Here is a tale of two cities: New York & Salem

I took the Amtrak train down to Manhattan last weekend and spent time at the Morris-Jumel Mansion. This is a “jewel in the crown” and is the oldest house in Manhattan. It is located in Fort Washington on the upper West side of New York City up from Harlem and off Amsterdam Avenue and past Columbia University.

B&B plans for decrepit NY lighthouse off LI coast

A nonprofit group wants to turn a delapidated lighthouse with a sweeping view of Long Island Sound into a bed-and-breakfast.

Statue of Liberty inspires collector

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

— Emma Lazarus poem inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty

Indian Point’s hot water problems

Officials at the Indian Point nuclear power plant – which has been called responsible for killing more than a billion fish each year – will have to figure out another way to cool its giant heated steam turbines, a state court has ruled.

City owns up to Coney Island project potentially requiring eminent domain

The city’s Coney Island plan suffered a major setback Wednesday as officials admitted they had not ruled out the use of eminent domain to acquire land for the project.

Pro Beach Volleyball in Coney Island

Life in New York City usually doesn’t call to mind a day at the beach. Yet, Manhattan is an island bordered by rivers with easy passageways to the Atlantic Ocean. Queens is an extension of the beaches of Long Island. And for four consecutive summers the AVP Crocs Tour has come to Coney Island for professional volleyball on Brooklyn’s most celebrated beach.

Neverland’s coaster: Dragon Wagon Kiddie now resides in Coney Island

A big piece of Michael Jackson history is now in Coney Island.

Elephants the big hot dogs in Coney Island competition with big eaters

Elephants eat more than people! That’s the not-so-shocking result of the inaugural Coney Island hot dog bun-eating contest between three circus elephants and three competitive eaters.

Exploring Dutch Legacy 400 Years After Hudson

“Dutch New York: The Roots of Hudson Valley Culture,” an ambitious exhibition at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, reveals how New Yorkers have both embraced and mocked their Dutch heritage since 1609, when Henry Hudson first sailed up the river that now bears his name.

Hudson River cleanup: long, costly and uncertain

Almost every time anglers such as Gil Hawkins fish the Hudson River, they throw back their catch — because PCB contamination has placed severe restrictions on what can be eaten. There’s so much pollution that commercial fishing is banned. Marinas along the landmark river have to pay high fees to dispose of contaminated mud when they conduct routine dredging.

SWIMMING

New Swimsuit Tech Could Mean New World Record Times

Boat Sober New York

Addressing the Critical Issue of Boating Under the Influence

Down by the River (and New York Harbor)

Jelly’s Pool Parties will run through Aug. 30 in East River State Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

City Proposes New Plan for Gowanus Canal Cleanup

The canal is contaminated with pollutants that include pesticides and metals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Temporary Closure of Three Shellfishing Areas

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced the temporary closure of three shellfishing areas on the north shore of Long Island during the upcoming July Fourth holiday period.

Expansion of Gantry Plaza State Park

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Queens West Development Corp., and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today opened a new 6-acre portion of Gantry Plaza State Park, featuring a waterfront promenade along the East River, an open lawn, new athletic field and reconstructed cove and wetlands.

So Who Was Henry Hudson?

The river, the valley, the highway — all integral parts of New York’s landscape that share Henry Hudson as their namesake.

Entertainment Cruises Provides Mind-Blowing Experiences

Their New York and New Jersey harbor cruise experiences provide tourists and residents with several scintillating views as well as endless entertainment.

Stringer takes power away from Leichter

“Not happy” at all that an appointee of his on the Hudson River Park Trust led the state-city authority’s surprise move to seek a longer lease for Pier 40, Borough President Scott Stringer responded strongly during the past week — both with words and action.

The dustcarts of the sea

Considering that the oceans hold more garbage than fish by now, this might be the right time to retrain our fishermen and let them hunt for litter. Several companies offer equipment to fish garbage out of rivers, lakes and harbours. They say they could build larger dustcarts for seas and oceans, too. Send the bill to the disposables industry – and let the cleanup begin.