Kayaking on the Hudson River

Right now, my wallet has exactly $2.23 in it. It had $28 more than that about five minutes ago, but I had to pick up a few things at CVS, which is two blocks away from my apartment. And because I live in New York, those few things at CVS - including starch, baked beans, and store-brand aspirin (I know, random, right?) - cost $28.

So I'm always on the lookout for cheap things to do here. I've done pretty good so far with outings at Central Park, random walks in different neighborhoods, and free admission Fridays to MOMA.

But not only was kayaking on the Hudson River today AWESOME, it was also FREE. As in, even after I spent 20 minutes paddling away between two piers, I would have still had $2.23 in my wallet!

I had been bugging Brent to have a picnic for awhile, and he finally took me up on my offer now that I had the day off. Though I envisioned heading to Central Park, he suggested going two blocks in the other direction to the river that separates New York from New Jersey. So we packed a picnic lunch of Whole Foods sandwiches, cherries, Diet Coke, and dog bones, and took Chloe down to a little park by the water.

When we got there, we settled on a bench that was half in the shade (for me and Chloe) and half in the sun (for Brent, who is working on his tan) and watched the colorful kayaks on the water. We were sitting there munching on our lunches for awhile when Brent mentioned that he thought kayaking was free. I, obviously, didn't believe him because last I checked we lived in one of the most expensive cities in the country. And nothing THAT fun could be free, could it?

But the park is right along the bike path that he rides along, and he insisted he remembered seeing a sign for free kayaking. So, obviously, I went to check it out. The next time Brent saw me, I was in a bright red life jacket sitting on a matching kayak waving to him from the water. And when I yelled to Chloe, I could actually see the confusion on her face as she was staring at me from the boardwalk.

Though the entire back half of my jeans were soaked within seconds of sitting in the kayak, I had a blast paddling around the small area between two piers or just sitting on the kayak looking down river enjoying the motion of the waves.

Free AND fun! What could be better?