The High Line Park...what can I say? I mean, I've loved you for years…read more I think I was in my 20s when I first laid eyes on you, and after doing this walk so many times, I can confidently say my favorite direction is starting at Gansevoort Street and walking toward 34th Street. Unless you want to stop at the shops and restaurants at the end, then I would do the opposite. For me, this direction is perfect because I can end near Penn Station and hop back on the LIRR home. But regardless of which direction you walk, it's perfection. I made a few pit stops along the way this time. I hopped off to explore Little Island, realized the Whitney Museum was right there, and decided to explore that too. Then I went back to the High Line and continued my walk, ending at The Vessel; another one of my favorites. I love the greenery, the flowers, the art,the Hudson River views, and the fact that there is always something to see along the way. Grab an ice cream as a little treat on a sunny day, and you have the perfect NYC outing. The High Line will definitely always be one of my favorite things to do in the city.

The High Line is one of those places where you almost forget you're in NYC…read more Last night, after dinner with about 20 coworkers, we wandered up a staircase and found ourselves on this beautiful elevated walkway winding through the city. Gardens, benches, public art, apartment windows close enough that you're practically making eye contact with the people inside... and somehow, despite being in Manhattan, it all feels surprisingly peaceful. At night, it's especially beautiful. Couples cozy up on patches of lawn and stare out at the city lights. Others are taking photos, selfies, or just people-watching. I found myself doing a little of everything while wandering farther and farther south. Before you know it, you've walked 20 blocks and suddenly realize... well... I guess I have to turn around now. Along the way, you might notice remnants of old railroad tracks running through the gardens and think, "What the heck are those doing up here?" That's when the curiosity really starts. The High Line wasn't originally built as a park. It was an elevated freight railroad completed in the 1930s as part of the West Side Improvement Project. Before that, freight trains ran at street level along Tenth Avenue, so dangerously that the road became known as "Death Avenue." Yeah, who knew?? Cowboys on horseback (apparently nicknamed the West Side Cowboys) would ride ahead of trains waving flags to warn pedestrians. The tracks were elevated, which spared pedestrians, while also transforming the neighborhood. Decades later, after the railroad was abandoned, New Yorkers saved it from demolition and turned it into one of the city's most unique public parks. It's free, beautifully landscaped, and one of those attractions that's just as much about wandering as it is about reaching a destination. Don't rush it. Stop, look around, enjoy the history beneath your feet... and for a little while, forget you're in New York.

FUNNNNNN TIMESSSS Played beer pong and ping pong, chill…read morevibes all around. Great spot to hang with friends and just have fun.

With the understanding that I'm definitely not the target demo for this place, this could have been…read moreworse. I came here for a work event in honor of a colleague's last day (who I suspect is VERY much the target demo) a few Tuesdays ago. My understanding is that we booked a 6pm to 8pm time slot, featuring an open bar - a cheaper open bar with house spirits, which is certainly what I would have emphasized to whomever had to review the bill later - and...ping pong. K-Town is only a few blocks from where we work, but it's JUST far enough where I rarely walk through it, and it also wasn't a huge destination when I was in college further downtown a little over 20 years ago. Seems edgy from my walks, particularly some of the divey restaurants, but there's probably a reason this might have literally been my debut in the neighborhood. Like nearby Five Iron Golf (and I'm guessing a lot of businesses in this area), Space Ping Pong requires you to go into a generic building lobby and take an elevator up to the actual establishment. I really don't remember this being a thing in literally any other NYC neighborhood but I'm open to feedback. There were employees downstairs - I think more so on behalf of the building overall versus specific businesses - that managed the influx of people and got them quickly onto the elevator and ultimately their destination. It was very blue in there. Space has a definite arcade/Dave & Busters vibe but also a legit bar, so you're getting some edgy, dim lighting to match. I had to deal with potential NJ Transit drama (a day that ends in a y, am I right?) so i only stayed for about 45 minutes. In that time, I did enjoy two refreshing tequila/grapefruits from the open bar, as well as several informal ping pong matches. On the booze front, these weren't particularly strong, which I didn't really care about, especially since it was a Tuesday and I wasn't trying to get into too much mischief. They tasted pleasant enough, and given that a lot of the alcohol here in terms of both spirits and cocktails was very obviously geared toward barely legal young pups (the menu massively gave off Hoboken) it was a marginal win for me. There was a food menu as well that I heard mixed things about after the fact, but I didn't sample the wares so who can say? That also looked like pretty generic bar food for what it's worth. I imagine people are coming for the ping pong primarily, not the refreshments. The ping pong? Also fine. I would suggest that the areas where the ping pong tables are have at least slightly better lighting. I'm not going to claim that the dim party lights played a hand in my ping pong mediocrity, but it WAS a little tough to see some of the lines on the table (which I'm sure have sophisticated names I'm unaware of). Just slightly brighter - you don't need medical examiner room vibes or anything. Also similar to bowling and its equivalent bumpers on the sides, maybe something to more easily catch or capture the errant ping pong balls? They DO have an employee or two pretty regularly going around with this scooper/sucker thing (I think they have this in golf too) but we had a lot of instances of ping pong balls ending up under tables or rolling off somewhere into the abyss. Debatable though; that's arguably part of the game and I don't think anyone's experience here markedly suffered as a result of a stray ball, especially given that there were tons of available ones to grab when the need presented itself. I didn't mind this. All respect to Space Ping Pong, I'm probably hitting up one of the restaurants next time I'm in the area.

This reminds me so much of the Floor Is Lava game and is such a fun place for kids and adults…read morealike! They have 3 rooms to choose from depending on the difficulty level and the number of people in each group. We opted for Blue's Arena, which is best suited for 2-4 first-time players. There's a small locker area where you can store your belongings during the game. The hour we booked for was divided into 2 sessions. Each session features a different game with about 10-12 levels each. If you fail a level, no worries because you can always repeat it. You can also take a short break in between the sessions, which we definitely did because it was quite a good workout session.

Sooo much fun! Friendly, accommodating staff. Lights and music made it a very bright, energetic and…read moremotivating experience. "Favoriting" this!

Another happy camper here! This time, the experience is for my daughter, and she had a blast…read morelearning about sailing, wind patterns, knot-tying, and teamwork. Hudson River Community Sailing Camp provided her with not only fun on the water but also a valuable educational experience in navigating and controlling a boat. If any parents are considering whether to bring their kids to this camp during the summer, I highly recommend it. The staff are incredibly kind, patient, and professional, making sure each child feels confident and supported on and off the water. My daughter came home excited each day, proud of her new skills and friendships.

Highly recommend the intro to sailing course. Went out on a sailboat with Andrew and three other…read morebeginners. Andrew explained the basics and then we hit the water to practice. Andrew was great at making sure each attendee actively participated in the sail, including steering. I look forward to my next course with HRCS.

My friends and I came here for the batting cage. We made reservations ahead of time online and it…read moreas about $65 for 2 ppl for 30min. Kind of steep but the cage is all yours with unlimited balls. You can also not reserve and walk in and see if there are free cages. If you do the walk in then you can buy tokens which I think are about $3 for 10 pitches. I recommend doing the reservations so you don't have to worry about finding an empty cage. You can bring your own helmet, gloves, and bat or they have helmets and bats on site for you to borrow for free. There are 4 cages and they each have different ball speeds. We rented cage 1 which was the fastest one- (there are two modes; softball and baseball for each of the cages). I would recommend doing softball and working your way to baseball once you are comfortable. There are also other activities in the chelsea piers space such as the driving range, bowling, etc. So if you're done batting and want to do something else, there are plenty of choices.

My friends and I visited the batting cages at Chelsea Piers on a Saturday afternoon. It was my…read morefirst time ever at a batting cage, but instructions were easy to follow and I had fun! You can buy tokens at the front desk - it's $3 per token, and a token will give you ten pitches. There are four cages total, including ones that pitches faster balls. All but one cage for lefties were occupied at first. While righties had to wait a while, as a lefty I was able to start batting right away. You can choose either baseball or softball for each cage. Softball is thrown at slower speed than baseball. I started with softball and it was nice that I got used to getting balls thrown at me at slower speeds, then try baseball. It was difficult to switch between baseball and softball because I had to adjust my reaction time significantly. But the more I bat, the more I want to do better and spend more time. Yet the cost adds up quickly so we were counting the pitches closely to that we don't spend too much (actually, it was more like my friends were paying attention). If you don't feel like spending much for batting, you might as well buy a glove, a bat, and a ball, get some friends and pitch outside.

I can't believe I've been in NYC for 20+ years and I've never done this sailing before. Although…read moremaybe it's a good thing that I waited this long to do it with Eric who made the experience unbelievable. It was a perfect day for sailing (nice breeze, sunny but not hot, clear skies, and not choppy water). This is definitely an activity that I will come back for. Eric is incredibly knowledgeable about NYC's history and shares it all. His boat is gorgeously kept and is incredibly comfortable and modern with a traditional feel. More importantly you can tell he enjoys what he does, which makes it amazing for those sailing with him. It's also a very relaxing experience. We went out on the 4 hr tour and it went by so incredibly fast! If you have the time I definitely recommend doing the 4 hr as it's the perfect amount of time to enjoy the experience. However, if you don't have the time I very much encourage taking the shorter tour so you can experience a great time. A must-do in NYC!

We have been sailing with Captain Eric for over a decade, and now bring our kids along on every…read moretrip. We all have a blast - adults relaxing and taking in the views and the kids "riding" the waves on the bow and yelping for joy. Captain Eric is always professional, prioritizes safety and comfort of his guests, and has a wealth of knowledge about the area and NY sites. I highly recommend booking a sail - you will have a great time!

I was here recently for an industry cooking class focused on learning to make several Portuguese…read moredishes. We started off with cocktails and passed appetizers before breaking into teams and actually preparing the imwnu items we were having for dinner that evening. Unlike many other classes we actually prepared and ate our dishes. Great for team building whether for work or friends/family

I went here for a work event and had a really enjoyable time. We had about 20 people or so and we…read morewere divided into two groups, each making a Louisville salad, some olive tapenade chicken and a chocolate and orange trifle. This isn't an intense cooking class, just in case you're wondering but it really can't be because it's designed as a fun group activity. Therefore, everything is prepped really well and with basic kitchen skills you and your team can prepare the food. I did learn a good onion dicing technique that I used the next day. In any event, our supervising chef was Ryan and he was great. Really energetic and helpful. There was plenty of work to do for all of us and the time went by quickly. When it came time to eat, we were all very hungry. I thought all the food was delicious. I was surprised at how generous the portions were, especially the dessert. Of course that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing. This was a really nice group activity and the staff there do a great job of getting things done so the program moves along without feeling rushed. Definitely recommend this for a corporate event.

I was a guest of Downtown Magazine. Our cruise on the America 2.0 sail to the Statue of Liberty was…read moreamazing! The captain and crew were fun and professional. I've been talking about this experience to anyone willing to listen.

We had an excellent experience on the Classic Harbor Line AIA Architecture Tour. The boat is…read morebeautiful, very clean, and thoughtfully designed, making it easy to relax and enjoy the scenery throughout the cruise. The narration was informative, engaging, and easy to follow. We learned a great deal about New York City's architecture and history without it ever feeling overwhelming. It struck the perfect balance between being educational and enjoyable. The crew was friendly, welcoming, and attentive from start to finish. The tour includes one complimentary drink, with additional beverages available for purchase. Rather than having to keep going to the bar, the staff frequently came by our table to see if anyone wanted another drink or needed anything else, which made the experience feel relaxed and well cared for. The seating was comfortable, the facilities were clean, and the overall atmosphere was enjoyable from beginning to end. This was one of the highlights of our visit to New York City, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to experience the city from the water while learning about its remarkable architecture.