Sailing Off the Big Apple

Classic Harbor Line’s popular architecture boat tours, offered in collaboration with the AIANY (American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter), typically set sail at Chelsea Piers, continue south to New York Harbor, with a close swing by the Statue of Liberty, then pass underneath the bridges on the East and Harlem Rivers on its way north, travel through the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge at the top of Manhattan, and then sail back down the Hudson River to the home port at Chelsea Piers. Learning about the infrastructure of the city while enjoying light snacks and a beverage aboard a well-appointed yacht is an appealing way to spend an afternoon. The tour offers excellent views of the city's bridges and skyline. On the July 31 sail, the AIANY Bridge, Architecture & Infrastructure Tour, architectural historian John Kriskiewicz delivered the narration. He told stories of bridge builders and engineers, the history of the piers, the origins of the Port Authority, the importance ...

When Domino Park opened to the public this summer, the new park on the Brooklyn waterfront also revealed a long section of the shoreline that had been inaccessible to the public for the past 160 years. The waterfront at Domino Park, Williamsburg, Brooklyn On the banks of the East River in Williamsburg near Kent and South 4th streets, this area of the waterfront was from the early days easily accessible by ship, beginning with the first Dutch explorers. In 1856 F. C. Havemeyer selected the site for a refinery. View from the elevated walkway, Domino Park. Later known as Domino Sugar Refinery, the company employed thousands of European immigrants, and later Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and African Americans. Converting sugar from a raw to a refined state involves hard labor, beginning with the work of the longshoremen who unloaded the ships. In 2014, the site served as an installation piece by artist Kara Walker whose massive sphinx with African features and nearby attendant...

The private ferry company Seastreak runs regular commuter ferries from Manhattan to the New Jersey boroughs of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands , as well as seasonal runs to nearby Sandy Hook , part of the Gateway National Recreation Area . Seastreak also runs seasonal weekend trips up to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, a fetching idea for people trapped in the summer heat of the city. A Seastreak ferry docked at E. 35th Street Ferry landing in Manhattan On the trips to New Jersey, the Seastreak ferries speedily travel down the East River and into Upper New York Bay, then under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the lower bay, through the open waters that lead into the Atlantic Ocean, and then into Raritan Bayshore to complete the trip to Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, or Sandy Hook. Verrazano-Narrows Bridge From Manhattan, the ferries travel to New Jersey via the East 35th Street ferry landing and Wall Street Pier 11, both used by NY Ferry and other providers. Commuters t...

The shoreline of the Hudson River on the lower west side of Manhattan was once farther inland than today, a gently curving line rather than the straight line marked by the Westside Highway. Along the shore, captains, sailors, shipbuilders, and dockworkers worked the piers to move along passengers and goods to their destination. This thriving mercantile industry built New York City.  The Rusty Knot, 425 West Street  This two-mile walk near the old shoreline (see map below) avoids the High Line and stays on the streets, a few of them with cobblestones. Beginning in Chelsea at the piers, the stroll continues through the Meatpacking District, the West Village, and Soho. Many places of interest line the streets and shore in the area, allowing for several detours. Two watering holes with nautical themes, The Rusty Knot and the legendary Ear Inn, enhance the experience. Chelsea Piers 1. While Chelsea Piers is now known as a sports complex for many New Yorkers, the bu...

By the early twentieth century, City Island had built a worldwide reputation for building quality wooden boats, especially yachts. Situated in the waters of western Long Island Sound and Eastchester Bay, the island is suitably positioned for great sailing. City Island provided service for schooners stopping along the East Coast, and the yards hired skilled craftsmen to build yachts that would win and defend several America’s Cup races. The Bx29 City Island bus turns around near the southern tip of the island. For a time, the boatyards dominated the economy on City Island, and when the wars came, the boatyards contributed to advances in naval technology, including the World War II era minesweepers. Kids on City Island grew up with the water, catching crabs and rowing small boats. Memories of the glory days of yacht building on a City Island storefront.  City Island built enormous yachts for the Gilded Age robber barons of New York. The island’s most famous contributio...

A stroll in Manhattan along the Hudson River offers great views of the shoreline in New Jerse y, and surely many souvenir photographs of a New York City vacation end up showing more of the Jersey skyline than the New York one. And for residents of Manhattan, a jog or a stroll along the waterfront may end in reveries about the beauteous landmarks across the river - the Colgate Clock in Jersey Center (seen here, built in 1924 to market the company’s then headquarters) or the Erie-Lackawanna ferry landing in Hoboken. The Colgate Clock on the waterfront in Paulus Hook, Jersey City, New Jersey. Of course, one motivation to take the ferry to New Jersey is to get nice pictures of Manhattan. So, let’s go there.    One of the best views of Lower Manhattan is from the Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal in New Jersey.  Commuters going back and forth from New York and New Jersey mostly use the NY Waterway ferries, but curiosity seekers and pursuers of fun on both sides of th...