Add sunshine to New York’s amazing array of attractions, and the city becomes an incredibly exciting place to be in the summer. Days are longer, outdoor theater, concerts (see
Free performances), and street fairs abound, and the waters around the isle of Manhattan beckon with the promise of seaside fun and island-hopping adventure. And when the sightseeing gets too much, it is easy to recharge over an alfresco meal or ice cream.
On the water
Though Manhattan and Staten Island are New York’s only true islands, all its boroughs have rivers that are worth exploring by boat. One of the most fun excursions is to circumnavigate Manhattan on a mammoth
Circle Line vessel or aboard the
Manhattan, a small boat which serves brunch on board. Sailing aboard schooners like the
Adirondack or the
Shearwater is an exciting experience that throws the city into a new light. A harbor history tour from
South Street Seaport underscores the city’s earlier importance as a maritime hub, and might take in the
Statue of Liberty and the Hudson and East rivers.
Three Downtown Boathouse locations along the Hudson provide free, supervised kayaking, while the Loeb Boathouse rents rowboats by the hour on Central Park Lake, which is great for wildlife-spotting. Pedal boats and bird-watching tours on Prospect Park Lake are wonderful.
Downtown Boathouse
Hudson River at 72nd St
Pier 96, Hudson River at 56th St
Pier 40, Hudson River at Houston St;
www.downtownboathouse.org
Wildlife adventures
New York is not exactly known for its wildlife, but there is plenty of it, from exotic migratory birds to bats, turtles, and snails.
The
Audubon Center’s bird-watching tour in Prospect Park may be the most intimate way to glimpse some of the city’s rarer avians, as it glides by electric boat past secluded islands that are inaccessible by any other means. Perhaps the most thrilling wildlife adventure, though, is an
Audubon EcoCruise, a collaboration between the Audubon Center and
New York Water Taxi. Running on Sunday evenings in the summer months, the tours are timed to coincide with the return of herons, egrets, and ibises from a day of freshwater fishing to their nesting sites on the uninhabited Brother Islands, in the northern part of the East River.
Visitors at the Water Taxi Beach on Governors Island
New York Water Taxi
Audubon EcoCruise, Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport;
2127421969;
www.nywatertaxi.com
Island-hopping
Coney Island has served as the city’s unofficial vacation spot since the late 19th century. Today, New Yorkers flock to Coney (no longer an island) on day trips to enjoy the area’s broad wooden boardwalk along the beach, lined with restaurants, and visit
Luna Park (see
Practical Information) with its arcade games, enormous rollercoaster, and Ferris wheel. In June, the Mermaid Parade heralds the start of Coney’s summer season, while the
New York Aquarium offers kids an up-close look at marine life.
One of the most exciting additions to the city has been the opening of Governors Island, in the middle of New York Harbor. Free, frequent ferry services to the island from the Battery Maritime Building run through the summer months (Fri, Sat & Sun). Families can pack a picnic and explore the island on foot, either on their own or on a walking tour, or rent bikes. On weekends throughout the summer, free art workshops for kids, an annual mini-golf installation, and open-air concerts draw many visitors.
It is hard to believe that
City Island, a sleepy little town once known for its shipbuilding industry, is part of New York City. Visitors can hire a skiff for an hour or two of fishing or visit the town’s small galleries, shops, seafood restaurants, and ice-cream parlors.
Lesser yellowlegs flying over shallow water
