Remember when it was announced that the South Street Seaport Water Taxi Beach was going to ditch the sand and reemerge as a German beer garden? Might not want to hold your breath. DNAinfo reports that Telly Hatzigeorgiou, who would be operating the "Pier Garten," has withdrawn his liquor license application for the Pier 17 space, "saying Community Board 1 had placed so many restrictions on him that he would not be able to operate the venue profitably." more ›

Brooklynites rejoice: the new free ferry between your borough and Governors Island, that has been in the works for over a year, will be in operation come June 6th. Lost City points to a letter sent out by State Senator Daniel Squadron, stating he'll be on the inaugural launch this Saturday at 11 a.m. "The ferry will leave Fulton Ferry Landing every hour, every Saturday when there is programming scheduled for Governors Island. It will stop at Governor's Island and Battery Park in Manhattan." So it should be smooth sailing for Brooklynites who wants to attend this year's Figment extravaganza, which takes place on the weekend of June 12th and will include the unveiling the new mini golf course. And don't forget about all the other events the island has to offer this summer, including a new Water Taxi Beach of its own (opening on July 4th). more ›

Back in March the South Street Seaport's Water Taxi Beach was just a mirage, but as of this weekend it's real. more ›

Water Taxi Beach is dropping more details about its expansion to the South Street Seaport and Governors Island. Down at the Seaport, set to open in early June, the boozy sandbox and seafood shack will emphasize a family-friendly feel with miniature golf, skeeball and ping pong; come nightfall, the DJs take over for the grown ups. The Governors Island location, opening July 4th weekend, will host beach volleyball, basketball, two restaurants, and live concerts every weekend presented by The Highline Ballroom. Meanwhile, visitors to the flagship Long Island City beach, which boasts 44,000 square feet of sand, will be lured with free Water Taxi Beach shuttles from East 35th Street in Manhattan every Friday and Saturday night. But the best news is that for the first time New York Water Taxi will operate ferries to actual beaches where swimming is allowed. On weekends, service from Pier 11 at Wall Street will whisk ocean-lovers to their choice of two locations: the Rockaways' Jacob Riis Park, and the more remote Sandy Hook on the Jersey shore, which Florent Morellet highly recommends. more ›

How many glorified sandboxes can one city sustain? The folks who made Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City a fratastic destination for the volleyball and burger crowd is betting on three. In addition to a second location previously announced for Governors Island, Down By the Hipster hears word that the faux-beach trilogy will be complete at the South Street Seaport this summer. Whatever your feelings about the Seaport tourist trap—to say nothing of visiting a beach where there's no swimming—it's a safe bet that recession-minded New Yorkers and visitors alike will be fine with a conveniently-located solution to their sand and beer needs. According to Eater, next week the Water Taxi Beach company will seek Community Board 1's blessing in its quest for a liquor license and general approval for a beach, restaurant and bar. Watch your back, Uno Pizzeria. more ›

Given the blush of excitement that followed news of a Water Taxi Beach on Governors Island this summer, it's worth recalling that the island's future as a weekend recreation destination remains very much in doubt. The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation [GIPEC] requested $7.4 million from both the state and city for the 2009-2010 fiscal year that starts July 1st, 2009; the combined $14.8 million would be about 10 percent less than the island got this year. more ›

Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City has been a popular hang-out in recent summers, with visitors flocking to the sand pit on weekends for beer, barbecue, and volleyball (but no swimming). Because of that success, the company is planning to expand with at least two more "beaches" this summer. One location, just announced today, is destined for the north side of Governors Island. Like last year, Water Taxi will operate ferry service to the island from downtown Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, and the beach will feature live music, basketball courts, a cafe, volleyball, and, like LIC, no swimming. And at least one other waterfront beach spot is rumored to be in the works for an undisclosed Manhattan location. But while many people swear by Water Taxi Beach, the absence of surf can make it feel less like a beach and more like a hot, crowded ashtray. Isn't sand something you sort of tolerate in order to get to the ocean, like tedious chitchat on a date? more ›

Seems those choir boys at Water Taxi Beach really believe all that stuff about giving being better than receiving. So take advantage of their munificence by eating free BBQ chicken at their Long Island City oasis Wednesday night – the handout is a reprise of yesterday's fowl philanthropy at WTB: “We had such a good time giving away free BBQ Chicken on Sunday that we are doing it again. We have 3 cases of fresh young chicken (approx 200 1/2 chicken) and we are giving it all away starting about 5pm on Wednesday.” (Entry to the beach is free on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday in July and August.) more ›

If you're staying in town this weekend and still don't have plans for the 4th, it's not too late to catch the spirit of '76; there are plenty of barbecue options within the five boroughs, whatever your budget or neighborhood. All the events below take place tomorrow, July 4th, unless otherwise specified. more ›

If "butter" flavored popcorn and Sour Patch Kids aren’t your ideal movie snack food, then you'll probably find the New York City Food Film Festival much more palatable. Starting Saturday at Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City, Queens, the festival will pair 18 movies with relevant munchies under the night sky. George Motz, who started the festival last year with chef Harry Hawk, says he wanted to create “a cinematic scratch 'n sniff where you can not only watch a food film but eat the food being shown in that film.” Which explains why Sweeney Todd isn't being screened. more ›

Sometimes you have to eat a species in order to save it. To raise awareness about threatened Pacific wild salmon, Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City will be adding wild salmon barbecue to the menu this Saturday. The feast is being held in cooperation with Save Our Wild Salmon, a group that’s traveling the country to educate people about the Northwest salmon crisis. more ›

EVENT: This weekend marked the opening of Water Taxi Beach, and if today's weather is beckoning you to some sandy shores, we suggest heading over there. Their beach blanket bash includes DJs Soul2Soul and Steven Retas, Nef Nunez, Brian Coxx and Brian Burnside -- all on hand to soundtrack your tan. more ›

There are rare times when New Yorkers are jealous of their suburban bretheren; a Memorial Day weekend marked by barbecues galore may be one of those times. But New Yorker's are a resourceful bunch -- the majority of us may not have yards, but there's always a way to find a grill. more ›

According to the Post, the Parks Department has confirmed that the "Floating Pool Lady" will be towed to another borough next summer. more ›

MUSIC: There's not a whole lot going on musically tonight, but the show at Cake Shop seems pretty...sweet. By The End of Tonight and Multitudes will be taking the stage -- the former is described as "the perfect marriage between the math-rockiness of Hella with the glistening, soaring guitars of Explosions in the Sky." more ›

Despite Meatopia IV's downright pagan theme, Slaughter of the Innocents, which involved spit roasted kid goat and suckling pig as well as the consumption of copious amounts of other young animal flesh, the good lord chose to spare the soul of Mr. Cutlets, aka Josh Ozersky, and the band of meat-crazed revelers that came out Tuesday night to Water Taxi Beach to celebrate Josh's 40th birthday. more ›

We're still working all the meat out of our system from Saturday's Gothamist-Serious Eats/AHT QBQ BBQ II, but we hope that those of you who made it had a good time. Thankfully, the forecasted rain held off as we served about 150 pounds of beef (600 burgers) during the event. A special thanks to Harry Hawk, the staff at Water Taxi Beach and some assistants from Gothamist, Serious Eats and A Hamburger Today, Six Apart, and for everyone who came out for the event. Apologies for the early line and beer flow issues. more ›

We just wanted to give you one final reminder about tomorrow's Gothamist-Serious Eats/AHT QBQ BBQ at Water Taxi Beach. The event starts at 5 pm and it's rain or shine. If it does rain, don't worry, we'll already be stationed in the covered area of Water Taxi Beach (pictured above). Those of you who attended last year may remember that there was stormy weather last year too. more ›

Might we just say that Gothamist really dislikes this muggy weather. Normally we are as sweet as a sugarcube but with high humidity here today, tomorrow, next week we know we will be cranky. We're sitting on the west side of the Bermuda High, meaning lots of subtropical air is over the city. A weak cold front currently stretched across the Great Lakes is trying to sweep the sweaty air away, but it is going to take several days to accomplish the task. more ›

It's burger time! This weekend is the second annual Gothamist-Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today QBQ BBQ at Water Taxi Beach. Your votes determined the burgers on the menu: the onion burger, the butter burger (pictured), and the pimento cheese burger. Six Apart will be sponsoring the event with a keg of Orlio and Gothamist/Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today will also be supplying an additional keg of beer. Tickets, which get you three burgers, are $13.50 and are available online. Don't forget to bring ID -- they're serious. There will be a tent covering seating areas for the event, which is rain or shine. more ›

For all of you that were waiting to find out which burgers would be served at Saturday's Gothamist-Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today QBQ BBQ at Water Taxi Beach, the burger menu has been finalized. The winning burgers, as determined by voters, were: the onion burger, the butter burger, and the pimento cheese burger. more ›

If you have yet to vote what burger should be on the menu at next weekend's Gothamist-Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today QBQ BBQ at Water Taxi Beach, today is your last chance. Since we announced the event on Monday, the leading vote getter is the onion burger, followed by the butter burger and the pimento burger. Only the top three vote-getters will make the menu for the July 28th event. Also up for contention are the Motz burger, the guber burger, the nut burger, and the hammmburger. For descriptions of each burger, check out our previous post. There will also be a keg of Orlio Common Ale provided by Six Apart. more ›

After the success of our Gothamist-A Hamburger Today QBQ BBQ last year (that's quality before quantity), we've decided to team up with Serious Eats/A Hamburger Today for another burger event at Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City. At last year's event, Chef Harry Hawk served up four regional burgers from around the nation. This year, you get to choose what burgers are served, with the top three vote-getters across Gothamist, Serious Eats, and A Hamburger Today making the menu. more ›

Got a tidbit for us? Send it to the feedbag. more ›

After spending a day at Water Taxi Beach, we were looking for a proper meal for dinner. When we had entered Water Taxi Beach earlier, we had spotted the Waterfront Crab House -- after a day at the beach, a crab feast sounded like the perfect finish. And it was. Open since 1978, the Waterfront Crab House is housed in a landmark building built in 1881, and it was formerly a bustling hotel/bar. Much of the interior looks like it has been frozen in time -- some from the building's early days and some from the late 70's reincarnation -- but the decor didn't detract in the least from the pile of crustacean-y goodness we were about to attack. more ›

June 21-23: NYC Food Film Festival, Part 2 more ›