NYC: Free Kayaking Along the Hudson
I'm always torn about weekend plans. While I intend to relax and recover from the 80+ hour work week, I am always a bit overambitious, packing in activities for every hour of free time. This usually leaves me more tired on Sunday nights than Friday nights, so I have been trying for a more balanced approach lately.
Today, I ended up exploring Riverside Park on the west side of Manhattan.
Much less crowded than Central Park, the long strip of greenway has running/biking/rollerblading paths, grassy areas where you can tan and dog parks.
The best thing about hanging out by the river though is the free kayaking!
The kayaking is sponsored by Downtown Boathouse, a non-profit volunteer based organization that lets everyone kayak in the river. I've heard about it before and was so happy to finally make it out there! They offer it every year from May through October!
In about two hours, my roommate and I ran up to the Boat Basin cafe and then walked back down (it was too hot to run...) to kayak for a few minutes before heading back home. I must say it was an awesome way to spend a few hours on a hot hot summer afternoon in NYC! Here are some photos of our adventure (apologies about the low quality iPhone pics!)
Kayaking with a city view!
We mostly just let the boat drift while we enjoyed the sun/view
Below is a map of all the free kayaking locations that Downtown Boathouse offers. Schedules vary by location, but most run all day on the weekends. Check out the schedule at their website.
Hope you are all having a great weekend! I know the guy in the photo below is... doesn't he look so peaceful sleeping under the trees?
