Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls start flowing tomorrow morning-- perhaps as early as 7am, but sadly, the Circle Line tours of the bay don't start until Friday. So if you want a good view (or a good picture) of these babies, you're going to have to view them from land. No problem: we've marked the best viewing spots for each one on the map above.
1. Governors Island-- this is the toughest one to view without a boat. Best spot is from the piers next to the Maritime Ferry Building at the tip of Manhattan. For a closeup, bring binoculars or a telephoto lens.
2. Brooklyn Piers-- for the angle shown above, you'll need to be on the Manhattan side, on the waterfront by the Helicopter terminal. If you don't mind seeing the back of the falls, you can get a closeup view from the Brooklyn Promenade, or from Empire State Park, north of the Bridge.
4. Pier 35-- this waterfall is best seen from the path right under the FDR that runs alongside the water, or from above, on the Manhattan Bridge Bike Path (north side of the bridge-- be careful of bikers!)
Timing: in the morning, the light will be coming from the East, so you'll get better photographs on the Brooklyn side. In the afternoon or at night, the light will be from the west, and the falls will be lit up with lights, so it's better to shoot from the Manhattan positions.A block of open space is being developed into a public park for better waterfall project viewing. Pier 1, just south of the Fulton Ferry Landing (map), will be the best spot to see all 4 waterfalls at once.
