We were in NYC and Washington, DC, earlier this month, from the 9th to the 26th, visiting my parents and doing some sightseeing. The day after we arrived in NYC, the 10th, we walked a few blocks to Riverside Park and 72nd Street, where we were able to take advantage of the last weekend of free kayaking in the Hudson River, which seemed to be a dandy way to celebrate Henry Hudson’s quadricentennial. I discovered the activity trolling through the NYC Parks Department website, which I’ve used before to find fun, free events on our trips. And a big thank you to the members of the NYC Downtown Boathouse for making the kayaking possible.
It was a rather cool and raw day to be on the Hudson, especially because everyone exited the kayaks soaking wet, but great fun and our hotel* was just a few blocks away for a hot shower and change of clothes afterwards. Daniel, who brought his new movie camera, and I passed on the fun, opting to stay on land and photograph the others…
Laura and Tom surveying the river,
Putting on life jackets,
One of the Boathouse volunteers, cleverly wearing a wetsuit, kindly offered to take my camera to get pictures of the intrepid sailors down on the pier:
I got the camera back just in time to watch my husband and eldest child paddle off
toward New Jersey,
While they were paddling back,
Davy got ready
to hop in when it was his turn,
and then off they went,
And then they were back,
On the way out of the park we said goodbye to Eleanor Roosevelt and friend,
* For the second year in a row, we stayed at the Hotel Beacon on Broadway between 74th and 75th Streets, right across the street from Fairway; for the second year in a row, our suite looked out on Fairway, and the kids enjoyed watching the trucks pull up to unload their boxes of fruits and vegetables. Reasonably priced, recently renovated, with kitchenettes (though this year’s was much teenier than last year, with room for one, if you held your breath) and a laundry room. Clean, attractive, comfortable, conveniently located — all in all, highly recommended. (Oh, and the windows open for fresh air if such things matter to you.)
Filed under: Autumn, Family, Fun & Games, Travel
Love the bird on her head! Too funny.
Sending you a retroactive, long distance wave up the Hudson from the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty ferry on the afternoon of October 10th! It was very windy out on the water that day.
Jessica, it was just begging for a photo!
Margaret, thanks for the wave : ). We arrived on the 9th, and left for DC on the 19th. The 10th was definitely windy and a bit raw. We made it to the Statue of Liberty that Wednesday, pictures to come I think…
We crossed Fifth Avenue repeatedly on Sunday, during the parade (your part 3), but obeying the cops and their barricades. :-) I was showing my kids my old stomping grounds (I worked in Rockefeller Center) and my daughter had a lunch date at the American Girl store. We stayed in New Jersey with my brother and came into the city on the 8th, 10th, and 11th. I’m going to start saving my pocket change for Hotel Beacon for the next visit.
Oh my. I wouldn’t have ventured out, and would have had a tummy ache until my boys returned. Of course had it been summer and hot out, I probably wouldn’t have worried so much! lol
Thomas just looked at the photos and he’s green with envy!