Best of 2022 in Images - South Brooklyn Network

The South Brooklyn images of 2022 covered many topics. I’ve broken down our favorite images and stories into four categories – Gowanus Canal, Sports, Travel and Nature.

As usual, the Gowanus Canal gave me another yearly portfolio of the ever changing landscape of Brooklyn’s Superfund waterway. It became a year of panoramas, a new technique that allows a bigger view in a unique perspective. They were meant for use along the canal, an industrial area now joining the virtual age.

As we came out of COVID, the banks of the Gowanus have nearly been wiped clean. The next decade will see the population explode as condos blossom where industry disappeared.

The End of an Era, The Start of Something New: Covid-19 unleashed a dystopian opportunity for developers to change the landscape in the Gowanus neighborhood at a frightening pace. Many unique buildings and urban artscapes vanished in the silence of the pandemic.

Gowanus Canal 2022

Panorama of the Gowanus Canal Pasta World building at corner of Bond Street and Degraw Street. ©Mark D PhillipsGowanus Canal Panorama of Pasta World building at corner of Bond Street and Degraw Street in Gowanus. ©Mark D Phillips

Panorama of Pig Beach on the Gowanus Canal at the Union Street Bridge as Tyler Daniel Smith joins friends at the canal. ©Mark D PhillipsPanorama of Pig Beach on the Gowanus Canal at the Union Street Bridge as Tyler Daniel Smith joins friends at the canal. ©Mark D Phillips

Red Hook Grain Terminal in Gowanus Bay is eerie as the setting sun shines through and around it. ©Mark D PhillipsRed Hook Grain Terminal in Gowanus Bay is eerie as the setting sun shines through and around it. ©Mark D Phillips

Panorama of The Gowanus Canal looking at Powerhouse Arts. ©Mark D PhillipsPanorama of The Gowanus Canal looking at Powerhouse Arts. ©Mark D Phillips

Old and New with condos and the Batcave, also known as the Gowanus dynamo building in the gentrifying canal area. ©Mark D PhillipsOld and New with condos and the Batcave, also known as the Gowanus dynamo building in the gentrifying canal area. ©Mark D Phillips

Gowanus Canal on April 13, 2022, finally coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current cost of the overall cleanup plan is estimated to be over $1.5 billion, and the entire project won’t be completed until mid-2023. ©Mark D PhillipsGowanus Canal on April 13, 2022, finally coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current cost of the overall cleanup plan is estimated to be over $1.5 billion, and the entire project won’t be completed until mid-2023. ©Mark D Phillips

The empty banksGowanus Canal on April 12, 2022, as we came out of the COVID-19 pandemic with empty banks. ©Mark D Phillips

Gowanus: Industry & EcologyDykes Lumber reflects “Gowanus: Industry & Ecology,” by artists Julia Whitney Barnes and Ruth Hofheimer in the Superfund waterway. ©Mark D Phillips

The Original DredgerOwen Foote of the Gowanus Dredgers talks about the history of the Gowanus Canal during the Battle of Brooklyn tour canoe trip. ©Mark D Phillips

Gowanus is HomeLauren rests on her front stoop in Gowanus, Brooklyn, on a beautiful May evening in 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Gowanus Pig Beach Meetup PanoramaGowanus Canal Panorama in Pig Beach at the Union Street Bridge as Tyler Daniel Smith joins friends at the canal. ©Mark D Phillips

Gowanus Dredgers lead a tour beneath the tallest train station in the world about the history of the Gowanus Canal and the Battle of Brooklyn. ©Mark D PhillipsGowanus Dredgers lead a tour beneath the tallest train station in the world about the history of the Gowanus Canal and the Battle of Brooklyn. ©Mark D Phillips

Sports are still a huge part of my life and I find my ways to keep at it. I love shooting it and I love watching live sports. Skiing is a passion and it’s the best to be able to keep it in my life. Going to the 21st Maccabiah in Israel this summer was one of the highlights of my life. My daughter and her teammates on the USA Field Hockey team brought home the Gold Medal. Watching the thrill of victory for a group of women who were bonded not just by sports but also by their ties to Judaism was a special moment for all of us involved.

USA Field Hockey takes Gold in double overtime, shootout: The USA Field Hockey team defeated Argentina to bring home GOLD in a nail-biting, TWO overtime, 6-5 shootout victory at the 21st Maccabiah games in Israel.

New England Masters Ski Racing releases 2022-23 schedule: There are weekends throughout the region, including February’s joint race with Mid-Atlantic Masters at West Mountain, one of my favorites. It includes one of two Super-G races on the schedule, my daughter’s favorite race.

Sports 2022

Rachel Katzenberg cheers with a small US flag as she marches into Teddy Stadium for the 21st Maccabiah opening ceremony. Liza Phillips is at top left. ©Mark D PhillipsRachel Katzenberg cheers with a small US flag as she marches into Teddy Stadium for the 21st Maccabiah opening ceremony. Liza Phillips is at top left. ©Mark D Phillips

Liza Phillips competes with the USA Maccabiah Field Hockey team on Saturday, May 28, 2022, at the Big Apple Tournament (May 28-29) at Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, NY. They went on to win the Gold Medal in Israel in August. ©Mark D Phillips

Israeli Judoka Ori Sasson, who during his career won two Olympic medals and a Maccabiah Gold, rides the Maccabiah float during the Israeli Day Parade on May 22, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsIsraeli Judoka Ori Sasson, who during his career won two Olympic medals and a Maccabiah Gold, rides the Maccabiah float during the Israeli Day Parade on May 22, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Owen Argiro at Senior Day game versus East Windsor on October 12, 2020. ©Mark D PhillipsOwen Argiro at Senior Day game versus East Windsor on October 12, 2020. ©Mark D Phillips

Owen Argiro makes a great save in last Somers High School Soccer game of his career. ©Mark D PhillipsOwen Argiro makes a great save in last Somers High School Soccer game of his career. ©Mark D Phillips

Pelig, a resident of Kibbutz Gezer09, wears the Canadian flag on his batting helmet as he serves as the batboy for Team Canada in the 21st Maccabiah Over-50 Softball Gold Game. The kibbutz, located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, has its own version of the "Field of Dreams" as one of the few regulation baseball fields in Israel. ©Mark D PhillipsPelig, a resident of Kibbutz Gezer09, wears the Canadian flag on his batting helmet as he serves as the batboy for Team Canada in the 21st Maccabiah Over-50 Softball Gold Game. The kibbutz, located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, has its own version of the "Field of Dreams" as one of the few regulation baseball fields in Israel. ©Mark D Phillips

Hartford Roses versus Monmouth County Rugby in Thompson, NJ. ©Mark D PhillipsHartford Roses versus Monmouth County Rugby in Thompson, NJ. ©Mark D Phillips

Luna Colozzo celebrates with her teammates during Nichols College Volleyball vs Western New England on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsLuna Colozzo celebrates with her teammates during Nichols College Volleyball vs Western New England on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Stevenson, JesseJesse Stevenson flies in a crash at the USSA Masters Eastern Championship Slalom at West Mountain on February 20, 2022

Max Scherzer makes a rehab start for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies against the Hartford Yardgoats Double-A game at Dunkin Donuts Stadium in Hartford, CT, on June 29, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsMax Scherzer makes a rehab start for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies against the Hartford Yardgoats Double-A game at Dunkin Donuts Stadium in Hartford, CT, on June 29, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Liza Phillips races at the USSA Eastern Regional Championship Masters GS at West Mountain on February 19, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsLiza Phillips races at the USSA Eastern Regional Championship Masters GS at West Mountain on February 19, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Eric Vitiello skids out approaching a gate at the USSA Masters Eastern Championship Slalom at West Mountain on February 20, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsEric Vitiello skids out approaching a gate at the USSA Masters Eastern Championship Slalom at West Mountain on February 20, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Kerry Finch shouts as she takes a gate on her way to a first place finish at the USSA Eastern Regional Championship Masters GS at West Mountain on February 19, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsKerry Finch shouts as she takes a gate on her way to a first place finish at the USSA Eastern Regional Championship Masters GS at West Mountain on February 19, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Greg Sarkis slips past a gate in the USSA Masters Super G at West Mountain on February 18, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsGreg Sarkis slips past a gate in the USSA Masters Super G at West Mountain on February 18, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

John Rannestad loses a ski passing a gate in the USSA Eastern Regional Championship Masters GS at West Mountain on February 19, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsJohn Rannestad loses a ski passing a gate in the USSA Eastern Regional Championship Masters GS at West Mountain on February 19, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Travel is back….. somewhat. They are still putting the fear of COVID out there but people have decided to travel again. This year took South Brooklyn to Israel and Holland.

Check out the images below and read our tow favorite travel stories from this year:

Three Days in Amsterdam: Finally, the world is opening back up. Traveling to Amsterdam for fun seemed impossible not that long ago. When given the opportunity to meet my best friend, Chuck Bigger, in our favorite city, I jumped onto the bandwagon.

The Dead Sea in Despair: Driving along Highway 90 in Israel, a desolate and fascinating landscape greeted me. Thirty years ago, I was beckoned by the salty waters of the mineral-rich Dead Sea, located at the lowest point on Earth. In July 2022, I returned to a starkly different place.

Travel 2022

I’m a big outdoors person and love to kayak so a lot of images come from the river and the nature around it. Sometimes the nature around it is the results of man’s involvement. I have to hope that nature is learning to deal with us. Maybe global warming is just the katra of the planet telling us to straighten up.

I love snow and ice and use it as subjects often. Ice is like a living organism. It thrives, it weeps, it gets brittle, it breaks. Sounds almost human. It mimics and makes shapes that I know are random but just can’t be random. Nature just really likes to screw with our minds.

Oceans & Odysseys: Rachael Talibart solo exhibition at Sohn Gallery: Exploring the turbulence and grace of the sea, British artist Rachael Talibart’s “OCEANS & ODYSSEYS” solo exhibition at Sohn Gallery features serene and inquisitive seascapes, as well as works from her popular “Sirens” series.

INFINITE NIGHT, Photography by STAN HONDA: debuts at the Schaefer International Gallery on Maui featuring 25 of Honda’s dynamic night-sky photographs from seven national parks. “I call them night sky landscapes,” said Honda.

Nature 2022

Ice at the base of the American falls of Niagara Falls looks like the skin of a dinosaur bathed in the mist from the water. The brown color and patterns feel prehistoric. ©Mark D PhillipsIce at the base of the American falls of Niagara Falls looks like the skin of a dinosaur bathed in the mist from the water. The brown color and patterns feel prehistoric. ©Mark D Phillips

Ice like the teeth of a monster hang from a branch over Enders Falls on Thursday, February 24, 2020, in Barkhamstead, CT. ©Mark D PhillipsIce like the teeth of a monster hang from a branch over Enders Falls on Thursday, February 24, 2020, in Barkhamstead, CT. ©Mark D Phillips

Constellation Orion over Carson Way association in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D PhillipsConstellation Orion over Carson Way association in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D Phillips

Lunar Eclipse with stars of constellation Libra on Nov. 8, 2022, over the Centennial Center at Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D PhillipsLunar Eclipse with stars of constellation Libra on Nov. 8, 2022, over the Centennial Center at Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D Phillips

Jupiter and Venus together in the sky over Heublein Tower atop Tower atop Talcott Mountain in Simsbury, CT, on May 1, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsJupiter and Venus together in the sky over Heublein Tower atop Tower atop Talcott Mountain in Simsbury, CT, on May 1, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Tobacco barns in Simsbury, CT, lit by low spring sun with flowering tree. ©Mark D PhillipsTobacco barns in Simsbury, CT, lit by low spring sun with flowering tree. ©Mark D Phillips

At the swimming Hole.... Curtis Park in Simsbury features one of the easiest, nicest swimming holes on the Farmington River in Tartffville, CT. ©Mark D PhillipsAt the swimming Hole.... Curtis Park in Simsbury features one of the easiest, nicest swimming holes on the Farmington River in Tartffville, CT. ©Mark D Phillips

kayaking the Farmington River with a Blue Heron traveling up river with me. ©Mark D Phillipskayaking the Farmington River with a Blue Heron traveling up river with me. ©Mark D Phillips

Nuphar lutea, Yellow Pond Lily, while on Kayak trip along the Farmington River in Tariffville, CT, on September 2, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsNuphar lutea, Yellow Pond Lily, while on Kayak trip along the Farmington River in Tariffville, CT, on September 2, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Mushrooms growing atop a log during a Kayak trip on the Farmington River in Tariffville, CT, on September 2, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsMushrooms growing atop a log during a Kayak trip on the Farmington River in Tariffville, CT, on September 2, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Strange things seen while kayaking the Farmington River. Half a mannequin on a tree stuck in the river. ©Mark D PhillipsStrange things seen while kayaking the Farmington River. Half a mannequin on a tree stuck in the river. ©Mark D Phillips

Maddie Rudolph at Sheila Somers houseMaddie Rudolph at Sheila Somers house

Panorama of the pond in the Nod Brook Wildlife Management Area in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D PhillipsPanorama of the pond in the Nod Brook Wildlife Management Area in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D Phillips

A Tobacco field is in full growth at a long-standing tobacco farm that sits in the temperate climate of Southwick, Massachusetts, on Route 10/202 near the CT line. “Tobacco farming has been in the Connecticut River Valley for a long time,” said John Arnold, one of three brothers who co-own the farm. “People think of it as southern best quality tobacco grown here in the north.” The Arnolds enjoyed several decades of successful tobacco farming but during that time the tobacco market had begun to slowly shrink. This downward trend accelerated further in 2005 when there was a $10 billion buyout of tobacco farmers and quota holders as part of the termination of the federal tobacco price support program. In Connecticut, the number of acres has shrunk dramatically, from more than 20,000 a century ago down to 2,000 today. “It’s a pretty nice thing to be next to a tobacco field, that, might have a crop on it for 70 or 80 days and then the rest of the year you get to look at a beautiful open space and enjoy it," Andrew Urbanowicz said, one of the directors of the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum. "Certainly a lot nicer view than a housing development.” ©Mark D PhillipsA Tobacco field is in full growth at a long-standing tobacco farm that sits in the temperate climate of Southwick, Massachusetts, on Route 10/202 near the CT line. “Tobacco farming has been in the Connecticut River Valley for a long time,” said John Arnold, one of three brothers who co-own the farm. “People think of it as southern best quality tobacco grown here in the north.” The Arnolds enjoyed several decades of successful tobacco farming but during that time the tobacco market had begun to slowly shrink. This downward trend accelerated further in 2005 when there was a $10 billion buyout of tobacco farmers and quota holders as part of the termination of the federal tobacco price support program. In Connecticut, the number of acres has shrunk dramatically, from more than 20,000 a century ago down to 2,000 today. “It’s a pretty nice thing to be next to a tobacco field, that, might have a crop on it for 70 or 80 days and then the rest of the year you get to look at a beautiful open space and enjoy it," Andrew Urbanowicz said, one of the directors of the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum. "Certainly a lot nicer view than a housing development.” ©Mark D Phillips

Fall splendor explodes up Talcott Mountain in Simsbury, CT, in October 26, 2022. ©Mark D PhillipsFall splendor explodes up Talcott Mountain in Simsbury, CT, in October 26, 2022. ©Mark D Phillips

Fall Color 2022 on Mountain Road in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D PhillipsFall Color 2022 on Mountain Road in Simsbury, CT. ©Mark D Phillips

Leaving the surly bonds of Earth: As a kid, I always assumed I would get to space in my lifetime. Well it doesn’t look that way unless I win one of the half a billion lotteries that didn’t exist when I watched Neil Armstrong step out on the moon.

This will not be complete without posting my favorite videos of the year all available on our South Brooklyn YouTube Channel or within this year’s stories on southbrooklyn.com….

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Gowanus Canal 2022

Sports 2022

Travel 2022

Nature 2022