AIA-NY Around Manhattan Architecture Tour

John was such an extraordinary guide, a truly remarkable and enjoyable cruise around Manhattan, full of information in a relaxed and cosy atmosphere. Not to be missed....

I enjoyed this tour immensely. I have been living in NYC for several months and it has really increased my appreciation for the architecture surrounding me. This is a good activity for any architecture buff or otherwise curious person.

amazing alternative view and perspective of the City

Your inquiry relates to the ticket I recently bought for a guest, Kenny Hersey of Salem, New York, otherwise a Verizon linesman in the city for three weeks with Sandy repairs. I am offering a review of the boat trip I took in late September with my sister. At the end of the tour the guide mentioned that there were to be occasional tours concentrating on infrastructure, and I would very much like to get a schedule of when they are occurring. It could be very helpful to me intellectually to participate in such a tour. As for the tour I took, we had a maybe fifteen-minute wait in the Hudson, before entering the Harlem River, because the swing bridge had not opened. That was very felicitous. During the tour/passage I wanted to be out on the deck, partially to take pictures. The waiting time allowed me to come into the cabin/lounge and partake of your fine snacks. So this wait suggests a better tour might have an intermission, without more information being proffered, in fact a surcease. You may say the boat trip has labor costs and you cannot tolerate a stoppage or greater length (at sea). Sometimes and in some places the seas might be too choppy for just sitting/standing/not going anywhere. The thing that I got from the tour, and for me was unexpected, was the prominence and amount of public housing. I don't think of public housing being part of the city skyline, but along the Harlem and East Rivers it was seen in some abundance, even monumentally in clusters. One thing the guide(s) might do a bit more with is to indicate. occasionally, historical evolution: for example,the Brooklyn bridge preceded by Robert Fulton's famous steam ferry., that the shoreline of the Lower East Side was once a center of American shipbuilding. That is to say: a stupid point needs to reiterated again and again: which is what one sees now is not the way it always was. For instance, up until the mid-nineteenth century the highest objects were ship's masts and church steeples. Another dumb point which may have gone unmentioned is rip-rapping, pile driving, the increasingly hard edge between land and sea. and how it is that so much of the present shoreline, especially around Lower Manhattan is landfill. And this landfill and these hard edges not conducive to spreading out or absorbing storm surges--and was it up on the east side of the Morningside Heights, near Stern's little new boathouse, that a restoration of salt marsh was pointed out. (That was a wonderful surcease from purely architectural information.) In this regard maybe more could be done with physiography, how the deeper Triassic bedrock around Greenwich Village, say, precludes the easy erection of skyscrapers--and hence how, arguably, the two loci of skyscrapers may be physiographically determined by the proximity of bedrock to the surface. I could go on. But the tour is very much worth $75.

An extra 15-30 minutes would allow the friendly, knowledgable local architect/guide to not hurry in order to keep pace with the speed of the boat. Glad we went on it.

If you're a fan of architecture (and let's face it -- you wouldn't have found this tour if you're not), this is a wonderful way to see a large portion of NYC architecture in less than three hours from the unique vantage point of the rivers. The architect/tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly as well. They provided some small snacks which were actually pretty decent and had beer/wine for purchase which was a nice touch. The best part of the trip was the circumnavigation of Manhattan and seeing the diverse and eclectic building from the water. We'd definitely recommend this tour.

We (my wife, our grandson, and i) learned a huge amount about New York City, We've lived here all our lives, but there was still very much that our guide knew that we didn't. And there's lots that can only be seen from the water. Sign up!! Do it!!

Packed with great architectural as well as City history. Great speaker, knowledgeable, vivacious. The visuals from your nice-size boat with those grand windows lent itself to a perfect educational voyage. I, myself, was raised in Manhattan - this is the first time I really became familiar with this "island" that is so marvelous! Thank you; I look forward to booking this trip again.

It was freezing outside, as we waited to board the small boat for our tour. Upon boarding, I was surprised not only by how much space there was inside, but by how friendly the crew and guides were. I was also surprised to see that 4-7 people could fit at the tables, which were tucked away to the sides of the cabin, with cushioned benches wrapped around them. On the tables there were drink menus and silverware. We were served 1 free alcoholic beverage (included), but also as much hot chocolate/tea/coffee/soda, as we wanted :) After about 1/3 of the way into our journey, each table was served a light refreshment platter with gourmet cheeses, cakes, crackers, and fruit. For the price, this was a wonderful date, and quick adventure, and a pleasant experience.

Beautiful and comfortable boat took us around the island of Manhattan during an information-packed 3 hours. The guides were extremely well informed and provided interesting historical information about the various buildings along Manhattan's waterfront. I'm a New Yorker born and bred and learned a tremendous amount of new information about my city. The wine and cheese plate made it a perfect afternoon! I look forward to going again.