Seaport Duckie

item#: 085
material: plastic
date acquired: 2001
status: taken (1.26.08)

I was working for the Department of Residential Education at NYU, living in the East Village. I knew if I moved downtown the commute would be longer, but the apartment would be big, new, and possibly have a nice view. So, I moved to the Financial District. NYU @ the Seaport was an attempt to create solidarity among the staff of four residence halls: the massive Water Street dorm, Cliff Street, 99 John, and The Exchange. It was pretty short lived. A few months later Water was considered one staff, and the smaller staffs of Cliff, John, and Exchange were grouped into another.

This time as a member of NYU @ the Seaport was marked by a lot of frustration, confusion, and a lingering feeling of helplessness that made me bitter. I guess it paid off a bit in the end though. As a result of 9-11, the shifting staff, and the simple fact that I stuck around, I got the chance to reside in quite possibly the most fabulous place I’ll ever live–RENT FREE. When I look back at the two years living at the Seaport, it was great working there. That was reason enough to hang on to the duck. It’s also pretty cute.

I recently passed this on to a woman in Philadelphia who thought it was adorable. I had a moment of hesitation. Second thoughts were shooting through my mind; I didn’t want to let it go. What would she do with it? Was I a making a bad choice for the duck? Abandoning it for no good reason? She wrote me reporting, “[I] took a bath with my rubber ducky last night. LOL I have about 5 different duckies. I’m so silly.” I had some mixed emotions at first to hear this, but resolved that I was happy to know that the Seaport duck will now have friends, be among his kind, instead of collecting dust on my shelf next to a pewter figurine of the peeing sculpture in Brussels.