As any New Yorker who doesn’t live in Brooklyn or Staten Island knows, hosting a summertime soiree with some of your favorite friends can be next to impossible given the tiny space constraints of our apartments. That’s why I was thrilled to hear about Affairs Afloat, a floating party boat that makes the perfect venue for a midweek meetup with friends.
We attended the Wednesday night Brazilian Cruise. There were spicy samba dancers, a live band and DJ spinning the best Brazilian beats (and a healthy portion of Top 40 hits for your listening pleasure, too), and a nice mix of New Yorkers, tourists, and those folks from across the Hudson that we love so much, New Jersey-ians. The boat boards at 6:30 and sails until 10, offering a $10 buffet and cash bar.
The boat provided the perfect venue for getting your mid-week dance on…
…mixing and mingling with friends, old and new…
…being thoroughly entertained…
…this duo even found love! How’s that for a Wednesday night?!
The view of NYC was, of course, stunning. Being stuck in the grid most of the time, it’s nice to take a step back and look at Manhattan in all its skyline glory. It’s a rare treat, well, unless you live in Brooklyn or Staten Island. Then I guess you can have your garden dinner parties AND skyline view. But for the rest of us, we’ll always have Affairs Afloat.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
-The buffet and bar are cash only, so hit up an ATM before boarding.
-Ladies, I appreciate the aesthetic value of the stiletto as much as the next girl, but trying to dance in heels on a boat is both painful and gives off the illusion that you are staggering around drunk (then again, it could just be me…) But just as a backup, slip a pair of flats in your purse.
-It’s called a party cruise for a reason: the music is LOUD. As you can see above, you may be lucky enough to find romance on the boat, but it’s definitely not a venue for intimate conversation.
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
