After last year’s summer-that-wasn’t, New Yorkers are spending extra time outdoors with beach trips and outdoor sports. And a great way to get the most out of the warm weather is to combine those two activities. Thanks to the city’s long list of available watersports, you have quite a few aquatic choices in the summer months, from kayaking to sailing, to surfing in the Rockaways. Ahead, we’ve rounded up eight of our favorite options.

Features, NYC Guides, Restaurants

The best boat bars in New York City

There are few spring and summer pleasures more sublime than drinking aboard a boat, though, in New York City, those are hard to come by unless you’re buddies with a yacht owner. The good news is, there are a handful of bars actually located onboard barges and boats, where you can sip wine and watch the sunset as the waves bob below. Here are our favorites; and do note the Staten Island Ferry is an unofficial boat bar, too.

All aboard!

Events, Financial District

Camp for free under the stars in The Battery

Photo courtesy of the Battery Conservancy

It’s your chance to have a free quintessential summer experience, albeit not typical a New York City one. The Battery Conservancy on Thursday will open a lottery for free tickets to camp at the historic 25-acre public park. As part of the Battery CampOut, families are provided with tents, campfire singalongs, s’mores, and a lightning bug show. But remember to bring your own sleeping bag.

Find out how to enter

Featured Story

Far Rockaway, Features, NYC Guides

Sip, surf, and sunbathe: A guide to the Rockaways

Photo via Flickr

The Rockaways is the quintessential beach getaway for those looking to soak up some sun and still remain in the city. Once known as “New York’s Playground,” the Rockaways offers a 5.5 mile stretch of bustling boardwalk and over 120 acres of sandy beach. While definitely a go-to spot for city-dwellers, navigating the Rockaways can be daunting if you’re unfamiliar with the Queens neighborhood. We’ve rounded up the best of the Rockaways, including how to get there, where to soak up the sun, and, of course, the best spots to wine and dine.

Rockaways this way

City Living

Measuring the quietness of New York City in August

Photo via Elliott Scott via Flickr

You might notice it the first time you get your choice of seat on the subway during the morning rush or when your wait time in line at Whole Foods drops considerably. It’s August in New York and the five boroughs are eerily quiet. While you can feel the emptiness, are the numbers there to back it up? The New York Times attempted to quantify this feeling of vacancy and did report a drop in subway ridership and beach attendance. But finding this data wasn’t easy. The city is on vacation.

Learn more

Daily Link Fix

Daily Link Fix: Snooze in a Honeycomb Pod; Revel in the Beauty of Summer in NYC

b-and-bee, achilles heel, design, sleeping pod, music festivals, festivals, sustainable design, sustainable entrepreneurial

Honeycomb Sleeping Pods For Music Festival-Goers: Wired features B-And-Bee, the winning design for a Belgium competition for sustainable entrepreneurship. Believe it or not, each pod is big enough to fit a king size bed! Where do we sign up?
There’s No Place Like NYC In The Summer: Summer Fridays, Saturday afternoons laying out in Sheep Meadow, outdoor dining and maybe even an ice cream cone from the Mister Softee truck… DesignTaxi spotlights a slow-motion video of scenes in the city during the dog days of summer.
‘Hug’ Tracks How Much Water You’re Drinking: Because #firstworldproblems, TechCrunch reports on the device and smartphone app that helps you stay hydrated. If only it told you how many people go without fresh, clean water every day too…
Going Back To The Basics of Design: Lifehacker reminds us that design is part of everyday life. Use these three basics from design 101 to help improve your photography, interior design and writing skills.

Images: Achilles Heel’s B-And-Bee courtesy of Wired (left); “Streets – New York City” by Tim Sessler courtesy of DesignTaxi