Explore the city’s blue spaces

Man­hat­tan may be sur­rounded by water, but it doesn’t always feel that way. Take some time this sum­mer to explore the city’s water­front and learn more about the green and blue spaces of New York.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Visit the South Street Sea­port Museum – a project of the Museum of the City of New York. Upcom­ing exhibits and events include: Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Nat­ural His­tory of New York City, Brook­lyn Bridge Walk­ing Tours, and Archi­tec­tural Walk­ing Tours of down­town Manhattan.
  • Switch up your com­mute or just enjoy the sea breeze and the views on the East River Ferry. Bikes wel­come aboard. Stops include mid­town Man­hat­tan, Brook­lyn, and Governor’s Island.
  • Kick back with some friends and enjoy the view of the water at Fry­ing Pan, a sal­vaged boat turned bar and restau­rant. Docked at Pier 66, at 26th St and West Side Highway.
  • Boat the New York City Water Trail, which con­nects 160 square miles of water­ways through­out the five bor­oughs and allow kayaks, canoes, and row boats.
  • Show up early for a free boat rental at the Brook­lyn Bridge Park Boathouse every Sat­ur­day 10:30 am – 4:30 pm through Sep­tem­ber 1.
  • Known for its board­walk and amuse­ment park, Coney Island also boasts miles of sandy beaches and activ­i­ties like vol­ley­ball, bas­ket­ball, and salt­wa­ter fishing.
  • Visit Port­Side – a sal­vaged oil tanker that hosts pub­lic events while float­ing in the water, as well as a land-based museum in Red Hook.
  • Check out five art instal­la­tions along the south­ern shore­line of Randall’s Island Park. On dis­play through Octo­ber 31, 2012, spon­sored by Randall’s Island Sports Foun­da­tion (RISF), The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Made Event.
  • Par­tic­i­pate in a city plan­ning process like River to the Peo­ple – the East River Blue­way Plan. It’s eas­ier than it sounds! Go to their web­site to com­plete a brief sur­vey and learn more about devel­op­ment plans for the blueway.
  • Learn more about the plan­ning future of the city’s water­front by read­ing the NYC Depart­ment of City Planning’s Vision 2020: New York City Com­pre­hen­sive Water­front Plan.

Photo: Daniel Avila