Sunset cruise to DUMBO on the NYC Ferry

Eye on Real Estate

November 8, 2017 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset. (Of course you remember the song from “Fiddler on the Roof.”) Seen from the NYC Ferry as it leaves the dock in North Williamsburg. Eagle photos by Lore Croghan

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The journey’s brief. The scenery’s epic.

A ride on the NYC Ferry from its North Williamsburg stop to Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park takes just 13 minutes.

But boy, is it fun if you go right before sunset.

As the boat pulls away from the North Williamsburg ferry dock, you get an eyeful of the setting sun blazing behind the World Trade Center and the rest of Lower Manhattan.

When you turn your gaze towards Brooklyn, you see the last rays of daylight reflected in the glass facades of various waterfront developments.

It’s especially fun to stand out on the deck to snap photos of the scenery when it’s a really a little too chilly to be out there without a coat.

The wind whips around you.

All of a sudden, after the seemingly endlessly warmth of summer and fall, you remember what incipient frostbite feels like.

The three bridges the ferry passes under look especially majestic this time of day.

Before you know it, the boat pulls into Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This spot on the shoreline has had ferry service at various times since the 1640s. It’s where Robert Fulton launched his steamboat ferry service between Brooklyn and Manhattan in 1814.

All along the Watchtower

But you’re more likely to think about recent history when you disembark from the NYC Ferry — because the famous glowing-red “Watchtower” sign will be staring you in the face.

It graces the top of the former headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses at 25-30 Columbia Heights.

The sign is a reminder that the religious organization had a major presence in the area for a century — but not anymore.

The Watchtower has moved its world headquarters to Warwick in upstate New York and sold most of its Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO real estate.

The former Brooklyn Heights headquarters now belongs to the Kushner Cos. and its investor partners in a joint venture called Columbia Heights Associates. Jared Kushner headed Kushner Cos. until he stepped aside to serve as senior adviser to his father-in-law, President Donald Trump.

The new owner of the religious group’s old headquarters plans to take down the iconic “Watchtower” sign. So get a good look while you can.