River Swimmers

When I was a kid, Joey-up-the-block said that his dad used to swim in the Hudson when he was a kid. That sounded pretty crazy to us, since the river smelled putrid when you got down close to it in Riverside Park, and there were turds and condoms floating on the oily surface. But Joey said his dad used to dive into the water right there and swim across to New Jersey and back.

Although the rivers have improved considerably in recent years, there were always diehard swimmers who got their shots and took the dirty plunge into the waters around New York.

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