Book excerpt: -An exploration of life on and alongside New York City's waterways New York City is defined by water, yet many of its shorelines are largely unknown. Photographer Susannah Ray spent more than two years exploring these shores and waterways that New Yorkers utilize year-round to fish, swim, sit and daydream. The resulting images, inspired by Walt Whitman's poetry, take us on a seasonal journey past sheltered bays, under great bridges and over deep rivers to give us a new perspective on a mega-city we thought we knew so well. In a city so often considered to be racing forward, Ray's work serves as a powerful reminder that the communal human connection to water is as present today as it always has been.