For anyone that knows New York, loves nature, maps or history, this is a terrific project:
http://themannahattaproject.org/
“Have you ever wondered what New York was like before it was a city? Find out here, by navigating through the map below to discover Manhattan Island and its native wildlife in 1609.”
Using a Google Maps mash-up, they “remove” all the man-made structures and changes, taking the island of Manhattan back to 1609, the year Henry Hudson sailed in and set-about a tidal wave of change to the land.
Click the Explore link at the top of the page, zoom in and out, type an address or landmark, even adjust the transparency of the 1609 landscape to get a slight 2009 overlay.
And when you zoom in to a neighborhood, hover over city blocks to get clickable buttons for even more information about that area…
A true work of art!
Happy exploring,
Atg