Well, it finally happened, summer is in full swing, and boy is it unpleasant and relentless. Between the Gowanus and the Hudson, it’s easy for Brooklynites to feel like there’s water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink, unless you buy it at a bodega and it’s imported from some far off land. But as it turns out, that’s not true, and there’s lots of stuff to do on the water right here in our own borough. To celebrate this, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is putting on City of Water Day this Saturday, July 20. City of Water Day is a whole day of free events celebrating the waters of New York City and letting them be the summertime oases they never thought they could be.
Here’s what’s going on in Brooklyn:
New York Aquarium
602 Surf Ave., Coney Island
Come celebrate the Brooklyn waterfront at your favorite place to go when you want to shirtlessly eat a corn dog. Activities and trivia on the boardwalk for beachgoers of all ages. If you need to cool off, you can always jump in the Atlantic…or hide in the dark with the manatees.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
334 Furman St., DUMBO
Get in the water, learn about water creatures, or watch water creatures get pulled out of the water (gently, before being returned to their homes). Activities at Brooklyn Bridge Park include kayaking (10:30am – 4pm), an interactive show called “A Penguin State of Mind,” (10:30am – 11:30am) and the professional use of a 20-foot seining net to catch East River critter-things (12pm – 1:30pm).
Gowanus Canal
2nd St. boat launch at Bond St., South Brooklyn
Be on a boat! Or rather, pilot a tiny remote controlled boat because who wants to be messing with the Gowanus like that anyway? Brooklyn Atlantis, Gowanus Dredgers, and Newton Creek Armada are teaming up to bring you a fleet of miniature boats and freakin’ acquatic robots equipped with video cameras so you can explore under and above water from the safety of the shore, from 1pm to 6pm. Rain date is Sunday, July 21.
Jamaica Bay
1400 Paerdegat Ave. North, East Flathbush
Kayaking in East Flatbush – who woulda thought? Apparently the members of the Sebago Canoe Club are well versed in this phenomenon and will be at their clubhouse on Saturday from 10am to 4pm, waiting to help you out with all your kayaking, sailing, rowing, and canoeing needs in the basin.
Waterfront Museum
290 Conver St. at Pier 44, Red Hook
If you’ve ever been moved to song by the majesty of the Brooklyn waterfront, you are not alone. Blues band SlackJaw will be performing at the Waterfront Museum performing original songs about events that occurred on these here waters. Multilayered harmonies guaranteed.
Yankee Ferry at Gowanus Bay
699 Columbia St., Red Hook
Celebrating its move earlier this month from Hoboken to Brooklyn, the 107-year-old ferry is in itself a tour through history, having served as a ferryboat for immigrants to Ellis Island, a Navy ship in both world wars, and a shuttle for rich jerks to Maine’s Calendar Islands. Tour the damn thing this Saturday.
(GBX)Terminal & Vessel Loujaine
699 Columbia St., Red Hook
While you’re out touring the Yankee Fairy, don’t forget to also check out the Grain Terminal (aka the Grey House) and Cement Silo Vessel (aka the big-ass, 500-foot bulk carrier). Support the Gowanus Bay Terminal in its ambitions to become a focus for community education and history.