I love New York, but New York is truly disgusting, and a lot of it is unbelievably ugly. The infrastructure is crumbling (dear god, the subways), and what little public beauty that isn’t as dilapidated as a Dickensian wedding dress is relegated to the neighborhoods of the rich and powerful. Even Central Park is largely maintained by private donations—it’s their back yard, they just let us visit. Most of the time I can ignore this. I fell in love with New York through movies like The Warriors, so I expect a certain post-apocalyptic aesthetic. But when I see something like photographer S. Morita’s collection of Japanese manhole covers—there are nearly 6,000 on the Flickr, I get a little emotional.

Nearly every industrialized city in the world lives atop a sewage system—a literal, man-made river system of shit and filth. The Japanese have managed to make the access-point to their shit-rivers really pretty! (So has Milan, by the way. My admiration for this kind of attention to detail and investment in (functional!) public art is certainly tinged with jealousy. Okay, maybe “not tinged.” Maybe more like “infected.” I am riddled with jealousy. We have an absurdly wealthy nation! We have creative people! We should have nice things too!
 

 

 
More after the jump…

 
Feeling burnt out by Valentine’s Day schmaltz? Looking for a way to romance your beloved without falling prey the general banality of consumer culture?

Well how about a trip to the sewage treatment plant with the The 3rd Annual Valentine’s Day Digester Egg Tour?!? And if you think this is some sort of ill-advised anti-romantic ironic statement, let me assure you, the tour is being offered by the facility itself!

Love is in the Air: The 3rd Annual Valentine’s Day Digester Egg Tour

Join us on Friday, February 14 for an exclusive Valentine’s Day tour of the Digester Eggs at the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The tour will include an overview of the wastewater treatment process followed by a visit to the observation deck atop the famous Digester Eggs. Guests will be treated to an unobstructed view of the iconic Manhattan skyline and will take home a special giveaway.

Tours begin at 9:30AM, 11:00AM, and 1:00PM. Space is limited so be sure to reserve your spot early. To register, please complete the quick form below.

Sorry, no children under 12 are allowed. Guests under 18 must have a release form signed by a parent or guardian. All guests will be required to sign a release form at the beginning of the tour.

We look forward to seeing you!

A cursory glance at the ole’ intertubes suggests that “wastewater” and “sewage” are interchangeable in this situation. But “wastewater” sounds a bit more high-falutin,’ which is, I assume, the reason for the word choice. All of that attention to euphemistic language is a little absurd when you remember they named the structures “digester eggs,” which is just too literal, if not downright coprophagic in its allusion. But wait! That building is kind of lovely, and who doesn’t love a good piece of American infrastructure? Tell me more:

The Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is home to eight futuristic stainless steel-clad digesters known as the Digester Eggs. The Digester Eggs play a critical role in wastewater treatment as they process as many as 1.5 million gallons of sludge (the organic material removed from sewage) each day. Located in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, the Newtown Creek facility is the largest of New York City’s 14 treatment plants and has the capacity to treat more than 300 million gallons of wastewater daily.

You know what? I like it. For one, Greenpoint is a lovely neighborhood (if you’re into that sort of thing), so it’s not as if you’ll be dragged off to an industrial lot somewhere—who’s to say you can’t grab dinner afterwards? Two, these are actually really beautiful structures. And I’m sure state-of-the-art water treatment prevents any unwanted odors (otherwise Greenpoint residents would never stop bitching about it). My blessing to you, sewage-couples!
 

 
Via Brokelyn