After hearing about Flux Factory artist Constance Hockaday's floating art project/ boat hotel in the Rockaways last month, we decided to take a little staycation and check out the Boatel for a night. The once-abandoned boats, tethered at the end of fisherman's favorite Pier 59, are by no means luxury accommodations, and Hockaday is quick to stress that this isn't a real hotel. Instead, it's a gathering place for creative types to pontificate and play music at the Floating Theater, take rowboats out on Jamaica Bay, and stay up all night drinking whiskey. Here's a look at what to expect, and our talk with Hockaday about the floating project, which will be up through Labor Day. more ›

The latest getaway destination for smog-frazzled New Yorkers? No, it's not the Hamptons—think a little closer to public transportation. There's a new floating hotel, make that a Boatel, in Far Rockaway—the brainchild of Flux Factory artist and boat-builder Constance Hockaday. more ›