Love is in the air this Valentine's Day – and it shouldn't stink
If love is truly in the air – and since Valentine's Day is coming up, let's assume it is – it shouldn't stink, right?
Not so, says the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. The department will be offering tours of its state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant in Brooklyn on Valentine's Day. It's a gift that will surely melt your sweetie's heart – or at least singe his or her nose hairs.
"It's a unique date, and one they'll never forget," said Jim Pynn, plant superintendent. "I went to see the digester eggs in Greenpoint, Brooklyn."
Pynn was referring to the plant's giant egg-shaped digesters that process waste much like a human stomach, turning the toxic sludge into treatable byproducts.
And after a tour of the plant, you can take a stroll by Newtown Creek, which is so polluted the federal government has commissioned an emergency cleanup. The creek is one of the most polluted waterways in the northeast, and contains a toxic mix of chemicals that have leaked from industrial banks in both Brooklyn and Queens for the past 150 years.
But we're told there is a beautiful view of Manhattan from the area, and they give you a Hershey's Kiss for your trouble. You just won't be able to smell anything for a week.
Happy Valentine's Day.