The West 79th Street Boat Basin

People around these parts love a sordid summer sleezefest and this year they're being obliged by the sad tale of Brooke Astor and her lowdown, ungrateful scumbag son who has allowed his evil wife to, horrors, sequester Ms. Astor's prize pooches in the butler's pantry (and steal the Astor summer cottage in Maine). If this was that kind of blog I'd continue ranting but it ain't...though driving into midtown today down the Henry Hudson Parkway I passed up something I've been meaning to write about for a long time...the West 79th Street Boat Basin. I'm sequestered in a hotel on 54th Street with the air conditioning blasting and some mindless corporate fool droning on, perfect opportunity to write about sailing.

Owned and operated by the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, the boat basin provides seasonal dockage, Transient Dockage ($2.50/linear foot/day), passenger pick up and drop off, moorings, pump out, electricity and a special "dock and dine" rate (four hours) in the event that you wish to take sustenance at the 79th Street Boat Basin Cafe. Manhattan Island is flanked by the East River and the Hudson River...both of which meet in NY Harbor. The 79th Street Boat Basin is on the Hudson River, far enough "uptown" on the west side to be pleasant and certainly a better choice for picking up a mooring than, say, Hoboken. My favorite part about the boat basin? It's one of the very few places in the city you can actually see real live sailboats at anchor. As well the sun sets very nicely over New Jersey. No offense Tillerman ;-)