Swimming in the East River could happen sooner than you think
February 10, 2020
The East River on the Williamsburg waterfront. Max Touhey
The East River is the cleanest it’s been in a century—and swimming in the once-polluted waterway isn’t such a wild idea
On a warm July morning about 15 years ago, Ellen Weinberg climbed a metal fence in lower Manhattan wearing a bathing suit, goggles, and swim cap, walked up to the banks of the East River, and plunged in. About 30 minutes later, passersby on the Brooklyn side of ...