I love carousels because they remind me of my childhood. I never got to ride them, but I always felt so happy just watching the different kinds of horses, carriages, and people make their way around and around. There’s something fantastical about the whole extravaganza.

The Seaglass Carousel in Battery Park—or the Battery as it should be called now, but I just can’t get used to it—is not the kind of carousel that I grew up watching people go on, though. This carousel has no horses or carriages. Instead, it creates an underwater adventure whereby riders sit within one of the 30 iridescent fiberglass fish. The New York Aquarium was located in what is now known as Castle Clinton from 1896 to 1941. Seaglass is an homage to the neighborhood’s history as the Aquarium’s first home.

Unlike a traditional carousel, the Seaglass does not rotate around a center pole; it is powered, instead, by four turntables driven by electric motors beneath the floor. There are 12 different kinds of fish that are internally illuminated with color-changing LED light fixtures that mimic the bioluminescence deep in the ocean.

I was able to experience the ride almost immediately after it was opened to the public, and it was a great experience. All the details were so well thought out, from the lights to the music and the way the fish spun within the space. It’s one of those great creations that amplify the power of art, architecture and music.