The Upper Bay Boat Tour: NYC Infrastructure & Urban Ecology

Join AIANY and Classic Harbor Line on this unique cruise around NYC’s Upper Bay. This 2-hour tour explores the delicate balance between the region’s expanding harbor infrastructure and its vital marine ecology. Guests will hear accounts of the abundant marine life documented by 17th century explorers, and learn how subsequent settlement patterns and resource overuse led to the estuary’s decline. Today’s ecological goals, including efforts to rebuild native oyster habitat and create sanctuaries for migratory fish and waterfowl, embody a renewed commitment to restoring native ecology along our shared urban shoreline of the Hudson River Estuary.

AIA guide Arthur Platt will illustrate a range of historic and modern “working waterfront” sites that co-exist side by side with new parks for public access and recreation. In the Upper Bay, we’ll see up-close diverse working vessels, and learn about their specific roles in bringing international goods to NYC and maintaining the harbor.

Tour Sites include Liberty State Park, Weeks Marine, General Container Terminal, The Brooklyn Army Terminal, Sims Metal, Governors Island, and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

This special tour will be offered monthly, and is hosted by AIANY guide Arthur Platt AIA. The tour will also feature a series of guest guides, all experts in waterfront ecology, resiliency and infrastructure.