MWA's Best Waterfront Day Trips!

All photos except the historic photo from the HRCR web site.

top of page
______________________________________________________________________

Day Trip #3

Piers 1 and 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park

That's a rendering above of Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1, drawn by landscape designer Michael Van Valkenburgh many months ago when the park was being planned. Happily, reality is very close to the designer's dream, as the first delighted visitors saw on March 22 when Governor Paterson, Mayor Bloomberg and twelve local officials opened Pier 1. Here are recent photos of Pier 1 by Barry Yanowitz (right and below right).

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy sponsors many free programs, including seining, boating, bird watching, waterfront workouts and outdoor movies.Click here for the full calendar of events. The Conservancy welcomes new members to the Green Team, a group that schedules plantings (photo at left) and clean-ups.

The first of six piers being reconfigured to convert the once-busy maritime and industrial waterfront to a world-class park, Pier 1 offers sweeping lawns, an inviting promenade and the Granite Prospect (a set of steps fashioned from granite salvaged from the Roosevelt Island Bridge reconstruction). Later this summer, visitors will find a salt marsh with native plants, water gardens crossed by small bridges, and a boat ramp for non-motorized watercraft. Click here for more information about the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse.

Several weeks ago, part of Pier 6 -- mainly a fabulous set of connected play areas -- opened to bookend Brooklyn Bridge Park. The rest of the park -- Piers 2 through 5 -- will be built in stages over the next several years and will ultimately encompass Empire Fulton Ferry Park and the existing Main Street Park. Learn more about the future phases of Brooklyn Bridge Park here. Launch an interactive map here and learn about the park's amenities and sustainable features, as well as its points of interest.

GETTING THERE
If you need to take public transportation to Brooklyn Bridge Park, click here for subway and bus stops, as well as nearby parking garages. The best ways to get to the park, however, are by water taxi or bicycle.

• Click here for the locations and schedule of the New York Water Taxi. On the Brooklyn side, the water taxi stops at Fulton Ferry Landing and Pier 6. If you catch the NYHarborWay water taxi, you'll pay special, low rate -- even lower on Fridays (see story above). And finally, if you have time to visit Governors Island, you can catch a free water taxi at Pier 6.
• Nothing beats riding a bicycle across the Brooklyn Bridge. The views! The breeze! Once in Brooklyn, take a left and coast into the DUMBO neighborhood and then turn left (south) again.

WHERE TO EAT
Are you in for a treat! Several establishments around Brooklyn Bridge Park are famous in the food world.

• Grimaldi's (19 Fulton Street) - The line may stretch down the block, but there's a reason this pizzeria is popular.
• Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (Fulton Ferry Landing) - Another tried-and-true spot popular with locals and tourists alike. Pure and delicious ice cream sold from a landmark fireboat house.
• Buzzito Bar (Fulton Ferry Landing) - New this year, Buzzito Bar offers quesadillas and guacamole and chips.
• The Landing (Old Fulton Street) -- An oxymoronically gourmet hot dog awaits you.
• River Cafe (1 Water Street) -- One of the city's most romantic spots, bedecked with flowers and, as night falls, twinkling lights, the River Cafe is the most expensive dining you'll find around Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Above photo by Barry Yanowitz; playground photo by Robert Simko

top of page
______________________________________________________________________

Day Trip #4

Bicycling Along the Hudson River

From the Battery to the mouth of the Harlem River, the stretch of Hudson River along Manhattan's west side is scenic and mostly flat; in short, a wonderful bike ride. End to end, it's about 14 miles, but cyclists (and pedestrians) can intersect the path at many points along the way. We recommend starting your ride, helmet firmly in place, as early as you can; by 9am, if possible. As the day progresses, the bike path can get crowded.

In this travelogue, we'll begin at Pier A, the landmark Victorian piershed that is the dividing point between leafy, historic Battery Park and Battery Park City. Start pedaling north. You may either cycle up the riverside esplanade used also by pedestrians or the bike path adjacent to the highway.

Past Stuyvesant High School, you've ventured into Hudson River Park territory. Pier 25 will open later this summer featuring a town dock, locations for historic boats, a miniature golf course, beach volleyball and more; Pier 26's opening -- and with it, the River Project -- is not assured until more funding has been obtained. As you cycle north, admire the sloped plantings and satisfying design of the park -- it's a pleasure that increases each time a new segment opens. Photo at right courtesy of Friends of Hudson River Park.




At Pier 54 (near Little West 12th Street), look up at the arched iron entranceway to see the faded remains of letters that once said "Cunard Lines." Titanic survivors were brought to this pier in 1912. In 1915 the Lusitania departed from this pier on a voyage that ended in disaster when the ship was torpedoed by the Germans. The pier was used by Cunard until the 1930s.

It's possible to veer off the bike path at Chelsea Piers and cycle slowly along the waterfront on the other side of the big recreation center and admire the docked boats (e.g. Bateaux New York, Classic Harbor Line, Offshore Sailing School).

Pass Pier 66 Maritime (see photo at left, at 26th Street; have you noticed that you subtract 40 from the pier number to get the cross street?) and if it's too early to stop, make a mental note to return for the burgers, beer, boats and breezes.

Be careful as you approach the midtown waterfront! Vehicles constantly cross the bike path to get to the Circle Line 42 (including the Beast speedboat), World Yacht and NY Waterway. Another block and you're cycling past the Intrepid Sea/Air/Space Museum, the historic aircraft carrier turned into a museum. Don't miss the Growler submarine anchored next to the Intrepid. Two minutes later you're passing the behemoths docked at the Passenger Ship Terminal.

Need a break from pedaling? Now at three locations along the Hudson -- Pier 40 (Houston Street, see photo at right), Pier 96 (56th St.) and near 72nd Street the Downtown Boathouse offers free kayaking.

Just south of the city-operated 79th Street Boat Basin is the Pier I Cafe, whose menu starts with espresso, ends with sangria and has a nice assortment of beverage and food options in between. Food, bathrooms, tables with umbrellas; it's a good spot to rest. Another few minutes north is the 79th Street Boat Basin Cafe, a casual, popular open-air restaurant above the bike path.

By now, you're in Riverside Park, approaching the curvy, cherry tree-lined path near 100th Street. Take a break; clamber down to boulders at the water's edge. Note the mysterious driftwood sculptures. At 125th Street is the new West Harlem Piers Park, and a potential pit stop at Fairway Market. Detouring inland for a few blocks around the North River Water Treatment Plant leads to a quiet path near railroad tracks and Queen Anne's Lace.

Look ahead. See the George Washington Bridge? Before you know it, it's looming before you, the Little Red Lighthouse nestled below. Many people stop here. But if you're interested in cycling the entire length of Manhattan, the northern tip -- where the Harlem River meets the Hudson -- is only a couple miles away! Press on.

Fair warning: the northern part of this bike ride is rather hilly. You'll make your way to a bike path that runs adjacent to the Henry Hudson Parkway, high above the river, and eventually you'll find a short set of stairs leading down to Dyckman Street. Before you lies Inwood Hill Park, a beautiful woodland of old trees crisscrossed with paths. Explore. You'll find your way to Spuyten Duyvil, the roiling intersection of the Harlem and Hudson Rivers. Sit for a minute and consider the will and creativity it took to build these 14 miles of waterfront access along the Hudson River. Many waterfront advocates are working to duplicate the success of the Hudson River Greenway elsewhere along the New York and New Jersey coastline. Is there anything you can do to help?
top of page

______________________________________________________________________

Day Trip #5

Adjacent to John F. Kennedy Airport and within the boundaries of New York City, the Jamaica Bay habitat has suffered for decades from declining water quality -- due in great part to combined sewer overflows. Several months ago, in response to years of clamor by environmental groups such as NY/NJ Baykeeper, Jamaica Bay Eco-Watchers, National Resources Defense Council and American Littoral Society, Mayor Bloomberg announced sewage plant upgrades and marsh restoration that is expected to significantly improve the Jamaica Bay environment.

Despite its environmental issues, Jamaica Bay teems with wildlife and is a popular destination for boaters and fishermen. How can you explore Jamaica Bay and see the oystercatchers, the snowy egrets and the horses cantering on the beach? Kayaking is one way, and WaterWire offers two easy options.

New York Harbor Parks
If you've got your own kayak -- lucky person! -- New York Harbor Parks has a Jamaica Bay Kayak Trail program. You can download the official kayak trail map (small version at right) and launch from Canarsie Pier, Plumb Beach, North Channel Bridge or Floyd Bennett Field. You'll need an annual permit, which can be purchased at the Floyd Bennett Field visitor center. NY Harbor Parks suggests that you understand tides and how to file a float plan.

For beginners free kayak tryouts are offered at Canarsie Pier on Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-2pm, from July 9 to August 29. National Park Service rangers will demonstrate proper techniques and outfit you with a kayak and life preserver for quick 30-minute spins in a safe buoyed area. For more adventurous paddlers, guided excursions into the bay are offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays in July and August. Contact the park for reservations.

Sebago Canoe Club
Seventy-five years ago, the Sebago Canoe Club was all about canoes, but today the funky, all-volunteer club with a big, sturdy dock is mostly home to kayaks, along with sailboats, rowboats, shells and, yes, a few canoes.

For novice kayakers interested in exploring Jamaica Bay, Sebago offers free "Open Paddles" twice a week, on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings, and provides instruction (left) and coaching along with the equipment. These guided group tours, many with guest speakers, launch into Paerdegat Basin, a channel that connects Canarsie, Brooklyn to Jamaica Bay.

Take note of Sebago's All Club Invitational for human-powered boats, this Saturday, July 17, 10am to 5pm, rain or shine. Sebago's directors promise "kayakers, canoeists, outrigger canoes, sunfish sailors, laser sailors, rowers, rowboats, sculls and dragon boats from the tri-state area."

If you plan to participate, contact Sebago at allclub@sebagocanoeclub.org so that the club can plan for food, parking, etc. For this particular event, you must have your own boat; otherwise you may borrow a kayak for the regular Open Paddles. Click here for directions to the Sebago Canoe Club. Click here to read the Sebago Canoe Club blog.

Where to eat?
After your paddle, you'll probably be hungry. Head toward Avenue L. Ambiance Caribbean Restaurant at 9413 Avenue L got a great review about six months ago from the Village Voice. Urbanspoon suggests Original Pizza at 9514 Avenue L and Dougie's Jamaican Cuisine at 9604 Avenue L, among other Canarsie restaurants.

Photos by Andy Novick

top of page

_____________________________________________________________________

Day Trip #6

City Island: New England in the Bronx

Stroll down City Island Avenue and you'll swear you're in New England. This folksy village of crab shacks and yacht clubs can't possibly have a Bronx zip code.

But a short ride on the BX29 from the Pelham Bay Park station at the end of the #6 subway line brings you to this quaint, nautical community only 1½ miles long and a half mile wide at its widest point. (While the best way, of course, to reach City Island is by boat, advocates take note: there is no ferry service to the island.)

City Island was settled in 1685. The island's first commercial business was the production of salt using solar power to evaporate seawater, established in 1820. Soon after, Orrin Fordham, a Connecticut ship builder, planted oysters off City Island, the first American to farm the bivalves. This revolutionized the oyster business and contributed to the ascent of New York to the top of the oyster market at the end of the 19th century. By the 18th century, the tiny island had become a major shipbuilding center, known for construction of luxury and racing yachts, including a number of America's Cup winners. At left, the 12-meter Constellation under construction in a City Island shipyard in the 1960s.

Today City Island boasts numerous marinas and yacht clubs, fishing boats and lobstering businesses, bait and tackle shops, and many restaurants with seafood on their menus. Picturesque and relaxing, the island can be explored in a day. Antique stores, art galleries, craft shops and restaurants dot the main street, City Island Avenue, while hundreds of boats bob at the edges.
At right, a Columbia University sailor practices off City Island.

Click here for the City Island Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors a free seaside trolley that picks up passengers at the Pelham Bay Station on the first Friday of every month. The City Island Historical Society and Nautical Museum is open every Saturday and Sunday, 1pm-5pm, at 190 Fordham Street.

Where to eat? Get your fill of clam chowder, fried calamari, frogs legs, clams on the half shell, steamed lobster, all kinds of fish and, yes, burgers, hot dogs and other non-seafood fare at these and other fine City Island eateries:

- Johnny's Reef Restaurant, 2 City Island Avenue, 718-885-2090
- The Original Crab Shanty, 361 City Island Avenue, 718-885-1810
- City Island Lobster House, 691 Bridge Street, 718-885-1459
- Sammy's Fish Box, 41 City Island Avenue, 718-885-0920
- City Island Diner, 304 City Island Avenue, 718-885-0362
- The Harbor Restaurant, 565 City Island Avenue, 718-885-1373

Grab a lobster roll, pull up a picnic table and admire the view. Seagulls have claimed pilings. The water sparkles, the boats go by. Life is good.

top of page