Posts Tagged ‘Hurricane Sandy’

Game on! Brings Fun and Games to Lower Manhattan Through Labor Day

Game on! Brings Fun and Games to Lower Manhattan Through Labor DayDowntown Manhattan’s Water Street is turning into an outdoor playground this summer for adults as well as kids with its pop-up Game On! Series.  Through Labor Day, Monday through Friday from noon to 7pm, you’ll never lack for fun if you head to the Financial District, between Wall Street and Whitehall.  Follow the hash tag #gameonwater for updates on new programs, being added daily.  In addition to the “games,” there’s a host of food choices, beach areas, and hangout spaces.

Some of my favorites are the Giant Connect 4 game located on Gouverneur Lane where you can feel like a four-year-old all over again as you play with your friends or with actual four-year-olds.  I also love the Urban Beach Shuffleboard on Whitehall Plaza, a worthy competitor to all the shuffleboard action happening in Brooklyn of late, as well as the second shuffleboard location at 1 NY Plaza.

Game on! Brings Fun and Games to Lower Manhattan Through Labor DayMore intellectual types will be attracted to the Sudoku corner at Mannahatta Park, where you could also park yourself with your own chess board and score a feisty match (people love playing chess in this city). On Sundays, bring along your New York Times and invite a new friend to help you tackle the crossword puzzle.

If you’re thirsty, the beer garden at Coenties Slip will keep you satisfied while you play bean bag toss (cornhole), while the variety of food trucks will satisfy your hunger along Old Slip Park. Look for faves like Korilla BBQ and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.

Old Slip Park is also where you can engage in two favorite games from times past, Nok Hockey and Battleship.

Game on! Brings Fun and Games to Lower Manhattan Through Labor DayAnd, for those craving the ultimate summertime family experience, there’s mini-golf on Elevated Acre at 55 Water Street. It’s only a three-hole course, but who cares? You can play it six times!

For a full schedule of activities and to sign up for the latest news, visit http://gameon.downtownny.com/.  Water Street, between Whitehall and Wall Streets. Monday-Friday, noon-7pm. The program, sponsored by the Alliance for Downtown New York, is an effort to revitalize spaces and areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.

NYC Hidden Harbor Tours – Cruise the Waters and Learn about Sandy as well

Spending time on the water doesn’t just mean heading to the beach or going out on a friend’s sailboat.  A narrated cruise is a wonderful way to take in the sights of the city while also learning a bit about New York City’s maritime history. This summer, The Working Harbor Committee and Circle Line Downtown once again join forces to host their NYC Hidden Harbor Tours, this year adding the “Beyond Sandy Tours” to their program. The tours offer an insight to the working harbors of New York and New Jersey that will make you appreciate the importance of hurricane prevention while showing off the tugboats, container ships, and ports that keep everything moving, from cars to food.

The Hidden Harbor Tour name derives from the “behind the scenes” sights visitors get to enjoy and appreciate while sailing under NYC’s grand bridges and past enormous barges.  Captain John Doswell, the host and executive director of the Working Harbor Committee, has designed this summer’s tours with themes linked to moving forward, post Sandy.  Topics such as planning for the effects of global warming will be presented as they pertain to specific areas shown during the cruise. In addition to the Post Sandy Tours, popular tours include the North River Tour and Brooklyn Tour.

My personal favorite is the Newark Bay Tour. The tour begins by passing the Red Hook Container Terminal and Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs. The next stop brings you to Staten Island and the famous Kill Van Kull, the area’s busiest waterway which divides Staten Island and Bayonne, before passing under the Bayonne Bridge. This spot always provides fantastic photo ops before arriving at the tour’s biggest players: Port Newark and the Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal. Here you will see the largest container ships that stand like massive sentinels. Sights on the return to Manhattan include the 9/11 Teardrop Memorial given to the US from Russia, especially impressive when viewed from the water, and the Robbins Reef Lighthouse. No tour of the harbor would be complete without taking a few moments to enjoy the Statue of Liberty, newly refurbished post-hurricane, which the boat passes before returning back to Pier 16.

Be sure to bring a poncho in case of rain as well as your camera. Tours operate rain or shine. There are two cash bars on board for drinks and snacks. All Hidden Harbor Tours depart from Pier 16 South Street Seaport and tickets are $39 for adults, $25 for children (3-12 years), and $32 for seniors. The tours board at 6:15pm and sail 6:30-8:30pm.  http://workingharbor.com/hh-boat-tours.html

How You Can Help with Hurricane Sandy Relief for NY and NJ

There are many ways that you can contribute to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort in New York and New Jersey.  Here is a sampling of possibilities, ranging from dining out, exercise classes and media involvement to straight-out cash and supply donations as well as onsite volunteer needs:

  • Through Sunday, Molly Pitcher’s Ale House, at 1641 Second Avenue at East 85th Street, will be a collection point for donations to be trucked to hard-hit areas like the Rockaways and Long Beach.
  • Occupy Sandy Recovery NYC is a community relief effort organized by Occupiers to help residents in the hardest hit areas of NYC recover from Hurricane Sandy.  The effort functions as a central clearing house, with donations spread out where necessary.  Visit https://www.wepay.com/donations/occupy-sandy-cleanup-volunteers for more information.  For a detailed list of where volunteers are needed and what you should donate, refer to http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/ .  The site also lists open shelters in New York and New Jersey.
  • Teens as well as adults can locate many volunteer and donation possibilities at UJA Federation of New York’s site, http://www.ujafedny.org/hurricane-sandy-volunteer-opportunities/, ranging from clothing drives to food deliveries to the elderly, supply drop-offs, and more.
  • Donate by mail to the Daily News Appeal Disaster Relief Fund to help deliver clothing, food and supplies to the devastated areas of Staten Island, The Rockaways, Coney Island, New Jersey and Manhattan.  You can send a check to: Daily News Charities, Hurricane Sandy Relief, New York Daily News, 4 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004.
  • The South Street Seaport was particularly hard hit; donations can be made to the South Street Seaport Museum at http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/donate.asp.
  • On Tuesday, November 13  at 7pm, join Body Conceptions’’ founder Mahri Rellin and personal trainer and Pilates instructor Brooke Marrone at Chelsea Studios for an invigorating fitness program with all proceeds going to the New York UJA Federation’s Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund,  151 West 26th, Studio 601, between 6th and 7th avenues.   Book on Classes page at www.brookemarrone.com.  Donation:  $20.
  • Also on Tuesday, November 13,  A Night of New Jersey Charities at JUST Restaurant unites residents, businesses and organizations to benefit their community with a fund-raising evening.  Starting at 7pm, the event will feature a fashion show by Diane & Company and the cast of Jersey Couture. A silent auction will raise funds for hurricane victims throughout New Jersey.  There is no admission fee, but donations will be collected to raise funds for the Red Cross, and a food and clothing drive will be set up on site to collect items for the Salvation Army. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served, and there will be drink specials as well as surprise entertainment.  2280, Route 9 South, Old Bridge, NJ.
  • A newspaper making its debut today, NYC Reconnects, is dedicated to chronicling New Year’s relief and rebuilding efforts.  Real-time volunteering possibilities are included.
  • Equinox Fitness Clubs have dedicated donation-based classes and will donate all proceeds from Sandy Relief T-shirt sales at their shops.  Visit http://www.equinox.com/sandyrelief?emmcid=EMM-DedicatedStrength1192012 for information and for a list of related charities.

Hurricane Safety in New York City – Stay Safe and Dry

For those of you tempted to walk outside to see the waves crashing over the FDR or the West Side Highway, don’t.  Stay tuned to local news stations like New York 1 and stay indoors. And, if you’re located in the Zone 1 areas that are in immediate danger including the Rockaways, City Island, Battery Park City, and low-lying areas of the East Village, we hope you’ve heeded the warning to find shelter in the city’s evacuation centers.
More on Hurricane Safety in New York City – Stay Safe and Dry

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