Take the Train, Bus, or Kayak

Kayaks on the Hudson, with a police boat

There mere concept of kayaking to work seems like something that would be more suitable for Seattle or San Francisco, rather than New York (even though NY has a fabulous park system and loads of bike paths, kayaks are an entirely different matter), but according to the Post, there are actually people who would be interested in it, now that there are more boathouses opening up around the city. There are boathouses on the West Side of Manhattan, the Long Island City Community Boathouse just opened in Queens, and there's a movement to open up more boathouses off the East Side of Manhattan as well as in Brooklyn, for a utopian vision of a "network of friendly ports" where people could kayak from Brooklyn to Chelsea or Long Island City. Long Island City Community Boathouse founder Erik Baard told the Post, "I used to commute with a folding kayak to Jersey City" but had to stop because there aren't many places to store kayaks. Which is where more boathouses would come in. Gothamist likes this idea, but we wonder how long it would take. And would you get to work all sweaty? Do you need to get a special waterproof laptop bag? And are there enough police patrol boats to protect kayakers from wayward barges?

The LIC Boathouse, Downtown Boathouse, and Gowanus Dredgers all offer free lessons. Go check them out!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on June 21, 2004 12:14 PM

Comments [rss]

HollyH

My dad used to kayak to work in... you guessed it, Seattle. It was the fastest way by far since we didn't live too far from a body of water that connected to another body of water that was just a block from his office. A few blocks of walking with a light shell kayak, and 30 minutes of peaceful paddling... the alternative being up to an hour of dealing with traffic on Seattle's snarled roadways. He probably did get sweaty when trying to do it that fast, but kayaking doesn't have to be a strenuous activity if you're not in a hurry... in fact one reason he did it was because it can be so relaxing after a day of work. Of course rushing be de rigeur for a commute, but it still beats biking because you don't have to deal with cars & pedestrians, and even other boats are moving around in a much larger space.

Jess Pepp

I've been kayaking on the Hudson for 2 years, and there isn't much of an odor...actually, I find that the salt residue that's left in my hair makes it look great (seriously, I get compliments all the time). All you'd have to do is find a sink to wash the salt deposits off of your arms ;)

If you're interested in kayaking in NYC, you should check out www.manhattankayak.com. They offer a whole bunch of cool tours, and are a bunch of pretty chill people.

Jesse

I don't think kayakers would get any sweatier than all those people who ride their bikes to work. Although the waters here are choppy enough that they would probably all end up with a nice Hudson river odor.

Sterling

I know a guy who sunk an amphicar in the Hudson around 1968. Here's something more practical: http://www.aquada.co.uk/

You could put in at the slip on the south edge of Liberty State Park in Jersey City, but I'm not sure if there are any public slips in midtown or lower Manhattan.

hon

story about kayaking commuters in baltimore:

http://www.citypaper.com/special/story.asp?id=7472

Ryan

I had a friend who would occasionally canoe/kayak to school, but he had to get up really early since he lived almost 18 miles away. This is what happens when you grow up in a region dominated by the Olympics (Lake Placid area).