My favorite thing to do in New York is be on or near the water. People forget to take advantage of the fact that New York City is an island! There are a lot of opportunities to be near water in NYC. The city is currently working on a walking and bike path that will encircle the whole island so you can take advantage of the entire panorama. There are beautiful views of New Jersey on the west side and Queens and Long Island on the east side. There’s even a boardwalk and view of a lighthouse on Roosevelt Island from Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side. But even better than walking near the water is taking a boat so you can feel the cool breeze on your face as you take in the Manhattan skyline. Sometimes you have to back away from New York a little bit to really appreciate it. You can take the NYC Water Taxi service, which costs only a little bit more than a subway ride. They make several stops in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. You can go under the Brooklyn Bridge and see all of downtown and midtown Manhattan. There’s also a stop called Water Taxi Beach in Queens, which is an artificial beach with sand and a volleyball court and cute little outdoor bar. It’s a great way to be outside in New York!
