People who visit New York frequently all have their favorite places to go and things to see. After the last two times traveling here, we’ve added a favorite to our New York experience. Last spring, Paula and I took a Classic Harbor Line architecture cruise that circled about half of Manhattan and brought us up close to the Statue of Liberty, all while an AIA expert narrated, offering insights and history about the architecture of Manhattan. On our most recent visit, the architecture cruise was too early to fit into our plans for the day, so we chose a “statue and skyline” tour, which is essentially the same tour, without the architecture commentary.
But here’s the thing: Manhattan is absolutely beautiful from the rivers, no matter what the narration is. So riding on one of these beautiful classic wooden cabin cruisers around the island is one of the greatest ways to behold and understand Manhattan. On board the boat, there’s a bar, the first drink is free — including champagne — and you can cruise outside on the deck or inside the glass-enclosed and quite spacious cabin.
On both cruises, the crew was warm and friendly, the city was beautiful in the afternoon light and it was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours in New York. And when you dock, there are plenty of great restaurants nearby in Chelsea to head to for dinner. After our last cruise, we headed to Colicchio & Sons for a fantastic meal with my son Colin, who was on a one-month work assignment in New York.
Next time you’re in New York, check it out. The cruises leave from Pier 62 on schedules throughout the day.
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