Travel back to a time when that eyesore of a Verizon Building wasn't jutting out of the city's skyline. This image is pretty self-explanatory, showing the skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge, and as it looked from that viewpoint during the years 1876, 1932, 1988, and a rendering of what it could look like next year. Since there's such a big chunk of time missing there, here's some video showing the same area in different decades. First, the 1970s: more ›

Another $16 million will be pumped into redeveloping Pier 42 and completing the East River Waterfront Park as the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation officially approved the work on Thursday. "This funding will be a step toward the world-class waterfront and open space we’ve long fought for, while continuing the revitalization of Lower Manhattan," State Senator Daniel Squadron said in a statement. The green space and "beach" will jut out between the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges. While the rendering looks swell, it's missing the requisite old men fishing and chain smoking. more ›

Since your homemade raft probably won't fit in the bathtub, the next best option has to be the East River, right? The Fire Department's Marine Unit 6 rescued an 18-year-old from the river near 87th Street around 6 p.m. Firefighter Michael Krochak told NBC New York, "We witnessed a person in the water struggling, hanging on to a life ring supported by a rope over a sea wall 40 feet in the air off the East River Drive. That was the only thing he had for support at that point." more ›

A third woman has died of injuries sustained in last month's tragic helicopter crash into the East River. The Post reports that 60-year-old Harriet Nicholson died this morning at Bellevue Hospital of "respiratory complications of near drowning." 40-year-old Sonia Marra was trapped inside the sunken helicopter and died after rescuers couldn't extract her, and her partner 43-year-old Helen Tamaki passed away from complications a week after the crash. Paul Nicholson and pilot Paul Dudley survived with minor injuries. more ›

Sure, the East River Ferry has had its issues since its launch this summer: delays annoyed commuters, Hasidic Jews were pissed about its child restrictions, and for a minute there, it looked like no one wanted to ride the thing at all. But those issues pale in comparison to the latest problem: the ferry is too damn popular. more ›

Sad news from Bellevue Hospital: a second passenger who was critically injured in the October 4 East River helicopter crash has died. Helen Tamaki, who was visiting from Sydney, Australia, passed away from complications caused by suffering a lack of oxygen to her brain, hospital officials said. Her death was ruled an accident. more ›

The helicopter that crashed into the East River last week, killing one and seriously injuring four others, was inspected just two days before the incident. According to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, the 1976 Bell Jet Ranger had its annual inspection on October 2. The AP adds, "During an annual inspection mechanics take much of an aircraft apart and put it together again. The work can take several weeks." more ›

The model of the helicopter that crashed into the East River on Tuesday, killing one passenger, is apparently susceptible to rotor problems. And the National Transportation Safety Board has ruled out the pilot's belief that the chopper, which plunged into the river upside down, failed due to engine problems and are now investigating wind issues, as well as whether weight restrictions were followed. more ›

The pilot of the deadly helicopter crash in the East River on Tuesday has a less-than-savory past—he's a convicted felon for his role in a carefully planned robbery in Staten Island 32 years ago. more ›

A witness to yesterday's helicopter crash in the East River that killed one and injured four others said the helicopter appeared to be in trouble before flipping over and plunging into the water at around 3:22 p.m. "It was already going up, when it spun around a couple times and flipped over with the propeller underwater and the nose facing Queens," Robert Dress tells the Times. Dress was watching the helicopters take off from the 34th Street Heliport with this 9-month-old son. "There was no reaction time at all; the thing went up and just came down. It's a tragedy." more ›

According to the FDNY and @NYScanner, a helicopter is down near the FDR Drive at 34th Street and the East River and there are three people currently trapped inside. A FDNY rep noted that it was most likely a commercial helicopter because of the nearby 34th Street Heliport. We'll update as we know more, but here's streaming video. more ›

A 46-year-old long distance swimmer from upstate New York attempted to break the world record for swimming around Manhattan—twice—a 57-mile jaunt that requires nearly 24 hours of nonstop exercise. more ›

The NY Times has a dramatic account of the everyday heroics needed to get the uptown wastewater treatment plant working after a devastating fire—wading in 8 feet of raw sewage, anyone? more ›

Yesterday, NYC Swim held its annual Brooklyn Bridge swim, a 1K across the East River. About 400 people participated, which apparently was less than in previous years. It seems that some may have been thinking about the warnings about raw sewage which was dumped into waterways after a four-alarm fire that devastated a wastewater treatment plant. more ›

Good news from the DEP! Our short Metropolitan nightmare of feces-filled rivers may be coming to a close. The DEP is starting to turn the engines back on at the North River wastewater treatment plant, which means that the raw sewage dump that has been going on since Wednesday's fire may soon be over. more ›

A radio station-sponsored booze cruise on the East River broke down after midnight this morning, putting an abrupt end to the danceathon and leaving hundreds of revelers stranded and upset. more ›

After a long day in the salt mines, there's nothing like a quick dip in a cold mass of chlorinated water spiced with children's urine and floating Band-Aids. With the public pools still days away from opening, and the contents of our wallet too pathetic to dip in The Gansevoort's pool, we're left to dreaming. What if it was safe to jump into the East River? Several designers are currently working on a concept called +Pool, a 9,000 square foot pool-shaped filtration system that would turn the toxic waterways of our city into a summertime paradise. more ›

A few months ago, we started hearing rumblings of a plan to introduce an East River Ferry service connecting Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Governors Island; and starting in just a few short days, that dream will officially become reality. more ›

In a situation that immediately calls to mind the great Montauk Monster fiasco of 2008, a giant, prehistoric-looking monster from another world was dragged out of the East River over the weekend. Anybody hungry? more ›

We just received word over the wire that "Harbor & Aviation are conducting a water search for a white male with a beard and wearing a black jacket who jumped into the East River" from the Williamsburg Bridge. more ›

A group of tourists exited to see the city skyline from the air over the Hudson river got a slightly grittier view when they spotted a dead body floating off South Street Seaport from their helicopter tour. Manhattan Helicopters employee Angel Gonzalez said, “It looked like a bag of trash." more ›

Those stories of ferry service coming to Greenpoint and North Williamsburg as soon as May were pretty close! The New York City Economic Development Corporation is expected to pass a vote today to award a contract to BillyBey, a division of New York Waterway, to run a seven-stop ferry route that ranges from Long Island City to the Fulton Ferry landing with stops at Pier 11 in the Financial District, East 34th Street, south and north Williamsburg and India Street in Greenpoint. The service is expected to start in June. more ›

While the Secretariat building of the United Nations has been undergoing renovations, the UN Security Council has been meeting in the basement. And unfortunately, basement means sewage pipes and a broken sewage pipe meant that the world leaders were temporarily forced to smell something totally gross. The diplomats and 150 school kids at the UN for a Security Council meeting were evacuated because of a "disruption in the basement sewage system caused by a high tide on the adjacent East River." more ›