Central Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, September 18, 2006

For The First Time Ever: Kayaking In Central Park

Photo by Daniel Avila

There is now yet another way to tour Central Park: in a brand-new kayak.  On September 8, Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Central Park Conservancy President Doug Blonsky took the new kayaks on their first test run.

While the paparazzi snapped away on shore, it seemed the perfect photo-op in an idyllic setting: two expert kayakers demonstrating proper form and wearing the appropriate safety gear for the first outing on the smooth waters of The Lake in Central Park.

But this calm image masked the adventure that waited literally ‘just around the corner.’  As they raced around the bend of The Lake, Commissioner Benepe and CPC President Blonsky came upon three recreational boaters trying desperately to bail water out of their small rowboat.  Deftly maneuvering around the sinking boat, our fearless leaders carried the park patrons’ belongings and helped them all safely ashore.  Who would have predicted such an exciting adventure for the first kayak outing in Central Park?

The day’s dramatic events aside, Central Park patrons are excited that for the first time ever, kayaks are available at the Lake.  Three colorful nine-foot ocean kayaks are now available for rent for $12 an hour at the Loeb Boathouse Dock.  Dean Poll, owner of the Loeb Boathouse, purchased the newest additions to the fleet at the Commissioner’s suggestion, and is excited to invite visitors to take advantage of the kayak rentals.   The concessionaire also rents rowboats (also $12 an hour), and gondola rides ($60 an hour).

Throughout the five boroughs, Parks & Recreation has all kinds of opportunities for water sports in the City.  New Yorkers can rent boats (from paddleboats to party boats) in three other City parks: Prospect Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and Clove Lakes Park.  Patrons with their own kayaks and canoes can use launches in all five boroughs for only $15 a year.  And don’t forget the Urban Park Ranger programs designed to connect New Yorkers with the waterfront.  They include canoeing throughout the warm months, and a water-based education and recreation program, including the Natural Classroom school program, ichthyology (the study of fish), and catch-and-release fishing.

For more information about water fun citywide, visit the Recreational Boating Map on the Parks website: www.nyc.gov/parks or call 311.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

So pushes off his boat most eagerly,
And soon upon the lake he skims along,
Deaf to the nightingale’s first under-song
Nor minds he the white swans that dream so sweetly:
His spirit flies before him so completely.
- From Calidore: A Fragment,

John Keats (1795–1821)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center