Due to the extreme heat, the route has changed: Amtrak has closed the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, and we are unable to circle Manhattan. The boat will now travel up the East River to the Brother Islands and back.
Join Open House New York on a boat tour exploring the city’s rich maritime history and our connection to water. Andrew Gustafson of Turnstile Tours will lead a tour circumnavigating Manhattan, highlighting the waterfront neighborhoods along the Hudson, Harlem, and East Rivers, and revealing many of their fascinating stories.
New York City is 520 miles of waterfront, a world-leading port, and an archipelago of more than 40 islands that is best explored from the water. This tour will examine New Yorkers’ changing relationship with the waterfront, from its early history to the current moment. Even as the climate changes and sea levels rise, more and more New Yorkers are living, recreating, and commuting on the city’s waterways. The tour will highlight historic sites like the South Street Seaport and Brooklyn Navy Yard that built the city’s maritime heritage. We will see firsthand how waterfront development has shifted from public housing and heavy industry to luxury high-rises and public parks, and we will look closely at how vital waterfront infrastructure intersects with the city’s energy, transportation, water management, and flood protection systems.
Around Manhattan is part of Water Works, a yearlong series of tours, lectures, and other public programs exploring the city’s water systems and how climate change is reshaping our connections to water. The series is produced in collaboration with lead agency partner NYC Department of Environmental Protection and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.