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The Unframed City
- 2.25 hours
- Departs Chelsea Piers
- Drink Included
- From $86
Tour Highlights
- The Harbor as a Gallery. Monumental sculpture, memorials, and installations that only make sense from the water. Most New Yorkers have never seen them from this angle.
- Water’s Soul. Jaume Plensa’s 80-foot head on the Jersey City waterfront, finger pressed to her lips. Why she faces Manhattan, and what she is asking for.
- Empty Sky. New Jersey’s 9/11 memorial, two walls aligned exactly where the towers stood. The design decision that only works from certain sightlines.
- JR’s Unframed at Ellis Island. Photographs of immigrants pasted into the windows of the abandoned hospital. The installation that gave this cruise its name.
- A 1920s Yacht, Not a Ferry. Teak decks, an enclosed cabin, and room to move. One complimentary beer, wine, Champagne or soft drink included.
- Created by Justin Rivers, our Chief Experience Officer, and guided by the team behind our 4.9 rating
Itinerary
Board at Chelsea Piers
Board at Chelsea Piers, on Pier 62. Please arrive 15 minutes before departure.
Down the Jersey shore
Water’s Soul, Jaume Plensa’s 80-foot head with a finger to her lips. The Empty Sky memorial, two steel walls aligned on where the Twin Towers stood. The Colgate Clock, built to be read from the water.
Into the harbor
The Statue of Liberty, still the most visited public sculpture on earth. JR’s Unframed, photographs of immigrants pasted onto the walls of the abandoned Ellis Island hospital. The American Merchant Marine Memorial, the only memorial in New York that changes with the tide.
Up the East River
The Brooklyn Bridge towers, Egyptian in proportion and Gothic in their arches. Tom Fruin’s stained-glass water tower in DUMBO, built from a thousand pieces of salvaged plexiglass. The Manhattan Bridge pylons, modelled on a Paris triumphal arch. Domino Park, where the refinery’s cranes and silos became the art.
Roosevelt Island and Queens
Four Freedoms Park, Louis Kahn’s granite room open to the sky. Tom Otterness’s The Marriage of Money and Real Estate, three bronze figures standing in the river. Luminescence, seven concrete moons modelled from NASA lunar data. The Pepsi-Cola sign, a 1936 advertisement that became a protected landmark.
Back down the Hudson
Day’s End, David Hammons’s ghost outline of a pier shed that no longer exists. Little Island, 132 tulip-shaped concrete pots, every one of them different.
Return to Chelsea Piers
The cruise returns to Pier 62, where it began.
About This Tour
New York’s best public art isn’t in a museum. It’s on the waterfront, and most of it was built to be seen from the water.
This cruise reads the harbor as a gallery. Monumental sculpture, memorials, salvaged industry, and one installation pasted into the windows of a hospital that has been closed since 1954. Your guide tells the story behind each one: who made it, why it sits where it does, and what it was arguing for.
Expect 2.25 hours aboard a 1920s style yacht, with a complimentary drink and a route that runs from the Jersey shore into the harbor, up the East River, and back down the Hudson. Created by Justin Rivers, Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer.
Meeting location
How to get there
Cancellation policy
FAQ
Meeting location
Check in at the Classic Harbor Line ticket booth on Pier 62, Chelsea Piers.
Address: Pier 62, Chelsea Piers, West 23rd Street and the Hudson River, New York, NY 10011.
The booth is at the northern end of the Chelsea Piers building, on the walkway next to the water. Facing the water, walk around the north side of the building. The Captain will escort you aboard when it is time to board.
Please arrive 15 minutes early.
How to get there
Subway: C or E to 23rd Street, then walk three avenues west to the Hudson River.
Bus: M23 westbound to the last stop, Chelsea Piers, Pier 62.
Car: Parking is at Piers 59, 60 and 61, entered from West 24th Street. Up to 3 hours is $25, up to 4 hours is $38.
Walking to Chelsea Piers means crossing the West Side Highway. Crosswalks are at 18th Street and 23rd Street.
Cancellation policy
This cruise is operated by Classic Harbor Line. Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by Classic Harbor Line under their terms and conditions.
FAQ
- Is this cruise ADA accessible? Accessibility is determined by Classic Harbor Line and varies by vessel. Please email [email protected] ahead of time and we will confirm with them so we can ensure the best possible experience.
- Where is the meeting location? Check in at the Classic Harbor Line ticket booth on Pier 62, Chelsea Piers, at West 23rd Street and the Hudson River. The booth is at the northern end of the Chelsea Piers building, on the walkway next to the water.
- Where does it end? The cruise returns to Pier 62, where it began.
- How long is the cruise? This cruise is 2 hours and 15 minutes long.
- What’s included in the ticket? A guided cruise in english led by an expert Untapped New York guide, and one complimentary beer, wine, Champagne or soft drink.
- What’s not included? Additional beverages, available for purchase on board. Gratuities (optional). Classic Harbor Line adds a 10% gratuity to groups of 10 or more.
- What should I wear or bring? Weather appropriate clothing. It is cooler on the water than on shore, so bring a layer even in summer.
- What is the cancellation policy? Rescheduling or gift certificate credit only. Classic Harbor Line does not offer refunds. Bookings of 1 to 8 guests can reschedule or convert to a gift certificate up to 24 hours before departure. 9 to 16 guests require one week’s notice, 17 or more require two weeks. If you arrive late and miss the boat, the ticket cannot be refunded.
- How strenuous is this cruise? This cruise is easy and most people can participate. You are seated for most of it, with the option to move between the enclosed cabin and the open deck.
- Is this cruise mostly indoors or outdoors? Both. The yacht has an enclosed cabin and an open deck, so you can choose. The cruise runs rain or shine.
- Are there restrooms on board? Yes, each Classic Harbor Line vessel has a restroom.
- Can I bring my own alcohol? No. Outside alcohol is not permitted, and there is no smoking aboard. Additional drinks are available for purchase.
- Who operates this cruise? The Unframed City was created by Untapped New York and is guided by an Untapped New York guide. The cruise is operated by Classic Harbor Line. Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by Classic Harbor Line under their terms and conditions.
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