It is important to note and easy to forget that, first and foremost, Manhattan is an island, and that its role as a harbor is what led it to become the great city that it is. By the early 1800s, after construction of the Erie Canal, NYC was an international port as well as the greatest shipping center between Europe and America (click here for article). Unlike cities such as San Francisco or Portland, Maine, where the maritime presence is very strong, one could easily go weeks, months, or longer in NYC and never see or sense the water. But an island it is, and the urban density is a product of its limited and well-defined space. The five boroughs of New York City have evolved with distinct and unique characters, which, to a large extent, is due to their physical separation by water – all the boroughs are islands or part of islands except for the Bronx. Brooklyn and Queens are both on Long Island (and share a land border).

This photo was taken from Christopher Street Pier looking southwest down the Hudson River to the bay, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and New Jersey. New York services many cruise lines, ferries, and tour boats. The ship is the Norwegian Dawn (click here for a close up photo). Although words such as isolation and vulnerability come to mind, somehow I find great comfort being on this small island…