From the Founder

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

Grace A. Capobianco

CEO and Founder Downtown Magazine

Follow me on Instagram @graciedtm, @downtownmagnyc, and on downtownmagazinenyc.com

Photography by Philippe Reynaud Makeup by Dawn Nicole Hair Color by David Cotteblanche Hair Styling by Nordia Mcintosh Fashion Styling by Rachel Gritalis Wirkus Jewelry by Barbara Novak Diamonds

FIRST, LET ME SAY TO ALL NEW YORKERS: get your shots, wear a mask, and be kind to each other. We are all human beings, let’s keep each other safe. As Downtowners, we have been here before. This area is the life thread of my being, we must stay strong and stay the course and before long, our beloved neighborhood will be coming back. Take care of our local businesses and lend a hand (safely) to your neighbor!

I have lived only a few steps away from the water nearly all of my life, with the exception of my childhood in Delaware. But even then, it was just a 30-minute drive to Rehoboth and Lewis, Delaware, or Ocean City, Maryland. In my early 20s I moved to South Florida and lived a stone’s throw away from the ocean—my everyday refuge. Even when I lived in Atlanta I was near the water. (It was a lake, but it still counts!) And in Chicago I lived just off Lakeshore Drive, right on Lake Superior. I woke up every morning to jog the beach, with its spectacular views of the city. Oh, those were the days when running was my life! There is something special about waking up and going to sleep near a body of water reflecting beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

When I moved to New York back in 1996, I lived on the Upper East Side and Central Park was my playground. But as much as I loved spending my days in the park, I missed being near the water. One day I just happened to take a ride downtown and discovered Lower Manhattan. From that day on I envisioned living downtown, and within a year I made it a reality. Every morning I wake up to the sunrise over the beautiful Hudson River and in the evenings, I walk along the esplanade with Barclay, enjoying the glorious sunsets.

Last fall, my dear neighbor told me that they were on their way to whale watch, and I was taken aback. Whales in New York? We jumped on the subway and headed to Brooklyn where we discovered the American Princess, a 120-year-old family boat charter business. What a joy it was to chat with the captain and his crew.

I could tell how kind the Captain was after five minutes, but when he said, “I will not give up until I find a whale for my guests,” we realized how devoted he was to his guests. On the cruise, we saw more than one whale, we learned about what they feed on, their lifestyle, and why they were coming back to the New York waterways. The American Princess crew was extremely cautious, always putting these majestic creatures first.

It was such an eye opener for me. I knew of the serious issues facing our planet, but now I had a mission, to not only learn but help to educate others. We quickly decided to focus on our waterways and the creatures who inhabit them in our Reformers issue.

Coincidentally, I happened to run into Catherine McVay Hughes, our long time board member, when I returned from my whale watching excursion. Catherine has spent her career fighting for our downtown environment. She loved the idea of focusing on our native sea life and quickly penned an informative feature in this issue. There is much to celebrate: it’s the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act; the Waterfront Alliance has a five-mile ride on the East Coast Greenway on May 2; Living Breakwaters, an ecological and social resiliency project, has the Billion Oysters Project; and Water Day, a free, family-oriented celebration of the New York and New Jersey waterfront, sponsored by the Waterfront Alliance.

With warmer weather approaching, it’s time for my favorite pastimes: biking and sailing on the Hudson with Classic Harbor Line and Manhattan by Sail, two companies who truly care about our waterways and love to show them off. And, of course, swimming every day at Asphalt Green BPC. Leave it to our editor in chief, Deb Martin, to come up with the perfect person for the cover. Actor Sam Waterston is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Oceana. Gosh, it was wonderful photographing Sam in Bridgeport with our lead photographer Andrew Matusik and his assistant Cynthia Cortes. Getting to know Sam and learning more about his mission with Oceana was eye opening. I have to give a shout out to our new friends at Fayerweather Yacht Club, the lovely private club in Bridgeport where we photographed Sam. A huge thank you to Commodore Bob Schley, and to Mrs. Schely, for allowing us to use the club as a backdrop. Your hospitality was more than we could have hoped for, and the lunch from the new head chef was delicious—I’m coming back and bringing friends!

PS: Two weeks after our whale watching excursion, I spotted a whale right here in New York Harbor right outside of my window. Did he know that we were dedicating this issue to his him, or even better did he remember me? DT