CREEK LINES I am very fond of Newtown Creek. But it is a narrow body of water, So it doesn't look significant on most maps. Yet the shoreline is some 11 miles long, almost the length of Manhattan. Also, the shore is varied in orientation, it faces nearly every direction at some point. The most familiar map of NYC (the subway), falsely implies a strict West to East route. To better display these two properties, a new map was sought. One that would not show space, but boundaries. To emphasize the shoreline, it was broken into 64 segments, preserving directional orientation (^ = North). Then arranged in a more voluminous manner, a circle that is open and more inviting. Willis Elkins, 2014.

The West to East version of Newtown Creek, courtesy MTA.

Geographic map of Newtown Creek.

Geographic map with a few segments.

The 64 shore segments in a grid, reading left to right. (Beginning with Brooklyn shore at the East River.)

Shore segments in a circular projection (with color key).

Circular projection with Brooklyn/Queens border.

Circular projection with Newtown Creek photo.

Circular projection with NOAA marine chart.