79th Street Boat Basin 🇺🇸

You will find the 79th Street Boat Basin tucked inside Riverside Park along the Hudson River on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, this historic marina stands out as the city's only year-round houseboat community. Conceived during Robert Moses's 1930s West Side Improvement Project, the site features a multi-level stone rotunda designed by Gilmore David Clarke and Clinton Lloyd.

This architectural feature includes a vaulted Guastavino tiled arcade, an open-air courtyard that buffers highway noise, and underlying transit corridors like the Freedom Tunnel. Over the decades, famous figures like Frank Sinatra, Mario Puzo, and Roy Cohn docked their boats here, while movies such as You've Got Mail and 9½ Weeks captured its scenic waterside charm. Beyond mooring, the basin serves as a launch point for kayaks, canoes, and sailboats, and frequently hosts the environmental sloop Clearwater.

Though the marina closed for major rebuilding in 2021 with an anticipated reopening in 2028, you can still admire its grand rotunda structure by walking west along 79th Street or strolling through Riverside Park.

What to see at 79th Street Boat Basin

• Multi-level 79th Street Rotunda with a vaulted Guastavino tiled arcade
• NYC's unique year-round boat residency and houseboat hub
• Historic West Side Improvement Project architecture clad in cut stone
• Famous movie filming location featured in You've Got Mail and 9½ Weeks
• Launch site for kayaks, canoes, and the environmental sloop Clearwater

Visiting tips

You can easily reach the rotunda by foot either by strolling through Riverside Park or walking west along 79th Street.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Daytime

How to get there & what’s nearby

79th Street Boat Basin is easy to reach on New York metropolitan area’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Riverside Park and Master Apartments. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our New York metropolitan area travel guide.