Kayaking +

Hi friends!

So we've partaken in free kayaking before (at Pier 96), but today we had quite a fun adventure!  

We got to Hallet's Cove around 3:30pm and launched from a tiny sandy beach.  The thing that makes this place better than Pier 96 is that you have a nice view of the city and aren't confined to tiny rectangular space between 2 piers.  It's very open, you have much more space and the people running the place are much more lax.  

We even discovered a little "bonus" to arriving late like we did.  (Free kayaking happens between 1:00-5:00pm.)  After we finished cruising around at around 4:30pm, we were asked if we wanted to take a 40 minute ride upstream to return the kayaks to their home base on Long Island City.  At first I was like cool, they must have been super impressed by our rowing skills ;)! But I soon realized that I had just volunteered myself for some manual labor.  The trip itself to LIC was great!  We got to go under bridges, dodge boats, and crash into some waves.  It was quite a workout (for me) but fun!

Upon arriving at the boathouse in LIC though, we were all of the sudden being ordered around to wash all the boats, jackets, etc which took quite some time considering there were about 15 kayaks.  We hesitantly agreed considering the free and fun adventure we just went on, but were even more willing to put our bodies to work after we heard talk of a free BBQ after everything was put away.  Here's Brian working quickly with the smell of the grill going behind him!

 

We were pretty satisfied by the end of it all, but just to top it off a group of girls hanging out of a sweet ride stopped us on our way to the train and offered us... their candied apples...?

I gave them a strange look, but of course Brian jumped at the opportunity.  They apparently had just come from a baby shower and were going to hit the clubs but didn't want their party favors to melt away in their car.  Okay then... 3 candy apples for us!

 

For more fun summer fitness activities in or near Socrates Sculpture Park, go here!

Meet Wendy @ MoMA PS1

Well friends, Brian and I are going to try to get this baby up and running again!

And at what better time than the opening of Wendy & the start of the MoMA PS1 Warm Up Music Series!

While we've been to PS1 a number of times, today was actually our first time at Warm Up.  We just so happen to know one of the designers of this year's winning Young Architects Program (YAP) Competition (!!!) so talk about a good excuse to get out there :)  Check it out!  And enjoy the photos I took below.

Wendy was definitely the highlight of our visit to PS1.  She's absolutely stunning and helped keep us cool on this very warm and humid day (how sweet is she!).  Make sure you take the time to view her at all angles and learn a little bit about how she is cleaning the air you breathe and is made of recyclable materials and is in general, awesome.

She also creates a beautiful backdrop to the great performances that you will see while at Warm Up.  Click here for the lineup for this summer and keep in mind that the drinks and food are bit on the pricey side.  Bring your own bottle of water so you can stay hydrated! You can refill inside the museum at one of their many water fountains.  Otherwise a bottle of water will cost you $2, beer $6, and M. Wells food $3-$10.

The art inside the actual PS1 building is a bit hit or miss, but for me the hits make it worth it.  Here is one of the hits from today:

Yes, the ceiling is cut open!

So now onto the part where I explain how you can do all of this on the cheaps!

First of all, any visit to PS1 can be free of charge with an admission ticket from MoMA.  The trick is to go to MoMA during Target Free Fridays (every Friday from 4-8pm).  Even these free admission tickets include free admission to PS1 on the back!  Double save!  My fave! ;)  Just make sure you go to PS1 within 30 days.

Fortunately, if you get into PS1 for free, you also get to see Wendy for free!  Unfortunately, if you want to go to a Warm Up event you still have to pay for a $15 Warm Up ticket. I know, I cried a little bit too. But on the plus side, the event is all day (2-9pm), you get constant musical entertainment and you get full access to the museum while you're there!  It's actually a pretty sweet deal.

Being among the art-obsessed, I went ahead and registered myself and Brian for dual MoMA membership today.  For $140 total, we both get free admission to MoMA, MoMA PS1, Warm Up, store discounts, etc.  Here's more info on membership.  Because of Target Free Fridays I've never actually paid admission to the MoMA or PS1.  And I go there at least 5 times a year.  At this point, I figure I can give back a little bit since the museum has provided me an abundance of entertainment and inspiration over the years.  So that's an option too depending on your level of love for the arts :)

ALSO while you're in the PS1 neighborhood, you might as well stop by 5 Pointz!  It might be gone soon :(.