This is a typical scene in both the East River, and the Hudson River over on the west side: a tiny but powerful barge pushing a boat along. Of course, it helps if you've also got the current pushing you along, as is the case here...

When you say "New York City," most people think of Times Square, or the Empire State Building, or the crowded sidewalks and the skyscrapers in mid-town, or Wall Street, or the ill-fated World Trade Center. Maybe Central Park will come to mind, but most people don't realize that New Yorkers know lots of places to relax, and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air ...

... like Carl Schurz Park, over by the East River on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, stretching from 90th Street down to about 84th Street. In addition to flower gardens, dog runs, basketball courts, playgrounds, and grassy knolls for sunbathing, there is also a wide promenade where cyclists, roller-skaters, dog-walkers, lovers, joggers, parents, children, and any of the other millions of citizens of this city can stroll along at whatever pace suits them best. Some sit at benches along the edge of the river, staring at the roiling water caused by the swift current down the East River; others nod and smile as they watch sailboats, motorboats, yachts, barges, tour-boats, and barges ply their way up and down the river.