THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010
20
Escapes STAYING THERE
Affinia Manhattan Hotel 371 Seventh Ave. 212-563-1800
www.affinia.com Across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. Suites from $230.
Hotel Pennsylvania 401 Seventh Ave. 212-736-5000
www.hotelpenn.com Large hotel in same lo- cation, with 1,700 rooms from $174.
PHOTOS BY JAMES F. LEE
Passengers on Circle Line cruises get waterfront views like no other: Manhattan from the outside in and brightly painted tugboats. MANHATTAN’S CIRCLE LINE TOURS
Cruising around town — literally
by James F. Lee
The five guys in Red Sox shirts and hats stand on the deck drinking beer and watching Manhat- tan unfold mile after mile. I wonder whether they have any sense. Especially since the Sox beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium the night before. But they seem to be enjoying their journey into enemy territory.
On a spectacular August day, we’re aboard the Circle Line Queens, a 100-ton boat carrying 540 passengers on a three-hour cruise that circumnav- igates Manhattan Island. The Queens is one of three new boats added to the Circle Line fleet. You can sit in air-conditioned comfort or stand out and face the elements on the fore or aft deck. I spend time in both environments, needing an oc- casional break from the sun. Our itinerary has us setting off from Circle
Line’s 42nd Street pier on the Hudson, then sail- ing south for a view of the Statue of Liberty and the tip of Manhattan, then north up the East and Harlem rivers and back down the Hudson. The Saturday morning river traffic is light. A
large, two-masted sailboat takes advantage of the steady breeze, while jet skiers wave and hoot as they speed by. Fire-engine-red tugboats stir up spray as they make their way down the choppy East River. And the iconic Staten Island ferry pass- es by on its endless runs between the Battery and Staten Island. We float by a view of everyday New York: the en- closed driving range at Chelsea Piers at West 18th Street, where golfers hit from two levels toward the Hudson; stand-up paddleboarders in the morning sun off Pier 10; sunbathers stretched out
on the hill at Schurz Park on the East River; and joggers and bicyclists sharing the paths along FDR Drive. A lazy, unfolding view of the city relaxing. But there are spectacular views as well. Looking
at the rows of skyscrapers stretching northward from the tip of Manhattan is an inspiring sight, as the city seems to spring up straight from the wa- ter. The newer buildings come in all colors and shapes: the curved blue-glass facade of 17 State St. in the Financial District, the black box of the Trump World Plaza on the East River, or the white Citicorp Center Building in Midtown with its strange peak sloping at a 45-degree angle. The gleaming crowns of the stately older skyscrapers stand in sharp contrast to their newer neighbors: the gold dome of the New York Life Building, the art deco stainless steel Chrysler Building, the green pinnacle of 40 Wall St., originally the Bank of Manhattan Building, and, of course, the Empire State Building dominating them all. No other city can claim such a variety of tall buildings. Keith Poissant, captain of the Queens, calls this panorama “the portrait of the city.” Our guide for the trip, John Curran, born and
raised in Manhattan, is a wealth of information. He explains that New York is no longer a major working port. Only two deep-water piers still exist on Manhattan; most of the large commercial ships now use ports in New Jersey. He also tells us that
GETTING THERE
New York is 230 miles north of Washington on Interstate 95 and the New Jersey Turnpike. Amtrak offers daily train service between Washington’s Union Station and Penn Station in New York, with fares starting at $74 round trip.
the once-raucous waterfront of bars, brothels and crowded tenements, long avoided by the wealthy, now faces a building boom as New Yorkers scram- ble for a water view.
One upshot of the redeveloped waterfront is
that Manhattan is now greener than it has been in decades. New parks have sprouted up on both shores, and the aptly named Hudson River Green- way offers an almost uninterrupted ribbon of ver- dure along the river. Circle Line boats are on the water most days year-round, in wind, rain, snow, heat and cold. Fog is the real enemy, though, and if visibility is bad, they stay at the dock. But the variety is what Pois- sant likes after 25 years on the water, gradually working his way up from deckhand to getting his captain’s license. There’s always something new and unexpected. “I never wake up saying I hate to go to work,” he said. The unexpected today: construction at the new
Willis Avenue Bridge in Harlem. Assessing the sit- uation, Poissant decides to turn around. He can’t trust the current in this tricky part of the Harlem River without knowing what construction materi- als might be in the water, he says. Safety first. Back on the Hudson, we approach the dock for the end of our trip. Earlier, chief deckhand Rich Redmond told me what he thought the value of this journey was for a passenger: “You see the city from the outside and then you can venture in.” The Red Sox crew is way ahead of him. Says
Thomas Carroll, wearing the jersey of Boston pitcher John Lackey, “We found a Red Sox bar last night right in the middle of Manhattan.”
travel@washpost.com Lee teaches journalism at Bucknell University. Sunday in Travel: The Impulsive Traveler checks out what’s nouveau in Quebec City. EATING THERE
Shilla Korean Barbecue House 37 W. 32nd St. 212-967-1880
www.shillanyc.com Inexpensive barbecue in the heart of Korea- town. Bulgogi (bar- becue beef) with side dishes is $20.95. Dwen Jang Jjigae (bean paste soup with beef) and side dishes is $9.95.
Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden
29-19 24th Ave., Asto- ria, Queens 718-274-4925
www.bohemianhall.com A venerable Queens in- stitution celebrating its 100th anniversary. Classic beef goulash with bread dumplings is $13.
PLAYING THERE
Circle Line Sightseeing Pier 83, West 42nd Street at the Hudson River
212-563-3200
www.circleline42.com Offers three-hour cruis- es around Manhattan three times a day through Oct. 31, at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. $35, $30 seniors, $22 children. Also offers shorter cruises, special cruises, speed boat tours and sightseeing bus tours.
INFORMATION
www.nycgo.com
IF YOU GO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136