June 16, 2007

NY Water Taxi plans service to East River floating pool

Two weeks after the New York Water Taxi launched its weekend ferry service to Governors Island, it's finally come out with its new summer schedule and maps, and it contains at least one more surprise addition for the Brooklyn waterfront.

"Joralemon Street Opening Summer '07"

That's the Brooklyn Heights location where the free, floating swimming pool on the East River will open to the public starting the week of July 4 along with its own beach area, sand volleyball courts, sand soccer grounds and cabanas. (Map.) Burger and hot dog-type concessions will be handled by the same team that serves Water Taxi Beach at Hunters Point in Long Island City.

The pool will open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, according to the Brooklyn Bridge Conservancy website. The pool itself, called Floating Pool Lady, measures 25 meters and is divided into 7 lanes. Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach will cover 40,000 square feet. Metro Beach Sports will organize league play on the sand soccer and volleyball courts, and pick-up games are allowed, too.

The other potential surprise on the new map is a reference to the Water Taxi stop in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It refers to "Fairway Market, NYC's best places to drink with a view of the Statue of Liberty." Currently Fairway prohibits alcohol at its waterfront cafe and there is no other nearby restaurant or bar that has a Statue of Liberty view. So either they mean lemonade when they say "drink" or maybe they know something. ...

And lastly, one more new thing on the map. It calls for a new Hudson River stop at W. 26th Street at Chelsea Piers, also "opening summer of '07." However, the Water Taxi route maps in use until last week had indicated a West 23rd Chelsea Piers stop.

Related: Water Taxi Beach this weekend has kicked off NYC's 1st Annual Food Film Festival.

June 16, 2007 07:51 AM in Cheap Stuff, Downtown, Kids, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Sports, Transportology

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