Check out this 360 degree tour of Water Taxi Beach. It requires a high speed connection. Click Here.

Late Summer & Fall

We have a lot planned for the late summer and fall...

There will be a door charge every Friday Saturday and Sunday and a few Thursday..

However our back and north beach will be open for free access (dogs and soda served)

We are expecting a fresh batch of Black Angus Dogs from Stahl-Meyer.. and as the nights get shorter and the fall air comes our way.. starting Sept 22 or later, if you bring a hoodie, jacket or sweater with you to WTB, you will get a ticket good for a free stahl-meyer black angus beef hot dog. Offer good while supplies last, subject to cancellation or change and limited to adults 21 or over (sorry kids). The ticket is good only on the same day it's given.


Besides free hot dogs.. we have lots of great music planned.. including..

718 Sessions on August 28th

Turntables on the Hudson on the 29th ($10 @ 8pm) and 31st ($10 @ 3pm)

The Martinez Brothers (THB) on Sept 7th ($20 in advance)

Sept 13th - Victor Franco opens for a very special Guest

Sept 20th - Ain't Nothin' but A House Party returns (door charge)

Tommi Sunshine on Sept 21st ($20 in advance)

Sept 27 th - Victor Franco and Friends

Oct 4th - Victor Franco spin's with Jellybean Benitez and Jellybeans' friends

Oct 11 - Victor Franco brings more friends

Oct 12 - Special last Turntables on The Hudson Event for 2008 ($10 @ 3pm)

Oct 13 - Special end of season event. Many special guests

Thanks Sleepy & Boo

Much thanks to Sleepy and Boo.

Things started off a bit rough but once Sleepy got here (or was that Boo?) everything was smooth..

We are talking about Sunday August 3rd.. Really nice weather, great tunes.. and well about a 10 minute wait at the bar. We try to keep it under 5 minutes but two bartenders flacked out....

Thanks to all who showed up..

Gene Hunt

Wow! Representing Chicago and very much the perfect Gentleman and playing in NYC for the very very first time... Gene Hunt really impressed.

Did you dig his vibe? let me us know (watertaxibeach@gmail.com). We would like to have him back but would like to hear from you..

The Beach Party

The Beach party is set for the rest of the season...

Gene Hunt (August 2)
The Twilite Tone & Duane Harriott (August 9)
My Cousin Roy (August 16)
EFDEMIN (August 23)
A Spectral Night With Osborne, Ryan Elliott and Marcel Wavve
(Tanner Ross of Dirtybird and Freerange) (August 30)
Junior Boys (Sept 6)

August DJs

We have a great line-up this August.

Every Friday, Turntables on the Hudson. $10 8pm to 2am.
Every Saturday, Victor Franco, 2pm to 8pm, FREE
Every Saturday NIGHT, The Beach Party, $5 (til 3am)

Thursday, August 07, 2008 - DJ Victor Franco 6pm to Midnight FREE
Sunday, August 03, 2008 - Sleepy & Boo FREE
Sunday, August 10, 2008 - Singer Song Writers, curated by Tom Goss, Free
Sunday, August 10, 2008 - DJ Chris Meyer (80's Underground), Free
Thursday, August 14, 2008 - DJ Swamy 6pm to Midnight FREE
Sunday, August 17, 2000 - Jellybean Ain't Nuttin' But A House Party FREE
Thursday, August 21, 2008 - DJ Kid New York 6pm to Midnight FREE
Sunday August 24, 2008 - System Audible FREE
Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 718 Sessions - Danny Krivit Door Charge $20
. . . . . . .Free BBQ Chicken to the 1st 100 People (Aug 28th)

July 27th

We were opening for great things today weather wise.. but while it looks like several waves of rain are coming this way.. http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php

We are open RAIN or Shine!!..

yours,

Water Taxi Beach Mgmt.

VIP Treatment

At Water Taxi Beach people often ask about getting reservations. Basically we dont' take them, except for our Friday night chicken BBQ.

We also take reservations for private events, which occur when the beach is open but in a private section. They start at $4,000. Here is a look at what you would get if you had 15 people and worked within the min. spending level.

Private wait staff
Private bartender
Your own section of reserved tables (3 - 4 tables)

Private security, retired NYPD, for your area

6 Bottles of Champagne (Laurient-Perier Brut or Grand Sc.)
(Champagne is the only bottles we allow on the table)

Shrimp Cocktail (fresh jumbo shrimp)

Fire Roasted Lobster tails (1 per person -- no shell, live maine lobster)

Prime Aged mid-west T-bone/Porterhouse Steak (1 per person approx 1.5 lbs+ each)
(these are the best in NYC)

Griled Asparagus, Mushrooms and Summer Squash

House cut fries

Fresh Brooklyn Biscuits - deep fried

Italian cookies + Italian chese cake or other cake

Choc or Vanilla Ice Cream


We also have an entire Organic & Vegan Menu available.

Everyone must 21 or older with valid and proper ID. It is illegal in NY State to serve someone to the point of intoxication. A bar plan doesn't include the ability for people to drink until they are drunk. Regular and legally required cut offs are strictly enforced

Jellybean

Water Taxi Beach has had a number of interesting DJ artists play on Sunday's since April 27th. While the Sunday's in May and June, Sept and Oct have door charges, every summer Sunday in July and August are FREE.

We are very please to announce that on July 27th Jellybean and his Ain't Nuthin But A House Party will hit Water Taxi Beach. Please join us for Free.

Sound System part II

As we reported earlier in the season that we hired Gary Stewart Audio to build us a system that could play high fidelity music outside without impacting on our neighbors in Queens or Manhattan. The system sounded fantastic with amazing separation and clarity. The results were remarkable and beyond our expectation, the system was also affordable..

However, since Gary created a stereo image by sounding the tent with 32 separate speakers. That meant speakers and sound went off in all directions and we had to keep the volume lower than many of the DJs liked. It sounded great with 30 or 50 people in the tent. But, when a few hundred people where in there, the sound of their voices often seemed louder than the music.

With the The Beach Party approaching and the audience for Turntables On The Hudson growing we felt (mid June) we needed to do something quick to make things better. Of course, anything we would have tried would just be an expensive experiment.

Promoter Benny Soto who has been coming by this summer to help us taste test our now award winning hamburger made a suggestion that we create a wall of sound all facing the same direction.

Gary asked if we were a) willing to give up the great stereo image we had and b) if we were worried it might create too much sound all going in the same direction. We then consulted with Al Fierstein; Al designed the limits on the system so that we could avoid spilling out sound out into the community.

Al like Gary has been involved with the sound of night clubs for more than several decades. There were a lot of emails back and forth among our experts and with many of our DJs, promoters and friends.

In the end, Gary was right that the over all quality of the sound decreased, while at the same time, we were able to make more than a 10 db increase in the sound level on the dance floor.

Al explains, "The flush-mounted speaker wall provides the equivalent of one very large directional speaker array. In most systems, bass sound diffracts around the back of the cabinets and not only is wasted, but also goes in unwanted directions, such as toward the neighbors. With the flush-mounting arrangement, this “rear sound” is not lost and adds to the sound pressure in front of the wall.

Also, because the speaker wall is a long line, it acts like a “line source”. As opposed to a point source, where the sound spreads out and quickly gets dissipated, a line source focuses sound to provide greater bass impact at longer distances. This increases the sweet spot area of the [tent] floor."

The end results was almost too good to believe, although we lost a lot of pure audiophile quality, we BOTH lowered the sonic impact with our neighbors while at the same time making over all system, including the bass sound much louder.

Chicken BBQ

We did free 1/2 BBQ chicken last Sunday (July 6th) and it was a lot of fun so we are doing it again tomorrow (Wednesday July 9th). We open at 4pm, we will have the chicken ready by 5pm. We have three cases of chicken, that's about 240 1/2 chickens.

First come, first serve, good while supplies last.

July 4th

Tickets are on our web site. We open at Noon. Tables are on a first come basis. We recommend people bring beach chairs and/or blankets and towels. If you love the sun come early otherwise about 5 or 6pm. With any ticket there is free parking.

However two important points...

#1 for free parking you need to arrive by 2pm

#2 If you park you can't leave until 11pm and/or until the streets are clear


You can buy tickets with the following link Click Here

Drinks & Food:

Our bar is open selling beer, wine and tropical drinks at our regular prices. Water will be a $1. Soda and water from the Food Court will be $1. At the food court we will have burgers, dogs, fries, soy dogs, and Schnack slaw. We will have a chicken BBQ on the beach.
WTB.

Water will be $1
Beer is $6
Drinks range from 6.50 to 12.00
The full set of prices is on our menu page.

Our regular weekend menu and prices will apply.

VIP pass holder will get an open bar until 10pm. They will also get a special surprise buffet in the tent including roast meats, a pig and BBQ'd seafood.

July 4th

Once again, we will have a special day on July 4th. Tickets are $25 per person.

This year the barge which is normally at 34th St, will be relocated to 20th st, which will change the viewing angle but should still give us stunning views. There are no refunds for these tickets unless the firework display itself is canceled.

You can buy tickets with the following link Click Here

The link above was broken but is now fixed.

Ticket is for admission only. Our menu for July 4th includes:

Food
Hot Dogs $3
Fries $3
Burgers $5 (normally $5.50)
Water $1 (normally $1.50)
Food Counter Soda $1 (normally $1.50)
Specials (p/a)

Bar:
All virgin drinks $5 except water (which is $1)
Well $6.50
Frozen Drinks $7, $8, $12
Sangria $7
Mid shelf $10
Top shelf $12
Bottles of Moet White Star $90
Plastic "glass" of Moet is $14


This event is not recommended for children under 16 (or anyone with hearing problems) because of the loud noise. This event is not recommend for anyone who would have health problems being in close proximity to the fireworks.

It's Not Loud

After 3 years of using various and miscellaneous sound equipment NY Water Taxi and Water Taxi Beach made the decision to upgrade the sound system. We wanted to put in a system that would be neighborhood friendly yet would be of high enough quality for the world class DJs who play here.

We are pleased to reveal for our grand opening our new GSA Out Door system. GSA typically designs systems for Nightclubs. The system they designed and custom built for us, was designed to be community friendly.

The system is very clear and extra clean, meaning the sound that we create doesn't have a lot of static and noise in it; we didn't want to waste our sonic output on sound we didn't need. Water Taxi Beach is NOT a club and this isn't a club system; it doesn't get very loud and it has been limited based on testing within the community (15 locations) so that the sound you hear at the beach, stays at the beach.

The system includes two speakers on the beach, two DJ monitors, two tweeter arrays, eight coaxial speakers and eight sub woofers. The system has a time delay so that the sound on the beach matches the sound in the tent. The system uses Crown Amplifiers.

We Won!!

Wow, what a day... lots of rain clouds but a real silver lining... at the 1st Borough Battle of Burgers, against pretty much the top competition in NYC, Water Taxi Beach won the best burger. We served our Motz Burger more or less as is here at the beach. The only exception, being that I personally cooked each burger with two assistants; that's a lot of TLC.

Now, if you are thinking about coming to the beach for a burger, please understand that a) we only make them on weekends and b) we only grind a small amount of meat each day, so supplies are limited, please come early if you want a burger!!

Now, some important thanks.. to our pit crew today.. Robbie and Miguel and to Andy for holding down the fort while we were cooking (and eating up a storm in Astoria!!). Thanks for George Motz for his help in designing the burger for us. Also, Pat... we love your MEAT!! For those in the know, all the great burger shops in NYC use meat from Pat LaFrieda.

While most use the most excellent Pat LaFrieda blend (Chuck & Brisket) we just get whole chucks and grind our own, fresh just before service... which is what we did tonight.

Best Burger??

Dish du Jour Magazine’s 6th Annual Food & Wine Event
The Cuisine of Queens & Beyond
Tuesday - May 20th, 6-9 p.m.

Astoria World Manor - 25-22 Astoria Blvd., Astoria NY
www.dishdujourmagazine.com

Who will win the title? Best Burger in the Boroughs

Join us for a culinary feast as you sample food and beverages from the top restaurants, gourmet shops, pastry shops, wines and beers …while you cheer on your favorite burger as some of the best known burger places in the boroughs compete for the title of Best Burger of the Boroughs!

Competing for the title…

Brgr - 287 7th Ave., New York City
Resto - 111 E 29th Street, New York City
Farm on Adderley - 1108 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn
67 Burger - 67 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn
Harry’s at Water Taxi Beach - 2 Borden Ave., LIC
Joe’s Bestburger – 39-11 Main Street, Flushing
Coals - 1888 Eastchester Road, Bronx


The Judges...
Chef Terrance Brennan
Arthur Schwartz
Josh Ozersky
Tony Tantillo, CBS2 HD Food Expert
and Kelly Choi, producer and host
of Eat Out New York on NYC TV,
who will also be filming the event
for her show.

The Emcee...

George Motz

For Tickets Call: 718-777-7918 -- All books by our guests will be available for sale and will be autographed. The burger cook-off will take place within the timeframe the food and wine event. Price of ticket includes all. Plenty of seating and parking available. Close to N & W Train (Astoria Blvd. Stop). Plenty of Taxi’s and close to GC Parkway & Triborough Bridge. *No refunds.
www.dishdujourmagazine.com

Water Taxi's to Water Taxi Beach

Water Taxi Beach is about to enter it's 4th season. Each season has been unique and wonderful. However, the biggest disappointment is often when we tell customers that taking a water taxi to Water Taxi Beach isn't always possible.

For the 2008 season, this is going to change. There will be two different ways to take a water taxi to the beach.

First:
There is the Hop on/ Hop Off service. This is regular scheduled ferry service that will run through the summer. This service runs 7 days a week.

It typically starts mid morning and end about 7 or 8 pm. In 2007 the service arrived at Water Taxi Beach on an hourly basis. There are 4 fare zones.

• From E. 34th St, the fare is $5
• From any other location, the fare is $10
• $20 buys an unlimited one day pass
• $25 buys an unlimited two day pass

Second
On Friday nights from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, there will be a special shuttle that will run continuously from East 34th St and Water Taxi Beach (Hunter's Point).

It will start approx. at 9:15 pm. It will end at midnight on Friday and 1am on Saturday. The round trip fare is $10.

Robert Lin

NYC is great not only because of the things you can do but because of the people you meet. When I first came to NYC one of the first people I met was then a student at NYU. A few years later I was a grad student there myself.

By then my friend Robert Lin was appearing in all sorts of off, off, off Broadway Shows... (maybe I need to throw in a few more off's), and doing some voice over work.

A few years later he was working in the movies. He is always very selective about the scripts he picks. He is now in China preparing for his next role. News about his latest work is here.

Waterfall Tours

This summer New York Water Taxi is offering tours for the New York City Waterfalls. The tours will run from July 15th to October 7th.

Each of the Four man-made waterfalls will rise from New York Harbor, as high as the Statue of Liberty. For more information on the tours please visit www.nywatertaxi.com or visit www.newyorkcitywaterfalls.com

We hope to develop some packages so you can visit the beach, before or after the Waterfall tours.

Turntables on the Hudson

WTB and NYWT is pleased to annouce that in the 2008 season every Friday night will bring Turntables on the Hudson (TOTH) to Water Taxi Beach. Turntables will start in May and continue through to early Oct...

Additionally this famous DJ Crew will program special events on Memorial Day, Labor Day weekends.

Each event will have a $10 door charge. Local residents whose valid ID has the ZIP code 11101 and 11109 can get in for no charge.

Vegan Picnic Options

We are proud to announce we are expanding our catering options to include a vegan/vegetarian menu. This menu is available to anyone selecting our party options #1 or #2.

For the 2008 Season, Water Taxi Beach is proud to be offering organic and vegan picnic option. Each menu is created from seasonal and sustainable ingredients as well as regional staples like potatoes and pasta. Chef Mateo of 4 Course Vegan worked with us to create this special menu. Custom menu’s are available including raw vegan and organic meats.

Our organic and vegan picnic consists of 2 appetizers, a garden salad, a pasta salad and a potato salad along with 2 entrée’s, 3 sides and Dark Chocolate Macaroons plus several dessert options.

For groups who are ordering from any of our other menu’s but wish to have some vegan options can order from this menu for their group on an ala carte basis. These dishes are not available at our food court.

/harry hawk

MENU -- Organic Vegan Picnic (Spring/Summer/Fall of 2008)

Appetizer
- Avocado Nori Maki with Black Rice, Pea Sprouts, and Miso Wasabi Dipping Sauce

Appetizer
- Sweet Corn Chowder with Chipotle and Lime

Garden Salad (choose 1 style)
- Creamy Cole Slaw
or
- Crisp Romaine with Balsamic Thyme Vinaigrette
or
-Chinese-style Smoke Tofu Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette

Pasta Salad (choose 1 style)
- Italian Pesto with Cannellini Beans and Roasted Red Peppers
or
- English Peas with Lemon Cream Sauce

Potato Salad (choose 1 style)
- Mustard Agave
or
- Roasted Garlic Aioli

Entree
- Whole Wheat Lavosh with BBQ Tempeh or Tofu, Grilled Vegetables, and Smoked Pepper Sauce

Entree
- Sunflower Falafel with Quinoa Tabbouleh and Lemon Tahini

Sides
-Grilled Corn with Chipotle Aioili
-Hummus and Pita
-Vegetable of the Day


Dessert
- Seasonal Fruits (option)
- Dark Chocolate Macaroons
- Selection of Vegan Cookies (option)