NEW YORK For a landlubber like me, whose ideal boating excursionmust include the illusion that it would be possible to swim to landin an emergency, the New York Water Taxi was tempting. I like beingon the water, but I want the shore nearby. During a recent visit toNew York, I thought an offshore view might offer a fresh perspective.Manhattan, after all, is an island, and I wanted to experience itthat way, though not in a standard two-hour tour.
The Water Taxi ferryboats, gaily painted like yellow checkeredcabs, offer two-day 'Hop On/Hop Off' passes that can be used toexplore the neighborhoods adjoining each stop. I decided to embarkMidtown at the Hudson River, skirt the lower tip around Battery Park,and end my journey near the United Nations on the East River.
The taxi, a little more than two years old, serves commuters andtourists. In the early mornings and late afternoons, the commuterroute extends to include New Jersey and Manhattan's Upper East Side.For weekday sightseers, a two-day, $20 ticket for the eight stopsaround the island is good for all routes; check the schedulecarefully, though, to see when service switches to commuter mode. Theweekend schedule extends until 7:30 p.m.
Each taxi landing has triangular yellow flags with black-and-white checks, and easy-to-read posted timetables. On a brilliantsunny morning, I walked from Times Square west to Pier 84 and theaircraft carrier Intrepid, for the day's first departure.
ONE: Pier 83, West 42 n d Street. The good news is the IntrepidSea-Air-Space Museum is on Pier 84 at 44th Street. Those with aninterest in missiles, naval vessels, aircraft, and history may wantto visit.
The bad news is the Water Taxi is not actually at Pier 84, theinaccurate address that appears on all its printed materials. Itactually is two blocks south, near the Circle Line Cruises at 42dStreet. So after thinking we had plenty of time to board the firsttaxi, a friend and I scrambled to catch it.
After purchasing the two-day pass, we wanted to climb the rearstairway to the open-air deck but were informed by the dour youngticket-taker that we could use the upper level only if two crewmembers were on board. She said her partner had called in sick, so wesettled in the comfortable, slightly air-conditioned and sterileinterior space. Peering past water that sprayed the large windows, webounced along parallel to the shore.
TWO: Pier 63, Chelsea. We disembarked onto an old Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad flatcar float, which felt like stepping back intime. The retired fireboat John J. Harvey, circa 1931, the 1929Lighthouse Service Lightship Frying Pan, and the recently builtSchooner Anne are moored alongside. The lightship, listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, operated off North Carolina'sCape Fear from the 1930s through the 1960s. Raised from the bottom ofthe sea and hauled to this pier, the ship at night, is a trendynightclub called The Frying Pan. Also on the pier are a Lackawannacaboose from 1946 and a seasonal restaurant with a vaguely Caribbeanfeel (also named the Frying Pan), which fires up a barbecue every dayto serve chicken, shrimp, and burgers near an outdoor bar. Near thedock is the enormous Chelsea Piers complex, a 30-acre indoor sportsvillage with restaurants and shops. Directly across the West SideHighway is the burgeoning contemporary art district of New York.Enter any gallery and ask for a listing of Chelsea's currentexhibitions. (See story, M1.)
THREE: Pier 45, Greenwich Village. On the second leg of ourjourney, we were again informed the upper deck was closed and thesecond crew had called in sick. We reluctantly took our indoor seats.
The Pier 45 dock has been restored as part of the larger HudsonRiver Park, which, when finished, will offer 550 acres along 5 milesof riverfront from Battery Park to 59th Street. Trees and benchesline this pier, which looks across at Jersey City and Hoboken. Mapsand impressively clean public restrooms are available near thejogging path. We crossed the highway and headed down ChristopherStreet toward the shops and restaurants of the Village.
FOUR: World Financial Center. We were at last allowed on theupper deck of the taxi, and the fresh air was glorious. We sped pastairshafts for the Holland Tunnel at Canal Street and stumps ofdecaying piers. The Statue of Liberty glinted in the distance.
Getting off, we walked along Hudson River Park past a waterfalland lily pond, with a poem of 'The Continuous Life' by Mark Strandetched in stone at one end, and on to the Irish Hunger Memorial, aquarter-acre site designed by artist Brian Tolle commemorating theGreat Famine and migration of 1845-52. We followed paths through arugged landscape planted with ling heather, bearberry, and othernative Irish flora, among stones inscribed with Ireland's 32 countynames. From the 25-foot summit, we had a grand view of the river andEllis Island. From the North Cove Yacht Harbor, we entered therestored Winter Garden in the World Financial Center, with its 45-foot-tall palm trees, and found restrooms, shops, and restaurants.Also inside, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. has mounted a wallexhibit titled 'From Recovery to Renewal' that provides a timelinefrom 9/11 to the present. Leaving the center on the east side broughtus to the gaping hole where the twin towers once stood.
FIVE: South Street Seaport. On this trip, the upper-deck seatingwas open again, and a personable crew member, Chris Girgenti, offeredongoing commentary about lesser-known sights. We sped past theColgate Clock (the world's largest, and a remnant of the formerfactory), a train station in New Jersey designed by Frederick LawOlmsted, Battery Park (where there is a Holocaust Memorial),Governors Island (formerly a dairy farm), and the Brooklyn ArmyTerminal (where Elvis Presley left for Germany). The next exitoffered myriad touring possibilities, including the New York StockExchange on Wall Street, the South Street Seaport Museum, and theshops and restaurants in the seaport mall. The museum includes toursof three historic vessels, the sailing cargo ships Peking (1911) andWavertree (1885) and the lightship Ambrose (1908).On the top floor ofthe mall, we stopped for cocktails and a snack at the Harbour LightsRestaurant. A north-facing deck offered a dazzling view of theManhattan and Brooklyn bridges and the East River. We ended the dayhere, having missed the last boat back to the West Side, and took asubway to our hotel.
SIX: Fulton Ferry Landing, Dumbo. I arrived solo at Pier 83 forthe 10:30 a.m. departure, prepared to retrace the previous day'spath. My excitement dimmed as the same dour attendant from day oneinformed me, again, that her second crew was 'sick,' requiring me toremain inside for the first five stops. As the boat bounced hard onthe water, and the air conditioning faltered in the brilliant sun, mynausea grew and I felt like a prisoner on the 39-minute ride toBrooklyn. It was a relief to get off the boat.
Dumbo stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Thisarea, discovered by artists looking for affordable rental space, isfast becoming home to million-dollar condos and high-end shops.
If you don't have a lunch reservation at the renowned River Cafe,there are plenty of other places to eat in nearby historic warehouseand manufacturing buildings.
SEVEN: Hunters Point, Queens. The 15-minute ride upriver wasdelightful in the upper-deck midday sun. But let me save you sometime: Don't get off at this stop. To be fair, it's not listed as atourist destination on the Water Taxi maps. (It's more a commuterroute from Queens to Midtown.) Still, I got off, thinking there mustbe something worth exploring. Instead, I found the Long Island Cityindustrial park, unsightly even to a fan of urban decay. I cooled myheels until the next boat arrived.
EIGHT: East 34th Street, Midtown. This is the end of the line, orthe beginning, depending on where you start. It's mainly aresidential area and also home to New York University Medical Center.The United Nations is an easy walk up First Avenue to 42nd Street.(The visitors entrance is at 45th Street). .
All in all, the Water Taxi was a great way to maneuver about thecity, as several passengers agreed. Rosamund Torta, trying the taxifor the first time, said, 'I live in New York and like to know what'sgoing on at all times. I absolutely had to do it.' Mike Redig, avisitor from Tallahassee, Fla., summed it up this way: 'I wanted totry something other than the subways. What do people say? `It's notthe destination, it's the journey.' '
My Water Taxi journey was just fine: I could see the shore, and Inever had to swim.
IF YOU GO...How to get there
You can get on the Water Taxi at any stop. The northernmostlanding on the West Side is at Pier 83 at W. 42nd Street.
By subway
Take the 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, A, C, E, N, or R train to Times Square42nd Street; train B, D, F, or Q to 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, or 4,5, 6 train to 42nd Street Grand Central Station. Then followdirections below for bus.
By bus
From 42nd Street, take the M42 'Crosstown 42nd Street Pier' busdirectly to the Circle Line Pier, or take the M42 'Crosstown JavitsCenter' bus to the 11th Avenue stop and walk one block west. From49th Street, take the M50 'Crosstown 42nd Street Pier' bus directlyto the pier.
New York Water Taxi
212-742-1969
www.nywatertaxi.com
'Hop On/Hop Off' two-day pass $20.
Buy your tickets on board.
What to do
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum West 46th Street and 12th Avenue
212-245-0072
www.intrepidmuseum.org Tour two decommissioned Navy vessels, theBritish Airways Concorde, theme halls, and an aircraft collection.Adults $14.50, children $9.50
South Street Seaport Museum
12 Fulton St. and Pier 16
212-748-8600
www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org A historic district of stonepaved streets, 18th- and 19th-century buildings, and three historicvessels, all open for tours. Adults $8, children $4.
United Nations
1st Avenue and 46th Street
212-963-8687
www.un.org Tours leave about every half hour, seven days a week(except January and February, when tours are Monday-Friday). Adults$10.50, children $6.
Where to eat
A.O.C.
314 Bleeker St.
212-675-9463
French bistro food 8 a.m. to midnight. Entrees $13-$23..
Where to stay Edison Hotel
228 W. 47th St.
212-840-5000
www.edisonhotelnyc.com Art Deco hotel from the early 1930s, in theheart of the theater district. Doubles $170-$225.
