When in New York City, there are literally hundreds of ways to spend your time.  It’s fun to take in a show, people watch, see the Freedom Tower or one of the other skyscrapers, the list goes on and on.  This past weekend, we found another way to entertain ourselves doing all of those things at once.  We walked over to Pier 83 on 42nd Street and 12th Ave and hopped on a boat to take in the city sights.

We were invited* to embark on The Beast, Circle Line’s speed boat.  The day was a scorcher, despite being in September. The sun was heavy on our shoulders and a quick downpour of rain added to the heavy humidity in the air.  We were in need of a cool breeze!  We boarded The Beast and we knew we were in for a fun time.  Seats were wet, but we didn’t know if that was from the rain or the ride itself.  We were soon to find out.

Once loaded in the boat, we were given some direction and then we took off!  The boat is fast and you are speeding through the water ways, enjoying the incredible  views of both Manhattan and New Jersey skylines.

The journey on the speedboats takes your right past the new Freedom Tower.  On the day we visited, it was the day before the 15th anniversary of 9/11.  At the moment we stopped to take in this symbolic tower, 5 fighter jets soared overhead.  It was really cool.  It’s awesome to see the city rebuild and grow and it’s spectacular to take in the sights of lower Manhattan.

Shortly after stopping by the World Trade Center, the boat takes you directly in front of the base of the Statue of Liberty.  You don’t get off the boat at all, but they do pause to let you take incredible photographs with the Statue of Liberty in the background.  To me, taking a boat that close to the monument was incredible.  We really enjoyed seeing it up close.

After everyone has a chance to take their photos–both sides of the boat have an opportunity to do so, so it does not take much time–you turn around and head back to the pier.  But not before enjoying some awesome turns in the water that will most likely leave you a little wet.  If you don’t get wet from the spray, one of the crew members just might make sure you do with a squirt gun.  All in fun and it definitely brought some laughs from our group and those around us.

The ride was incredibly fun, we got to cool down, enjoy the wind in our hair and some energetic tunes on the sound system, all while taking in all that is amazing about New York City skyline.  I highly recommend taking a ride on The Beast, we loved it!  It runs seasonally (April  30th-September 25th) leaving the pier every hour between the hours of 10am and 6pm.  It is a must-see in New York, for tourists and locals alike.

You can schedule your own trip and learn more about The Beast by visiting their website online.

*we were invited to visit to facilitate a review, all opinions are my own.