Jaunted

Walk-up kayaking is available every weekend during the summer months at three Manhattan locations, though I'm partial to the Houston Street Pier location, which has rest rooms, lockers for your stuff (lest you kill your cell phone in the water) and plenty of boats to choose from.

If it's crowded, they'll let you paddle around a protected embayment for twenty minutes, where you can gaze at moored sailboats and bob up and down on wakes from Circle Line tour boats, getting a good feel for the motion of the ocean, er, tidal estuary. Show up early, or when the weather is anything other than ideal, and you may just have unlimited time to become one with the water.

If you've never kayaked, they'll give you a five-minute primer, but it's very easy to pick up even if you're an uncoordinated spaz. Your butt will get wet from water splashing over the sides onto the seat, so bring extra knickers if that bothers you. You won't capsize unless you want to.

Also, the water is much cleaner than it was just a decade ago, although the last time I went, I did spot a Coney Island whitefish floating off my starboard bow. Gotta love that indigenous fauna. One more thing: Though the program is completely free, you'd be mighty cool to drop a couple of bucks in the donation box.

Related Stories:
· Walk Up Kayaking [Official Site]
· "Summer Streets" Turning NYC Into a Summer Destination [Jaunted]
· Free and Fun in NYC: Kayak the Hudson [Jaunted]