7. A Playground in Astoria Park is Named After a Whirlpool Monster from ‘The Odyssey’

In 2001, then Parks Commissioner, Henry Stern, noticed that the tip of Wards Island beneath the Triborough Bridge was named “Negro Point” on official United States maps. He petitioned the federal government to rename the site and so it became Scylla Point. Located across the Hell Gate from Scylla Point was a playground, acquired by Astoria Park, which came to be known as Charybdis Playground; both names are inspired by water hazards described in Homer’s Odyssey (fitting monikers as the waters of the Hell Gate are known for its dangerous whirlpools).

According to Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were monsters who guarded the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy.