See NYC’s Architectural Sites By Boat in a 1920s-Inspired Yacht, the Manhattan II

Over the past few years, we’ve been on several Classic Harbor Line including the Freshkills Park Tour, Circumnavigate Manhattan Architectural and Historical Tour and the Roaring 20s Architectural Boat Cruise, all in partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York. Last week, we hit the water on the maiden voyage of their new yacht, Manhattan II.

As with their other three vessels, their new yacht, Manhattan II has a 1920s inspired design, but is quite a bit larger – stretching 100 feet in length, with a beam of 22 feet.  It is just as masterfully crafted, with teak decks and mahogany finishes, and is large enough to allow you to either stay indoors in air conditioned comfort, or enjoy the view from an outside forward deck. To the sound of Miles Davis streaming from the indoor/outdoor sound-system, we chose the latter as we left Chelsea Piers.

Under power, Manhattan II made her way past Julian Schnabel‘s very distinctive Palazzo Chupi, the Richard Meier Towers on Perry Street and the Archive Building running South along Hudson River Park past One World Trade.

We sailed under the Brooklyn Bridge, near Jane’s Carousel and Tom Fruin’s art installation, Kolonihauehus still glistening in the summer sun next to the empty shell of St. Ann’s Warehouse. On the opposite side of the East River, we had an excellent view of Governors Island, undergoing a massive expansion.

St. Ann’s Warehouse and Jane’s Carousel

The South Street Seaport

We viewed a very different South Street Seaport, which is now on The National Trust’s annual list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places, past the new building that replaced the mall at Pier 17. As day turned into evening, we circled The Battery and caught a glimpse of their new installation, the SeaGlass Carousel, Castle Clinton, and the beautifully renovated Pier A. Sailing past a flurry of small sailboats from The Manhattan Sailing Club that were just wrapping up a race, we approached North Cove Marina, Brookfield Place and the Goldman Sachs building.

Passing Pier 26, the site of last month Diner en Blanc, which is the lot that is soon to be converted to a mixed-use recreational facility. From there we headed back to Chelsea Piers, where Classic Harbor Line’s three other yachts were just returning from their evening cruises. The elegant Manhattan II, which can hold 100 people, gave us a grand sail and a chance to survey the enormous changes in our skyline that have occurred in just over this past one year.

The newly renovated Pier A

View of the Goldman Sachs building and Brookfield Place

Classic Harbor Line has a variety of tours to choose from including food tours and a Fall Foliage Tour. In addition to Chelsea Piers, they now also operate out of Pier 5 at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Marina.

View of Manhattan II from the deck

Next, discover 13 of NYC’s Most Important Architectural Sites on the Hudson River and 10 sites on the East River. You can contact the author at AfineLyne.