Row, Row, Row Your Boat

How does that tune go again?

Row, row, row your boat gently past the skylineeeeeee...

No, no, that isn't it.

Ah well - I'm sure it will come to me.

Sometimes you forget Manhattan is an island. With all the skyscrapers and cars, it's hard to imagine beaches, and sand, and water sports. But they exist!!!!!

Well, not so much the beaches and sand part. But the water sports are here! and they are FREE!

The Downtown Boathouse is run entirely by volunteers committed to promoting public access to the water for all. They are best known for their incredibly popular Free Kayaking program on the Hudson River.

Given 80 degrees and a free Sunday, the crew headed west to Pier 26 to check kayaking the Hudson off our collective bucket list.

The lovely folks at the Downtown Boathouse provide sunscreen and safety guidelines to anyone who happens to stumble into a kayak.

We suited up, confirmed that we could all swim, promised to stay within the buoy perimeter, and jumped in line to wait our turn!

You can choose between a 1-person or a 2-person kayak...

But of course we all love each other so opted to share.

Guests can take kayaks out for 30 minutes at a time and test their skills against the waves of the Hudson.

Just be careful not to play bumper cars with any of the other paddlers!

Tip: Sitting in the front seat of the boat means you can sit back and relax, while the kaboose does most of the leg work....

A great time to gather your thoughts while floating past the Freedom Tower.

And a GREAT time to ponder your next meal!

There's no official whistle to bring you back in but after a while we slowly trudged back to the dock to surrender our boats.

Teamwork makes the dream work, #amirite???

We left with big smiles and wet butts and went off to stuff ourselves with pasta for a job well done.

And what better restaurant to reward ourselves than Frank in the East Village? Frank is a teensy little restaurant that you might miss if it weren't for the seating spilling out into the sidewalk. The restaurant buzzes to life in the nighttime but we snagged an open table and were the only ones there at 5pm! Frank is known for the homemade pastas so we checked the specials and ordered away!

Starting with the largest, creamiest burrata I've ever been privileged enough to lay eyes on

Followed by handmade tortelloni

and an incredible Squid Ink Linguine with Frutti di Mare.

A great day had by all.

Let's try that tune again...
Row, row, row your boat gently past the skylineeeee
Merrily merrily merrily merrily NY life is so divineeeee

WOOHOO!

North River Lobster Company

There is a lobster roll boat in NYC.

I repeat. There is a lobster roll.

Boat.

In NYC.

Excited yet?

The fine lads over at Thrillist are really on top of their game. Their website is impeccably well-organized and the articles they write are witty and wonderfully informative about the goings-on and happenings in NYC and the world. I do find it particularly offensive that they market themselves as a "Digital Lifestyle for Men" because I check their website at least twice a week....but maybe when I'm finally hired as the editor in chief, I can change it to welcome women who love activities just as much as the guyZ.

Anyways back to the lobster.....on a boat.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this article: "Here's How To End Up On A Lobster Roll Boat This Weekend"

...and to be honest, folks, that's all it took. The thought of sailing the open seas on a boat equipped with a full raw bar and lobster rolls being delivered to your plate with just a flick of your wrist was almost too much for me to handle. So duh. We went.

The company is called North River Lobster Company and has been floating nestled at Pier 81 on West 42nd street for just over a month. It's a dinner cruise without all the fixins. Dress is entirely casual ("Think Key West or Cape Cod" is the advice offered on the website), reservations are not accepted, and a bucket of 5 beers is only $24!! Every hour or so the boat leaves the dock for a 30-40min sail around the Hudson.

The captain of the boat was wandering around the entrance, giving tips and explaining the run of the evening. There are three decks.

The first, the Main Deck, is entirely indoors and has a bar and giant TVs that were showing the World Cup games.

The second is the ordering deck. There are areas to go outside but the main events are the raw bar and the food counter.

JUST LOOK AT THIS

The man behind the raw bar was laughing and offering tips to all of the people standing in line as he passed out order sheets for the bar.

Everything is all so perfectly simple.  You peruse the menu in line, then place your order at the bar and take a numbered table flag and go post up somewhere.

When your food is ready, a waiter dressed in top of the line Martha's Vineyard will deliver your order to your table...if you're lucky enough to find one. 

Climb the stairs to Deck 3 - the Outer Deck, the Belle of the Ball, the Prettiest Little Deck You Ever Did See.

You can't really plan the sunsets but I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful night. We actually kinda hid our table marker so we could continue exploring the boat and taking in the scenery without the waiter finding us.....SHH don't tell.

 

The tables are packed up on the Outer Deck, and obviously everyone is squirming to get a seat outside but people are actually extremely nice and ready to share any available space!

We weren't quite ready to take a seat yet...

......They ended up finding us....but was it really that bad? NOPE

We snagged a table for 2 and prepared to indulge completely in the gorgeous sunset.

A 1/2 pound of peel-and-eat Black Tiger Shrimp with cajun cocktail sauce and lemon to start!

 Fried Shrimp PoBoy with Lemon Garlic Aioli

And obviously a fresh lobster roll.  Can you tell who's more excited?

The sun continued to set and we continued to eat, making our way through the bucket of Sam Adam's Summer Ale as we went.

The peel-and-eat shrimp were definitely the winners of the night. I'm sad to admit it but the lobster roll was really the loser of the evening. I guess I'm partial to the buttery lobster roll more so than the fancier sauces. Fresh, soft lobster is just enough in and of itself. Doesn't matter though because we licked the bowls clean.

The face of a conquerer.

The North River Lobster Company was fantastic. I don't think it's possible for me to recommend it more. Whether you're trying to dazzle a first-date, looking for a fun happy hour with friends, or want to take your parents out to something a bit more exciting than Italian, the Lobster Boat is the answer. It's not hoity-toity at all and since it's so new, everyone is pretty much as confused and looking for guidance as you. Grab a bucket of beer and go take in the boat from every corner. Sit inside on the Main Deck and take a look around at the girl sitting at a table reading with a glass of wine for a nice little after work wind-down. Or stand around the Upper Deck and make some new friends with the other people holding buckets of beer and waiting for a table. Order from the Raw Bar or put in for some hot food. You really can't go wrong.

We came. We saw. We lobstered.