Go Fish Galvez

Time to bait your hook, load up the cooler, and head on over to the brand new 61st Street fishing pier—hooray!

At last, the long-awaited and welcome replacement for that lovable old, fun-and-funky fishing pier at the end of 61st that was dashed to the depths by Ike almost exactly two years ago.

While I dearly miss the historic original, its reincarnation measures up pretty darned well, even in the fun-and-funky department. Excellent job, folks!

I took this great shot of the old fishing pier on a trip down to the island in March of 2008, back when I was still living up in Washington state.

I was down here on a mission then, to take a read on the lay of the land (flat), the smell of the air (salty), and the prospects of finding just the right old Craftsman house that would fit me like a comfy old shoe and cast the swing vote on my decision to move here (bingo!).

That was the spring of ’08, and just a scant six months later, Hurricane Ike blew in and sucker-punched this grand old dame, changing her landscape, if not forever, certainly for awhile. In the process, Ike erased the 61st Street pier from the dusty blue horizon, leaving only a pitiful vestige in the form of a stubble of pilings that would nevertheless become the foundation of its resurrection.

And this evening that longed-for resurrection officially happened. Back in business tonight, all lit up like a September Christmas tree and full of happy, grateful folks. Rejoice!