Today my lady friend and I went to see if we could take the balloon ride currently being offered in Central Park. Sadly it was closed. The reason: too much wind (although it seemed very un-windy to us). Anyhoo, we did not let that deter us, and we did something just as enjoyable and much more old-fashioned: we took a row boat out on the lake.
The typically cynical New Yorker probably thinks of this as a tourist trap but au contraire: New Yorkers have been tooling about this lake ever since Frederick Law Olmstead's day. Sure there are tourists but lots of the people are recognizably native. All races, ages, classes, and creeds row these boats. It's not snobby or touristy. It's one of the few democratic pastimes left in NYC
As you row about the lake, you see how beautifully maintained Central Park is: there are weeping willows and gorgeous flower beds on the shore, and patches where overhanging tree branches provide shade. At certain points you row through beds of algae which might sound gross but is actually quite lovely. And beyond the lake and green of the park, you see the majestic buildings of Manhattan peaking out hither and thither: the San Remo, the Dakota, the Time Warner Center, the Plaza, the Citicorp and AT&T Buildings.
It's important, obviously, to look where you're going since your two biggest dangers are grounding the boat (if you're too close to land) or bumping into another boat. You always need to look around and mind your neighbors, but if you do and make it habitual, you can enjoy the lake just fine.
If you've never done this but have secretly always wanted to, my advice is do it! Do it now! Take someone you like (or love) and it'll be a memorable time. All the info you need is right here. You go the Boathouse, put down a $20 deposit that you get back, and pay $12 for an hour. If you row for over an hour, then it's $3 for every fifteen minutes. It's actually a pretty good deal and, for my money and time, was worth every penny and second of it.
The typically cynical New Yorker probably thinks of this as a tourist trap but au contraire: New Yorkers have been tooling about this lake ever since Frederick Law Olmstead's day. Sure there are tourists but lots of the people are recognizably native. All races, ages, classes, and creeds row these boats. It's not snobby or touristy. It's one of the few democratic pastimes left in NYC
As you row about the lake, you see how beautifully maintained Central Park is: there are weeping willows and gorgeous flower beds on the shore, and patches where overhanging tree branches provide shade. At certain points you row through beds of algae which might sound gross but is actually quite lovely. And beyond the lake and green of the park, you see the majestic buildings of Manhattan peaking out hither and thither: the San Remo, the Dakota, the Time Warner Center, the Plaza, the Citicorp and AT&T Buildings.
It's important, obviously, to look where you're going since your two biggest dangers are grounding the boat (if you're too close to land) or bumping into another boat. You always need to look around and mind your neighbors, but if you do and make it habitual, you can enjoy the lake just fine.
If you've never done this but have secretly always wanted to, my advice is do it! Do it now! Take someone you like (or love) and it'll be a memorable time. All the info you need is right here. You go the Boathouse, put down a $20 deposit that you get back, and pay $12 for an hour. If you row for over an hour, then it's $3 for every fifteen minutes. It's actually a pretty good deal and, for my money and time, was worth every penny and second of it.
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