Last Sunday, I headed out on my next, Things to Do in NYC, article adventure and set sail on the Circle Line Landmark Cruise. The cruise was 1.5 hours and was a very enjoyable way to see wonderful NYC landmarks. The day before we went on the NYC Bike Tour, so this was the perfect follow up activity – all I needed to do was sit back, relax and let the Circle Line do all the work.
Circle Line Sight Seeing Cruises
Circle Line Sight Seeing Cruises have been around since 1945. Circle Line owns a fleet of ships that are essentially mobile observation decks that “circle” Manhattan. You choose whether to sit in the sun, shade or inside the main cabin, and the boat does the rest – it sails right up to the sight for you to observe. There is plenty of seating available, but I would not recommend being the last to board because you will probably get a middle seat. Middle seats are a problem – you want to be on one side of the boat or another in order to get the best views and photo opportunities.
Our Circle Line Landmark Cruise had a full service bar and a grill with standard fare: hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.
We set sail from Pier 83 (42nd Street, West Side). This is the Pier next to the Intrepid Air and Sea Museum, so if you’re utilizing the New York Sightseeing Pass, you will be able to roll right out of one venue and onto another. Our ship sailed South on the Hudson River and headed out toward Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We were close enough to see both landmarks nicely and we took many (many!) photos.
We scooted passed Governor’s Island and on toward the South Street Seaport. We sailed past Brooklyn Bridge Park, where we saw the famous Jane’s Carousel and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. We continued underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, past the United Nations Building and up the East River. We had a good view of the Chrysler Building and a reasonable view of the Empire State Building. We continued up past the Manhattan Bridge and halfway up toward the Williamsburg Bridge before turning around.
Along the way we gleaned great insider color on Manhattan from an experienced tour guide: My favorite story? Back in the day, NYC apartment dwellers did not want to live on high floors or in an apartment on the front of the building where both the light and the views were. The reason? Fire safety was almost non-existent and the only bathrooms were out houses, which were strategically placed behind the apartment building. See if you learn that in history class!!!
But I digress . . .
We returned back the way we came, learning dozens of snippets of information about the history of lower Manhattan, Lady Liberty, a second Empire State Building built in NYC (and still standing downtown – we sailed passed it!). We then headed back up the Hudson River where we heard about the gallantry of Captain “Sully” Sullivan’s fateful flight, and how the Circle Line was a first responder to help rescue those in need of help. We then headed passed the Intrepid Museum and continued North and saw two commercial buildings built to look like exact replicas of the original twin towers (albeit smaller) and saw where the Titanic docked at Pier 54.
It was all very picturesque, easy on the body and most importantly filled with stories and facts that only a trained NYC insider would know.
I very much enjoyed this Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise and would recommend the Landmark Cruise to everyone, young and old, families, couples and singles.
The Circle Line is offered as part of the New York Sightseeing Pass, one of the best ways to see NYC on a budget.
