtown. Amazingly, while buildings and bridges have crumbled and cars rusted, the flag on top of the Brooklyn Bridge appears to have been made of a miracle fabric so it's still relatively intact.