Posts Tagged ‘South Street Seaport’

Downtown Activities for All Ages through August

If you’re not heading to the Hamptons this summer, downtown Manhattan with its cool river breezes is the place to be.  Check out some of these wonderful, mostly free activities happening throughout July and August.

Sunset Jam on the HudsonJoin a drumming circle every Friday through August 22 in Battery Park City’s Wagner Park for Sunset Jam on the Hudson. Along with a master drummer, you can add your own rhythm to a mix of African, Caribbean and Latin pieces. Drums are provided. Wagner Park. 6:30-8pm. www.bpcparks.org

Board the ferry to Governors Island for a day outdoors and a chance to see an exhibit featuring Trisha Brown’s early career as an artist and choreographer.  Located at the Manhattan Cultural Council’s arts center, “Trisha Brown: Embodied Practice and Site-Specificity” includes videos, photographs and installations, all highlighting Brown’s community of performers and artists, and the Lower Manhattan in which they lived and created. The exhibit shows Brown’s investigation of movement and performance occurring in non-traditional spaces. Through September 28. Friday and Sunday, 12 Noon-5pm; Saturday, 10am-5pm. http://lmcc.net/event/trisha-brown-embodied-practice-and-site-specificity/

Governor IslandAlso on Governors Island, kids will love “From Drills to Drums: Civil War Life on Governors Island, ” a program specifically designed for them, with first-hand depictions of the lives of soldiers, civilians and prisoners on the island in the 19th century. No tickets or reservations required. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday throughout the summer, 10:20am and 11:20am. http://www.nps.gov/gois/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

For adults and kids alike, “Hike through History” is a comprehensive tour of Governors Island. No tickets or reservations required. Wednesday and Friday. Meet at Soissons Dock, 2pm. http://www.nps.gov/gois/planyourvisit/things2do.htm .

Museum of the American IndianAnother favorite for all ages with no admission charge, the National Museum of the American Indian is open daily from 10am – 5pm. The museum offers free films, docent-led tours of its exhibitions and premises, the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House designed by Cass Gilbert. The 1907 building is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One Bowling Green. 212.514.3700. http://nmai.si.edu/home/

South Street Seaport MuseumThe South Street Seaport Museum’s lightship Ambrose and its sailing ship Peking welcome visitors Wednesdays – Sunday, 11am-pm on Pier 16 (on the East River at Fulton Street). The Ambrose, launched in 1908, was used to guide large ships through the Ambrose Channel into New York harbor. Peking was launched in Hamburg, Germany in 1911 to carry goods from Europe to South America. The museum’s Visitors Services associates explain the importance of the ships to the history of New York as a port city. $12 (adults); $8 (students, 12-24 and seniors); $5 (children 2-11); under 2, free. http://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/tickets/?utm_source=May+Newsletter&utm_campaign=June+2014+Newsletter&utm_medium.

“Defining Lines: Maps from the 1700s and early 1800s” at the Fraunces Tavern Museum. Twenty-seven maps provide a perspective on the evolving nation’s place in history. A map from 1804, never before exhibited, shows the U.S. postal routes. Noon to 5pm, daily. Admission fees: $7; $4 (seniors, students with ID, children, 6 to 8 years old); active military and children 5 and under, free. 54 Pearl Street, 2nd floor. http://frauncestavernmuseum.org/exhibits-and-collections/

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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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

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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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.
Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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