








Have you seen northern Manhattan from the Harlem River yet? One of the best things I’ve done in New York City is to circumnavigate Manhattan by boat. It’s relaxing to escape traffic and see sides (literally) of Manhattan you’ve never seen before.
Manhattan is completely surrounded by water, and there are many ways to get out on the water. Easiest for visitors is to jump on one of the Circle Line boat tours that leave from their convenient midtown dock at Pier 83 at W. 42nd Street. Their shorter tours chug down to the Statue of Liberty or Brooklyn Bridge, then retrace their path back. Circle Line’s 2.5-hour Best-of-NYC Full Island boat cruise does not retrace any path but completely sails around Manhattan. Delving into tranquil Harlem River scenes, surging back out on the mighty Hudson, it’s easy to imagine the experiences of early adventurers like said Henry Hudson who explored here in 1609. I’m pretty familiar with Manhattan but this tour offered views of New York I’d never seen before.
Taking Circle Line’s Full Island tour is easy–but it’s not always a done deal. Here are some things to consider:
Another Touring Tip: New York’s oldest bridge and former aquaduct High Bridge (1848) connects northern Manhattan to the Bronx and opened to pedestrian and bike traffic in summer 2015, adding a new section to the New York City Greenway. Closed to the public for over 40 years, Highbridge Park has received $98 million in capital improvements. Worth checking out, if you love NYC parks.
Here’s the full boat trip around Manhattan in photos:
New York City harbor panorama. New Jersey is on left behind the Statue of Liberty. Manhattan is on the right.
Manhattan skyline seen from the East River. Empire State Building is at mid-left, the Chrysler Building at mid-right.
At Ward’s Island, the boat turns left into the Harlem River. If you watch movies and television series set in New York, you’ll know that Ward’s Island is home to the Manhattan Psychiatric Center.
New York’s oldest bridge High Bridge (1848) will open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic in summer 2015.
The ‘miracle on the Hudson’ (2009 emergency water landing of US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 piloted by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger) is all the more miraculous when you see just how fast and rough the Hudson River is.
There is a park under the Manhattan end of the George Washington Bridge, with a famous little red lighthouse.
Have a favorite New York memory or moment? Leave a comment below!